Destinations

Best Islands in the Stockholm Archipelago (by Boat from Stockholm)

Fjäderholmarna, Vaxholm, Grinda, Sandhamn, Utö and more: the best islands in the Stockholm archipelago to reach by private boat from Strandvägen, with our own travel times.

By Stockholm By Boat · October 6, 2026 · 7 min read

The best islands in the Stockholm archipelago to visit by boat from Stockholm are Fjäderholmarna for a short trip, Vaxholm and Grinda for a classic day in the inner and middle archipelago, Svartsö, Ingmarsö and Finnhamn for quieter island life, and Sandhamn, Möja and Utö for a full day further out. By private motorboat from Strandvägen, Fjäderholmarna is about 15 minutes away, Vaxholm 45 minutes, Grinda 1h 15min and Sandhamn 1h 50min.

Below you will find each island with our own travel times, what it is known for and where to read more on its destination page. All times are estimated cruise times from Strandvägen at 15 knots in a motorboat and 8 knots in a yacht. They are not scheduled departures, and traffic, speed limits in the narrow sounds and conditions on the water can add time.

The best Stockholm archipelago islands at a glance

Inner archipelago: islands close to the city

Fjäderholmarna: 15 minutes from Strandvägen

Fjäderholmarna, the Feather Islands, is a group of four islands just east of Djurgården at the inlet to Stockholm, and the closest island stop on this list. Visitors land on Stora Fjäderholmen. The islands were a military area during the Second World War, reopened to the public in 1985 and have been part of the Royal National City Park since 1995. Today you find restaurants such as Fjäderholmarnas Krog and Rökeriet, a brewery, craftspeople, boules at Röda Villan and an exhibition of traditional wooden boats. The restaurants and cafés are seasonal.

Vaxholm: 45 minutes from Strandvägen

Vaxholm, also spelled Waxholm, is the town on the island of Vaxön at the narrow inner entrance to Stockholm. It received its town charter in 1647. Gustav Vasa ordered the fortress in 1548, and the present citadel, Kastellet, was built in 1833–1863 and now houses Vaxholm Fortress Museum. A cable ferry runs to Kastellet from Strandgatan, and the harbour front has restaurants, cafés and shops. Vaxholm has year-round services, so it also works outside the summer season.

Middle archipelago: nature reserves and island villages

Grinda: 1h 15min by motorboat

Grinda lies immediately south of Ljusterö and has been a nature reserve since 2000. Skärgårdsstiftelsen, the Archipelago Foundation, owns and manages the island. There are child-friendly beaches, sun-warmed rocks at Källviken, a stretch of the Stockholm Archipelago Trail and the lookout at Klubbudden, the highest point at 35 metres. In the middle of the island is Grinda Wärdshus, a summer villa built in 1906, where you can eat and stay. The walk from either of the two jetties to the inn takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

Svartsö: 1h 30min by motorboat

Svartsö is one of the larger islands in the middle archipelago, between Möja and Ljusterö, about 8 kilometres long. The island's own website says about 60 people live here year-round and about 800 in summer. Gravel roads and footpaths lead past lakes, forest and farmland, and Svartsö Lanthandel at Alsvik jetty rents out bikes. For lunch or dinner, Svartsö Krog has its own jetty below the terrace.

Ingmarsö: 1h 40min by motorboat

Ingmarsö, just north of Svartsö, is classed as an area of national interest for its cultural heritage. The village store has been trading since 1887, marked trails cross the island and one stage of the Stockholm Archipelago Trail runs across it. The sheltered guest harbour on the southern side has about 30 berths, and Ingmarsö Krog is about 200 metres away.

Nämdö: 1h 45min by motorboat

Nämdö is a car-free island of about 10.5 km², with a large nature reserve in the north. At Solvik there is a guest harbour, a grocery store, a bakery, a restaurant and a fuel dock, and the wooden church from 1876 stands between the Sand and Solvik jetties. Just east of Nämdö lies the privately owned island of Idöborg (1h 45min), with a sheltered guest harbour and the restaurant Strandbaren.

Finnhamn: 1h 50min by motorboat

Finnhamn is a group of islands east of Ljusterö, and large parts of it have been a nature reserve since 2000. Skärgårdsstiftelsen calls it one of the most visited destinations in the Stockholm archipelago. There are swimming spots, walking trails, a sandy beach, a hostel and three guest harbours, and Finnhamns krog by the steamboat jetty has a rooftop bar. The restaurant has closed for the 2026 season and says it reopens at Valborg, at the end of April 2027, so bring your own food if you go before then.

Outer archipelago: a full day on the water

Sandhamn: 1h 50min by motorboat

Sandhamn is the village on the north side of Sandön, about 28 nautical miles from Strandvägen. It has been a pilot and customs station since the late 1600s, the yellow customs house was built in 1752, and since the late 19th century it has been the home waters of the Royal Swedish Yacht Club, KSSS. The Gotland Runt race has finished here since 1939. Trouville, on the south side of the island, is a popular sandy beach. For lunch, Sandhamns Värdshus traces its history back to 1672, and Seglarhotellet serves food in the former KSSS clubhouse from 1897.

Möja: 1h 55min by motorboat

Möja is the main island of the Möja archipelago, with 203 permanent residents in 2020 according to official statistics. It got a regular steamboat connection in 1906 and has been one of the archipelago's most popular summer islands since. There is no car ferry, the country roads suit walking and cycling, and the longest marked trail runs 12 kilometres between Hamn and Ramsmora. In Berg you find the main harbour, the local history museum and Möja church from 1768.

Southern archipelago: long days and sandy beaches

Utö: 2h 15min by motorboat

Utö lies by the bay Mysingen in the southern archipelago. You come ashore at Gruvbryggan by Gruvbyn, the old mining village, and the northern part of the island, including the old iron mines, is a nature reserve. Utö värdshus is in the former mine office and has been an inn since the 1890s, and bicycles can be rented on the island.

Nåttarö and Landsort

Nåttarö (2h 50min) is a nature reserve about 10 km east of Nynäshamn, known for its long sandy beaches at Stora Sand and Skarsand, with Nåttarö Krog by the steamboat jetty in summer. Landsort (3h 50min), on the island of Öja, is the southernmost outpost of the Stockholm archipelago, with one of Sweden's oldest preserved lighthouses. At 7h 15min each way by yacht, Landsort is a destination for a motorboat or a longer trip.

More islands worth knowing

• Getfoten, 40 minutes: a sailing club island near Vaxholm with a sauna and sheltered jetties.
• Harö, 2h: an old fishing and farming island just north of Sandhamn.
• Ornö, 2h 05min: the largest island in the southern archipelago, with around 30 km of trails.
• Blidö, 2h 20min: a northern-archipelago island with a church from 1859 and bathing rocks at Linkudden.
• Birka, 1h 30min: not in the archipelago but on Björkö in Lake Mälaren, reached through the Hammarby lock. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is often called Sweden's first town.

All 32 places, including restaurants and saunas, are on our destinations page.

Short on time? Our quick list of 10 islands near Stockholm sorts the closest islands by travel time. To combine islands into a day, see one day in the Stockholm archipelago, and for lunch on the way, our guide to Stockholm archipelago restaurants you can reach by boat.

How to choose the right island for your boat trip from Stockholm

Start with how much time you have. On our motorboat charter page we give complete charter lengths: Fjäderholmarna is about 3 hours with dinner, Vaxholm and the inner archipelago take 4–6 hours, and Grinda, Möja or Sandhamn is a full day.

Then choose the boat. Our travel times assume 15 knots for a motorboat and 8 knots for a yacht, so the same island takes roughly twice as long by yacht. A motorboat suits islands further out, such as Sandhamn or Utö. A yacht suits a slower day in the inner and middle archipelago, where Vaxholm is 1h 25min away.

Every charter includes a licensed captain, so no boating licence is needed, and the boat is private for your group. Boarding is in central Stockholm, including Strandvägen. Tell us your date, group size and the islands you are curious about in a booking request, and we will suggest a route.

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