Stockholm - Vasa Museum OR City Hall Tour?

Hi all - Seeking some advice/opinions, please. We will be visiting Stockholm in May via the Serenade of the Seas. In port (Frihamnen) from 9am to 5pm. We originally planned to take the HOHO but it seems that the HOHO does not begin running until 10am during that time of year. Hate to lose an hour of our short time there waiting around for the HOHO to begin running. We have planned to have smorgasbord lunch at the Grand Hotel (1pm reservation), so are trying to plan our morning. Basically looking for help deciding on whether to head straight from the ship to a 10am tour of City Hall (kind of neat to see where the Nobel prize banquet is held) OR to the Vasa for it's 10am opening? I don't think we can fit both in. We are not huge maritime/museum folks, so inclination was to do the City Hall tour (and maybe the tower) before heading to Gamla Stan to walk around a bit before our lunch reservation. But, not sure if we'll be missing out on something incredible by skipping the Vasa Museum? For those of you who have been to both, can you please recommend which option you'd choose? Vasa or City Hall?

Thank you!!!

Vasa Museum hands down :D. Not your typical maritime museum. Google the museum website where you can see a video about the raising of the Vasa for the harbor floor.

Here's a link to our 2013 Baltic Cruise Photos including the Vasa Museum: https://picasaweb.google.com/116687800070615072409/BalticCruiseOnCrownPrincessJuly13272013?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqA36CHrbnZCg&noredirect=1

<<<Karen>>>

Hooray! The Vasa Museum is one of the winners of TripAdvisors "Traveller's Choice" attraction. We are not only ranked as the top museum in Sweden, but also as the top attraction in Stockholm.

As if this is not enough, we reach an honourable 13th place over the world's best museums.

City Hall is nice but Vasa is just so much more unique.

Get there by taking bus #76 towards Norra Hammarbyhamnen from Frihamnen to Djurgårdsbron from where it is a short walk to Vasa.

Time table: http://sl.se/ficktid/vinter/H76.pdf

Be aware that you need to buy a ticket before you board the bus.

Thank you both for the replies! I shared the feedback with DH tonight and we've decided to do the Vasa Museum. Desdichado62 - loved the quote you shared about it being voted 13th best museum in the world. That tidbit tipped the scales for me. Thank you also for the info on the bus. I believe i read elsewhere that the ticket kiosks take credit card? Do you know if that is the case?

gkkapp - great photos!! Thank you so much for sharing. looks like you had a fantastic trip. Definitely made me even more excited for our upcoming visit to these ports.

Thanks again!!!

@ctmcgee I don't know about the ticket kiosks but perhaps another fellow cruiser knows?

ctmcgee-

You're welcome :D.

<<<Karen>>>

Thank you both for the replies! I shared the feedback with DH tonight and we've decided to do the Vasa Museum. Desdichado62 - loved the quote you shared about it being voted 13th best museum in the world. That tidbit tipped the scales for me. Thank you also for the info on the bus. I believe i read elsewhere that the ticket kiosks take credit card? Do you know if that is the case?

 

gkkapp - great photos!! Thank you so much for sharing. looks like you had a fantastic trip. Definitely made me even more excited for our upcoming visit to these ports.

 

Thanks again!!!

You have decided before I even got to throw my hat in the ring, as they say. So for whatever it's worth, there is absolutely no doubt, it is VASA hands down.

I have told this story many times already, but what is another time. We, like you, are not museum people. Our plan was to go to Vasa, first thing in the AM, snap a few pix and see what all the fuss was about and be on our way. Well once inside, that all got thrown out the window. We were told to make sure you watch the movie before you do anything else. (Make sure you do that). Once we saw the movie, how they found the Vasa, raised her and reconditioned her and then built the museum around where she stood, we were hooked. We ended up spending about 2 hours (also on a very short day) at Vasa and loved every minute of it. Try and do one of the free tours and it will simply blow you away. It is truly amazing how they built that entire museum around the ship.

You will not regret your decision one bit.

Here is a short video and a few pix from Vasa. Very low light so pix are best I can do. If Terry is around he had better ones.

http://vid834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1357.mp4

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1197.jpg

some of the exterior carvings (original)

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1185.jpg

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1209.jpg

scale model of what the Vasa looked like before she sailed and sunk

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1215.jpg

Cheers

Len

Thanks, Len!! This is great info and photos/videos. We absolutely love cruising but it's struggle sometimes knowing you only have a few hours to make the most of our seeing as much as you can in a city (especially one that you might never get an opportunity to return to), and trying to pick and chose what to see and what to skip. It sounds like we'd really be missing out on something special if we chose to skip seeing the Vasa Museum. It's seems like you were just like us, wondering what all the fuss is about regarding an old ship? LOL. The fact that you ended up really enjoying it, does help us solidify our decision to go see it. I do love history, so I can see where I might get taken right in and end up loving it. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. Cruise Critic is such a great resource and such great people on here!!!

Thanks again to all of you!!!

We only had a few hours as well. I wish we had more in Stockholm.

We visited the Vasa, did a walking tour of the old town, ate lunch outdoors in that main square in the old town, and then did a boat trip around the city. It was one of our favorite days on our Baltic & St Petersburg cruise and that itinerary is just fantastic in any case. Have a great time.

From the entire cruise, my DW and I both thought Stockholm was the best city we had visited. Yes, I know St Petersburg is the 'Jewel' of the cruise and it was magnificent, but seeing St Petersburg is not like really feeling it. We saw Stockholm and we sort of felt it also, if you know what I mean. We wandered about Gamla Stan, finding out of the way streets, and shops, we saw the changing of the guard, we were shooed away by some of the Royal Guard on leaning on the fence by the Palace, we chatted with shop owners, we sat and had a bite for lunch, we had some luscious pastries, and we experienced Vasa. All in all, we simply loved Stockholm, if one can love a city in just a few hours visit. But we felt we did and hopefully, might return one day.

One of the many very unique bridges as we wandered around Stockholm

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1235.jpg

One of the Royal Guards wearing their shiny helmets that guard the Palace

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1255.jpg

One of the busier streets in Gamla Stan. Loved the narrow, cobblestone streets

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1275.jpg

Opposed to other streets, very similar, but hardly a soul to be found. We loved exploring these out of the way areas. gave us a real feel for this area of the city.

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1270.jpg

Looking out towards the harbor around Gamla Stan

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1318.jpg

And the very colorful, Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Palace, every day.

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1306.jpg

Cheers

Len

Thanks, Len!! This is great info and photos/videos. We absolutely love cruising but it's struggle sometimes knowing you only have a few hours to make the most of our seeing as much as you can in a city (especially one that you might never get an opportunity to return to), and trying to pick and chose what to see and what to skip. It sounds like we'd really be missing out on something special if we chose to skip seeing the Vasa Museum. It's seems like you were just like us, wondering what all the fuss is about regarding an old ship? LOL. The fact that you ended up really enjoying it, does help us solidify our decision to go see it. I do love history, so I can see where I might get taken right in and end up loving it. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. Cruise Critic is such a great resource and such great people on here!!!

 

Thanks again to all of you!!!

Thanks for the kind words.

Yes, it does seem we have similar tastes and thoughts on things. I can almost guarantee you will simply love Vasa and the entire city itself. it is ashamed that most cruise ships only enjoy several hours here. It is even worse for the ships that dock an hour away from Stockholm and have to travel 2 hours back and forth. That is taken away from enjoying this wonderful city. For some, that is a deal breaker when booking a cruise like this.

Cheers

Len