If you’re planning a trip to Stockholm, you may have come across Drottningholm Palace. Not to the confused with the Royal Palace in Gamla Stan, Drottningholm Palace is a royal palace near Stockholm that is also open for tourists. I was originally just going to say it’s a place you can visit when you’re in Sweden’s capital but during my visit, I made way too many notes to be condensed to a paragraph in my post on Stockholm.

So, here’s a full blog post on Drottningholm Palace!

A Brief History of Drottningholm Palace

The origins of Drottningholm Palace date back to the 16th century. It was built for Queen Katarina Jagellonika but burned down almost a century later, in 1661. Queen Dowager Hedvig Eleanora had a new palace built at the site as a ladies’ summer palace and construction took place between 1662 and roughly 1699. Drottningholm is just a hop and a skip away from Stockholm, which had already been established as the capital.

It was given to Princess (later Queen) Lovisa Ulrika in 1744 and her son, King Gustav III, thoroughly enjoyed the palace and would also use it as a summer palace in his adulthood. The Chinese Pavilion was a birthday present to Queen Lovisa Ulrika in 1753, following the popularity of Eastern art in Europe.

After the death of Gustav III, the palace saw less and less use and was eventually abandoned in the early 19th century. However, by the mid-19th century, the palace was being used again from time to time and in the early 20th century, Drottningholm Palace was restored largely to its 18th century appearance and then used more regularly.

In 1981 it became the permanent residence of the Swedish royal family. The Drottningholm domain is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visiting Drottningholm Palace Today

You don’t leave Stockholm and go to Drottningholm Palace for nothing. This place is opulent. It’s filled ceiling to floor with rococo and baroque decor, from parquet floors to damask wallpaper to gilt ceilings to a marble hall. The rooms also have stands with information about the rooms you’re in so you’ll get lots of historical context. You’ll get to know Hedvig Eleanora, Lovisa Ulrika, Gustav III, and more a lot better before you leave – something I really appreciate in a self-guided tour.

In addition to the palace, you can also visit the gardens, the Chinese Pavilion (more on that below), and the theatre, which gives guided tours.

The gardens outside are very big and obviously well manicured, but I have to admit that they were seriously devoid of flowers. Which I think is the point of the gardens, but still, I personally found them a bit boring since it’s just a lot of hedges.

I think a big question for taking this half-day trip would be, is Drottningholm Palace worth seeing? To answer this question, it’s best to know that there is also the Royal Palace right in Gamla Stan, the heart of Stockholm, which is just as opulent, has a bigger collection, and has a history dating back to the middle ages. I definitely recommend the Royal Palace over Drottningholm Palace if you have to pick.

But if you like visiting palaces (as I do) or are looking to get out of the city and maybe take a boat cruise in the process, then going to Drottningholm might be a good option for you. I recommend going in the summer since you can see the Chinese Pavilion as well.

The Chinese Pavilion

The entrance fee to the Chinese Pavilion is separate. As I mentioned, the Chinese Pavilion was a birthday present to Queen Lovisa Ulrika in 1753. (What a nice gift!) If you constantly walk from the palace entrance to the pavilion, it’ll take about 10 to 15 minutes walking – which should give you an idea of just how large the gardens are.

Obviously the biggest difference in style is that Drottningholm has western art influences while the pavilion has eastern art influences. I would describe the pavilion as being less opulent but prettier. I absolutely loved the combination of colors and absolutely loved the bright red room with the lacquer panels. I thought it was quite gorgeous. If you like interior design or historical design then it’s well worth seeing the Chinese Pavilion.

Some of the rooms are very dark, I assume due to art preservation. But it can be quite difficult to see.

Getting to Drottningholm Palace

It’s quite easy to get to Drottningholm Palace without a car. You can check your map to see the best route for getting to the palace from your location in Stockholm using public transport (Apple maps worked fine for me in Sweden). You’ll probably need to transfer in Brommaplan or Solna.

If you’d like a more scenic way of getting to the palace, you can take a boat ride which runs from May to October. I did this option and really liked it since it was like taking an archipelago cruise. If you have the Stockholm City Pass, a return boat ticket is included!

The boat ride takes about 45-50 minutes and is quite scenic, cruising along the many charming waterfront houses and small islands. I got on the 10:00am cruise to the palace and arrived at 10:45am. With the Stockholm City Pass, I had to book my return ticket when booking my ticket to the palace. I chose 1:00pm which gave me about 2 hours to explore. This was enough to see the palace and the pavilion but it left little time for a leisurely stroll, no time for a theatre tour, and definitely no time to have lunch in the cafe. So that’s something to keep in mind when you book your ticket.

Drottningholm Palace is a nice half-day trip from Stockholm. If you’re spending several days in the city and are looking for something else to see, maybe an escape to the calming archipelago, then Drottningholm Palace should definitely be on your list.

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