About Stockholm Archipelago

Here we have gathered information about the archipelago as part of our personal care for you as our guest. We want you to feel well prepared ahead of your holiday in the archipelago.

Please click on each of the names to read more about the areas, where we have houses for rent;
Värmdö, Ljusterö, Dalarö-Ornö,  Tyresö, Nacka, Rindö, Furusund and Norrtälje.

History

Stockholm Archipelago, with its 30 000 islands and skerries, is a unique vacation paradise. It started rising out of the sea about 800 million years ago and since then a number of influential factors like the inland ice, the coastal climate, agriculture, the people that lived here, have all helped shape an unique environment.

The archipelago population has for centuries had to make a living by being very flexible, like jack-of-all-trades. Small-scale farming and fishing was common, but there was also mining and incomes from shipping/navigation.

Earning a living was always hard, so when the Stockholm citizens started to visit the archipelago in greater numbers for recreational purposes at the end of the 19:th century/beginning of the 20:th century, it became a new and much welcome earning opportunity for the local inhabitants to offer goods and services to these early tourists. Moreover steamboat ferry jetties were not an uncommon sight, and you were likely to find one in almost every bay. Holiday homes as well as spa hotels and gorgeous villas were built to accommodate the upper-class and the wealthy middle-class, who more and more started to recognize the beauty of the archipelago. Ever since then the archipelago has been a much appreciated area for recreation and tourism, yet without being overly exploited. Tourism is kept at a small scale and there are still large unexploited natural areas.

There are many summer homes in the archipelago, most of them located in the geographic middle. Many of these homes are beautifully situated by the water with nature surrounding them. Furthermore there are bridges and ferries connecting the larger islands along the coast to the mainland. A few islands further out don't have ferry connections, and a boat of your own or a boat taxi is needed to get there. During winter, transportation can be arranged through hovercraft or helicopter when the ice prevents the ferries from running.

Activities

There are many fun activities to enjoy, a few examples being sunbathing, swimming, fishing, bird-watching, sailing, canoeing (which can be done with or without a guide). Many of these are many suitable activities both for adults and children. Several islands have bike rental opportunities.

The best vehicle of transportation in the archipelago is boat, either your own or the regular ferries. The many islands all have different characteristics and are well worth visiting. If you wish to paddle canoe, there are several rental opportunities. There are also a few possibilities to rent motor or sailing boats. Some of our house owners can also offer rental of boats, bikes etc.

Sport, exercise and health care; here you’ll find good conditions to get started and keep your body fit during the vacacation.

Nice biking, walking and hiking trails, football fields and tennis courts can be found locally in most areas. Indoor pool, gyms, yoga, SPA etc. is usually availalble at central villages/towns. There are many good golf courses, usually with a good international standard. Several horseback-riding stables arrange riding tours and give private lessons. A different and exciting activity is the snorkelling trail that was recently opened at the Björnö nature reserve, Torpesand, Ingarö. It’s open for everybody, free of charge. The trail is set 2-3 meters under the water surface and there are information signs at the sea floor with marine environmental details. A rope at the sea floor will show the way and all you need is a snorkel and a dive mask. There’s another snorkelling trail at Nåttarö.

Apart from enjoying the natural surroundings, you can find many outing goals of historical interest and cultural activities such as musical performances, galleries and museums.

The restaurants are generally quite good, with a high quality standard and usually placed in lovely surroundings with jetty- and/or beach location and quite often with musical performances. The farm stores are popular to visit, with their range of local and often organic produce.

In Sweden we have "Right of public access". You can freely stay outside in the woods and fields, take care to enjoy nature. In the woods you can meet many exciting animals such as squirrels, deer, elk, fox and hares. Though uncommon, you should still look out for the "adder" snake, which is venomous. A significantly smaller animal to pay attention to is the tick, which is found in the woods or in higher grass. Please check your vaccination in good time and make sure you don't have any ticks on you.

The archipelago is well worth visiting during all seasons, often being more relaxed after the summer. The autumns usually offer quite warm and pleasent weather - also the time when berries and mushrooms are of an abundance in the forests. The winter often entails activities such as sledding, ice-skating and cross-country skiing. An underrated time to visit the archipelago is during spring, with the blossoming of flowers and the return of many birds. Surprisingly, you can bathe in the sea all year around, not just in summer. There are special places open to the public with saunas and holes in the ice where you can go swimming. Please note that all summer activities are not available after the end of the summer season. There’s service all year round at the largest islands, but in the smaller or more remote areas, you need to check with each separate company for availability.

We are happy to help you with this information!