DjurgårdenPersonal travel impressions in stories and pictures from Djurgården, Sweden. Click on the pictures to enlarge, send as a free e-card, or download for personal use. You can locate Djurgården and navigate the world using Google Earth Show on map
N 59° 19.728
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While Stockholm is a very pleasant city to walk around in, with waterways and islands giving the Swedish capital a relaxed atmosphere, it is also easy to retreat into nature. In walking distance from the city centre, but also easily reached by one of several ferries lies Djurgården. This in fact is a large island on the eastern side of Stockholm. Formerly hunting grounds for the royal family, the island now offers large stretches of nature, but it is also littered with several different museums and a luna park. I also use it as a perfect terrain for running.
The oldest open-air museum is Skansen and it is located on Djurgården. Opened in 1891, you can find typical Swedish houses and animals in Skansen. On the waterfront on the city side is the Vasa museum, founded more recently and housing the 17th century Vasa battle ship that sank almost as soon as it first entered the waters in the Stockholm archipelago. There are several other museums, as well as a huge luna park. But to me, probably the main attraction of Djurgården is the green spaces. 
You can walk alongside the waterfront, enjoying views of Stockholm harbour on one side, looking further away into the archipelago, or the much narrower canal on the northern side of Djurgården. You can also take one of the many paths leading across the island. Wherever you go, it is easy to find a quiet place to enjoy the sun, you can stretch out near the water, you can walk up hills, you can enjoy the flowers and near the southern tip of Djurgården, you come across outside sculptures. Finding something to drink or eat is no problem either. Walking the entire island takes hours, but it is also possible to take a bus or tram to go back to Stockholm.
