Swedish summers… never as reliable as we would like. So, arm yourself with a quick reference to some brilliant rainy day ideas around Stockholm to occupy the kids during the summer holidays.
Fjärilhuset is one of Stockholm’s biggest tourist attractions. Situated in Hagaparken, a little north of the city centre, it is the perfect antidote to a wet and cold day during the summer holidays.
There is a fantastic cafe and gift shop. And, if you time it well you can get a brilliant guided tour of the hot houses and aquarium. All visitor details are available on the website, including ticket prices and visitor hours.
Tekniska Museet is a fantastic day out for the kids. Their Mega Mind exhibit alone is enough to keep the occupied for the day. So, on a rainy, summer day in Stockholm this is a “go to” for everyone.
Easily accessible by car and public transport. Unfortunately, it isn’t free but the entry free covers everything in the science centre and it is totally worth it.
Tom Tits Experiments is an incredible science centre of multiple floors, filled with different experiments. What ever kind of science you are into, they’ll have something for you.
Be prepared, it’s an entire day out. The incredible 4 floor science centre is in Södertälje, easily reachable by commuter train or bus. There is parking facilities, stunning garden and grounds, cafe and tremendous restaurant.
Tom Tits Experiments also run annual summer programmes following various themes. You can get more info via their website.
In the underground tunnels of Skeppsholmen lies Bergrummet, which houses Northern europe’s biggest collection of toys and comics.
In a scenic environment, you will find dolls from the 15th century, a Volvo split in half, original Marvel Comics drawings, play areas, Uncle Scrooge’s bathtub, along with about 40 000 other items.
Make sure to also check out or lovely café and shop! All visitor information is available on their website, as well as travel guidance and maps.
Throughout the summer Scenkonstmuseet is open between 11:00-17:00 between the 1st July and 31st August. This is one of Stockholm’s newest museums and delves into the world of theatre design, music and artwork.
If you head to the museum for 3pm there is an English-speaking introduction to the museum. The beautiful cafe Kavalleriet is on the ground floor of the building and in the summer spills out into the courtyard.
Bounce in Kungens Kurva is one of Stockholm’s latest and biggest activities centre. Wall to wall trampolines, bouldering mounds and courses on parkour and acrobatic trampolining.
It is a fantastic, athletic and exciting day out for the kids. Easy to get to, thoroughly exhausting (wahay!) and a brilliant way to get the kids to excercise without even knowing it.
At Bounce, they are very safety concious so please read their guidelines and safety rules before going. The junior jumpers can’t be younger than 3 years of age and everyone must be wearing grippy socks on the trampolines.
Another big activity centre in Kungen’s Kurva is Leo’s Lekland. It opened in Nov 2016 and has gone from strength to strength since then.
The gigantic soft play centre is bright, clean and well maintained, the staff are pleasant and the small kid’s area is kept seperate from the older kid’s area. A big issue when you don’t want to have to ward off older, more physical kids from accidently swatting a little one out of the way.
There is a cafe and restaurant which is super kid friendly, the coffee could do with perking up but that’s our only complaint. Toilets and changing facilities are maintained. It is really easy to get to by public transport, tube or bus. There are loads of parking spots and if you get bored it is right in the centre of a great shopping centre.
Discovering your local library is opening the gateway to a thousand new worlds. It’s also a terrific source of information and sign posting to local events, meet ups, språk kafes and kid’s activities.
It’s not unusual for local libraries in Sweden to have children’s corners or cosy spots for kids to immerse themselves in a good book or two. And, what better way to enjoy a rainy day than with a good book.
Google the world ‘bibliotek’ and your local area i.e. Sundbyberg, Karlstad or Nynäshamn to find your local library. Or, check out your local kommun/municipality website for more information.
Throughout the summer holidays Moderna Museet’s verkstad is open for business most days (apart from Mondays). From 12:00 – 16:00, Tues – Sun, kids can make use of the open workspace to create their very own master pieces inspired by the incredible art throughout Moderna Museet.
Tickets for the workshop space are available from the admissions desk. For more information about Moderna Museets summer programme and the themes they are running, check out their website. The guided tour and workshop are suitable for 4 years +.
Yup, that famous Swedish saying, “Det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder”.
So, crack out the galoshes and wellies and go for a walk in the rain. Who knows what you might find, splishing and splashing in the puddles.
Just remember to keep your feet dry!