Nordic Breeze | Iberian Seas

On the first Sunday in September, my new roommates (Estrella and Zelal) and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather to visit Vaxholm, a popular day trip destination in the Stockholm archipelago.

You can reach Vaxholm by bus but we decided to take the commuter ferry instead. The ferry ride was about an hour long and very comfortable. This is one of a handful of ferries that are included in a Stockholm metro pass so we didn’t have to pay any additional money for this trip. About halfway through I realized we could go up on the top deck and enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful views of the archipelago. We saw lots of other boats out on the water, including lots of sailboats.

Once we disembarked in Vaxholm our first destination was the most beautiful garden cafe called Vaxholms Hembygdsgårds Café. Garden cafes are very popular in Stockholm in the summer and you can see why! This one had an incredible array of delicious pastries to choose from, as well as plenty of savory options and lunch dishes that we didn’t try. I ended up choosing a rolled pastry with jam inside and cream and berries on top. We had a gorgeous view of the water and it was very beautiful and peaceful.

After our wonderful fika, we tried to walk towards a swimming spot but ended up getting a little lost so we went back into the town and looked in a few stores. In the early afternoon we took a very small ferry just across the channel to the Vaxholm Citadel. This castle used to be a crucial part of Sweden’s naval defense. In 1548, construction began on fortifications at this site to prevent enemy fleets from attacking Stockholm from the Baltic Sea. These defenses were crucial during the Russian raids in the summer of 1719. The Russian forces burned almost every building in the Stockholm archipelago but the fortress at Vaxholm prevented them from reaching Stockholm itself, saving the capital city. The fortress standing today was built around 1835, following Sweden’s loss of Finland in 1809. The old structure was torn down and a new installation was built. However, as soon as the new fortress was built, it was proved to be outdated and did not stand up to the latest advancements in artillery technology. The Citadel was instead used for administration and training purposes. Today it is home to a small museum on military history as well as a handful of artists’ workshops and galleries. We didn’t go to the museum but we really enjoyed looking at all of the art. We also climbed up the tower for a very nice view of the area in all directions.

We took the small ferry back to the main town and had some dinner while we waited for the commuter ferry back to Stockholm. We also saw the Waxholms Hotell, one of the most iconic buildings in the town.

We were so tired by the end of the day that I think we all slept for most of the ferry ride back to Stockholm. Once we were back in Stockholm, we enjoyed a stroll through Gamla Stan on our way home. Stockholm is a beautiful city and it’s always fun just to wander around.

Vaxholm was a very lovely summer day trip and it was really nice to spend some quality time with my new roommates!