Stockholm Archipelago Sightseeing Cruise with Guide

Strandvägen and Djurgården

The cruise starts on Strandvägen, the elegant waterfront boulevard built in the late 1800s for the wealthy of Stockholm, with ornate stone facades facing a quay lined with old steamships. Across the water lies Djurgården, the royal park island that was once the king's hunting ground and now holds the Vasa Museum, Skansen and the Gröna Lund amusement park.

As the ship pulls away, the city unfolds behind you: the spires of Östermalm, the rocky cliffs of Södermalm and the masts of the af Chapman sailing ship at Skeppsholmen. This first stretch is a Stockholm boat tour in itself, and your guide points out the museums so you can plan which ones to visit later.

The Inner Archipelago: Fjäderholmarna and Lidingö

Only twenty minutes from the centre, the Fjäderholmarna islands mark the start of the archipelago. Once a stop for fishermen and smugglers on their way to the city, they are now a favourite summer outing for Stockholmers, with craft workshops and smooth granite rocks for sunbathing.

The route continues past the large island of Lidingö and the headlands of Nacka, where forests come down to the water and old summer villas, many from the early 1900s, stand on private jetties. Is the Stockholm archipelago worth visiting? This short cruise shows why locals are so proud of it: nature begins where the city ends, with no long journey needed.

Vaxholm, the Capital of the Archipelago

Vaxholm, a small wooden town on an island north-east of Stockholm, is often called the capital of the archipelago. Its sea fortress, founded in the 1540s under King Gustav Vasa and rebuilt in its present round form in the 19th century, guarded the main sea route to the capital for centuries.

Depending on the length of your cruise, the ship sails out towards the Vaxholm area, with views of the fortress, colourful harbour houses and summer villas. If you want to spend more time there, a day trip to Vaxholm by local boat is easy in summer, and this cruise is a good way to decide whether you want to return.

Life in the Stockholm Archipelago

The Stockholm archipelago stretches about 80 kilometres into the Baltic Sea, and only a few hundred of its islands are inhabited all year. Many Swedes own or rent a small red cottage here, painted with the traditional Falu red, and spend summer swimming, sailing and fishing from their own rocks.

Along the way the guide explains how the islands were formed by the ice age and how the land is still slowly rising after the weight of the glaciers disappeared. The best time for an archipelago cruise is from late spring to early autumn, when the light lasts long into the evening, but the ships also sail in winter, when the islands look calm and silver.