Drottningholm Palace Park: A Stockholm Walking Tour
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About the Tour
About the Tour
Step into a world of queens, kings, and conspiracies at Drottningholm Palace Park – home to Sweden’s royal family.
On this walking tour, you’ll explore the UNESCO World Heritage palace grounds with their magnificent gardens that span multiple eras and styles. From the grandeur of the Baroque pleasure garden to the Chinese Pavilion, each area has its own fascinating stories about the monarchs who shaped this royal retreat.
The tour starts at Drottningholm Quay, where Queen Hedvig Eleonora first arrived in 1661. As you walk, you’ll discover how each generation transformed the park in its own way – sometimes to impress Europe, sometimes to escape court life, and sometimes to devise secret plots.
Along the way you’ll come across sculptures that were once war trophies, and a dining table that vanished through the floor. The tour ends near the tennis courts, where King Gustav V once played, connecting Drottningholm’s rich past to more recent royal history.
During this 60-minute exploration, you’ll have a chance to:
- Wander through Baroque avenues and romantic English gardens – each with its own royal story
- Find the secluded Rococo retreat – a garden opposite the Chinese Pavilion
- Meet the queens and kings who reshaped Drottningholm with ambition, artistry, and the occasional scandal
- Find out how the oldest working theatre in the world was eventually rediscovered, and how it survived fire and years of neglect
- Hear inside stories about secret dining rooms, the ultimate royal birthday surprise – and murder
Let the history of this royal retreat transport you back in time as you wander the same paths once walked by queens, kings, and royal children.
Tour Producer
Tour Producer
Mia & Mikael Brejcha
We are Mia & Mikael Brejcha. Both born and raised in Stockholm and passionate about telling foreigners about our hometown a Stockholm.
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Preview Location
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Major Landmarks
Major Landmarks
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Drottningholm Palace
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The Chinese Pavilion
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Drottningholms Slottsteater
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Karamellan Café & Restaurang vid Drottningholm
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Kina slottskafé
Getting There
Getting There
Route Overview
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Start locationDrottningholms slott, 178 93 Drottningholm, Sweden
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Total distance3km
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Final locationDrottningens paviljong, 178 93 Drottningholm, Sweden
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Distance back to start location309.54m
Directions to Starting Point
You can get to Drottningholm by public transportation, by car or if you are visiting during the summer months, also by boat.
A trip from Stockholm City to Drottningholm by public transportation takes about 35–40 min. A few stops with the metro followed by a short bus ride. The boat trip takes roughly one hour each way and is more of a scenic cruise across Lake Mälaren than the fastest route. Lovely though! In that case the boat leaves from Stadshuskajen next to Stockholm City Hall.
This walk starts at the Drottnigholm quay, right where the boat drops you off if you are arriving by boat, but also very easy to find if you are arriving by bus. The bus stop is just about 50 m from the starting point so just go towards the water when exiting the bus. If you are arriving by car, there are two parkings.
Show Directions
Tips
Tips
Places to stop along the way
The palace is open to visitors year-round, though with limited hours in winter. The Chinese Pavilion welcomes visitors in summer, and guided tours of the Court Theatre are also available during the summer months.
Drottningholms slott opening hours and info about ticket
The Chinese Pavilion opening hours and info about tickets
The Court Theater, official website for info on when guided visits and performances are held
Whether you get hungry, thirsty, or just feel like having a little something to eat, you’ll find options along our walk. In Drottningholm, you can enjoy either a proper meal or a traditional Swedish fika.
Karamellan Café and Restaurant, located on the lakeside of the palace near both the start and end of our walk, is open all year round. They serve classic Swedish home-cooked food, as well as coffee, tea, pastries, sandwiches, soft drinks, beer, and wine. For opening hours, see the website
During the summer season, there is also a café in the palace park near the Chinese Pavilion (Kina Slott). It serves coffee, tea, pastries, sandwiches, soft drinks, and Swedish waffles. For opening hours, see the website
Best time of day
You can enjoy this tour any time of year, as long as there’s daylight. If you prefer to see the park when the trees are in full leaf and the grass is green, you may want to avoid the winter months. Off-season is also when repairs and restoration work usually take place, if needed. That said, we think the park is just as beautiful in winter - so don’t hesitate to go, whatever the season. The park usually has more visitors during holidays and weekends, but it’s such a vast space that it never feels crowded.
The walk itself isn’t tied to opening hours, but if you’d like to go inside any of the buildings mentioned, you’ll need to check their schedules. See the section ‘Places to stop along the way’ for links.
Precautions
Entry to the park is free, but tickets are required if you’d like to go inside any of the buildings. There are plenty of beautiful spots to take photos - so snap away! If you're using the same phone for photos as you're using to run this tour in VoiceMap, don't forget to pause the tour while you're taking pictures. Otherwise, you might miss something!
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