Heading out to the Archipelago!

Svartsö island

It has been gorgeous weather the past couple of weeks... so a day off of work and visiting parents meant a trip out to the Stockholm archipelago. You really can't visit the city during the summertime and not take yourself out to the islands. Unfortunately, most visitors have a tight schedule when coming to Stockholm and really can't take a full day to explore the archipelago. There are ways to get a feel of the islands when you have time constraints... like the Little Archipelago Tour or taking a ferry to Vaxholm for lunch. But if you have the time, take a full day and do some exploring!

Cinderella boat taking passengers on at Strandvägen.

I usually take the Cinderella boats out as it is a quick way to get to the outer islands. Basically these boats power out to either Möja or Sandhamn, stopping at popular islands along the way. After a short stop they turn around and head back to the city, stopping at the same islands. So you can choose which island to visit and then pick up the Cinderella boat as it comes back. Pretty easy!

Cinderella heading on to Möja after dropping us off.

We chose the island of Svartsö to visit, which is 1½ hour trip out on the Möja line. To be honest, we chose it because it was an island we had never visited before and they have a restaurant. We thought we could head there, have lunch and then head back. However, we were there on a Monday and, of course, the restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. There was the option of renting bikes from the country store and biking 2 miles to the other side of the island where there was another restaurant. But we felt lazy and decided to just buy sandwiches at the store and take a leisurely stroll instead.

Country store and kiosk at the pier.

Whichever island you decide to visit, it is the trip itself that is half the experience. So relaxing sitting on the boat and passing by some of the 30,000 islands that make up the archipelago. Beautiful nature, gorgeous houses and boats of all shapes and sizes. Click here for some of the more popular islands you can visit with the Cinderella boats. If you wish to visit some of the more obscure islands, your best bet is the ferry company Waxholmsbolaget. Views along the way from the boat: