Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Food:
You can usually buy food on board, ranging from simple fare at
snack bars (60-kr sandwiches and basic 85-100-kr meals) to elegant sea-view
dinners at fancy restaurants (100-kr starters, 200-kr main dishes). If your boat
has a top-deck restaurant and you want to combine your cruise with dinner,
make a reservation as soon as you board. Once you have a table, it's yours
for the whole trip, so you can simply claim your seat and enjoy the ride, circ-
ling back later to eat. You can also try calling ahead to reserve a table for a
specific cruise (for Waxholmsbolaget, call 08/243-090; for Cinderella, call 08/
1200-4000).
Helpful Hints
Opening Times:
All the opening hours I list in this chapter are reliable only
for peak season (mid-June-mid-Aug). The rest of the year, hours are flex-
ible and completely weather-dependent; more services tend to be open on
weekends than weekdays. Outside the short summer season, many places
close down entirely.
Money:
Bring cash. The only ATMs are in Vaxholm; farther out, you'll wish
you'd stocked up on cash in Stockholm. Fortunately, most vendors do ac-
cept credit cards.
Signal for Stop:
At the boat landings or jetties on small islands, you'll notice
a small signal tower (called a semaphore) that's used to let a passing boat
know you want to be picked up. Pull the cord to spin the white disc and
make it visible to the ship. Be sure to put it back before boarding the boat.
At night, you signal with light—locals just use their mobile phones.
Weather:
The weather on the islands is often better than in Stockholm. For
island forecasts, check Götland's (the big island far to the south) instead
of Stockholm's.
Local Drink:
A popular drink here is
punsch,
a sweet fruit liqueur. Stately
old buildings sometimes have
punsch-verandas,
little glassed-in upstairs
porches where people traditionally would imbibe and chat.
