Hi All,
After going on a day sail into the archipelago several years ago, had this idea to return and spend time in the islands of Stockholm's archipelago this summer. Have found it extremely difficult finding a local travel expert to plan an intinerary for us, but luckily we have. Being clueless Americans, we will need guidance on the ferry schedules/practices, if sailboats are available for private day trips from the islands, hire, availability of groceries/restaurants, and how long to stay and if August is the warmest month to visit.
Dawning on us that it might be best to combine this junket with broader trip to Europe and include time in Stockholm to make sure we've got all the info we need to travel and enjoy the beauty of the archipelago.
Wondering if you might provide some advice about this trip-for example, we have no idea how to carry all our stuff on the ferries, or if that even makes sense. Wondering if this locale is similar to places that Americans escape to, having local knowledge of how to travel there.
Can you help?
Posted by
Sweden
6425 posts
The title says Swedish archipelago, but the text says Stockholm archipelago. So does it have to be Stockholm or not?
Fun fact: Sweden has the most islands in the world, with around 270 000 islands in total and 17% of the population lives on an island. There are archipelagos around most of the coastlines as well as in the major lakes. Personally I'm very fond of Gothenburg's southern archipelago.
If you decide on the Stockholm archipelago, the ferries are operated by Waxholmsbolaget, https://waxholmsbolaget.se that is said to be the largest ferry network in the world with over 300 "ports".
Groceries and restaurants are available at the major settlements in the archipelago. Sailboats are available for hire, but I suspect they are not that cheap. Regular boat taxis are also available.
How long to stay is up to you. Predicting the weather is always tricky, but if you're looking for warm weather aim for July or August.
Posted by
Europe
232 posts
Hmm. Business idea: planning itineraries in Sweden for Americans.
Ok. "You got this" as they say. Just take a deep breath. It's all doable.
You seem to have decided on the Stockholm archipelago. And August is a good month because the Swedes vacation in late June and into July.
Decide on dates and book some hotels in Stockholm. There's plenty to do inside and outside of Stockholm, so there's no need to head into Europe.
Get a map and get an idea of what you really want to do. Your plan is really vague. If you want to concentrate on Sweden, you could spend a month here and barely scratch the surface.
Anyway, back to Stockholm.
Start looking at SL, which is the public transportation authority for Stockholm:
https://sl.se/en/in-english/getting-around/
There are buses, trams, and ferries. You can take day trips to lots of islands outside of Stockholm by using the commuter ferries.
Check Strömma's website in English for various tours of the archipelago and Mälaren:
I advise staying in a central part of Stockholm so that you are within walking distance of the major sites. If you want to actually stay a few nights on an island, I guess you need to look on booking.com to see what's available in August.
I can't help much more. For me, half of the adventure is in the planning.
Good luck.