Drottningholm, Stockholm

While there is probably copious amounts of information and reviews about the 16th century palace that has served as the home of the royal family since 1981. I will try not to add too much clutter to these.

The Palace is fairly impressive (Open May-August 10am~16:30pm daily / September 1200n~15:30pm daily / October - April Saturdays and Sundays 12n~15:30pm) and the gardens have been likened to Versailles. Since the Royal Family does reside here, there is a full time guard which you may be fortunate enough to see them changing over.

To get there, you can take the ferry from Stockholm, or you can take a number of guided tours. However these are all rather pricey.

The cheapest way to get there would be as follow:
Take the metro to Bromoplan. From there, take bus #312 (direction Adolsö), or bus #176 (direction Stenhamra) or bus #177 (direction Ekerö).

Versailles and Schönbrunn are perhaps bigger sights but a Heritage site is a Heritage site and this was the first Swedish one in 1991 together with its theatre in the following tip. It is a very nice palace and has a scenic lakeside setting. You cannot visit all of the inside as the royal family live here (to the right in the picture) since the 1980s when they left Stockholm Royal Palace for the countryside, but the other wing is open for you to walk through or go on guided tours every hour on the hour (less frequent in winter). Just bear in mind that the last tour is shorter as than the rest as they close (you can find opening hours in the link below). You can also stroll around the gardens which is what all these photos are from as you are not allowed to take pictures inside the castle. It was started on in the 17th century by the widowed Queen Hedvig Eleonora who realised the cultural value of a new castle for Sweden and had it built in what was already royal grounds outside Stockholm. It has then been added to for another century, much inspired by Versailles and work was led by the famous Tessins - father and son. My own favourites are the library which is fantastic, as well as one of the old Queen's parade bedroom where she received the really prominent guests. Fantastic interiors, although the entrance hall in mock marble isn't bad either. With my parents only a few bus stops away from Drottningholm, it's perhaps surprising that I'm not here more often but County Stockholm just has so many things to see. Have a look at my Ekerö page for many more impressions.

The Stochholm Palce (Stockholms Slott) is the official residence of the Swedish monarch. The offices of the royal court of Sweden, as well as offices of members of the Royal family are all located here. (The private residence of the Royal family is at Drottningholmslott though)
There are four different sections at the palace: the Gustav III Antiques museum, the Royal Apartments, the treasury, and the Tre Kronor museum. Adults get in for 70 kronor, and students for 35 kronor.

This is the residence of the Swedish royal family and a very beautiful estate. I was there in late October when it was cold, grey and rainy, but it was still magical. Inspires all sorts of wannabe-princess fantasies. Tours of the palace apartments are available.

The whole Drottningholm complex is on the UNESCO list. The palace situated on the island Lövon was built in between 1615 and 1681. The Royal family still uses a part of the building.

The most sighful things in and around the palace are of course the palace itself, Slottsteatern, Teatermuseum and Kina Slott (Chinese Pavillion).

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Make a day trip to Drottningholm and experience a historic milieu of the highest international standards.

The Drottningholm Palace is on UNESCO´s World Heritage list. It is the most well-preserved royal castle built in the 1600s in Sweden and at the same time is representative of all European architecture for the period.
The combination of the exotic Chinese Pavilion pleasure palace, the palace theatre and the magnificent palace gardens make a visit to Drottningholm a unique experience.

Influenced by French prototype, the palace was built by architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder by commission of Queen Hedvig Eleonora. A number of royal personages have since then left their mark on the palace.

The Palace has been the present Royal Family's permanent residence. The rooms in the southern wing of the palace are reserved for this purpose. The rest of the palace and grounds are open to the public year round.

Make sure you bring good walking shoes. Check out my travelogues of Drottningholm for more pictures and information.

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The waterfalls you can find in the garden of the Drottningholm Palace is extremely beautiful. It was the King Gustaf VI Adolf who opened the watercascades in 1961.

The garden architect and planner Tessin had a thought about water art in the garden from the very beginning but it wasn't until mid 20th century that the tought was realised!

Ivar Tengbom was the man who gave the thought new life and led the work until completion. Thank you for that Ivar!

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This is the palace where the Swedish Royal Family lives. It has a fantastic garden and the tour of the palace is also well worth the time. Even though it is crowded you can easily find your own place for contemplation, picknic, or just sitting around and enjoy life! The Palace is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The history of the palace is:

The name Drottningholm (literally meaning "Queen's islet") came from the original renaissance building designed by Willem Boy, a stone palace built by John III of Sweden in 1580 for his wife Queen Katarina Jagellonica. Hedwig Eleonora bought the castle in 1661, a year after her role as Queen of Sweden ended, but it burnt to the ground on 30th December that same year. Hedwig hired the famous Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder to design and rebuild the castle. In 1662 work began on the reconstruction of the building. With the castle almost complete, Nicodemus died in 1681. His son Nicodemus Tessin the Younger continued his work and completed the elaborate interior designs.

The palace was given as a gift to the then Princess, later Queen, of Sweden, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia in 1744 when she married Adolf Frederick of Sweden, who became King of Sweden in 1751. During Louisa's ownership of Drottningholm the interior of the palace was transformed in a more sophisticated French rococo style. Louisa was also responsible for having the Drottningholm Palace Theatre rebuilt in a grand style after the more modest original building burnt down in 1762. In 1777, Louisa sold Drottningholm to the Swedish state. While it was owned by the Swedish state, Gustav III of Sweden, son of Louisa, lived in the palace.

For much of the 19th century, the palace was ignored and started to decay. This saw some change during the reign of Oscar I of Sweden. In 1907 a major restoration of the palace was carried out.

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A lovely baroque palace this is!

There are lovely gardens to the front, and a nice, tranquil lake with gardens to the rear side.

Guards are everywhere, and you can pose near (not beside) the one in the front. Changing of the guard takes place around the rear, the part facing the lake. It's a lovely experience.

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A lovely baroque palace this is!

There are lovely gardens to the front, and a nice, tranquil lake with gardens to the rear side.

Guards are everywhere, and you can pose near (not beside) the one in the front. Changing of the guard takes place around the rear, the part facing the lake. It's a lovely experience.