The Buddhist Traveler in Stockholm

In a country of 10.5 million, about 50,000 Swedes identify as Buddhist—most of them immigrants originating from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. These communities have established active temples and cultural centers, supported in part by Sweden’s historically generous refugee and asylum policies, which have also brought in Buddhist populations fleeing conflict and persecution. But there are traces of Buddhism from much earlier times, most notably, a 5th-century Buddha statuette originating from northern India and brought to Sweden by Viking traders (or raiders). The scholar of Zen Buddhism D. T. Suzuki even found a Buddha in Sweden. His book Swedenborg: Buddha of the North detailed the similarities between Buddhist teachings and the 18th-century Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg’s writings on consciousness, awakening, and salvation.

1| The Swedish History Museum

At the Swedish History Museum in central Stockholm, you’ll find on display a small ancient statuette of the Buddha. The bronze antique is believed to date to 5th- or 6th-century Kashmir and was discovered by archaeologists in 1954 on the small island of Helgö, near Stockholm. Helgö was a Viking settlement dating to the 6th century, and the three-and-a-half-inch tall Helgö Buddha is thought to have been brought to Sweden a thousand years ago or more.

2| Stockholm Buddhist Vihara

The Sri Lanka-Sweden Buddhist Society opened the first Buddhist temple in Sweden in 1985 in the suburb of Jakobsberg, twenty kilometers northwest of downtown Stockholm. The Stockholm Buddhist Vihara is a Theravada Buddhist temple whose members are primarily of Sri Lankan origin, but the space is also open to visitors. It offers weekend classes for children ages 5 to 16, as well as meditation programs in Swedish and English for adults. The temple is open daily from 8:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.

3| Diamond Way Buddhist Center
A Tibetan Buddhist practice center in the Karma Kagyu lineage, the Diamond Way Buddhist Center practices in a building owned by the Liberal Catholic Church, which is unconnected to the Roman Catholic Church and originated within the Theosophical movement in the early 20th century. The group offers guided meditation, dharma lectures (sometimes in English), and courses throughout the year. The lay-focused group was founded to enable working professionals, families, and lay practitioners to integrate Vajrayana practice into everyday life.

4| The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities

Situated on the small island of Skeppsholmen, within Stockholm, the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities was founded in 1926. In its early days, it relied on the discoveries from Swedish archaeologist Johan Gunnar Andersson’s travels in China. Today, many of these items are in the process of being returned to the custody of the Chinese government. The museum displays many seated and standing buddhas and bodhisattvas, and boasts a sculpture hall housing three large Mongolian Buddhist sculptures. Closed for renovations as of November 2025, the museum will reopen in 2026.

5| Stockholm Zen Center

Just south of the city center, Stockholm Zen Center is a popular option for newcomers to meditation. Each month, classes for beginners cover different sitting postures, meditation instruction, and rituals such as chanting, bowing, and prostrations. Four-hour introductory seminars cost 600 Swedish krona (about $60—Sweden is in the EU but retains its own currency) and include a month’s membership for on-site activities and access to the center’s celebrated Zen garden. Zen Center’s lead teacher, Kansan Zetterberg Sensei, studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and was a professional jazz musician before his ordination in 2023.

6| Art of Tibet

Art of Tibet is a Buddhist-inspired art and crafts company with two locations—one in Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu and one in Akersberga, thirty kilometers northeast of Stockholm. The studio offers working space for Himalayan artists; for shoppers, original thangkas, malas (prayer beads), statues, and singing bowls are available. The studio employs eighteen artisans from Tibet and Nepal and was founded in 1995. It is easily accessible from central Stockholm by commuter rail or bus.

7| Rara Restaurant
While Scandinavian cuisine is growing in popularity around the world, visitors may crave something different while in Stockholm. A worthy (though pricey) culinary destination is Rara, which serves Himalayan cuisine in the city center. Operated by two Nepalese chefs, the restaurant is named after the largest freshwater lake in Nepal. Rara offers curries, momos, and thukpa, a Tibetan soup made with naturally gluten-free buckwheat noodles. After dinner, there are eight varieties of Nepalese tea to sample.