Weekend tip: Open House Stockholm turns ten – doors open across the city

Walking tours and architecture viewings have a reputation for being aimed at people who say “what a beautiful functionalist building” while the rest of the group is busy trying to locate the café entrance. Open House Stockholm is guilty as charged. For ten years, the festival has been unlocking buildings you would otherwise simply walk past, and it’s hard not to get a little curious when bomb shelters and reactor halls are suddenly open to the public.

It kicks off tomorrow and runs until Sunday. Among the doors opening are KTH’s reactor hall (Friday and Saturday), a fully equipped bomb shelter (Friday), the Italian Embassy at Oakhill (Saturday), the world’s oldest tennis hall (Sunday) and the mountain where the city’s archives are stored (Sunday). There’s also the Nordic region’s only active silk weaving mill, which is open all three days, around ten co-housing developments and guided walks through neighbourhoods including Blasieholmen and Hammarby Sjö.

Everything is free and spread across Greater Stockholm, from Vällingby to Nacka. Some viewings require booking, while others are simply open house.

The full programme and map are available at openhousestockholm.com, where you can filter by day, language, accessibility and whether booking is required. Check before you go, as the organisers reserve the right to make changes.