Vaxholm Kastell / Fortress

When I visited Vaxholm and the fortress (in 2018 maybe?) there was a cable ferry from Trafikverket shuttling people back and forth between Vaxholm town and kastellet. Can't seem to find it online anymore, maybe they removed it? On some days there seems to be (another) shuttle ferry service, see https://www.kastellet.com/en/to-do/travel-to-kastellet/

I didn't use Cinderellabåtarna, instead I took Waxholmsbolaget, the public transport boats in the Stockholm Archipelago. They also have a few connections to Vaxholm kastell, maybe one of them works for you? The scenery is not ugly at all, but in my experience the most scenic parts of the boat trip was when I travelled beyond Vaxholm and further out into the archipelago.

Regarding opening hours of the bistro, I doubt anyone will know since they haven't posted them yet. I believe there were some tables and benches where you can sit, but that can have changed many times since I was there. You can also walk around the tiny island, but the walk is not enough activity for a full hour.

I'd also recommend using Waxholmsbolagets regular ferries. Routes 3 and 4 stop at Kastellet (Route map), and Waxholmsbolagets boats are included in the regular SL fare, so no need to buy an additional ticket. You can also take any ferry to Vaxholm and then a short connecting ferry to Kastellet. The cable ferry mentioned above is unfortunately history but has been replaced by a regular ferry. You can also combine this trip with a visit to Vaxholm and have lunch there, but if you want to have a picnic on the islet I don't think anyone will object, my recommendation would be find a nice place close to the water.

Thanks a lot, broccolihaar and Badger! I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.

It seems like I might be better off going to Vaxholm first and have lunch there and then go to Kastellet later once the museum opens.

I found some reviews of the Kastell that mention that you can go up to the top of the tower and it looks like you can walk around the castle and go onto the ramparts in one area, but still probably not enough to justify arriving more than an hour before the museum opens.

I am a little disappointed to hear that broccolihaar considers going to Vaxholm as not really getting to experience the archipelago properly. I am going with kids, 7 and 11, and spending a lot more time on boats in one day would probably not be appreciated so I'm not sure I want to go much further out. If it were just me I would be tempted to do the full day archipelago tour.

Oh, one question about the Waxholmsbolagets: do they keep to the posted schedules?
Some of the options I looked at on the Waxholmsbolagets website suggested ferry-to-ferry transfers that were quite tight (just a few minutes). Given that the time to the next ferry, if you were to miss the connection, can be an hour, this was surprising to me.

I can understand broccolihaar's statement about the archipelago, but I'm not sure I share the opinion. The archipelago is not homogenous and the different parts have very different character, but the inner parts are also very charming. If you want to see a bit more you can continue a bit further, you can e.g. take the ferry to Grinda, have lunch there and then take the ferry back to Kastellet after lunch. Grinda is only a bit further than Vaxholm but lets you see a bit more with a different character.

Regarding the schedule, a few minutes between ferries is not unusual and the schedule is made for smooth transfers between different routes. They usually keep the schedule well in the summer but I'd surprised if other ferries don't wait if another ferry is delayed.

Thanks, Badger! That's a good idea about lunch at Grinda; I'll look into that option.

Regarding Waxholmsbolaget, I have seen more than one comment about there not being enough seats. Is this a very common problem?
Thanks!

I think Grinda might be a good compromise, there are two restaurants, a café and a bakery in the main settlement on the island. And if the children like swimming, Grinda is not a bad place for a swim. Assuming it's a summer trip. But you have to check the ferry schedules when the summer schedules are published to make sure you can get back to Vaxholm before the fortress museum closes for the day.

I've never had a problem finding a seat on any of Waxholmsbolaget's boats, but like all public transportation I assume there are busier times and less busy times.

Thanks, Badger!

The trip is this summer, in the first week of July.

It seems like it might be hard to have enough time on a farther out island to make it worth the trouble, while still keeping enough time for Vaxholm Kastell.
I am starting to think I might ride the Cinderellabåtarna morning boat out to Sandhamn and return on the same boat back to Vaxholm.
The Cinderellabåtarna leaves Stockholm at 10 and gets to Sandhamn at 12:30 and then back to Vaxholm at 13:50.
I realized that, while I like the idea of stopping somewhere for lunch, there would barely be enough time to do so and the main point of going further out was to see more of the archipelago. With this approach, I would get to see even the outer archipelago.
It's a pretty long time on the boat for my kids, so I'm not sure yet. Having lunch on board will break up the time a bit, though.

It will also help me be able to finalize plans once the summer schedule is available for the Waxholmsbolaget.
Do you know when that will come out? I'm surprised it's not available yet.

In July Waxholmsbolaget's summer schedule will be used. I don't know when it will be available, but you could contact them and ask. But the summer schedule usually means more routes, more frequent departures and sometimes faster trips as well.

I can understand that you want to see a bit more of the archipelago, and it is not a bad idea, but it's also a pity to not visit one of the outer island. So I understand the dilemma. But you'll probably have a great day no matter what you choose.