Stockholm Archipelago

East of Stockholm the land dissolves into some thirty thousand islands, from wooded inner isles with red summer cottages to bare outer skerries facing the open Baltic. Laced by ferries from the city, it is the great summer escape of the capital, a world of swimming, sailing and island-hopping.

Background

Sweden's largest archipelago, and the second largest in the Baltic Sea, it stretches roughly 60 kilometres east from Stockholm and spans approximately 1,700 km², with approximately 530 km² of land. Part of it has been a Ramsar site since 12 June 1989. The water is far less salty than the ocean, about 0.6-0.7 per cent in the outer parts, and the land is lifting by about three millimeters a year. In 1719 an estimated 2,900 people lived here, mostly fishermen, and a combined life of farming and fishing lasted until around 1950-1955. The islands now hold around 10,000 year-round residences, plus 50,000 holiday homes. Ytterby on Resarö gave its name to four elements: erbium, terbium, ytterbium and yttrium.

Source: Wikipedia, "Stockholm Archipelago"

What you'll find

• Vaxholm - the archipelago gateway town with its fortress, close to the city.
• Grinda and Finnhamn - classic wooded islands for swimming and walking.
• Sandhamn - the sailing island at the outer edge, all yachts and open sea.
• The ferry journey - the archipelago boats threading between the islands.

When to go

High summer, when the ferries run full timetables and the islands come alive; spring and autumn are quiet and many services wind down. It is very much a summer world.

What to expect

It is enormous and spread out, so seeing it means choosing islands and ferry times rather than covering it all. Outside summer, boats thin and islands close down. The inner islands are easy day trips; the outer skerries take real time.

Nearby

Central Stockholm is the hub; the university town of Uppsala lies inland.

Key facts