Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Day-trips from Stockholm
Move away from Stockholm, and it's easy to appreciate its unique
geographical location. Water surrounds the city and - although you can
travel by train and bus - it's worth making the effort to ply the serene waters
of Lake Mälaren or the Stockholm archipelago by boat. The archipelago is
made up of a staggering 24,000 islands, islets and rocks, as the Swedish
mainland slowly splinters into the Baltic Sea; it's a summer paradise for
holidaying city dwellers.
2
A boat trip inland along Lake Mälaren is also a must, either to the Viking island of
Birka , where you can see the remains of Sweden's most important medieval trading
centre and a dizzying array of ancient finds, or to Drottningholm , the seventeenth-
century royal residence situated right on the lakeside. Another easy excursion on Lake
Mälaren leads to the impressive castle of Gripsholm at Mariefred.
Also within easy day-trip reach are the ancient Swedish capital and medieval
university town of Uppsala and one of the country's oldest settlements, Sigtuna ,
complete with its rune stones and ruined churches.
If you've flown in with Ryanair, consider spending a day in lakeside Västerås , with its
fascinating mix of the new and old - including a sixth-century royal burial mound, or
handsome Nyköping on the Baltic coast which rewards visitors with its laid-back seaside
atmosphere and impressive castle.
The Stockholm archipelago
If you arrived in Stockholm by plane, you'll already have had a tantalizing glimpse
of the Stockholm archipelago . In Swedish the word for archipelago is skärgård
- literally “garden of skerries” and a pretty accurate description: the array of
hundreds upon hundreds of pine-clad islands and islets is the only one of its kind in
the world. Most of the little-known islands are flat and are wonderful places for
walking ; we've picked out the most rewarding islands for strolls and hikes, and have
suggested a few trails which are a good way to take in the sweeping sea vistas and
unspoilt nature here. The archipelago, though, holds another secret, little known
even to most Swedes - many of ABBA 's most famous hits were written out here, on
the island of Viggsö where the famous foursome owned a couple of summer cottages
(see box, p.81).
The easiest and fastest section of the archipelago to reach, and consequently the most
popular with day-tripping Stockholmers, the central archipelago is the islands at their
most stunning: hundreds of rocks, skerries, islets and islands jostle for space in the
pristine waters of the Baltic, giving the impression of giant stepping-stones leading
back to the mainland.
The islands in the northern stretches of the skärgård are far fewer in number. As a
result, the appearance of the northern archipelago is very different: characterized by
open vistas and sea swells rather than narrow sounds and passageways, the islands here
Thank Viggsö for the music p.81
Don't miss the boat p.84
Västerås beaches and boat trips p.93
Carl von Linné p.96
The last supper p.102
Boat trips from Nyköping p.103
 
 
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