Swedish Christmas markets open in November and run on glögg, warm waffles and handmade gifts. Skansen has held its market on Djurgården since 1903, and the castles and old towns outside the city set up their own, with Lucia processions, open fires and craft stalls kids can browse. Here's what we checked, from Santa's workshop at Skansen to the castle orangery at Wenngarn.
A Christmas market on Djurgården that has run since 1903, with stalls of crafts in textile, wood, ceramic and wool, plus marzipan, Christmas bread and hand-dipped candles.
For kids, the draw is Santa's workshop, where they make their own Christmas craft, then dancing around the tree and carols in Seglora church. Much of it is outdoors, so dress for the cold.
A Christmas market of stalls packed onto Stortorget, the square in Gamla stan. Stockholms-Gillet runs it, and the stalls sell everything from sweets to metalwork, so kids can hunt for treats while parents browse for gifts.
It works best as one stop on a winter walk through the old town rather than a full day out: the market is compact and entirely outdoors.
Kungsträdgårdens julmarknad fills the park in central Stockholm with Christmas stalls run by students from the city's upper secondary schools. Kids can wander between the stands, look for a small gift and take in the holiday bustle.
It's a market rather than a show, so it suits families happy to browse. Toddlers in strollers do fine; school-age kids with a bit of pocket money get the most out of it.
Each Advent the Royal Stables (Hovstallet) in Östermalm hosts a Christmas market, with around seventy craft makers from across Sweden selling handmade gifts in every material.
For kids, the draw is the King's horses: the stable stays open to visitors, so they can say hello to the horses trained for royal processions on state visits. It suits kids patient enough for some gift browsing between horse visits.
Schysst Jul is the Christmas market Svalorna Latinamerika runs every year. Each exhibitor is picked for putting ecological sustainability and social justice first, so the stalls are full of products made with people and the planet in mind.
It is a good place to shop for presents together. Kids can help choose something for a grandparent or teacher, and older kids who like picking gifts get the most from it.
Sigtuna's traditional Christmas market takes over the old town's streets and squares with market traders, traditional Swedish Christmas food and a packed program. It grew out of the town's Christmas celebration in the early 1960s, when market stalls were first added.
It suits families happy to wander outdoors in the winter cold, browsing stalls with a stroller or small kids on shoulders, with choir singing along the way.
An Advent market at Wenngarn Castle outside Sigtuna, with more than 40 hand-picked crafters in the orangery selling silver, ceramics, textiles, food and art. Open fires in the park serve glögg, sausages and kolbullar.
Kids can warm up by the fires and slip into the candlelit chapel for a short concert. It's a calm market without the crush, a good pick for families who find big city markets too much.
One of Sweden's biggest Christmas fairs fills Taxinge Slott in Sörmland, with more than 100 Swedish craftspeople selling handmade work. It's a day for ticking off Christmas gifts while kids wander the stalls with you.
The castle calls itself Kakslottet, the cake castle, and has its own café for fika. It's a browsing day, so it suits kids happy to look around more than ones expecting a program of activities.
Torekällberget, Södertälje's open-air museum, turns back the clock for a Christmas market in the style of the 1800s. Kids can step into the historic homes as the households get ready for Christmas, browse the market stalls on the square and catch live Christmas music around the grounds, with a sing-along too.
It suits families who like to wander at their own pace, and the weekend closes with a Lucia procession.
Swedish Christmas markets open in November and run on glögg, warm waffles and handmade gifts. Skansen has held its market on Djurgården since 1903, and the castles and old towns outside the city set up their own, with Lucia processions, open fires and craft stalls kids can browse. Here's what we checked, from Santa's workshop at Skansen to the castle orangery at Wenngarn.
A Christmas market on Djurgården that has run since 1903, with stalls of crafts in textile, wood, ceramic and wool, plus marzipan, Christmas bread and hand-dipped candles.
For kids, the draw is Santa's workshop, where they make their own Christmas craft, then dancing around the tree and carols in Seglora church. Much of it is outdoors, so dress for the cold.
A Christmas market of stalls packed onto Stortorget, the square in Gamla stan. Stockholms-Gillet runs it, and the stalls sell everything from sweets to metalwork, so kids can hunt for treats while parents browse for gifts.
It works best as one stop on a winter walk through the old town rather than a full day out: the market is compact and entirely outdoors.
Kungsträdgårdens julmarknad fills the park in central Stockholm with Christmas stalls run by students from the city's upper secondary schools. Kids can wander between the stands, look for a small gift and take in the holiday bustle.
It's a market rather than a show, so it suits families happy to browse. Toddlers in strollers do fine; school-age kids with a bit of pocket money get the most out of it.
Each Advent the Royal Stables (Hovstallet) in Östermalm hosts a Christmas market, with around seventy craft makers from across Sweden selling handmade gifts in every material.
For kids, the draw is the King's horses: the stable stays open to visitors, so they can say hello to the horses trained for royal processions on state visits. It suits kids patient enough for some gift browsing between horse visits.
Schysst Jul is the Christmas market Svalorna Latinamerika runs every year. Each exhibitor is picked for putting ecological sustainability and social justice first, so the stalls are full of products made with people and the planet in mind.
It is a good place to shop for presents together. Kids can help choose something for a grandparent or teacher, and older kids who like picking gifts get the most from it.
Sigtuna's traditional Christmas market takes over the old town's streets and squares with market traders, traditional Swedish Christmas food and a packed program. It grew out of the town's Christmas celebration in the early 1960s, when market stalls were first added.
It suits families happy to wander outdoors in the winter cold, browsing stalls with a stroller or small kids on shoulders, with choir singing along the way.
An Advent market at Wenngarn Castle outside Sigtuna, with more than 40 hand-picked crafters in the orangery selling silver, ceramics, textiles, food and art. Open fires in the park serve glögg, sausages and kolbullar.
Kids can warm up by the fires and slip into the candlelit chapel for a short concert. It's a calm market without the crush, a good pick for families who find big city markets too much.
One of Sweden's biggest Christmas fairs fills Taxinge Slott in Sörmland, with more than 100 Swedish craftspeople selling handmade work. It's a day for ticking off Christmas gifts while kids wander the stalls with you.
The castle calls itself Kakslottet, the cake castle, and has its own café for fika. It's a browsing day, so it suits kids happy to look around more than ones expecting a program of activities.
Torekällberget, Södertälje's open-air museum, turns back the clock for a Christmas market in the style of the 1800s. Kids can step into the historic homes as the households get ready for Christmas, browse the market stalls on the square and catch live Christmas music around the grounds, with a sing-along too.
It suits families who like to wander at their own pace, and the weekend closes with a Lucia procession.
