Skeppsholmen is a little urban island close to the Baltic Sea entrance to Stockholm. The tree-covered islet is dotted with some notable historical navy buildings and home to several museums and live performance venues.
Follow the walkway that takes you around the entire island and head inland once in a while to get a feel for Skeppsholmen’s history. Starting at the Skeppsholmen Bron (Bridge), turn left to admire the SS Orion, a historic steam-powered boat. Around the bend is another historical ship, the yellow-and-red M/S Falden.
To see even more boats, keep following the north shore until you arrive at the docks of Östra Brobänken. Or, if you are here for culture, venture inland straight away.
East-Asian art lovers will appreciate the Östasiatiska Muséet, housed in the historical Tyghuset. To enjoy a live performance instead, go see a show at the nearby Teater Galeasen or listen to a concert in the Eric Ericsonhallen. If you happen to be visiting in summer, don’t miss the Stockholm Jazz Festival held here each year.
If you are into modern art, browse the exhibits of the national Moderna Museet. After seeing some of Picasso’s colorful paintings, visit the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design in the adjacent Exercishuset (Drill House). The original building was used to train navy troops back in 1853, but it has since been redesigned.
The red-and-white Admiralty House on the hill hosted the Swedish Naval Service Defence Council as early as 1650, but got its current neo-renaissaance look after a restoration in 1846. The island’s Nautical Chart Department (Sjökarteverket) was also built in the 19th century. The Crown’s Commissariat Warehouse (Intendenturförrådet) on the island’s southside is the only heritage building on the island that wasn’t used by the navy.
A bridge on the southeast corner of Skeppsholmen takes you to the tiny islet of Kastellholmen which is, as its name suggests, home to a real castle.
To get back to the Gamla Stan and rest of the inner city, hop on the Djurgården ferry just to the north of Kastellholmen. You don’t have to leave so soon though: book a lavish room at the landmark Skeppsholmen Hotel or a basic cabin aboard the STF Stockholm/af Chapman.
