Sandhamn (Sandön)
Outer-archipelago pilot and sailing village of red wooden cottages and pine forest paths
Walk through the sandy pine woods from the harbour to Trouville beach on the open Baltic side.
Outer Archipelago
Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden
Ideal: 2–4 daysBest: May–SepPrice: Expensive
In 60 seconds
Stockholm Archipelago in 60 seconds
Fanning sixty kilometres east from Stockholm's quays into the Baltic, the Stockholm Archipelago (Stockholms skärgård) numbers some thirty thousand islands, wooded inner bays and wave-smoothed outer granite skerries. Classic white Waxholmsbolaget steamers thread past Vaxholm Fortress and Artipelag to car-free Grinda, fishing villages on Möja and the yachting lanes of Sandhamn.
Maritime
Best for
- Archipelago
- Islands
- Coast
- Nature
Known for
- Sandhamn (Sandön)
- Vaxholm & Vaxholm Fortress
- Grinda Nature Reserve
Skip if
You want high-speed road touring; the best islands are car-free and move to the timetable of archipelago boats.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Stockholm Archipelago fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Vaxholm & Vaxholm Fortress
Capital of the inner archipelago guarded by a 16th-century island citadel in the steamer channel
Take the cable ferry across the sound to the fortress museum, then stroll Vaxholm's pastel wooden streets.
Vaxholm
Grinda Nature Reserve
Car-free inner-archipelago island of smooth bathing rocks, meadows and a 1906 Jugendstil inn
Swim from the sun-warmed granite slabs and hike the Stockholm Archipelago Trail section across the island.
Middle Archipelago
Eat
Where to eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
More places to eat
Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.
Sandhamns Värdshus
ExpensiveHistoric island inn serving archipelago herring, Baltic perch and Toast Skagen since 1672
Book a harbourside table after the evening steamer arrives.
Sandhamn
Båtshaket (Ålö / Utö)
ModerateRustic smokehouse and fish shack at the southern tip of Utö-Ålö
Cycle down from Gruvbryggan for smoked salmon and shrimp on the jetty.
Utö
Grinda Wärdshus
ExpensiveTurn-of-the-century stone and timber inn above Grinda's southern bay
Dine on the veranda overlooking the steamer channel at dusk.
Grinda
Vaxholms Hembygdsgårds Café
ModerateWaterfront garden café famous for a sprawling table of homemade Swedish cakes
Sit at the water's edge watching archipelago boats round the point.
Vaxholm
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Artipelag (Värmdö)
Contemporary art gallery designed by Johan Nyrén set among pines and cliffs above Baggensfjärden
Walk the larch boardwalk along the shoreline before visiting the main exhibition hall and rooftop bakery.
Värmdö
Utö & Ålö Saddle Route
Historic iron-mining island in the southern archipelago connected by bridge to sandy Ålö
Rent a bicycle at Gruvbryggan and ride ten kilometres south through pine woods to Båtshaket on Ålö.
Southern Archipelago
Siaröfortet (Kyrkogårdsön)
Early 20th-century coastal artillery fortress carved directly into the granite bedrock
Take a boat from Vaxholm or Östanå and descend into the underground tunnels before swimming off the rocks.
Ljusterö Channel
After dark
Bars & nightlife
Dykarbaren (Sandhamn)
ExpensiveConvivial maritime bar and bistro right on the Sandhamn quay
Join sailors and islanders on the deck after a day on the water.
Sandhamn
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Vaxholm & Inner Islands
Turn-of-the-century wooden villas within an hour's boat ride of Strömkajen
Best for half-day or full-day excursions from central Stockholm.
Sandhamn, Möja & Outer Skerries
Wind-sculpted pine and granite islands facing the open Baltic
Stay overnight once the day boats depart to experience the quiet evening light.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Sandhamn Harbour & Seglarhotellet
ExpensiveClassic wooden archipelago hotel and guesthouses on car-free Sandön
Ideal for a two-night outer-island stay.
Vaxholm Waterfront (Waxholms Hotell)
Expensive1903 harbour hotel overlooking Vaxholm Fortress and the steamer piers
Convenient year-round base with both boat and bus links to Stockholm.
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Waxholmsbolaget boats depart year-round from Strömkajen in Stockholm (as well as Vaxholm, Stavsnäs and Årsta Havsbad), while Cinderellabåtarna run faster summer services from Strandvägen.
- Getting around
- Use Waxholmsbolaget's island-hopping pass in summer, and walk or rent bicycles on car-free islands.
- Allemansrätten
- Right of public access applies on uncultivated rocks and woods, but respect nature-reserve bird sanctuaries and never camp within sight of private jetties or houses.
- Combine with
- Stockholm city or Uppsala to the north-west.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 1548
Gustav Vasa orders the fortification of Vaxholmen to defend the sea approach to Stockholm.
- 1849–1909
Steamship routes open the islands to summer villa builders and writers including August Strindberg, who sets Hemsöborna on Kymmendö.
- 2024
The 270-kilometre Stockholm Archipelago Trail links twenty islands from Arholma in the north to Landsort in the south.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Stockholm (Strömkajen & Nybrokajen)
Departure quays for Waxholmsbolaget and Cinderellabåtarna vessels in central Stockholm
Start or finish your island-hopping directly opposite the Grand Hôtel — Stockholm has its own guide.
50 min to 2 hr by boat
Norrtälje & Roslagen
Wooden river town and northern archipelago gateway
Explore Roslagen's maritime museum and wooden lanes north of Vaxholm.
45 min north by bus