Stockholm's Archipelago - A Treasure Hidden In Plain Sight

When people travel to Sweden, they usually expect to see the beautiful capital city of Stockholm, the breathtaking Aurora Borealis up in Lappland or the unspoiled Nature that Sweden has to offer a bit everywhere.

One thing that people often don't think about though, is that Stockholm has an amazing archipelago composed by thousands of islands and islets waiting to be explore. In many of the islands there is just peaceful Nature to discover, since they are not inhabited, while many other islands in the archipelago boast picturesque swedish cottages composing tiny towns that are a pleasure to explore.

If you have a couple of extra days available during your trip to Stockholm and want to experience true Swedish charm, make sure to check out some of these unique places around Stockholm.

Fjäderholmarna

With thousands of islands, Stockholm's archipelago can be quite overwhelming to explore. Tourists who are in Stockholm often pass on the opportunity to visit the archipelago because they are under the impression that it would take at least a whole day to go all the way out there and come back to the city. That is partly true, with many islands being quite far away and requiring a whole day-trip kind of project.

But, if you are in Stockholm and want to experience the archipelago without investing too much time on the trip, you will be pleased to know that there are options that don't require you to spend much of the precious time you have available for you Stockholm trip.

Fjäderholmarna are commonly known as the islands where Stockholm's archipelago begins. Just a quick 20-minute boat ride away from the city center, you can get a taste of the archipelago's charm and beauty.

The moment you catch one of the regular boats (during high season) to the islands, in either Slussen or Strandvägen, your archipelago experience. You will get to see Stockholm from the water, which in itself is a very unique and worthy experience for those visiting the city. Passing by Gamla Stan (the Old Town), you will get to see Södermalm on one side and Djurgården on the other, with the emblematic Gröna Lund amusement park and Vasa Museum building. It is, in fact, a beautiful sightseeing boat tour, combined with a fast way to get to the archipelago's closest islands.

When you arrive at Fjärderholmarna, you will find a cozy pier welcoming visitors to an island that is so close to mainland but still feels like a world away. With Sweden's traditional red wooden houses all around, it is the perfect welcoming card for those starting to explore the archipelago.

Pier at Fjäderholmarna

While on the island, visitors can visit its most restaurant: Fjäderholmarnas Krog. It is open during the summer season and offers great food as well as privileged water views. For those visiting Stockholm during winter but still interested in visiting the archipelago, going to this restaurant in the islands of Fjäderholmarna might be the perfect choice, since it offers a charming Julbord (Christimas buffet) from the end of November onwards, allowing visitors to combine their archipelago experience with a unique Christmas experience in the North.

Another popular café & restaurant is Rökeriet. Offering seafood and typical Swedish dishes, this charmy restaurant is another great choice when in the islands of Fjäderholmarna. This modern and sophisticated restaurant built right by the water offers Christmas buffets as well.

But perhaps the most cozy place of all in these beautiful islands is Röda Villan: in this charming low-key café with plenty of colorful flowers decorating the garden, guests can enjoy a cup of coffee, some cakes or even light meals - either inside or on the many tables available in the garden. With a stunning view over the water and surrounded by trees, cliffs and even a small beach, this is a perfect place to take a relaxing break while exploring the archipelago. Make sure to stay an extra while and go down to the cliffs by the water if the afternoon is coming to an end - the sunsets from there are gorgeous.

Enjoying the sunset at Fjäderholmarna islands

Apart from cozy restaurants and cafés overlooking the water, those who visit the islands of Fjäderholmarna get the opportunity to see other interesting places as well, such as Solberga Kontektyr: a store which sells their own candy (popular in Sweden as godis). As it is usual in Sweden, many of the candy types are sold loose instead of packed, making for a charming sweet experience.

If you are looking for chocolate specifically, head to the popular Fjäderholmarna Choklad. Inspired by the island's History, two sisters started this company where they produce their own delicious handmade chocolate - one for each relevant year of Fjäderholmarna's History. Pass by the store to buy some tasty pralinés you can eat on the boat tour back to Stockholm or some cute chocolate bars to offer someone special.

For some original souvenirs from Fjäderholmarna, visit Textilt Uttryck and support this local business producing beautiful trays, coasters, noteboooks and many other items with unique patterns.

When it is time to head back to Stockholm, simply take the boat from the same pier where you arrived and in less than half-an-hour you will be back at the city center - after getting to enjoy many amazing views once again on the way back.

Enjoying the views between Fjäderholmarna and Stockholm on a beautiful summer evening

Grinda

As the island of Grinda advertises itself, "Visiting Grinda is stopping the World for a moment". It's a perfect description. Going to Grinda was such a weird but wonderful experience for me: it felt like I was standing isolated in the middle of nowhere, which felt so peaceful and magical.

In under two hours, you can go all the way from Strandvägen (Stockholm) to Grinda and the boat ride won't be waste time at all. On the way, people will get the opportunity to see many islands of the archipelago and all the beautiful houses, docks and boats that make the area so charming and unique.

When you finally come to the island of Grinda, you will find unspoiled Nature that allow guests to truly unwind and be in the moment. With forests, meadows and water all around, Grinda is an incredibly peaceful place.

View from Grinda, in Stockholm's archipelago

At Grinda there are several places to stay, if you want spend the night. Apart from a Hotel, there is also a Youth Hostel, a campsite and even a Cabin Village composed of 27 cabins with privileged water access. With amazing food available at Grinda Wärdshus Restaurant The Inn (considered the best archipelago restaurant several times), saunas available for rent and water always close by for a swim during the long summer evenings, overnighting on Grinda is one of the most special experiences for Nature lovers to have while in Stockholm's archipelago. Check your accommodation options here.

While in the island, guests can do anything from just relaxing on cliffs while soaking in the sun, to kayaking around the island in a breathtaking archipelago experience, to playing sports or enjoying long walks in the woods - the possibilities on Grinda island are endless if you are interested in exploring the Nature of Stockholm's archipelago.

Make sure to check their website before you go, to stay on top of all the fun events and activities available at different times.

Gällnö

Gällnö is another beautifully isolated island in Stockholm's archipelago that will make you feel like you arrived at the most peaceful place on the planet.

About 1 hour and a half away from Stockholm, Gällnö is well worth a visit if you are looking to explore the swedish Nature that the archipelago is famous for. A bonus is that, just like in Grinda's case, the boat ride gives passengers the chance to see the archipelago's unique buildings on the cliffs and the beautiful sailing boats constantly passing by on beautiful summer days. It truly is fair to say that the boat ride to Gällnö is half the fun.

Beautiful houses seen from the boat on the way to Gällnö

When you arrive in Gällnö, the first thing you will see is the picturesque red wooden building that serves as the waiting room for boat passengers. With old items left a bit everywhere in a truly rustic way and a big sign stating the name of the island, it is a perfect welcoming card to the island.

Waiting room for boat passengers on Gällnö, Stockholm's Archipelago

Way less touristic than Vaxholm and many other islands of the archipelago, Gällnö is known to be much more genuine and a perfect place to experience the true archipelago that still hasn't quite been found by the masses.

At the island there is one café, one store and a bar, making it a perfectly balanced island for visitors who want to enjoy Nature and relax but still wish to have some services available.

For visitors who are interested in spending the night at Gällnö, there is a Hostel in the charming building dating back to 1904, which used to function as the island's school up to the 1960s.

Another available option for those wanting to sleep on the island is the archipelago's smallest hotel: Hotel Frans August - with only one room!

The last option for those looking for accomodation on the island is the (very) tiny house Fransvagnen. At about 2 square meters, all that can fit is a bed, but guests are free to open the side of the cabin in order to enjoy the Nature around.

For visitors who are visiting just for the day, the best way to enjoy the island is to simply walk around and discover the charming places that Gällnö has to offer at every corner.

A wonderful day trip to Gällnö

When you feel like you are done exploring this unique place in Stockholm's archipelago, it will be time to head back to the boat pier to embark on the beautiful ride back to Stockholm. Make sure that you are there in time or you might be stuck for the evening - boats don't really stop by so often when you are this isolated. But, then again, it wouldn't really be that big of a tragedy to be stuck in such a special and peaceful place, right?

Beautiful sunset as we headed back to Stockholm

Sandhamn

For those looking for another major and popular destination in Stockholm's archipelago, Sandhamn is the place.

With boats departing from either Stockholm's city center or Stavsnäs, it is quite easy to get to Sandhamn, especially during the summer months when the island is at its top. In under 2 hours, tourists can go all the way out to the archipelago and enjoy the experience of being almost completely out in the Baltic Sea. Are you up for an adventure? Let's go!

First of all, and just like I wrote previously, a trip to an island out in Stockholm's archipelago is worth way more than just the island visit itself. Being out in the water and seeing the archipelago passing you by as you make your way out to some isolated island of your choosing, is half the experience. On your trip to Sandhamn you will go through narrow passages between the islands, seeing picturesque colorful houses perched on the cliffs that characterize the archipelago, and you will be in love with the place way before you even arrived at the island you are going to explore.

Typical archipelago houses on the way to Sandhamn

With that being said, Sandhamn truly is a pearl of Stockholm's archipelago. Just as popular as Vaxholm, but much more further out, visitors going to Sandhamn have the opportunity to see and experience one of the most beautiful islands of the whole archipelago.

Sandhamn seen from the boat before arrival at the harbor

For people visiting during the summer months, the island will be lively and full of people who come on their sailing boats to enjoy their much deserved vacations away from city stress. For those who visit the island during low season, it will be hibernating - like pretty much everything else in Sweden - but still extremely beautiful. I visited when the summer season had already passed and we were headed to Autumn and in a way it felt even more exotic to see such a place when all the crowds were gone. It felt like we had the island for ourselves, which is a truly special feeling.

Arriving in Sandhamn, visitors are greeted by a wooden pier right next to the city's marina where plenty of boats are parked, making it one of the best views available at the island. With some charming shops across the street and a kiosk right at the pier, it is a perfect place to sit and enjoy the surroundings.

When you want to move on and start exploring the island, walk West alongside the water and eventually you will reach a beautiful place next to the popular restaurant Pentaboden, where you will find several red wooden houses, one of them being Sandhamn's Museum, funded by a group of enthuasiasts in 1966. It is open daily only during high season, allowing visitors to learn more about life on the island, but even when it is closed it still makes for great pictures of how rustically charming Sandhamn is. A bonus is that you will get the chance to take in privileged views of Sandhamn's skyline, making it an amazing spot for pictures of the city.

After that, it's mostly all an adventure. Do you know that song that goes "Where the streets have no names"? That's Sandhamn in a nutshel. While the main streets are named, smaller ones aren't. So much so that the buildings located alongside those streets don't have an address like we have come to know them - they are simply numbered.

As weird as it sounds, it makes for the perfect atmosphere to simply walk around and discover the islands beautiful houses, streets, corners and beaches.

Somewhere in Sandhamn

But, if you are feeling like you would just walk around pointlessly without being able to enjoy the island, don't despair. There are some places of interest to use as reference points.

Kvarnberget is a popular cliff where visitors can enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding streets of Sandhamn. From there it is also possible to see the water, the boats passing by, the surrounding islands and the Fläskberget beach where many people usually do kitesurfing.

View from Kvarnberget

Heading back to the unnamed streets, visitors can reach the popular bathing place Fläskberget where both locals and tourists love to soke in the sun when the weather allows for it.

Fläskberget beach on Sandhamn

For those willing to climb a bit, there is a charming white chapel - Sandhamns Kapell - from 1935 at the island's highest point.

On the other side of the island, visitors can find another beautiful spot called Dansberget (Swedish for "Dancing Hill"). It was once a place where the locals gathered for dances, hence the name, and nowadays it's a wonderful viewpoint where visitors can admire a big anchor as well as the sweeping of the sea and the archipelago around.

The view from Dansberget on Sandhamn

If you have some extra time in Sandhamn and would like to do some fun activities on the island, there is possibility to rent bikes, kayaks or even small motor boats in order to get a truly memorable experience of the archipelago.

These are just some of the many islands worth visiting in Stockholm's archipelago. With many more out there to be explored and unbelievable experiences waiting to be lived in Swedish Nature, I hope this post awoke your interesting about the truly remarkable place that Stockholm's archipelago is.