Book a guide
Guided tours in English for pre-booked groups

Town Hall Square - Storgatan - Helgeandsgården - Abbey Pax Mariae - Lake front promenade - Vadstena Monastery and Abbey Church - Red Tower - Bishop's House

Between Wasa Castle and the Monastery Quarter, Vadstena's old town stretches out with its narrow streets and alleys, giving it a medieval feel. There are more than thirty heritage buildings, the oldest of which date back to the founding of the town and the monastery from the 15th century onwards. Of interest is the Town Hall Square with Sweden's oldest preserved town hall from 1460 and various buildings from all centuries. This city walk combines a relaxing stroll with a journey of discovery through the city and its history.

Language: Swedish, German, English
Time: 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Participants: max. 25 people / group and guide
Price:
Monday-Friday: 1875 SEK incl. VAT
Saturday/Sunday/Holiday: 2250 SEK incl. VAT
Mini groups:
Monday-Friday: 150 SEK per person, minimum 900 SEK incl. VAT.
Saturday/Sunday/Holiday: 180 SEK per person, minimum 1080 SEK incl. VAT.

The above description follows the "traditional" route. However, we are happy to adapt the tour to specific requests and themes.

St Birgitta's revelations contain detailed instructions on how the monastery and church were to be built. The church was to be of "smooth work, humble and strong", a hall church with three equally high naves, fifteen cross vaults, without painted windows and whitewashed interior walls. The building material used was limestone from a quarry in Borghamn south of Vadstena.

Vadstena Abbey was built as part of a revivalist movement and the monastery area was designed to receive visitors from near and far. To make room for a large open space in front of the church, the entrance to the church was placed in the east and the high altar in the west, contrary to the usual practice. Pilgrims had access to the floor of the church. The nuns had their choir on top of a gallery. The monks' choir was located in the western part of the church. The monastery was consecrated in 1384 and the church in 1430.

In the monastery church there are several medieval inventories, including several altars and the two most famous Birgitta sculptures, the "portrait-like" and the "ecstatic" Birgitta. Birgitta's reliquary contains the remains of both Birgitta and her daughter Katarina.

Language: Swedish, German, English
Time: 1 hour
Participants: max. 30 people / group and guide
Price:
Monday-Friday: 1500 SEK incl. VAT
Saturday/Sunday/Holiday: 1875 SEK incl. VAT
Mini groups:
Monday-Friday: 120 SEK per person, minimum 720 SEK incl. VAT.
Saturday/Sunday/Holiday: 150 SEK per person, minimum 900 SEK incl. VAT.
Entrance fee to the abbey church:
30 SEK/adult plus 250 SEK per group with guide.

The tour of Vadstena Abbey Church can be concluded or combined with a visit to the Sancta Birgitta Klostermuseum or a city walk.

Vadstena Klosterkirche + Sancta Birgitta Klostermuseum
Language: Swedish, German, English
Time: 1 1/2 hours
Participants: max. 25-30 people / group and guide
Price: on request.

Vadstena Abbey and Abbey church

In 1346, King Magnus Eriksson and Queen Blanka donated the royal palace to the foundation of a royal burial church and a monastery. At the same time, Birgitta Birgersdotter received revelations in which God gave her the task of founding a new monastic order in Vadstena. In the end, Birgitta's vision became reality and Vadstena became the mother monastery of the Order of the Holy Saviour or the Birgittine Order...

We visit the medieval monastery area and learn more about Birgitta's revelations, the foundation of the monastery and the history of the complex, the buildings and their architecture. The tour ends in the monastery church with its medieval artworks and altars.

Language: Swedish, German, English
Time: 1 hour
Participants: max. 25 people / group and guide
Price:
Monday-Friday: 1500 SEK incl. VAT
Saturday/Sunday/Holiday: 1875 SEK incl. VAT
Mini groups:
Monday-Friday: 120 SEK per person, minimum 720 SEK incl. VAT.
Saturday/Sunday/Holiday: 150 SEK per person, minimum 900 SEK incl. VAT. Entrance fee to the abbey church:
30 SEK/adult plus 250 SEK per group with guide.

The tour of Vadstena Abbey Church can be concluded or combined with a visit to the Sancta Birgitta Klostermuseum.

Birgittawalk + Sancta Birgitta Klostermuseum
Language: Swedish, German, English
Time: 1 1/2 hours
Participants: max. 25-30 people / group and guide
Price: on request.

Vadstena Hospital - Mårten Skinnare's house - Great Madhouset - Hospital museum - Dahlströmska Gården - Ludvig Wilhelm Gahne's grave - Empiren - Abbeyquarter at the time of the hospital.

In Vadstena, Sweden's first central hospital for the insane was established in 1826 and Sweden's first psychiatric doctor - Georg Engström - was employed. There were favourable conditions for Vadstena as a health care town. Vadstena already had a hospital tradition through Mårten Skinnare's Hospital, founded in 1519, and Helgeandshuset, which was established in 1400 and operated during the monastic period. For 140 years, the old nunnery was also used as the state's War invalid's home (1643-1783).

The hospital grew rapidly and many buildings were added. The number of inmates and patients rose from 80 (in 1703), 200 (in 1826), 900 (in 1895) to 1100 in the 1960s. By the middle of the 20th century, most of the hospital buildings had become obsolete. Therefore, a whole new hospital town - the Birgitta district - was built behind the old hospital area. With about 1,000 employees, Birgitta's hospital was a major element in the city's economy until the closure of the psychiatric care after the transition to outpatient care at the end of the 20th century. Today only the forensic psychiatric regional clinic, with 76 beds, remains in Vadstena as one of five in the country and is currently being rebuilt into new modern premises.

Follow our guide on a walk to the well-preserved hospital buildings such as Mårten Skinnare's House from the 16th century, the Great Madhouse and the Trinity Court, and learn more about Vadstena as a hospital and healthcare town.

Language: Swedish, German, English
Time: 1 hour
Participants: max. 25 people / Gruppe
Price:
Monday-Friday: 1500 SEK incl. VAT.
Saturday/Sunday/Holiday: 1875 SEK incl. VAT.

---

The Sancta Birgitta Klostermuseum is a historical museum with an emphasis on the Middle Ages and the cultural heritage left by St Birgitta. The museum is located in the building where many of our stories take place, tarting in the palace that Birger Jarl had built for his son Valdemar in the 1260s.

The feasts of the knight's age are turned into the monastic life of Birgittaorden It is a rich story that takes us on a journey through time, through war invalides home, mental hospitals and now a museum.

---

Tours for pre-booked groups

In a regular tour, you get a general guided tour where we tell you about the history of the building, the palace, the monastery, Birgitta, people and incidents.

Customised solutions for the customer's needs and wishes can be provided with proposals and quotes. It applies to all types of guided tours, coffee, lunch, etc. When booking several guided tours at the same time, a discount is given, also applies to school classes, request a quote.

Sancta Birgitta Klostermuseum - Adults: (50 min., max 30 people)
Working days until 18.00: 1700 SEK
Working days after 18.00: 2100 SEK
Saturdays and Sundays: 2100 SEK
Public holidays: 2300 SEK
Plus admission: 60 SEK/person
Mini groups: 1250 SEK max 5, 1400 SEK max 6-10 people. Plus admission: 60 SEK/person

Sancta Birgitta Klostermuseum - Young people up to 17 years: (40 Min., max 30 people)
Working days until 18.00: 1500 SEK
Working days after 18.00: 1800 SEK
Saturdays and Sundays: 1800 SEK
Mini groups: 1250 SEK max 5, 1350 SEK max 6-10 people.

Sancta Birgitta Klostermuseum + Abbey Church - Adults: (50+30 Min., max 30 people)
(Approx. 1.5 hours with a 10-minute break between the museum and the church)
Working days until 18.00: 2400 SEK
Working days after 18.00: 2700 SEK
Saturdays and Sundays: 2700 SEK
Public holidays: 3100 SEK
Plus admission: 60 SEK/person
Mini groups: 1900 SEK max 5, 2100 SEK max 6-10 people. Plus admission: 60 SEK/person.

Sancta Birgitta Klostermuseum + Abbey Church - Young people up to 17 years: (50+30 Min., max 30 people)
(Approx. 1.5 hours with a 10-minute break between the museum and the church)
Working days until 18.00: 2400 SEK
Working days after 18.00: 2700 SEK
Saturdays and Sundays: 3100 SEK
Mini groups: 1900 SEK max 5, 2100 SEK max 6-10 people.

Abbey church: (60 min., max 30 people)
Working days until 18.00: 2200 SEK
Working days after 18.00: 2400 SEK
Saturdays and Sundays: 2400 SEK
Public holidays: 2900 SEK
Mini groups: 1450 SEK max 5, 1600 SEK max 6-10 people

800 years of monastery gardens: (ca. 50 Min., max 30 people)
Daytime only: 1700 SEK
Mini groups: 1250 SEK max 5, 1400 SEK max 6-10 people

---