At the gates of Stockholm, nearly 30,000 islands, islets and simple reefs are scattered between the capital and the Baltic Sea. In this maritime labyrinth, the inlets wind between tiny sandy beaches, pocket ports and fishing villages. Sea and countryside, history, art and gastronomy: the archipelago around Stockholm combines all the ingredients for a stay in the countryside and maximum soothing.

From Stockholm to the Baltic Sea, the coast is broken up into a myriad of islands and islets. In this aquatic labyrinth, the land is interspersed with inlets. The largest islands are connected by around fifty bridges.

At the gates of the capital, the first islands display gently wooded reliefs. They are covered with deciduous forests (oaks, alders, birches …) and conifers. As we move towards the open sea, the islands are stripped to reveal rocks with rounded shapes.

In a country in love with nature and concerned with the preservation of the environment, constructions by the sea are framed by town planning rules. The ocean of greenery is dotted with red houses, hidden in the woods or placed on the slopes of the hills, which descend gently down to the banks. Below the properties, the wooden pontoons soar towards the sea.

Green meadows and red houses are the centerpieces of landscapes doped with chlorophyll and saturated with colors. On the slopes of the hills, the sparkling white villas rub shoulders with huts, chalets, barns and other red wooden stables. This “Falu red” owes its color to a natural pigment composed of copper, originally from the copper mines of Dalarna. Green like everything and could not be more natural, this paint has proven itself in the protection of wood. Some make it homemade!

Many Stockholmers have their second home here to live in communion with nature. It is not uncommon to have a vegetable patch or greenhouse, and the terraces follow the shapes of the rocks. The Allemansrätten, a medieval custom, is a right of free access to nature, which naturally gives the right to be picked. A right that goes hand in hand with the responsibility to respect nature. In summer, the undergrowth is full of raspberries, blackberries and red berries, wild strawberries, flowers and mushrooms.

To taste the joys of a peaceful nature, heading in particular to the islands of Vaxholm, Värmdö and Gustavsberg, in the interior of the archipelago. Islands close to the capital, accessible for stopovers for an extended weekend.

Vaxholm, the capital island of the Stockholm archipelago

1 hour by boat from central Stockholm, Vaxholm, a small “capital” of the Stockholm archipelago, is a preferred holiday destination for Stockholmers. This island 3 km long has long lived of herring fishing, practiced since the 19th century by the first summer. His story was also marked by the defense of Stockholm between the 16th and 19th century.

Many fortifications have been built across the Stockholm archipelago to defend the capital of the Russians and Danes. In the strait between the island of Vaxholm Rindo, the citadel built in the 19th century was the centerpiece of a line of fortifications was locking Stockholm. It now houses a museum which traces 450 years of defense in the archipelago.

House in Vaxholm

On the site of an old fishing district, the small seaside resort took root with the hatching between the pines of vacation homes, between the end of the 19th century and the 1930s. Until 1912, legislation imposed wooden constructions.

Vaxholm is always a spot in sight. Many city dwellers still have their second home, bourgeois villa or cottage flanked by a veranda or decorated with lambrequins, or even a red hut hidden between the pines. The proximity to the capital and the quality of life in Vaxholm have attracted writers and painters, who have opened galleries and artists’ studios.

Nowadays, we come to Vaxholm to recharge the batteries and get a breath of fresh air for a weekend or a Sunday brunch. We walk there on foot, with our noses in the air, scrutinizing the details of summer residences resembling doll houses, in white or pastel-colored wood, ornaments, balconies, bow windows, chandeliers hidden behind the little wooden windows…

Another building of interest, the church of Vaxholm is the largest building on the island; we give concerts there. In the park of the church rises a bell tower in red wood.

Värmdö: the arty island of the Stockholm archipelago

Like Vaxholm, Värmdö, the 5th largest island in Sweden, is also part of a military tradition. The Fredriksborg Fortress was built in the years 1720-1730 to protect Stockholm from Russian expansionism. Circular in shape, it was then one of the most modern fortifications in Europe. The military occupied the site until the 1820s. The fortress is now classified as a national historic monument. Its summit offers a panorama of the forest-covered islands interspersed with inlets.

Värmdö is also famous for the Artipelag, a private art museum which opened in 2012 on a peninsula, in a pine forest caressing the calm waters. The interest of the places resides as much in the collections as in a building which composes with its environment.

This project came out of the ground with local materials; the floor itself was made from wood from the surrounding forests. The modern building and its vertical lines all made of glass and tarred pine plunge into a land covered with moss. The Artipelag aims to make nature accessible to all, notably through a forest trail on a larch wooden footbridge, accessible to people with reduced mobility. Successful bet!

What about art? In addition to temporary indoor exhibitions, permanent works of art, statues and other installations are installed outdoors, on the green roof or under the pine forest. Designed to invite the visitor to interaction, they play with nature and the elements: wood, water, wind … Finally, do not miss a visit to the store, where to find some pearls of Swedish design.

You can dock at Artipelag by boat from Stockholm. Allow 1.5 hours by boat with the Cinderella boat.

Gustavsberg Island, porcelain and pleasure

Gustavsberg owes its reputation to its traditions of art, design and craftsmanship. To go back in time and find the roots of the island, head to the Gustavsberg porcelain factory (Gustavsbergs Porslinsfabrik) , a Swedish corporate model. This brick building with a sawtooth roof houses the only fine porcelain factory still in operation in Sweden. Installed next to the port, it has perpetuated a know-how since 1825, and has since cut its share of the cake internationally.

A good part of the manufacturing of plates, cups, bowls, dishes and trays is still done by hand, piece by piece, as well as the drawing and sometimes the painting of the patterns, signed by renowned designers. Some designers surf the traditions, while others take the wave of contemporary design.

At the forefront of these big names in design, Stig Lindberg was inspired by European modernists and surrealists. From the 1950s, he imagined geometric patterns, including famous green leaves that have become the stars of the factory. This drawing was brought up to date in the 2000s, and their retro side is still all the rage. The factory is to be discovered on a guided tour.

The port of Gustavsberg finally hosts every year, at the end of August-beginning of September, the event Allt på Sjön (“All at sea”): this great nautical gathering has become the biggest boat fair in all of Scandinavia.

Sports, activities and outdoor festivities

At the end of winter, the Swedes go green and revel in outdoor activities and festivities. Away from the small roads with gentle turns, to be crisscrossed by bicycle, the islands are streaked with hiking trails. Leaving the undergrowth, the paths vanish in bays and coves, on tiny sandy beaches rocked by the cool and still waters; almost as many invitations for a solo swim or almost.

For (almost) freshwater sailors, canoes and kayaks moored to pontoons invite you to glide through the peaceful waters of the meanders of the Baltic. The concept of “sea safari” or “island hopping”, cruises from island to island, by ferry or by sailboat, is on the rise. The formula is available in “seal safari”, in search of phocids.

In all weathers, under the northern lights in winter or in the midnight sun in summer, the sauna warms the hearts (and bodies) of wellness enthusiasts. In winter, when you get out of the cabin heat, you must dive in the icy waters!

At the time of the summer solstice, the Stockholmers run off to the countryside, and the festivities of Saint John (Midsommar) are in full swing throughout the archipelago. Large banquets are then organized, and the barbecue is often a celebration. Then we dance to the tunes of local music at the foot of a flowered mast, we play kubbe, these wooden skittles very popular in Sweden, and the young girls wear wreaths of flowers. Rural and celebrated in the great outdoors, Midsommar is the ultimate Swedish party!

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