Celebrate Midsummer in the Stockholm

All the best tips – from city central to furthest archipelago

Midsummer’s Eve is one of the most beloved Swedish holiday traditions. Locals usually celebrate by heading out into the archipelago, or by visiting Skansen, the world’s oldest open air museum, or archipelago island Vaxholm.
Further out in the archipelago you can find the island Grinda, who have offer traditional Midsummer celebration. At classical archipelago ship S/S Stockholm you get a midsummer dining experience with stunning archipelago views. Here you can find our top tips of where to celebrate midsummer in the archipelago!

Skansen – traditional midsummer celebrations in the city

Skansen is the world’s oldest open air museum and hosts an annual midsummer celebration. This year it will be a little different with no usual dancing around the midsummer pole. Nevertheless, the grounds are traditionally decorated and you can still enjoy the cosy environment. You can also buy a picnic basket at one of the restaurants or enjoy a classic Midsummer lunch at restaurant Solliden.

Midsummer aboard classical archipelago ship S/S Stockholm

At fine art deco ship S/S Stockholm you can enjoy a special three-hour Midsummer cruise in the archipelago. Enjoy a traditional midsummers eve dinner with beautiful views. The ship’s interior breathes history and classical romance as taken from the Orient Express. Make sure to pre book – this is an experience you will not forget!  

Midsummer in Vaxholm

The quaint archipelago town of Vaxholm can be reached by bus, car and boat. Whilst the town’s traditional midsummer celebrations will not be held this year, it is still worth a visit. Here you can stroll along the cobbled streets and there are plenty of cafés and restaurants offering food inspired by the archipelago. The historic fortress of Vaxholm’s Kastell have café offering both light lunches with traditional Swedish favourites, such as fried Baltic Herring and shrimp sandwiches, and desserts, coffees and ice cream. If you have some energy spare, we highly recommend climbing the 130 steps to the top of the fortress’ tower – here you have the best views of the archipelago. You can easily get to Vaxholm’s Kastell via cable ferry from central Vaxholm.

Traditional midsummer at Grinda

On the cosy archipelago island of Grinda you can celebrate midsummer at Grinda Wärdshus. You can visit for the day and enjoy lunch, or book a package with overnight stay, midsummer dinner and breakfast. You can pick wildflowers and help dress the midsummer pole, and enjoy traditional midsummer with live musicians. The quickest and easiest way to get to Grinda is with the Cinderella boats – but make sure you pre book your ticket in advance to secure you spot onboard!

Celebrations at popular island Sandhamn

The traditional midsummer celebration at Sandhamn is cancelled this summer but we can recommend a visit on Sandhamn anyway. It´s a fantastic and popular island in the Stockholm archipelago. If you’d like to stay overnight there is a hotel or cabins available for rent on the island. Pre book you ticket to Sandhamn online.