Things to see and do Birka

This village is a symbol of the history of industry and commerce in the country. A kitschy experience for some, exciting for others, the village consists of houses made entirely by hand in the Viking way. Torch, straw and wood. Dressed in period costumes, the inhabitants are busy in the shipyard, carving the bow of the last drakkar, or weaving leather shoes, tanning skins and sharpening arrows. Children can dress up.

The small museum of Birka is built on a protrusion which, in Viking times, was covered by the sea. The rest of the island is protected. In this small museum, whose visit is quite quick, a film allows to understand how archaeologists retrace, year after year, the outlines of what was the life in Birka, its organization, its history... Several models, including those of the port, a district of the city and the royal domain, are presented here.

Two guided tours are available (in English and Swedish only), divided so that you can do both in half a day:

The classic tour takes you, behind an archaeologist dressed as a Viking, from the cemetery to the old village site, then into the fort and up to the cross of the evangelist Ansgar.

The "dramatic" tour takes you behind guides in disguise, familiarizing you with ancient Viking customs, allowing the imagination to conjure up houses and ships that have been gone for over 1,000 years.