Are you longing to enjoy art and culture? Summer Stockholm and the archipelago offer a wide range of art and culture experiences! Choose between watching glassblowing and iron forging at the artisan village on the Fjäderholm Islands, Lena Linderholm’s brightly coloured art at Vaxholm Citadel, the newly renovated Gustavsberg Porcelain Museum, exhibitions with women in focus at Artipelag or the unique collections at the Baroque Skokloster Castle. Or why not tick off this entire list, one by one? All of these visits start with a boat journey offering fantastic views!
If you’d like to buy handicrafts – and watch the actual creative process – the Fjäderholm Islands are the obvious choice. Take a boat from Strandvägen and just 25 minutes later you arrive in an archipelago paradise. Make a beeline for the artisan village, where you can visit a pottery, a glassblowing studio and a forge. Lucky visitors may even be able to watch the artisans creating their wares! Treat yourself to a newly made handicraft favourite as a souvenir of your holiday!
You can also admire and shop one-of-a-kind handicrafts, such as hand-knitted jumpers, mittens and hats, home-made confectionery, the island’s own chocolate, trays and tea towels with unique prints in limited editions. Take a break and treat yourself to an ice cream from Systrarna Degen or the classic smoked shrimps at Rökeriet to round off your day!
Take a day trip to Vaxholm and its Citadel, the imposing fortress on the tiny island just outside Vaxholm. You can visit the popular artist Lena Linderholm’s summer shop at the Citadel. The shop is full of her colourful works of art: pictures, textiles and ceramics. Lena’s eye-catching artworks evoke a wonderful feeling of summer!
In Svenska Tantens Galleri, you can see sculptures in different materials, such as bronze, concrete and porcelain. You can also buy unique jewellery crafted by Susanna Arwin.
In the ‘Pionen Vaxholm’ gift shop, you can buy carefully selected feelgood products, soaps, cordials, jams, plaids and much, much more.
The Vaxholm Citadel Museum is also well worth a visit to learn more about the defence of the Stockholm Archipelago during the last 500 years. Join one of the guided outdoor tours.
The best way to round off your day is with coffee and cake or lunch at the Citadel’s café – enjoying the sunshine and the archipelago vista! The beautiful S/S Stockholm or our modern Cinderella boats are the easiest way to get here. They all depart from Strandvägen in Stockholm city centre.
In a short space of time, Artipelag has made a name for itself as one of the most respected art galleries in the Nordic countries. It offers a unique mix of art, nature and delicious food. This summer, you can visit its Signature Women exhibition, featuring 350 works by around fifty Swedish women artists, active between the early 1900s and the present day. The artworks consist of paintings, sculptures, textiles, handicrafts, drawings, graphics, photographs and films.
The most beautiful way to get to Artipelag is undoubtedly by water on the Edwardian-era M/S Enköping or M/S Gustafsberg VII. Your journey begins at Nybroviken and takes you through Skurusundet and the narrow straits at Baggenstäket. If you choose to travel on the M/S Gustafsberg VII, you can also listen to guide commentary during your journey. There is a café and/or restaurant on board. One of this summer’s most pleasant must-dos!
Hop on the M/S Evert Taube from Klara Mälarstrand for an excursion to Skokloster Castle – Sweden’s largest privately owned castle. The castle was built between 1654 and 1676 in the Baroque style. The unique collections at the castle feature everything from magnificent fine arts to trivial objects. The collections include artifacts from the 1500s to the 1900s – ceramics, art, textiles, handicrafts, furniture and books. Make a point of visiting the lavish Wrangel Floor, which contains the King’s Hall, as well as the Count’s and Countess’s Apartments, each with its adjacent tower. On the boat journey to and from the castle, a guide tells you about the history of life around Lake Mälaren. There’s a KRAV-labelled café/restaurant on board. Weather permitting, you can enjoy the view and the Mälaren air from the boat’s sun deck!
Visit the porcelain capital of Gustavsberg. The newly renovated Gustavsberg Porcelain Museum is well worth a visit for its world-famous ceramics and design. See its exhibition on Lisa Larson, Sweden’s most famous ceramicist and designer. The collection features about 200 artifacts – here you can take a closer look at her popular figurines, e.g. her adorable Lucia Parade children and cats. The fascinating exhibition on the Gustavsberg Porcelain Factory’s 170-year-long history is also well worth a visit. The exhibition comprises about 2,000 objects that are displayed with striking and colourful scenography. The collection includes everything from studio-made artworks to well-known dinner sets and older sanitary products.
If you love shopping, head to Gustavsberg Harbour, where you’ll find shops and outlets from Iittala and Kosta Boda, as well as the Gustavsberg Porcelain Factory with outlet.
The guided boat journey to and from Gustavsberg is on the M/S Gustafsberg, which was specially built in 1912 to transport porcelain to Stockholm. The tour begins at Nybroviken and passes through beautiful Skurusundet and the narrow straits at Baggenstäket. There’s a KRAV-labelled café & restaurant on board. This is a rewarding excursion for the boat trip alone!
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