A city on fourteen islands, best seen from the water: which cruise suits you, how the
bridge and canal tours differ, and how to reach islands the sightseeing boats only sail past.
Routes checkedWhich boats land on an island, and which only sail past
Real guest ratingsLive GetYourGuide figures, shown as they are
Refund terms per tourEvery option here refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead
Secure checkoutBook on GetYourGuide, instant mobile tickets
Tours
Choose your Stockholm boat tour
In the centre, the guided two-hour cruise out to the inner archipelago, the best-rated of the
big sightseeing boats. On the left, the long city loop under twelve bridges and through a lock. On the right, a
RIB speed boat that covers twice the water in the same two hours.
The long loop round Södermalm: under 12 bridges and through the lock between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic, past Gamla Stan, Hammarby Sjöstad and Djurgården.
What's included
2 hours 15 minutes round the city from Strömkajen
A live guide in English on board
Under 12 bridges and through the lock between Mälaren and the Baltic
Gamla Stan, Södermalm, the Essinge islands, Hammarby Sjöstad, Djurgården
Out through the Djurgården canal to Fjäderholmarna and the inner islands with a live English guide. You stay on board: the cruise turns back without landing.
What's included
2 hours on a sightseeing boat from Skeppsbron, by the Royal Palace
A live guide in English
Past Djurgården, Fjäderholmarna, Stora Höggarn and Tegelön
Indoor saloon and outside decks, restroom on board
The classic big ships, fika on a historic steamer, a small wooden boat, a quiet electric boat, the amphibious bus, and the two trips that actually land on an island: Vaxholm and Grinda
The first row is the honest baseline: the public archipelago boats leave from the same city quays
as the sightseeing cruises and take you to Vaxholm, Grinda or Sandhamn, where you can walk, swim and eat for as
long as you like. A tour adds a guide, a meal, speed or a fixed plan, but most of them never land.
Option
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On your own, public boat
Waxholmsbolaget boats from Strömkajen
Walking, swimming and eating on the islands: Vaxholm in about an hour on any SL ticket, Grinda or Sandhamn for a full day on a Waxholmsbolaget ticket, and you stay as long as you like
Most sightseeing boats leave from Strömkajen, Skeppsbron and Strandvägen, all within a
ten-minute walk of each other. Bring a warm layer on any boat: it is breezy on deck, even in July.
What the tour pages don't tell you
The cruise sails past. The ferry lands.
The two-hour archipelago cruises are lovely: out through the Djurgården canal, past Fjäderholmarna and
the villas of the inner islands, then back to the quay. But they turn round without stopping. What you see
is the inner edge of an archipelago that reaches about 60 kilometres out to sea.
To walk on an island, take a public archipelago boat. Waxholmsbolaget sails all year from Strömkajen,
opposite the Royal Palace, to Vaxholm in about an hour, and any SL ticket covers that trip, the same
ticket as the metro. Further out, to Grinda or Sandhamn, you buy a Waxholmsbolaget ticket. Of the tours on this
page, only two land: the guided Vaxholm day trip and the RIB ride with two hours on Grinda.
1 h
from Strömkajen to Vaxholm on the public boat, all year,
on an ordinary SL ticket. The sightseeing cruises turn back before they get there.
StrömkajenWaxholmsbolagetSL ticket to VaxholmGrindaCruises stay on board
A summer house on the rocks: the inner archipelago, minutes from the city.
01
How long?
50 minutes for a canal loop, two hours for the inner archipelago.
02
Which quay?
Strömkajen, Skeppsbron or Strandvägen, all in the centre.
03
When?
May to September is the boat season; some tours run all year.
04
Land on an island?
The public boat to Vaxholm takes an SL ticket; or book the Vaxholm or Grinda trips.
How a day on the water works
From the quay to the islands
A good Stockholm boat day follows an easy rhythm: a short loop in the city, coffee on deck, a boat
out among the islands, and the evening light on the water on the way back.
01
The city loop
Start with a canal or bridge tour: the Royal Palace, Gamla Stan, Strandvägen and the green Djurgården canal.
50 min to 2 h 15
02
Fika on deck
Coffee and a cinnamon bun from the boat café, outside if the sun is out, with a blanket if not.
Any time
03
Out to the islands
A two-hour cruise past Fjäderholmarna, or a public boat to Vaxholm to walk the old town and the fortress.
2 hours to a day
04
Back by evening
The boats return to the centre as the light turns gold over Gamla Stan. Check the last departure from the islands.
How the public boat tickets work, where each boat leaves, what to bring and what changes with the seasons.
SL boats in the city: the Djurgården ferry (line 82) and commuter boats 80, 84 and 89 take the same SL ticket as the metro and buses.
To Vaxholm: any SL ticket covers the Waxholmsbolaget boats between Strömkajen and the Vaxholm area, all year.
Further out: buy a Waxholmsbolaget ticket in the SL app, or tap a bank card on board; the boats take no cash.
Mid-September to April: an SL ticket valid for 30 days or longer covers every Waxholmsbolaget line.
Sightseeing tours: booked separately, with a full refund if you cancel up to 24 hours ahead.
Strömkajen: opposite the Royal Palace, by the Grand Hotel; the Waxholmsbolaget boats and many Strömma tours.
Skeppsbron: on the Gamla Stan waterfront by the Gustav III statue; the archipelago cruise, the wooden and electric boats.
Strandvägen: the long quay in Östermalm; the classic ships and the RIB boats.
Klara Mälarstrand: by City Hall, on Lake Mälaren; the boats to Drottningholm and Birka.
Slussen: the Djurgården ferry across to Gröna Lund and the museums.
A warm layer: the wind on deck is cool even in July, and most boats lend blankets.
A swimsuit: for a day on Vaxholm, Grinda or Sandhamn in summer.
Your ticket on your phone: GetYourGuide sends a mobile ticket; public boat tickets are in the SL app.
A snack: boat cafés sell fika, but island cafés can be seasonal.
The return time: note the last boat back from the islands before you set off.
May to September: the main boat season: the summer-only island boats, the hop-on hop-off boat and the island cafés.
June and July: long light evenings; sunset cruises run late.
Midsummer: a busy weekend in late June; book ahead.
Autumn: fewer boats, quieter islands and clear light.
December to early April: the winter archipelago tour sails on ice-going boats; the public boats run all year.
1252First mentionStockholm appears in written records, on the islands where Mälaren meets the sea.
1628The VasaThe warship sinks in the harbour on her maiden voyage; today she has her own museum.
1834The Royal CanalThe Djurgården canal opens, the green shortcut every short city tour still takes.
1883Gröna LundSweden's oldest amusement park opens on Djurgården, by the ferry quay.
1991DrottningholmThe royal palace on Lake Mälaren joins the UNESCO World Heritage list.
1993BirkaThe Viking Age town on Björkö is listed by UNESCO.
Where the boats leave
Strömkajen and the city quays
Public boats from Strömkajen, tours from three quays
Strömkajen, Södra Blasieholmshamnen, Stockholm
The archipelago boats leave from Strömkajen, the quay opposite the Royal Palace in front of the Grand Hotel.
The guided archipelago cruise and the small wooden and electric boats leave from Skeppsbron, across the water on
the Gamla Stan side, and the classic ships and RIB boats from Strandvägen, a few minutes' walk east. The boats to
Drottningholm and Birka sail from Klara Mälarstrand by City Hall, on Lake Mälaren.
Kungsträdgården metro to Strömkajen: about 5 minutes on foot
Strömkajen to Skeppsbron by the Royal Palace: about 10 minutes on foot
Strömkajen to Strandvägen berths 14 to 19: about 10 minutes on foot
4.5★★★★★ 6,226 reviews · Live guided archipelago cruise GetYourGuide figure
★★★★★
Very good cruise around the Stockholm archipelago. Nice views of the city and surrounding nature. Multiple levels to the boat, so you can sit indoors, or at the front and back. Our guide was very good and explained a lot, and there is a café on board too.
★★★★★
So much fun! We were so cosy and dry and saw so much of the beautiful archipelago. William was an excellent captain and guide. It's a great way to see a lot in a few hours.
★★★★★
This boat cruise is a great way to start your exploration of Stockholm, or if you only have a short amount of time. The commentary was very interesting and enough to be useful but not too much. Highly recommended.
★★★★★
Went on the 6pm sunset cruise around the archipelago. The guide's commentary was great, and he was happy to answer any questions. Nice clean boat, with a toilet and refreshments on board. Blankets are available for sitting on the outside deck on chillier evenings.
★★★★★
The archipelago guided tour was a really fun and informative event. Our guide did a great job. The fika was also nice: you can choose a coffee or tea with a pastry. The views are great, so we can only recommend it.
★★★★★
Had a great time! The island felt so cosy and had a true local vibe. Loved the little beach, and our guide was a very knowledgeable host. Make sure to eat at the restaurant on the island: the shrimp was the absolute best!
★★★★★
This was an absolutely amazing experience! Our guide was so welcoming and took such good care of us. Very knowledgeable about the archipelago, and we enjoyed discovering Benny from ABBA's house! The boat was fast, fun and exciting.
★★★★★
My partner and I loved our trip around the archipelago on the wooden boat. The guide's commentary was a real highlight for us: the kind of insights into the geography, history, people and politics of the area that only someone who lives here can provide.
★★★★★
A lovely relaxing way to see Stockholm and learn about life in the archipelago. The staff were brilliant. Our guide was knowledgeable and funny, and we had a really enjoyable time.
Across Lake Mälaren
West to the Viking town
The archipelago lies east of the city; Lake Mälaren lies west. A full day across the lake takes you
to Birka, the Viking Age trading town on the island of Björkö, with a guide and the museum included.
Birka Viking Town Boat Trip
★ 4.3 · 274 reviews · GetYourGuide
A full day west across Lake Mälaren instead of east into the archipelago: about two hours by ship to Björkö, then a guided walk round Birka, the Viking Age trading town on the UNESCO list, and its museum. Full refund if you cancel up to 24 hours ahead.
Stockholm sits where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea, spread over fourteen islands joined by
dozens of bridges. Water is never far away: from the Royal Palace you can watch the archipelago boats leave, and from City
Hall the steamers head west across the lake. Seeing the city from a boat is not a tourist extra here. It is the
easiest way to understand how the place fits together.
Two waters, one city
To the west lies Lake Mälaren, fresh water, with Kungsholmen, City Hall and, further out, Drottningholm
Palace and Birka. To the east lies Saltsjön, the arm of the Baltic that leads out into the archipelago. The
two meet at Slussen, by Gamla Stan, where the lake sits about 70 centimetres higher than the sea. The old lock at
Slussen has been closed since 2015 while the area is rebuilt, so the long sightseeing loop under the
bridges crosses from one water to the other through Hammarby lock, on the far side of Södermalm.
The white archipelago boats wait along the city quays every summer morning.
The city tours: canals, bridges and Djurgården
The short tours, 50 minutes to an hour, loop round Djurgården, the green royal island with the Vasa
Museum, Skansen and Gröna Lund, and through the narrow, tree-lined Djurgården canal. The long tour, about
two hours and a quarter, circles Södermalm, passes under twelve bridges and sails on Lake Mälaren. The amphibious
bus does part of the trip by road and then drives straight into the water.
The honest small print: the two-hour archipelago cruises are a lovely introduction, but
they turn round in the inner archipelago and never land. To walk on an island, take a public Waxholmsbolaget boat
from Strömkajen (any SL ticket covers the trip to Vaxholm), or book one of the two trips that go ashore: the guided
Vaxholm day or the RIB ride to Grinda.
The archipelago, from the inner islands to the open sea
The inner archipelago begins minutes from the centre, with villas, summer houses and the small islands of
Fjäderholmarna. Vaxholm, about an hour out, is a wooden town by a fortress founded by Gustav Vasa in 1548. Further out,
Grinda is a nature reserve island with forest paths and rocks to swim from, and Sandhamn, at the edge
of the open sea, is the sailing village where the Gotland Runt race starts and finishes. The further you go, the barer the rocks
and the wider the sky.
A red cottage on the rocks: the classic archipelago summer house.
Seasons on the water
The main boat season runs from May to September, when the summer-only island boats sail, the island cafés open
and the evenings stay light until late: around Midsummer the sun sets after ten and it never gets truly dark.
Autumn brings fewer boats and quiet islands. The public boats and several city tours run all year, and from
December to early April a winter tour sails out on ice-going boats while the archipelago turns white and still.
What to know in one line
Pick a city loop for the sights, a two-hour cruise for the inner islands, the public boat to Vaxholm on an SL
ticket or the Vaxholm and Grinda trips to land, bring a warm layer, and check the last boat back.
Straight answers to what visitors ask most about Stockholm's boat tours, ferries and islands.
Which is the best boat tour in Stockholm?
For a first trip, the two-hour guided archipelago cruise from Skeppsbron (4.5 from 6,226 reviews) shows the Djurgården canal and the inner islands. To see the city itself, take the long loop under the bridges; for speed and more islands, a RIB. The full comparison is in the boat tours compared.
Do you need a ticket for the ferries in Stockholm?
Yes, but often only an ordinary SL ticket. The Djurgården ferry and SL commuter boats 80, 84 and 89 take the same SL ticket as the metro and buses, and any SL ticket also covers the Waxholmsbolaget boats from Strömkajen to the Vaxholm area all year. Further out you buy a Waxholmsbolaget ticket. Details in the ferry guide.
Is the Stockholm archipelago worth visiting?
Yes. Tens of thousands of islands, often quoted as about 30,000, start minutes from the city centre: red cottages on granite, pine forest, swimming rocks and small harbours. Even a half day in Vaxholm or on Fjäderholmarna gives you a taste. See which islands to visit.
Can I take a canal tour in Stockholm?
Yes. The short tours, 50 minutes to an hour, loop round Djurgården through the green Djurgården canal. The longer City Highlights tour, about 2 hours 15 minutes, passes under 12 bridges and through Hammarby lock onto Lake Mälaren. Compare them in the canal and bridge tours.
Do the archipelago cruises stop at the islands?
No. The two-hour sightseeing cruises sail past Fjäderholmarna and the inner islands and return without landing. To walk on an island, take a public Waxholmsbolaget boat, or book the guided Vaxholm day trip or the RIB ride with two hours on Grinda.
Is Sandhamn worth visiting?
Yes, if you have a whole day. Sandhamn is the sailing village on the edge of the open sea, with no cars on the island, sandy beaches and the yacht club where the Gotland Runt race starts. It is about 2.5 hours each way by boat from the city, so go early and check the last boat back.
How do you buy ferry tickets in Stockholm?
SL tickets for the city boats are sold in the SL app and at SL ticket machines and centres. Waxholmsbolaget tickets are in the SL app too, or you tap a bank card on the reader on board. The boats take no cash; keep the paper slip to show when you leave the boat.
What are the hop-on hop-off boats in Stockholm?
A sightseeing boat that loops round eight stops, including the Royal Palace, the Vasa Museum, Djurgården, Fotografiska and Slussen, with an audio guide. It runs in summer, roughly late May to mid-September. The Djurgården ferry on an SL ticket covers part of the same water all year.
When is the best time for a boat tour in Stockholm?
May to September, when the island boats run, the cafés are open and the evenings stay light; around Midsummer there are about 18 hours of daylight. Several city tours and the public boats run all year, and a winter archipelago tour sails on ice-going boats from December to early April.
Do you need a boat licence in Sweden?
Not for a small boat. You can drive a recreational boat under 12 metres long and 4 metres wide without a licence; larger boats need a skipper qualification. Jet skis are the exception: their drivers need a certificate and must be at least 15.
Can you take a ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki?
Yes. Viking Line and Tallink Silja sail overnight from Stockholm to Helsinki every day, calling at Mariehamn on Åland; the crossing takes about 17 to 18 hours. Tallink also sails overnight to Tallinn, and both lines sail to Turku. More in day trips by boat.
How many days in Stockholm is enough?
Two or three days for the city, its museums and a boat tour, plus one more for the archipelago or Drottningholm Palace. A day-by-day plan is in Stockholm in three days.
Ready to go
Fourteen islands, one afternoon.
Or take the public boat on your own with this guide: instant mobile tickets on GetYourGuide, with the refund terms on every option.
City classic
★ 4.22 h 15 min3,010 reviews
