Junibacken is a surreal wonderland for young children. Set in an unassuming building near the Vasa Museet, in Stockholm it’s easy to spot because there are massive bananas hanging on the tree outside and clumps of young children bouncing up and down from the bus stop to the front door, even on a snow day in February.
Cass at age seven is concerned that she’s too big to enjoy it, but Astrid Lindgren is her very first very favourite author and she desperately wants to see the artwork and the story train and the children’s bookshop. It’s the most expensive attraction on our short break to Stockholm at SEK 179 for adults and SEK 149 for children and the one where we spent the least amount of time, but Cass was absolutely thrilled and is very definite that this is an Ergohacks Essential because ‘if you’re a child, it’s like walking into the pages of your favourite books and that is worth paying a lot of Kronor’.
Junibacken is deceptively large with multiple rooms filled with children. The storybook square is a hectic book inspired play area, but it’s definitely for under 5s only as all the miniature buildings are just too small for bigger children to enjoy. There are also larger spaces for older children to enjoy crawling through tunnels, entering and controlling a spaceship, a building blocks corner, cogs on a wheel and a few fun things near the small beautifully decorated theatre.
Tickets also include a ride on the story train, which is magnificent if you’re familiar with Astrid Lindgren’s books. It’s hands down the best part of our day. Whereas the play and explore spaces are child size and overrun by children with adults standing on the sidelines on their mobile phones, the story train is very much an activity for all. I loved it as much as Cass did. It ends in the room where quite a large version of Villekulla Cottage (Pippi Longstocking’s home) has been built which was also an instant hit.
Junibacken is a place where children’s fantasy worlds come alive. My daughter chose a visit to Junibacken in Stockholm over a Disneyworld in France and didn’t want to leave even after she’d explored every nook and cranny. I still think ticket prices are a bit steep, but I’m coming around to the viewpoint that paying more for a children’s attraction is an investment in their development. The inflated prices in the bookstore was another matter though. The book she really wanted — an English translation of Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter, was almost £20. We bought the exact same book on Amazon for £5.62 including overnight delivery. I had hoped to buy a few early reader Swedish books as she’s keen to learn Swedish, but I couldn’t justify paying that much for a few books.
Junibacken is an experience not to be missed. It comes at a higher price than expected, but for us it was certainly a cost-effective choice, as for many others. It was by far the busiest place we’d visited. We had discovered the secret to where all small children go in February — Junibacken was absolutely packed.
Astrid Lindgren is an institution in Sweden. She was involved with Junibacken’s developing and wrote about it favourably after it opened. She was very adamant that it shouldn’t showcase just her work, but a variety of children’s literature. We entered Junibacken only aware of one or two Swedish children’s authors. We left having learned much more about both and armed with a list of more names to look into. Junibacken isn’t just a place to spend a day, it’s a place that sets the imagination on fire. Highly recommended.
Tickets available on entry
Price: SEK 179 Adults, SEK 149 Children, Under 2s free entry.
The admission fee includes entry to Junibacken, all theatre performances of the day as well as a ride on the Story Train.
Specification
Season: Open nearly every day of the year
Location: Galärvarvsvägen 8, Djurgården, Stockholm.
Booking: Secure online/at the venue/only at the venue
Opening: 10 am
Closing: 5 pm (winter), 6 pm (summer)
Excellent family venue
Access: Good access, read their access statement here.
Nearby: Vasa Museet, Skansen, Skansen Akvariet, Flickorna Helin.
Public transport access via nearest stop:
Bus/Tram: Nordiska Museet/Vasa Museet (67 from Vasastan)
Metro: Karlaplan (10-minute walk)
Ferry: Gröna Lund (departing from Slussen year round and Nybroplan during the summer).
Train station: Central Station (2.6 km/30 minute walk)
Airport: Arlanda
Excellent pedestrian access
We based our Ergohacks Verdict on a visit to Junibacken in February 2018. This article was first published on 6 March 2018.
