Day trips from Stockholm by boat

What are some good day trips from Stockholm?

By boat, the classics are Drottningholm Palace and the Viking town of Birka on Lake Mälaren, and Vaxholm, Grinda, Sandhamn and Fjäderholmarna in the archipelago. Each fills a morning, an afternoon or a whole day without a car.

Choose by the time you have and the season. Vaxholm and Grinda work all year on Waxholmsbolaget's public boats, while Drottningholm, Birka, Fjäderholmarna and the Cinderella boats to Sandhamn are summer services, so check the dates before you go. The table sets out each trip with its quay, the time on the water and what to know. A useful rule: west across Lake Mälaren for history and palaces, from Klara Mälarstrand by City Hall; east into the archipelago for islands and swimming, from Strömkajen or Strandvägen.

Two guided days make the island trips easy. The small-group Vaxholm day trip (4.7 from 49 reviews) takes 7 hours with a local guide and includes the fortress museum, and the RIB ride with two hours on Grinda (5.0 from 42 reviews) gets you there and back in 4.5 hours. For a longer stay on the islands, see the archipelago guide.

How do you get to Drottningholm Palace by boat?

Take Strömma's boat from Klara Mälarstrand, by City Hall: about an hour each way on the classic M/S Prins Carl Philip, or about 45 minutes on the express boat on some summer departures. The boats run roughly from mid-May to late October, and palace entry is a separate ticket.

The route follows Lake Mälaren west past villas, green shores and small islands, and the palace appears at the end in full view from the water. The Royal Domain of Drottningholm became Sweden's first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. The palace, begun in 1662 to designs by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder for Queen Hedvig Eleonora, has been the permanent home of the King and Queen since 1981; the southern wing is private. The Chinese Pavilion and the Palace Theatre are in the grounds, and the park is open all year. Opening times and tickets for the palace are on the Royal Palaces website.

If you would like to see the palace without visiting it, the Drottningholm lunch cruise (4.5 from 47 reviews) makes a two-hour round trip from Klara Mälarstrand with a warm lunch on board, meat, fish or vegetarian. It passes the palace but does not go ashore, so it suits a relaxed midday rather than a palace visit.

Is Birka worth a day?

Yes, if you enjoy history and a long, scenic boat ride. Birka, on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren, was founded in the 700s and is on the UNESCO list together with Hovgården on Adelsö since 1993; the trip takes a whole day.

The boat leaves Klara Mälarstrand by City Hall and takes about 2 hours across Lake Mälaren to Björkö, about 30 km west of Stockholm. On the island you have about 3 to 3.5 hours: a guided walk of 45 to 60 minutes and 1 to 1.5 km over the ancient fields, the Birka Museum, a reconstructed Viking village and a restaurant. Bring good shoes and a layer, because most of the day is outdoors. Birka boats run in the warmer months, roughly May to September or October, and there is no regular boat in winter.

The Birka Viking town boat trip (4.3 from 274 reviews) is the package for it: the round trip on the M/S Mälar Victoria, museum entry and a live-guided tour in English and Swedish, about 7 hours in all. Reviewers praise the guides and the scenery on the way; one advises checking the weather forecast before you book, which is sound advice for any day on the lake.

A full day west across Lake Mälaren: about two hours by ship to Björkö, a live-guided walk round the Viking town on the UNESCO list, and entry to the Birka Museum. Rated 4.3 from 274 reviews.

★ 4.3 (274) · 7 hours · Full refund up to 24 h ahead

Explore the Birka boat trip →

Can you do an island day trip without a tour?

Yes. Waxholmsbolaget's public boats leave Strömkajen all year, and any SL ticket covers the stretch to the Vaxholm area. Further out, to Grinda or Sandhamn, you buy a Waxholmsbolaget ticket in the SL app or by tapping a bank card on board.

Vaxholm is the easy choice: about an hour, a harbour town and a 16th-century fortress. Grinda, about 1.5 hours out, is a nature reserve with trails and swimming. Sandhamn, about 2.5 hours, is a full day. In summer, Fjäderholmarna is 20 to 30 minutes away. The boats are cashless, and even with an app ticket you get a paper slip to show when you leave the boat. Timetables are in the SL app and on Waxholmsbolaget's website.

If you want a guide or an activity, three tours fit the same day. The guided Vaxholm day trip walks the town and visits the fortress. The RIB ride to Grinda gives you about two hours on the island. The archipelago kayak tour (4.9 from 287 reviews) paddles near Vaxholm for 4 to 8 hours with fika or a picnic on an island, and no experience is needed.

Can you take a ferry from Sweden to Finland?

Yes. Viking Line and Tallink Silja sail overnight from Stockholm to Helsinki every day, calling at Mariehamn on Åland, in about 17 to 18 hours. Both lines also sail to Turku, a shorter crossing via Åland.

Viking Line uses the Stadsgården terminal on Södermalm, and Tallink Silja uses Värtahamnen, north-east of the centre. The Helsinki ships are large cruise ferries with cabins, restaurants and shops: Viking Line sails the Viking Cinderella and the Gabriella, Silja Line the Silja Serenade and the Silja Symphony. Viking Line's autumn timetable leaves Stockholm in the afternoon and arrives in Helsinki the next morning. For Turku, Viking Line sails the Viking Grace and the Viking Glory, and Silja Line the Baltic Princess.

The ferries also make a mini-cruise: many people sail out, spend a day in Helsinki and sail back the next evening, so two nights on board and one day in the city. Check current timetables on Viking Line and Tallink Silja before you plan.

Is the Stockholm to Helsinki ferry worth it?

Yes, if you have the time and like the idea of travelling while you sleep. You save a night in a hotel, wake up in another capital, and the first hours take you through the Stockholm archipelago.

The best part is often the start. The ships leave the city and thread their way through the archipelago, past Vaxholm's sound and countless islands, before reaching the open sea towards Åland. In summer, with about 18 hours of daylight in late June, you see much of that passage in daylight; in winter it is dark early. A cabin makes the night comfortable. If you are short of time, flying is faster, but the ferry turns the journey into part of the trip.

If you only want the archipelago passage, you do not need to go to Finland. The classic ship cruise from Strandvägen goes as far as Vaxholm and back on its longest option, and the public boat to Vaxholm takes about an hour on an SL ticket. For more on the islands you sail past, see the archipelago guide.

Can you go to Åland or Tallinn by boat?

Yes to both. Every Viking Line and Tallink Silja ship from Stockholm to Finland calls at Mariehamn on Åland, and Tallink sails overnight to Tallinn, about 16 hours, all year.

Åland is an autonomous, Swedish-speaking group of islands between Sweden and Finland, and Mariehamn is its small capital. The Helsinki and Turku ferries stop there, and Viking Line also runs cruises from Stockholm to Mariehamn and Visby on the Birka Gotland. For Tallinn, Tallink's Baltic Queen leaves Värtahamnen in the afternoon and arrives the next morning; the ship sails from Tallinn every other evening, so it runs in each direction every second day.

Two routes people often ask about do not exist. There is no direct ferry from Stockholm to Copenhagen: the direct train takes about 5 hours. There is also no ferry from Stockholm to Riga at present: the route stopped in 2020, and plans to restart it were put on hold again in January 2026.

Can you rent and drive a boat yourself?

Yes. In Sweden you need no licence for a recreational boat under 12 m long and under 4 m wide, so a small rental motorboat needs no paperwork. Jet skis are the exception: their drivers need a certificate and must be at least 15.

Larger boats need a skipper qualification. You may read that a general boat licence is coming in 2026: there is no law or decision to that effect, and the old proposal for one was never brought in. Before you set off on your own, check the weather and wind, take a chart or a navigation app, wear a life jacket and keep clear of the big ferries and sightseeing boats in the main channels.

For something calmer, you can rent kayaks, Canadian canoes and pedal boats at Sjöcaféet by Djurgårdsbron, or kayaks at Långholmen on the Mälaren side, in season; see the canal tour guide. If you prefer to leave the driving to someone else, the RIB speed boat tour (4.9 from 504 reviews) covers Gamla Stan, the Nacka shore and the islands out towards Vaxholm in two hours with a guide who is also your captain.

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