This text on Vikings and these islands may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase then I may earn a commission, this is at no additional cost to you and it helps keep the blog up.
Travel to Adelsö and Björkö (Birka)
Two islands in the Stockholm archipelago are steeped in Viking history. On Björkö, there was a Viking town called Birka that was abandoned around 1000 AD. Archaeological excavations have been ongoing and it has become well documented. Very little exists of the original town, much of what was became farmlands after it was abandoned.
-
Excavation ongoing -
View of the museum from Ansgar monument -
Viking Age burial mounds -
A view from the burial mounds looking at where the city was located. -
The remains of the town rampart leading into the cemetery.
Adelsö is within viewing distance of Birka and was the administrative part of the town. Some excavations have taken place and they produced Viking-age artifacts. In addition, there is a runestone still in its place. Many times, these get moved from their original location, but this one still is standing. The only thing is that the red paint on it is most likely recent.
-
Inscribed Viking-Age Rune Stone -
Adelsö kyrka
How to get here
From Stockholm
To Adelsö: You can take Bus 312 from Brommaplan (Green line). You get off at Adelsö Kyrka and then you can take a walk around and have a picnic. The sites mentioned above are near the church.
To Birka: Unless you know a local with a boat that can take you from Adelsö to Birka, you will have to go the tourist route of taking the boat tours to the island. Another interesting facet, is if you are able to hire your own boat, then you can park it in the guest docks available on the island!
What to do
Adelsö
Not much to do on this island but if you are more of the hiking type then you might be able to see the Kyrka and the Viking Rune stone. However, be careful, there are a ton of holes and the bus does not come often, so be on the lookout for the time table.
Björkö
So the main attraction of this island is Birka, the Viking city. Every summer there are excavations of the original Viking town, however, the museum exists on another portion of the island.
They are only open during the summer months aka high tourism season. If you manage to arrive during a different time of year, you will essentially have the island to yourself. The Viking village will stand empty but you can explore it. So, you can imagine about the lives of Vikings and how they lived in the original city.
During the summer months there are actors who act as Vikings. If you want to see more about events then you can look here.
Walking around the island means that you can visit the Monument of Ansgar, and see where the town once existed. The second photo is from that point, you can see the location of where the boat in modern day come in. If you look the other way you can see where the boats came in during the Viking period, and you can see Adelsö as well.
The Viking Village
