November 2024 - Royal Djurgarden

Many people know that Royal Djurgården is one of Scandinavia’s top attractions and a unique place in the world. But did you know that it also has many awards under its belt? Many of its attractions, museums and restaurants have won all kinds of awards. 2024 has also brought several new awards, demonstrating the quality of our fantastic destinations, and the destination has once again received the global organisation Green Destinations Platinum Award for the destination’s joint sustainability work.

2025 Place Brand Impact Story Award Winner

We are so proud that Royal Djurgården is the 2025 winner of the Place Brand Impact Story Awards – a prestigious award that highlights brands that not only represent a place, but also actively drive its development in a sustainable direction. The award is organised by The Place Brand Observer, a global place branding knowledge hub, and destinations around the world compete for the award.

Here is part of the motivation:

‘This is an impressive story of collaboration – bringing together 62 attractions to jointly promote and communicate their core values in four key focus areas. If ever anyone needed proof that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, Djurgården is the answer.’

Best Thrill Ride in Europe 2024

Celebrating 140 years in 2023, Gröna Lund has been an important part of Stockholm for generations. Although it preserves a rich history, it is still always a step into the future with modern and thrilling rides! The park has always been at the forefront of rides as well as concerts, haunted houses and more that they offer visitors. In September this year, they won Thrill Ride of the Year for the Icarus attraction which opened in 2017. With a total height of 95 metres, a drop angle of 90 degrees and a speed of 90km/h, it’s easy to see why it was the winner of the European Star Awards and why Swedish innovation and experiences are at a high international level. Learn more about Icarus and the Thrill Ride award here.

Ikaros – Foto av: Sven Prim/Agent Molly & Co

Cultural Heritage Prize 2024

When Artur Hazelius founded the Nordic Museum, he wanted to preserve and make Nordic cultural history accessible, so when the museum wins the Cultural Heritage Prize over 150 years later, we are not surprised! The jury’s statement reads in part: ‘In recent years, the museum has gained wings through important exhibitions such as “The Arctic”, beautiful exhibitions such as “The Paris of the North” and most recently through the powerful and acclaimed “Nordic People”. The Nordic Museum is not only one of Stockholm’s foremost museums, but the whole country’s, and we can only say a well-deserved congratulations and we look forward to another 150 years!

Swedish Design Prize 2024

On 17 October, it was time for the Swedish Design Awards 2024 where we didn’t just have one winner, we had two!

The Ethnographic Museum won the XL Design – Stand / Outdoor 2024 category for the exhibition ‘We are Seediq’! Opened in 2023, the exhibition highlights the Seediq indigenous people of Taiwan and has told their story through a visual experience. Visuals are used to invite visitors and highlight history, culture and society in an inspiring way. The award citation says: ‘Inspired by patterns from historical artefacts, the graphic design intertwines the present and the past.’

Även Nordiska museet vann Svenska designpriset 2024! I samband med förra årets 150-års-firande gjorde de om hela sin grafiska profil och en totalrenovering utav hemsidan. Den har nu uppmärksammats med en vinst i kategorin Heldigitalt Webbsida 2024, dessutom av både jury och peoples choice. Motiveringen lyder: “En kraftfull formgivning och behaglig interaktivitet som respekterar historiskt arv men ändå väcker upptäckarlust och förmår agera fond åt en rad vitt skilda temporära uttryck.”

Läs mer om Etnografiskas och Nordiskas priser här.

Platinum Award 2024

After reaching the top spot in 2022, Kungliga Djurgårdens Intressenter has worked strategically and purposefully together with its 62 members – Sweden’s most visited museums, restaurants and other actors in the visitor industry on Djurgården. A review of around one hundred criteria shows that the work already recognised has been further developed. To be awarded the Platinum Award, at least 90 per cent of these criteria must be met – something Djurgården has successfully achieved once again, this time by a wide margin.

Royal Djurgården’s stakeholders, representing 62 members, have together developed the destination with a focus on circular and resource-efficient solutions. Collaboration between museums, restaurants and other visitor destinations is emphasised as a key factor for success.

Djurgården has also strengthened its global position by hosting the GSTC 2024 World Congress, with participants from 57 countries, and actively contributes to the development of international sustainability standards.

Dezeen Award – Best Culture Project 2024

The Wisdome extension to the Swedish Museum of Technology in Stockholm won the prestigious Dezeen Awards and is recognised as the Best Culture Project 2024 for its spectacular wooden structure.

The Dezeen Awards recognise the world’s best architecture, interiors and design each year. The jury said: ‘This project is a marvellous example of architectural innovation that harmoniously integrates with its context. By redefining expectations of planetarium design, it creates a welcoming presence at street level while maintaining an impressive interior volume. The project beautifully balances boldness and subtlety, creating a remarkably inviting atmosphere.’

As well as prizes, there has also been some fantastic nominations!

Museum of Wrecks : European museum of the year + Golden Ear (22/10)
National Museum of Science and Technologie : Grand Tourism Prize 2024
Royal Djurgarden Visitor Centre: The award for excellent hospitality, read about the nomination here

Royal Djurgården is the perfect island for the whole family! For many generations, kids have grown up with wonderful memories here and bring their own children or grandchildren to get the same fun and educational experience. Playful, interactive museums, kid friendly foods and green areas to run around in. On our website you’ll find our Calender, where you can filter events to suit your interests and family. Fun activities happen all the time so stay updated! Here are some suggestions on child friendly places to visit!

Junibacken:

Junibacken is a given to visit with the family, and no wonder! Visitors come from all over the world to dive into Astrid Lindgren’s magical stories. With a variety of interactive exhibitions made for kids to play with it’s no wonder you get hours of fun. Play areas are made for the kids to move and get creative. Astrid Lindren was an advocate to bring other authors into the light so you will also encounter other iconic stories like Moomin, Pettson and Findus, Lasse-Maja’s Detective Bureau and many more. It’s a place which celebrates childrens literature and brings fairytales to life.

Besides the play areas you can catch shows for all ages. Of course you get to meet Pippi and her friends but also many others. There is also the exciting Story Train which takes you on a ride through the stories of Astrid Lindgren. You will meet Maddicken, Emil, Karlsson On The Roof, Ronja the Robbers Daughter and so many more characters. The audio guide in Swedish is also the last thing Astrid Lindgren wrote and recorded with her own voice, a nostalgic voice that continues to put a smile on people’s lips. A truly magical heritage from our beloved author.

The Nordic Museum:

This museum focuses on culture history in Sweden from the 1600s until present day and offer exhibitions that uses different items, fashion and images to present different themes and eras. It’s extra fun for the kids since they enter for free! In their Time Valut you get to step through a portal that takes you back to 1870 and moves you through time. in here children get to experience what their daily lives would have looked like during different times. What toys existed? What did a home look like? The exhibition is a praised and awarded experience which uses stageography, digital stations and real items to tell 150 years worth of history. It’s open daily and requires a booking ahead of time.

During weekends there is also the Play Room which allows kids to play with many interesting objects (genuine historical items too!) and act out the lives of a maid or farmer during the end of the 1800s. Milking the cows, take the cart down to the general store, carry firewood to the stove or hang laundry on a line. There are always chores on the farm! There is a small fee for kids to enter the Play Room and bookings are required. Suitable for kids 5 years old and up.

Museum of Science and Technology:

The heart of our science and technology community is found at our Museum of Science and Tech! With lots of fun, interactive exhibitions and experiments you can spend ours both playing and learning. You can get creative, play video games, experience alternative futures and partake in experiments of different kinds. It’s a diverse collection of exhibitions too: A.I, mining, sustainable cities, nuclear power and so much more. Best part is that this museum has the longest opening hours, which lets you play from 10 in the morning until 10 in the evening. Isn’t that awesome?

Durin December of 2023 we will welcome the experience called Wisdome! The museum has built a unique building with groundbreaking technology that allows us to view and understand the world on a microscopic level. Here they will show cool movies about science, act as a meeting point to organize events and provide educational material for school trips.

Skansen:

Skansen is a beloved place where families have gathered since 1981! It is an open-air museum which displays Swedish culture and history along with nordic animals of different kinds, making it a must for the kids to experience. Skansen offers daily activities for kids as well as older kids and adults. For the kids they have theatre and musicals, crafts, interactive meetings with animals and games from the past. You also find playgrounds spread out all over the park as well as the tivoli area Galejan, Little Skansen, play areas and much more.

Skansen is open all year round and getting a annual card for the family is a must for many Stockholm families. There are events and activities during holidays and different seasons so it’s always a good idea to check their calender and aily activities. One day is never enough to experience all that Skansen has to offer.

Child Friendly Exhibitions and Attractions:

There are several attractions and exhibitions that are child-friendly. for exmple, at The Museumpark (Museiparken) you will find several museums that welcome kids. You can do cultural crafts at the Ethnographic Museum, play at the Blubb exhibition at the Maritime Museum, solve crimes at the Police Museum or try different sports at the National Sport Museum (which is free for everyone!). They also bring out toys and games to use outside when the weather allows for it.

For the more adventurous ones, Gröna Lund amusement park offers a separate area for the youngest visitors where you can go on smaller, slower rides such as the merry-go-round, the teacups or vintage cars on rails. You can visit Pettson and Findus curious house or enjoy tivoli games. Around the corner from the amusement park you will find The Viking Museum which has a story ride for the bravest of kids, which brings you on a raid through Europe. Maybe you dare challenge a viking to a sword fight?

Many of the museums also offer family friendly tours and guides which is adapted to the kids. It’s a good way to introduce history, culture and science to kids of all ages.

Foods for all ages:

During or after all the play and games you might need to eat something to charge your batteries. The restaurants around djurgården have kids menues and there is always something available for most. However, some pearls stick out and are worth a visit. Junibacken’s own restaurant has something for everyone, such as typcial Swedish pancakes. How about viking-meatballs at Restaurant Eld or maybe a good pizza by the water at Restaurant Djurgårdsbron.

As tasty as these meals can be, kids often only have one thing on their minds: ice cream of course! To celebrate the exhibition about Emil In Lönneberga, Junibacken has created a Emil-ice cream with a blueberry and creamy vanilla flavor. At the Wasa Harbouryou will find Kenny’s Gelato who are the national champions in ice cream making! Find exciting and unique flavors that are made with celeb-collaborations or using flavors of the season. It’s a place everyone must visit in the summer!

Play in nature:

Sometimes, the only thing you need for a good time is nice weather, a ball and a packed lunch. You will find a number of beautifal parks at Djurgården. The Royal Djurgården Park Management (KDI) does an amazing job at caring for the areas and planting beautiful plants and flower arrangements to enjoy. If you didn’t bring food with you there are plenty of places where you can pick up meals or snacks to bring to the park areas. At Skroten Food and Deli they offer everything from a bag of chips to tasty lunches and their sallad bar. In the Rosendal Garden there is a cozy Garden Café to get a snack at but also games like Kubb to rent and use. At the Technological Museum the shop sells lots of fun toys you can bring outside, like kites, robots and soap bubbles.

On a nice summer day you might find that a boat ride is one of the best activities to do! At Djurgårdsbron there is a rental for kajaks, pedal boats, canoes and row boats to use to explore the water ways. Strömma company also offer a lot of boat tours and rides around Stockholm, Mälaren and the archipelagoes. Maybe a trip to the viking village Birka or just a short trip around the Djurgården island? If you want more action then try the Ocean Bus, a one hour tour across both land and water in Stockholm. The amphibious bus drives down into the water at full speed with both music and a live guide so it’s a fun experience for the whole family.

During the summer you can find plenty of shows and theatre performances at Galärparken as the Park Theatre builds their temporary stage and puts on free shows all summer long. All you need to do is show up, bring snacks and enjoy! Some handicap seats and general rehearsals might need pre-booked seats but those are still free. They also hold shows at other locations around Stockholm so there is always something for everyone.

Month: November 2024

Djurgården – an award-winning island!