Capital city of Sweden and birth place of J. City to which I moved home to from Luleå in Spring ’89.

The Archipelago!

One hasn’t been in Stockholm if not been out in the gorgeous archipelago!

More than 24000 islands and excellent public transportations makes this wonder of wonders most accessible and a Must!!

I (J) usually say to people that one hasn’t been in Stockholm if one hasn’t been out in the archipelago.

Also living in Stockholm without a boat is almost not allowed
(or access to one)…

Some examples of trips/cruises:

• Fjäderholmarna, a small groups of islands in the city, is one short trip but gives you a little bit of water… 15-20 minutes boat trip.
• A cruise trough the archipelago up to the smaller town Vaxholm is more like a half-day trip (at least). One the other side, you’ll see so much more of the beatiful archipelago.
• If one has even more time to spend, why not take any of the Finland-Åland ferries from Stockholm to Mariehamn (Åland) – a 6 hr one way trip, or even all the way over to Finland (Åbo or Helsingfors) – calculate with one to two days for this trip. This is a very nice and relaxing way of experiencing the nature. Sit back in the bar, listen to live bands playing, a cold drink in your hand and awesome nature passing by… Then, the classic Swedish Smörgåsbord when your hungry.

The only drawback with the Swedish archipelago is that it’s “so damned crowded”… In summer time, it’s people all over and it can be quite difficult to be private.

That’s why I personally very much prefer the Åland archipelago, www.GoAland.net and www.aland.fi, and especially Kökar, havspaviljongen.sarkinen.com/kokar.

Stockholm resources

A few articles to peak the interest:

• The Stockholm Archipelago: Swedish Delight (Travel+Leisure May 2002)
• Thoroughly Modern Stockholm (Travel+Leisure Jan 2003)
• How Swede It Is (AmericanWay, Mar 2008)

Links:

• City of Stockholm (good starting point): www.stockholm.se, in English.
• Tourism, Stockholm Information Service: www.stockholmtown.com. The official visitor’s guide to Stockholm.
• Skärgårdsstiftelsen, The Archipelago Foundation: www.skargardsstiftelsen.se – English, Swedish, …
• Waxholmsbolaget, www.waxholmsbolaget.se
• Stockholm Båtguide – www.stockholmbatguide.se – utges årligen av www.mobilamedia.se