Near Stockholm
Stockholm puts you within an hour of Birka, Gamla Uppsala, Stallarholmen and Storholmen. July is the month to be here.
The Gamla Uppsala Viking Festival is held in mid-June at the royal burial mounds outside Uppsala, 45 minutes north of Stockholm by train. It is Sweden's largest Viking Age festival, with reenactors from several countries camping beside the mounds and around 3,000 visitors over the weekend.
Årsunda Viking is a reconstructed ninth-century Viking farm beside a lake in Gästrikland, two and a half hours north of Stockholm, run by the volunteer association Fafner. For two weeks in July it is staffed by people in costume with daily demonstrations of storytelling, fire making, games and dress, and archery to try.
Birka Viking Weeks run for most of July on Björkö island in Lake Mälaren, two hours by boat from central Stockholm. Birka was Sweden's first town and a major Viking Age trading port, and the weeks fill the reconstructed village with reenactors and craftspeople.
The Stallarholmen Viking Festival is held over the first weekend of July on the shore of Lake Mälaren at Stallarholmen, near Strängnäs, about an hour west of Stockholm. It is a mid-sized market and camp with a strong children's program, run by the local Viking association since 2013.
Storholmen Viking Summer runs for most of July at the Storholmen Viking Museum, an open-air village by Lake Erken outside Norrtälje, about an hour north of Stockholm. It is a living-history season rather than a weekend market, with reenactors in residence, guided tours and hands-on crafts.
The Saltvik Viking Market is held over the last weekend of July at the Viking Village in Kvarnbo, Saltvik, on the Åland Islands between Sweden and Finland. Run by the Fibula historical society, it is one of the largest Viking markets in the Nordics and the only major one reachable by ferry from Stockholm.
The Viking Age Autumn Market at Gunnes gård is held on the first weekend of September at a reconstructed Viking farm in Upplands Väsby, twenty minutes north of Stockholm by commuter train. Admission is free, around 6,000 people come over the two days, and it is the easiest Viking market to reach from central Stockholm.
| Event | Time | By |
|---|---|---|
| Årsunda Viking Farm Summer | 2 h 35 min | Car on the E4 to Gävle, E16 to Sandviken, then road 272 south |
| Birka Viking Weeks | 2 h | Strömma boat from Klara Mälarstrand |
| Gamla Uppsala Viking Festival | 1 h | Train to Uppsala, then bus 2 |
| Gunnes gård Autumn Market | 45 min | Commuter train to Upplands Väsby, then bus or a 25-minute walk |
| Saltvik Viking Market | 6 h 30 min | Viking Line ferry to Mariehamn, then car or bus north |
| Stallarholmen Viking Festival | 1 h 5 min | Car on the E20 towards Strängnäs, then signs to Stallarholmen |
| Storholmen Viking Summer | 1 h 15 min | Car on the E18 to Norrtälje, then local roads to Erken |