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3 gorgeous islands to visit in the Stockholm archipelago

The Stockholm Archipelago is the largest of its kind with over 30 000 islands. Some islands are located very close to the city center, like Fjäderholmarna, and others or located far east or far south (like Landsort). In this blog post, I will tell you more about my 3 favorite islands in the Stockholm archipelago. Note; all these islands request a bit of traveling. If you are short in time, these islands might be not such a good fit. In that case, read my blog post about discovering the archipelago when you are short on time.

Sandön

Sandön is better known as Sandhamn, but Sandhamn is the village located on the island Sandön. Sandön is an island where you can experience the idyllic and relaxed atmosphere of the archipelago. It is a small island and in my opinion, it is perfect for a day-trip or if you want to make it more relaxed you can sleep here overnight.

How to get here? You can either choose to take a ferry from Stockholm City (Nybrokajen or Stromkajen) or take a short ferry from Stavsnäs. From Stockholm city center you can take the Cinderella boats (operates between the end of April and half of October) or Waxholmsbolaget (year-round). Depending on the ferry you choose it takes around 2,5-4 hours to arrive in Sandhamn. You can also take a boat from Waxholmsbolaget or Roslagens sjötrafik from Stavsnäs (ferry time to Sandhamn between 30 minutes – 1 hour).

What to do on Sandön?

  • Walk through the idyllic village of Sandhamn. Don’t forget to go inside the village and just get lost between the idyllic wooden houses.
  • Enjoy the sea and village views from Kvarnberget
  • Go to Fläskberget for a swim
  • Have a walk or swim at the beautiful beaches at Trouville. Trouville is located on the other side of the island, but you can easily walk here from Sandhamn. From Sandhamn to Trouville it takes around 25/30 minutes, but it’s a lovely walk and the views are worth the walk as well.
  • Good to know; there are several restaurants in Sandhamn and even a small supermarket.

Möja

Möja is a traditional, idyllic archipelago island with idyllic villages and beautiful harbors. There is still fishing and farming practiced here, and a small supermarket and hostel operate all year round in the main village ‘Berg’. Möja is perfect for hiking and biking (we also did this a few times), but not so much for swimming (no beaches here).

How to get here? Take the Cinderella boats or ferries from Waxholmsbolaget from Stockholm city center. Depending on the boat you are taking the trip takes around 3-4,5 hours. Check the timetable in detail as the ferries often stops at several harbors at Möja. So you can for example hop off at a harbor on one end of the island and walk/bike to another harbor.

You can also take a Waxholmsbolaget ferry from Sollenkroka to Möja. You first need to drive or take the bus to Sollenkroka (bus leaves from Slussen). The ferry duration is approximitely 1 hour from Sollenkroka to Möja.

What to do on Möja?

  • Möja is a bit of a bigger island, if you are used to walking longer distances you will be able to walk around the whole island. Otherwise, you can rent a bike or take your own bike with you on the ferry (always check the current rules for biking transport at the ferry company).
    • You can rent a bike at the hostel in Berg. Most of the time you don’t need to reserve and just can come by and pay on location, but to be sure just give them a call.
  • In case you have a bike; bike from Långvik to the village Hamn and stop in between each village and take the time to visit the beautiful harbors (Ramsmora brygga, Löka brygga, Berg brygga and Kyrkviken). Just note that you can’t take a ferry back from the village Hamn, you need to cycle back to Berg.
  • If you want to visit the island by foot you can for example hop off at Ramsmora brygga and walk to Berg. In between you can discover the beautiful harbors.
  • Ready for some hiking in nature? There is a nature reserve at Möja as well, Björndalen.
  • For food, I can recommend Les Poissonniers de Möja, I loved their fish and chips! It’s located in the main village Berg.

Öja

Öja is a long, narrow island, about 5 km long and 500 meters wide, with nice walking paths from north to south. The village on the island is called Landsort. It’s my personal favorite village on an island; rocky cliffs, beautiful wooden houses, and the lighthouse of course! It’s easy to fall in love with this island when you love sea views and idyllic houses.

How to get here? You need to take a ferry from Ankarudden. The ferry is operated by Waxholmsbolaget. Take the care to Ankarudden or plan your trip with public transport on sl.se.

Good to know; the ferry arrives and departs at the harbor where it is most easy to get off that day (keeping the wind in mind). In the village you can check from which harbor the ferry leaves that day (‘båten går från’ sign, see the photo down here)

What to do here?

  • Walk through the beautiful village Landsort
  • Go to the lighthouse. In the summer season, you can also have an excursion to the Lighthouse. Go to the light house to see the times.
  • Have a lunch at Svedtiljas
  • Lay on the rocks and have a swim
  • Walk from north to south and take your binocular with you to spot birds.

I hope it was informative and that you can make a good decision about which island to discover first in the Stockholm archipelago. Always take some food with you to the islands and some extra layers, because it can be cooler than on the main land. So, be prepared. Have fun and enjoy your Stockholm archipelago visit.