Stockholm is built on water, but the best part starts where the city ends. Around 30,000 islands, islets and skerries stretch from the quays in central Stockholm all the way out to the open Baltic, and a surprising number of them are reachable by public ferry. Some are a 20-minute hop for lunch by the water. Others take three hours to reach and reward you with a night where the only sounds are the sea and the wind in the pines.
We have spent a lot of summers out here, and we keep going back. This page brings together everything we have written about the archipelago, so you can pick the islands, the season and the pace that suit your trip.
Start here
If you only read one guide before you go, make it our guide to the best islands to visit in the Stockholm archipelago: it walks you through more than a dozen islands, from Fjäderholmarna to Landsort, with what each one feels like and how the two ferry companies differ. To see how it all fits together, our interactive Stockholm archipelago map shows the islands you can reach by public ferry, with filters for beaches, restaurants, jetties and places to stay.
When to go and how to get there
Summer is the obvious choice, but late August and September are some of our favorite weeks out here. The best time to visit the Stockholm archipelago goes season by season and month by month, from water temperatures to which ferries and guesthouses are running.
Almost every trip starts on a boat. Our guide to getting to the Stockholm archipelago by ferry explains Waxholmsbolaget, the Cinderella boats and Fjäderholmslinjen: where they leave from, what tickets cost, and how to flag down a ferry with the semaphore at smaller jetties. If you already have a travel card, which SL ticket is right for your trip shows what it covers, including the ferry to Vaxholm.
The islands
Every island has its own character, and part of the fun is finding the one that fits you. These are the islands we have written full guides for, roughly in order of how far out they are.
- Fjäderholmarna is the closest, about 30 minutes from the city, with restaurants by the water, craft workshops and rocks to swim from: an easy half-day.
- Vaxholm is a real small town with a 16th-century fortress across the sound, and the easiest first archipelago trip from Stockholm, covered by a regular SL ticket.
- Grinda is a car-free nature island about 90 minutes out, with a 9.8 km trail loop, a sauna by the water and a traditional inn on the hill.
- Svartsö is a lived-in island in the central archipelago with five lakes, easy trail loops, a private sauna on the northern shore and dinner at Svartsö Krog.
- Finnhamn is three islands joined by footbridges, with some of the best viewpoints in the central archipelago, a communal sauna and a rooftop bar.
- Möja is a quiet island of small villages where you cycle the gravel roads, eat seafood in the harbor and let the ferry timetable set the pace.
- Sandhamn is the outer-archipelago classic, with sailing culture, the sandy Trouville beach, a much-loved bakery and the liveliest summer evenings in the archipelago.
- Utö in the south combines one of the most varied sections of the archipelago trail with easy cycling, old iron mines and plenty of places to eat and stay.
Can’t decide between a town by the water and the open sea? Vaxholm vs Sandhamn compares the two on travel time, cost, beaches and atmosphere.
Day trips, itineraries and cruises
The best Stockholm archipelago day trips sorts the islands by how much time you have, from a half-day on Fjäderholmarna to a long day out to Svartsö.
If you like a plan to follow, our itineraries give you the day hour by hour. The Grinda one-day itinerary is the classic day trip: morning ferry, the trail loop, lunch, a sauna and a swim before the boat home. The two-day itinerary for Svartsö and Finnhamn gives you a night on Svartsö with a sauna and dinner at Svartsö Krog, then a day of hiking on Finnhamn on the way back. The three-day itinerary for Vaxholm and Sandhamn starts at the fortress, takes the Cinderella boat out to Sandhamn and ends with a slow morning by the harbor.
Would you rather let someone else do the planning? The best Stockholm archipelago cruises compares guided tours, brunch and shrimp cruises, RIB rides and the winter boat through the ice.
Where to stay and where to eat
Staying the night is when the archipelago really opens up: the day-trippers leave on the last boat and the island goes quiet. Where to stay overnight in the Stockholm archipelago covers ten islands, from waterfront hotels in Vaxholm and Sandhamn to hostels on Utö and camping on Nåttarö.
The food is half the reason we go. Where to eat in the Stockholm archipelago goes island by island, from smoked shrimp on Fjäderholmarna to the four-course dinner at Svartsö Krog, with notes on what to book ahead.
Beaches, hiking and keeping costs down
The best beaches and swimming spots in the Stockholm archipelago covers 20 places to swim, sorted by travel time, from the town beaches on Vaxholm to Storsand on Nåttarö, one of the largest sandy beaches in the archipelago.
For walkers, our Stockholm Archipelago Trail guide explains the 270 km route across 20 islands, how hard each section is and which islands we have hiked ourselves. If you want to make a trip of it, our four-day hiking itinerary follows the trail across Svartsö, Finnhamn and Ingmarsö, with where to sleep, eat and take a sauna each night.
The archipelago has a reputation for being expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. The Stockholm archipelago on a budget shows how public ferries, island grocery stores and hostel kitchens keep costs down. And a lot of the best things out here are free: before you swim from the rocks or pitch a tent, read up on allemansrätten, Sweden’s right to roam.
However you go, check the last ferry back before you leave, bring an extra layer for the boat, and give yourself a little more time than you think you need. The islands reward it.
