Stockholm Archipelago

Sweden'S Largest Archipelago, Roughly 30,000 Islands, Islets And Skerries Running Some 80 Km From The Capital Into The Baltic, Served By Public Ferries All Year · Vaxholm, Stockholm County

The Stockholm Archipelago, Stockholms skargard, is a maze of roughly 30,000 islands, islets and bare skerries that starts at the edge of the capital and runs some 80 km east into the Baltic. It is usually described in three zones: the inner archipelago of wooded islands, villas and commuter boats around Vaxholm; the middle zone of red cottages, jetties and smooth swimming rocks, where Grinda, Finnhamn and Moja lie; and the outer zone of low bare granite, lighthouses and open sea around Sandhamn, the Uto outer islands and Arholma. Stockholmers treat it as their summer garden: a morning boat, a day on warm rocks, a swim, a shrimp sandwich at a jetty inn and the boat home in the long evening light. Public boats run by Waxholmsbolaget reach dozens of islands all year, so a visitor needs neither a car nor a yacht. The honest caveat: this is a summer place. Outside roughly mid June to mid August the boats thin out, many inns, cafes and shops close, and the water is cold even in July, so a winter visit is quiet, grey and needs careful timetable planning.

About 30,000 islands east of Stockholm; boats leave Stromkajen, Strandvagen and Nybroplan in the city, and Vaxholm is the gateway town, Vaxholm, Stockholm County, Sweden

The islands themselves are always open, but the boats set the rhythm. The dense summer timetable runs roughly from Midsummer to mid August, with a lighter spring and autumn timetable either side and only a handful of commuter departures to the inhabited islands in winter, when ice can cancel or reroute boats - check the current Waxholmsbolaget timetable for your exact date, since it changes several times a year. Waxholmsbolaget boats leave from Stromkajen in front of the Grand Hotel; Stromma sightseeing boats and the summer Cinderella boats leave from Stromkajen and Nybroplan; Fjaderholmarna boats leave from Slussen and Nybroplan. For the outer islands it is faster to take an SL bus to a mainland jetty such as Stavsnas (for Sandhamn and Moja), Arsta brygga (for Uto) or Simpnas (for Arholma) and a short boat from there. Public boats are mostly first come, first served; hostel beds, inn rooms and restaurant tables on July weekends must be booked weeks or months ahead.

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