Today I want to share with you pics from a day trip we went on to Vaxholm Island outside of Stockholm during our recent visit to the city.

The occasion

We dropped off our daughter Anjali in Stockholm for the summer for her study abroad program, and decided to stay for a few days to get work done (Hitesh has a team there), and also to explore the city.

On one of the days Hitesh’s meetings got postponed opening up the day for us to go on a day trip to one of the many islands near Stockholm. We chose Vaxholm and had a beautiful and relaxing day trip to this charming island.

Sailing on the Stockholm archipelago to Vaxholm Island

We picked Vaxholm Island mostly for its proximity to the city – it takes 1 1/2 hours by ferry rather than the longer 3 hours to head to the other islands.

Here’s a tit-bit about the ferries – they are like bus rides – they run every 30 minutes and drop people off at many of the islands on the Stockholm archipelago. And just like at bus stops, residents are waiting to board and get dropped off at the many destinations.

We took a 10am ferry to Vaxholm Island. The boat rides can be packed or not so packed depending on the time of day.

Vaxholm Island

Vaxholm island is a small island mostly used as a summer resort town by the locals. The landmark on this island is the Vaxholm Fortress which was built in 1549 to defend Stockholm from attacks from the East.

Vaxholm is an idyllic little town where one can stroll through the streets with its quaint pastel-painted Edwardian wooden houses, cobblestoned streets, and cafes.

Another unique feature of this island is the red-colored wooden homes that are predominant.

Charming Cafes and Boutiques

The harbour and the main street are the beating heart of the town, with delightful shops and art galleries, as well as charming cafés and restaurants.

Flower Shops to Delight the Senses 💐

Walking around I came across the most charming florists called floral boutiques here in Sweden.

This Floral Boutique Was my Favorite

This little florist sitting off on a narrow cobblestone street was so charming I could have spent hours there with a cup of tea. It smelt divine of flowers!!

Quaint Local Boutiques Such as this Blanket Shop

Another unique shop we stumbled upon was this boutique selling locally made blankets. I was admiring the window display and noticed the store was closed.

As I was debating if we should walk back later, to my delight the proprietor walked up and opened the shop. We got to chatting and found out that she is actually a furniture upholsterer who also sells locally made blankets.

The throws were made from sheep’s wool sourced from farms in Sweden. The shopkeeper explained that to prevent the wool from being exported local boutiques buy all the wool and make them into blankets so their natural resources aren’t getting shipped off to other countries.

Beautiful waterfront cafe and art gallery

After a stroll around the town we grabbed coffee and an open faced sandwich at a beautiful waterfront art gallery and cafe. Called Roddarhusets the cafe was charming with an art gallery selling ceramics, paintings and glassware.

Stopping to smell the flowers 🌺🥰

Relaxing excursion on the island of Vaxholm

For a relaxing excursion out of Stockholm head to the island of Vaxholm. This isn’t a bustling town with lots of shopping and historical sites but more of low key explore and stroll the beautiful local scene type of experience.

More info on visiting Vaxholm