Birka

Water taxis and other operators

Water taxi: From Lindby brygga and Hovgården, among others, SEK 300 return – at least three paying passengers per trip. The guided tour and museum admission are paid for separately on site. More departures: Other operators run from Västerås, Strängnäs, Sigtuna and Kungsängen, among other places. Särimner water taxi also runs from Sandviken, Södertälje and Rastaholm; from other jetties it costs SEK 170 per leg. Rederi Mälarstaden has departures from Västerås, Sundbyholm, Strängnäs, Sigtuna, Kungsängen and Kallhäll, among others, and the Ejdern steamship association (Museiföreningen Ångfartyget Ejdern) runs from Södertälje.

Arriving by your own boat

Birka's guest harbour has 40 berths. In the summer season there's fresh water, waste disposal, a toilet and a shower. Guests in the guest harbour get a 20% discount on the guided tour and museum admission on showing their receipt. The harbour fee is paid to Restaurang Särimner. The day fee is SEK 175, the overnight fee SEK 275 and electricity SEK 80. If you arrive outside the restaurant's opening hours, you pay when it opens.

Season and access

Season: In the low season, November–April, the museum and restaurant are closed and there's no scheduled boat service to the island. By your own boat: The island can still be visited then – there's a guest harbour.

Parking by the jetties

Strömma mentions parking along the water on Norr Mälarstrand, at least a 10-minute walk from Klara Mälarstrand, and at Vårby allé, about 10 minutes from the jetty at Vårby Herrgårdspark. In Jungfrusund there's parking by the ferry landing, about 200 metres from the jetty. At Hovgården you park by the local history society's farmstead (Hembygdsgården) and walk at least 15 minutes on a gravel road through a cow pasture – Strömma doesn't recommend it for people with reduced mobility. The bridge opening in Tappström can mean a wait of up to 15–20 minutes on the way to Ekerö.

Guided tour and the Ansgar Monument

Guided tour: A guide takes you around the archaeological site where the town of Birka once stood. Guides and staff are dressed in Viking clothing. The Ansgar Monument: A memorial to the missionary Ansgar's arrival in Sweden. The Ansgar Chapel: Built around 1930, today a summer church. According to Strömma, the tour always starts in front of the museum and covers about 1–1.5 kilometres through a burial ground with Viking Age mounds and past Birka's hillfort, ending at or near the Ansgar Cross. Close to the guide trail you'll see the Black Earth (Svarta jorden) – the old town area – the famous Warrior Woman's grave and the site of Birka's garrison. You walk to the chapel on your own, about 15–25 minutes; the chapel is always open in season.

Birka Museum

The museum shows maps from ground-penetrating radar surveys and a rune stone long thought to be lost. The main exhibition has detailed models of what life may have looked like for Birka's inhabitants, archaeological finds and replicas from the excavations. The exhibition Buried at Birka shows the Elk Man and the Young Man from the 8th century, the Woman with the Green Beaker from the 9th century and the Warrior Woman from the 10th century. The Swedish National Heritage Board says the museum also shows an in-depth themed exhibition every summer. The shop sells books and replicas of beads found on the island, among other things.

The Viking village

The houses in the reconstructed Viking village are built the way the houses in the town looked when it flourished. For three weeks in July the Viking quarter is populated by Viking enthusiasts in costume. According to Strömma, the Viking quarter has reconstructed houses, Viking boats, goats, hens and cultivated herbs. In 2026 the quarter is populated from 7 to 25 July by the Birka-Hovgårdens Gille society.

Food, drink and swimming

Restaurang Särimner: A Viking tavern on the shore of Lake Mälaren serving Viking-inspired food. Café Eldrimner: Fika, ice cream and light lunches – open daily 22 June–9 August 2026. Swimming: A child-friendly swimming spot in Lake Mälaren. Staying overnight: Glamping tents June–September, with dinner, breakfast, museum admission and the guided tour. Book with Strömma. Särimner has 80 seats indoors and about as many on the terrace facing Björkfjärden, and you only need to book for groups of more than 20. According to Strömma, the beer comes from microbreweries on Adelsö and Helgö. The glamping tents sleep two or four. As well as the beach, there are rocks to swim from.

Children's activities and Viking life

The Viking School: Stations where children can try rune writing, grinding flour and baking bread, and a station that varies – for example smithing, woodwork, textile crafts or archery. The Viking village: Reconstructed Viking houses to wander around. The museum: Maps from ground-penetrating radar surveys and a rediscovered rune stone. The Viking School is new for 2026.

Terrain, pushchairs and access

Pushchairs: Allowed on board Strömma's boat, ideally foldable, and left in the bow on the main deck. On the island: Strömma mentions gravel surfaces around the museum area and level walking paths. The guided tour goes partly up steep slopes and over natural terrain.

Facilities, swimming and breaks

Swimming: A child-friendly swimming spot in Lake Mälaren. Food: Restaurang Särimner and, in summer, Café Eldrimner. Toilet: There's a wheelchair-accessible toilet on Birka. Särimner's lunch menu always has at least one meat, fish and vegetarian dish, and the children's menu always has meatballs and pancakes. Café Eldrimner sells pancakes with jam and scoops of ice cream.

Children's prices

Children aged 0–5 go free. Children aged 6–12 pay SEK 100 for admission and the guided tour, or SEK 65 for the museum only.