Drottningholm Palace

Castle · Ekero

Drottningholm Palace

Castle · Ekero

5

Drottningholm Palace, 178 93 Drottningholm, Sweden

Photos

Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by Photo by Peter Widmann / age fotostock
Drottningholm Palace by Photo by Peter Widmann / age fotostock
Drottningholm Palace by Photo by Peter Widmann / age fotostock
Drottningholm Palace by Photo by Peter Widmann / age fotostock
Drottningholm Palace by Photo by Peter Widmann / age fotostock
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null
Drottningholm Palace by null

Highlights

Drottningholm Palace, a stunning 1600s royal residence, boasts exquisite gardens and a charming Chinese Pavilion—perfect for a leisurely day out.  

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Drottningholm Palace, 178 93 Drottningholm, Sweden Get directions

kungligaslotten.se

Information

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Drottningholm Palace, 178 93 Drottningholm, Sweden Get directions

+46 8 402 61 00
kungligaslotten.se

Features

wheelchair accessible parking lot
wheelchair accessible entrance
parking bike
crowd family friendly

Last updated

Mar 4, 2025

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@afar

"While the enormous Royal Palace in Stockholm’s Old Town is the king’s official residence, the family lives outside the center at Drottningholm. And this being Sweden , everyone is allowed to stop by. You can visit the interior, excluding the royal family’s private wing, and then roam around the extensive grounds. The estate is also famed for its theater, which still uses the original stage equipment from the 18th century. UNESCO lists Drottningholm as a World Heritage Site: “With its palace, perfectly preserved theatre (built in 1766), Chinese pavilion and gardens, it is the finest example of an 18th-century northern European royal residence inspired by the Palace of Versailles.”"

The Best Things to Do in Sweden
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@afar

"While the enormous Royal Palace in Stockholm’s Old Town is the king’s official residence, the family lives outside the center at Drottningholm. And this being Sweden , everyone is allowed to stop by. You can visit the interior, excluding the royal family’s private wing, and then roam around the extensive grounds. The estate is also famed for its theater, which still uses the original stage equipment from the 18th century. UNESCO lists Drottningholm as a World Heritage Site: “With its palace, perfectly preserved theatre (built in 1766), Chinese pavilion and gardens, it is the finest example of an 18th-century northern European royal residence inspired by the Palace of Versailles.”"

The Perfect Week in Sweden
test
@afar

"While the enormous Royal Palace in Stockholm’s Old Town is the king’s official residence, the family lives outside the center at Drottningholm. And this being Sweden , everyone is allowed to stop by. You can visit the interior, excluding the royal family’s private wing, and then roam around the extensive grounds. The estate is also famed for its theater, which still uses the original stage equipment from the 18th century. UNESCO lists Drottningholm as a World Heritage Site: “With its palace, perfectly preserved theatre (built in 1766), Chinese pavilion and gardens, it is the finest example of an 18th-century northern European royal residence inspired by the Palace of Versailles.”"

The Best Things to Do in Stockholm
test
@afar

"While the enormous Royal Palace in Stockholm’s Old Town is the king’s official residence, the family lives outside the center at Drottningholm. And this being Sweden , everyone is allowed to stop by. You can visit the interior, excluding the royal family’s private wing, and then roam around the extensive grounds. The estate is also famed for its theater, which still uses the original stage equipment from the 18th century. UNESCO lists Drottningholm as a World Heritage Site: “With its palace, perfectly preserved theatre (built in 1766), Chinese pavilion and gardens, it is the finest example of an 18th-century northern European royal residence inspired by the Palace of Versailles.”"

Stockholm by Water
test
@afar

"While the enormous Royal Palace in Stockholm’s Old Town is the king’s official residence, the family lives outside the center at Drottningholm. And this being Sweden , everyone is allowed to stop by. You can visit the interior, excluding the royal family’s private wing, and then roam around the extensive grounds. The estate is also famed for its theater, which still uses the original stage equipment from the 18th century. UNESCO lists Drottningholm as a World Heritage Site: “With its palace, perfectly preserved theatre (built in 1766), Chinese pavilion and gardens, it is the finest example of an 18th-century northern European royal residence inspired by the Palace of Versailles.”"

Day Trips from Stockholm
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Shakir

Google
One of my favorite places in Stockholm. You can easily reach here via public transport. The palace looks beautiful both front and back view. There is a big garden in the back with nice fountains. It is a big area and you can spend a whole day here in the palace and the garden area. Visit during autumn for the colorful trees.

Julien van der waal

Google
A beautiful palace with lots of history! To visit the palace you need to pay but all outside areas including the Royal gardens are free to enter, I'd say paying for entrance is definitely worth it as the inside has lots of beautiful art and furniture. Sadly the Chinese palace was closed as it's only open between may and september.

Wonder Mahembe

Google
They say Drottningholm Palace was built to impress, and impress it does. From the amazing design, the incredibly well kept gardens, the symmetry, and the many many water fountains. Quite a nice place to get lost while wandering around the massive compound. It's also fun for family picnics as there are plenty of places to sit and chill. There is a reliable public transport just outside, and it's easy to find buses connecting to nearby suburbs and towards Stockholm Central.

Aymen Fersi

Google
The current royal residency. Cool and instructive 1 hour guided tour. Most of the palace is closed to the public, but the few pieces that you access are worth the visit. A nice park.

Ben Tully

Google
Drottningholm is often compared to France’s Versailles and it’s easy to see why. Although not quite as opulent as its French counterpart, the approach (especially by boat) is impressive and its extensive gardens are just as neatly manicured as those of Versailles. It seemed that only a small portion of the palace was open to the public but what was open was beautiful, and not too crowded, even though I visited in August. If you can make the short trek, the Chinese Pavilion is also worth a peek with gorgeous oriental interiors and a small cafe hidden away amongst the trees. There’s also a cafe near the main palace with outdoor seating overlooking the water.

Keaton Ambridge

Google
Ornate summer palace for the royal family that is quite easily accessible on public transit from Stockholm proper. A subway train and bus will take you there in an hour. The self guided tour is pretty good and lets you wander through most of the rooms and enjoy the odd decor previous royals decided to get put together. Then wander the grounds and contemplate life before heading back into town.

Nikolas Konstantinou

Google
We visited that Swedish Royal Palace, where the royal family resides. Refers to Gastro in the gardens and enjoyed the beautiful nature. Then we went inside the palace and made the tour. I highly recommend having the tour as there is a lot of details that you might miss out if you just see the pace on your own. Highly recommend visiting this palace as a tourist point of interest

Sirli R

Google
This was a great experience. I was so amazed. Lots to see. These details and history. Wow what a garden, so much fountains and trees. This was beautiful. I bought a combined ticket on the spot. I was able to visit both the main building and the Chinese pavilion. There is a cafe before the castle and there is also a small cafe by the Chinese pavilion. You can also have a picnic in the garden with your own food if you wish.

Tina L.

Yelp
Lovely weekend trip out of the city center. You can pre buy admission tickets online or in the palace at the front desk/gift store area. Palace tour is only self guided currently (covid reasons?). Very easy to follow the signs through the palace, and accessible rooms all have museum labels/caption in English and Swedish. Always interesting to see how royals lived and how their tastes differed back in the day. You aren't able to walk through the entire palace, but you get to see a decent amount of rooms. Over all doesn't take too long in my opinion, maybe 1-2hrs depending on how long you linger and how busy the palace is.

Chun P.

Yelp
Its not the Versailles in Paris... Its not the Schonbrun in Vienna... Its not the Royal Palace in Madrid... But Drottningholms Palace is still big, beautiful, and worth half your day. An added bonus of being unpopular: less tourist crowds! We didn't see a lot of tourists as we wandered the various ritzy royal rooms, we were along most of the time...fantastic! Its not quite as fancy as the more popular and larger European palaces, but Drottingholm holds up well. The surrounding park and gardens are green, gorgeous and full of friendly geese. 110SEK per an adult was definitely worth, but we paid an extra 40SEK each to see the vintage theater. If you're into theater and live shows, its definitely worth extra SEK.

Rob L.

Yelp
If you've bought a Stockholm Pass, this visit will get you your money's worth for the day, as the cost of the roundtrip ferry plus admission is probably the most costly item covered by the pass. Stockholm, aka Venice of the North, is a city of waters and ferries. So sometimes the catch is going to the right pier and catching the right ferry. If you have the Stockholm Pass, you'll catch the ferry at the pier outside City Hall. TIP: If you have time, arrive early and allow two hours to visit the World famous Stockholm City Hall where the annual Nobel Prize banquet is held. The ferry ride was very crowded so if you want good seats, get in line early to grab them. Nevertheless, the ride was very scenic and relaxing. It was a short and beautiful walk from the pier at Drottningholm island to the palace which was punctuated with many photo ops. Like several Yelpers have said, the palace is not Versailles, so you need to keep your expectations reasonable. On the other hand, you don't get the crazy crowds and impossible lines at Versailles either. This is still a very nice palace, and it does give you an opportunity to experience Swedish royalty. There's a guided tour which gives you a lot of insight, such as who lived where and why. It was also interesting to know that numerous guards lived inside the palace and were positioned in strategic places. If you need food, the only café is outside the palace. I would recommend visiting the palace first, go grab food outside afterwards, and then tour the HUGE outside gardens and the Chinese Pavilion, among other places. On a side note, the food at the café was great. The open face shrimp sandwich (which is a staple in Sweden) was amazing. If you ever find yourself in the street of Stockholm, this is a must try.

Connie L.

Yelp
I visited the palace on a Saturday in April; it was sunny but very cold that day. I arrived just a few minutes before opening, and it was pretty quick and easy to get here from T-Centralen using the metro and then a short bus ride. The palace is visible from the nearest bust stop, Drottningholm. Around the time I arrived, the boat was also just pulling in with many more visitors. I was able to get in the queue before most of them so it only took a few minutes to buy a ticket; however you can also bypass the line by presenting a Stockholm Pass. My adult ticket was about $15 USD. The palace is lovely and pretty calm. It was reasonably busy when I went, but there is definitely not as much stress or hustle/bustle as, say, Versailles. Much of the palace is cordoned off, but that also means you can take some beautiful pictures unimpeded. I felt like I got everything I came for within about 90 minutes, but if the weather is nice, you could probably spend a lot more time there and walk the grounds to take in the surroundings. Since it was so cold when I went, there wasn't much to see outside other than bare trees. Although there isn't the same press of people you might find at higher-profile attractions, they still advise you to carry your bags in front of you to prevent pickpocketing. There's good signage for things like the gift shop and the toilets. The ladies' toilets were pretty clean and there were several, so I didn't need to wait in a queue for more than a few minutes. The theater gift shop had some very beautiful souvenirs, including china, jewelry, and chocolate. There was also a small selection of souvenirs for sale in the main palace itself. There wasn't a security check to get in. All the staff I encountered were polite and friendly. This is a beautiful palace that's easy to get to from the Stockholm city center. You could reasonably spend a few hours here and admire the grounds and the architecture. It's probably worth it to take the boat here when it's nice out. I wasn't blown away or anything, but I'm glad I got to see the palace.

Herbert E.

Yelp
'Ello chaps! Took a tour of the Drottningholm Palace, which you may or may not know, is the private residence of the Swedish Royal Family. It is on an island called Lovon, about an hour's boat ride from downtown Stockholm. The palace itself was build in the late 16th century and has a grand entrance and large garden. The public area of the residence includes a series of rooms in the central section of the palace. There are obvious private off-limit areas. Excluding the approximate one hour each way boat trip, one could spend two to three hours touring the palace and grounds. There is also a restaurant and gift shop on site.

Schelly Y.

Yelp
Drottningholms Slott is an hour away by boat from the City Hall Pier. It was a pleasant boat ride and relaxing on a sunny day. The views from both the water and the garden are stunning and in my opinion more beautiful from the outside than within. the grounds are expansive and you could spend a couple hours peacefully wandering outside and enjoying the scenery. They also have a decent cafe nearby.

Mike G.

Yelp
Fantastic place, it is not as famous as Versailles, but it was busy with people on the day I went. However, it wasn't crowed as all. Spend some time in the palace, but most importantly, relax outside in the palace near the garden and the lake. Bring a lunch (or get some from the cafe), and just relax.

Elvira D.

Yelp
Beautiful area for tourists to see the Queen's Home, take pictures of the whimsical view, dine and shop at the souvenir gift shop, and to even host weddings there. I'm surprised this place does not have any Yelp reviews yet. It's a must if you're in the area if you appreciate scenic views and beautiful architecture. I didn't actually take the official tour of the home, but the views from the outside and the beautiful lake in front of the mansion (swimming with little swans) made it all a great experience.

Tom G.

Yelp
This is the cluster of museums for the Royal Family of Sweden. The Royal Family was not in attendance but we visited three museums and enjoyed the changing of the guard procedure. By the way - as a "tip" if you can somehow get to the CENTER of the front row in the crowd you will be treated to a modest performance by their marching band... rather enjoyable. I would encourage you to go and check it out.

Kimberly H.

Yelp
Can I move in? Seriously stunning. Everyone should go here if they are visiting. Only complaint is no photos allowed inside, it's so beautiful I wanted to take my photo inside! I went in the month of August last time- Even during the tourist months it's never crowded or uncomfortable. A must see for sure..

Anna V.

Yelp
If you en extra day of stay in Stockholm, make it out to Drottningholm and you would not regret it. Nature, history, the park, everything. The best way to enjoy it is to bring picknick with you! In the summer day there could be hundreds of people having picknick in the gardens. Use your imagination and you are a Royal basking in the sun!

Miss M.

Yelp
Since this is my 100th review I decided to review something that I think is one of the best attractions Stockholm has to offer. This castle is a World Heritage site and when you take the tour you will see why. The interior and history it contains is pretty impressive. The landscape is just absolutely fantastic--especially in the spring/summer time! You can take a little tugboat ferry called Strömma Kanalbolaget to here from the city center easily. The cost of entry to the castle can be paid for on site or in advance with your ferry ticket. There are several food and non-food (cheaper) ticket options you can choose from for the ferry. I just discovered that there is now also brunch cruise option on the weekends (which i'd really love to try out!) You can also choose to visit the castle's small touristy cafe on sight. The grounds are also a really fantastic place to have a picnic or fika (a Swedish coffee and desert break) at! On the castle grounds there is a maze of bushes, a few formal gardens, a few large ponds, fountains and rows and rows of trees! It's a very romantic place. This is the royal family's official residence and I can definitely see why! What a small piece of paradise in the Stockholm area! Though, i'm not sure how the royals live in all that chaos during tourist season. I was also a little sad that you couldn't see the whole castle because of the royal family taking up residence there, but I can't blame them. If you had the option to live here... there is no way you wouldn't!!! This is a must see if your a tourist in the summer. I would liken it to the smaller Swedish version of Versalles. I'm definitely planning a visit here again this summer. It makes for a really great family activity day. I would just recommend packing light and wearing good shoes so you can hike the grounds and visit the museum without issue. Some other points of interest that you should notice on site would be the historic still-functioning theater, the gift shop and the Chinese pavilion. Excellent! =)

Emina D.

Yelp
Beautiful garden and surroundings but the inside of the palace is a bit underwhelming. I suppose after seeing the glorious Italian and Austrian palaces one is difficult to be impressed. Opted for a guided tour and what a snooze fest. It seems the Swedes were pacifists even in the 1600s! You mean to tell me no one killed anyone and there were no affairs? ::disappointed face::

Mouddar K.

Yelp
Very calm and beautiful place. Perfect for dates and romantic walks. You can also buy a ticket to enter specific rooms in the palace

Katie N.

Yelp
Drottningholms Slott was one of my favorite stops on my frantic and frenzied tour of Scandinavia. This is the Swedish royal family's official summer residence. While none of them were there at the time I visited, it was still pretty amazing. We first joined a Chinese tour with my friend translating for me. Then we waited a few minutes for an English tour, which allowed me to ask questions and get a little more information. Whatever your language, you should certainly sign up for the tour. Walking around the outer grounds is free, and there is much to see. To be honest, we didn't even find every spot we wanted to on the grounds. Be sure to watch the changing of the guard. It isn't as long-winded as some at the other palaces, but it is entertaining and reminds you that this is more than a museum; it's a home for the royal family.

Matt B.

Yelp
I came to Drottingholm on Easter Sunday after a fairly easy Metro and bus ride from central Stockholm. The palace is right next to the bus stop which must be convenient for the Swedish royals. From the outside the palace is impressive and in a lovely setting on the water. Inside I found it a little disappointing with too many people crammed into small rooms to be enjoyable. The gardens are fairly impressive and would be great to see in full bloom in the middle of summer, however the palace itself was a bit of a let down.

David G.

Yelp
This isn't Versailles, its completely realistic without crowds to go through it at a moderate pace in 30 minutes. That is the palace itself. The grounds take a while longer. If you have the stockholm pass you can go to the back corner and see the chinese pavillion. This is a little bit of a walk, but interesting to see and is part of the stockholm pass which I suggest you consider getting if you are doing pre research. The old theater is also on the grounds and also included with the stockholm pass but extra otherwise. It was pretty amazing, but it is guided tour only on the hour, so you will want to time accordingly. You may want to go to it first and sign up for a tour and determine if you will have enough time to possibly tour the palace in the meantime. Also if you used the stockholm pass and go here by boat. You can beat it back with public transportation, theres a bus terminal right on the side that will take you to the subway which will get you into town. This way you also don't have to try and time it to get back to the boat right on the hour.

Qype User (bigblo…)

Yelp
This is the palace where the current Swedish royal family live but of course you cannot visit the part of the building that they use. We had a guided tour in english which was quite good but we felt that many of the rooms were not properly covered in the tour. An interesting palace with some rooms almost bare while others were full of furniture, more like Hampton Court Palace than Buckingham Palace but all the same worth a visit. Extensive grounds mean that on a nice day it can be a whole days outing. Access from central Stockholm is a little difficult as you need to take the tube and then change to a bus.

David N.

Yelp
Great tour guide on our boat ride over. Very interesting to see every room and learn the many details. We enjoyed the gardens as well and the winds off the water.

M N.

Yelp
Not sure what the big deal is with this palace. Yes its beautiful from outside and the garden is pretty too. But beyond that, we were not impressed. Got the boat from near City Hall and it took an hour to reach here. We were done with palace in about 20 mins, 10 mins in garden ...then waited for 1 hour for the boat ride back. Most rooms had the tired, old look. Lights were dim and you cannot see any art work properly. The chairs and other furniture used by the royals from ages ago were dirty and ugly looking.The reasons why we visited were because its covered by the Stockholm pass including the boat ride and is a World Heritage site. Warning: If you have kids, they will be bored to death.