Vaxholm
A town of wooden summer houses on an island in the Stockholm archipelago, a sixteenth-century fortress guarding the sea lane to the capital, and an hour and a quarter by steamer from the city quays.
- Arrival
- Stockholm Arlanda · ARN
- To the town
- About 37 km from Arlanda as the crow flies
- Private jets
- Arlanda, private customs and immigration
- Best time
- June to August
The city
The gate to the archipelago.
Vaxholm stands on the island of Vaxön, at the narrows of Kodjupet that ships must pass on their way in to Stockholm. Its fortress went up on a neighbouring islet in 1549 to hold that passage; nine years later Gustav Vasa founded the town, and it received its royal charter in 1652. Some six thousand people live here, and it is still called a city.
Steamers began calling from Stockholm in 1849, and by the 1860s Vaxholm was a bathing resort, its streets filled with the wooden villas of city families; until 1912 nothing but timber was allowed. The archipelago boats have their season from June to August, when afternoons reach 20 to 22 °C and the sea about 16 or 17 °C.
- Vaxholm Fortress The citadel on its own islet in the Kodjupet strait, reached by a small cable ferry.
- The wooden town Streets of painted summer villas built by Stockholmers from the 1860s onward.
- The boat from Stockholm The historic S/S Stockholm sails out from Strandvägen in about an hour and a quarter.
Arriving
Arlanda, then by road or by water.
Stockholm Arlanda lies about 37 kilometres north-west of Vaxholm as the crow flies. Two bridges, opened in 1926 and 1965, link the island to the mainland; from central Stockholm the boats are the other way in.
- Vienna 2 h 00
- London 2 h 15
- Athens 3 h 30
- Abu Dhabi 6 h 30 long-range jet
- Cape Town 13 h 40 long-range jet
When to go
June to August.
A Baltic climate with a short, bright summer. June to August bring afternoons of 20 to 22 °C and the warmest water of the year; from December to March the days hover around freezing, while spring is the driest part of the year.
- 0° J 37 2°
- -1° F 27 1°
- 3° M 24 1°
- 8° A 30 2°
- 15° M 29 6°
- 20° J 45 11°
- 22° J 64 16°
- 20° A 61 17°
- 15° S 52 14°
- 10° O 47 10°
- 5° N 50 7°
- 1° D 44 4°
Where to stay
In the city, eighteen kilometres up the fairway.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
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Grand Hôtel Stockholm Open since 1874 on the Blasieholmen waterfront, with a Nordic spa and the only two MICHELIN Keys in Sweden.
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Villa Dagmar Seventy rooms and suites in an Art Nouveau spirit beside the Saluhall, with the Salon restaurant and Dagges wine bar.
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Ett Hem Twenty-four rooms in a turn-of-the-century house decorated by Ilse Crawford, where dinner is served in the kitchen.
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Bank Hotel A former bank palace with Bonnie's restaurant downstairs and a bar on the roof.
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Lydmar Hotel A few doors from the Grand, hung with art and with live music in the bar.
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Stockholm Stadshotell A nineteenth-century building with custom wood panelling and contemporary art, arranged around an inner courtyard.
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Hotel Frantz Rooms in a house dated to 1647, keeping its original ceilings.
Where to dine
Starred tables at the end of the boat ride.
The MICHELIN Guide Nordic Countries 2026 lists no starred restaurant in Vaxholm or the archipelago; these are in Stockholm, about 18 km away.
- Frantzén Three Michelin stars Contemporary Stockholm, about 18 km
- AIRA Two Michelin stars Nordic Djurgården, Stockholm
- Seafood Gastro One Michelin star Seafood Grand Hôtel, Stockholm
- Operakällaren One Michelin star Modern Royal Opera House, Stockholm
- Ekstedt One Michelin star Modern Nordic Stockholm, about 18 km
Elsewhere in Sweden
More reasons to come.
- Stockholm Gamla Stan, the Vasa museum, and a city built across fourteen islands.
- Gothenburg The west coast, its shellfish and its rocky islands.
- Båstad Tennis and summer houses on the coast of Skåne.
- Åre The leading ski resort of Scandinavia.
- Jukkasjärvi The Icehotel, rebuilt each winter beside the Torne river.
Flying to Vaxholm?
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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.