This weekend, two friends and I went to explore Sandhamn, Stockholm’s furthest island on the archipelago. We knew that we wanted to explore the archipelago (especially before it gets too cold), but weren’t sure which island to go to. One of my friend’s host brothers recommended Sandhamn, so off we went!
To get to Sandhamn, you have to take a ferry. We decided on the Cinderella cruise line and it was great! The ride there was very chilly and I was severely underdressed. The forecast was supposed to be low 60s, which seemed consistent with the weather lately. However, for the first half of the day, the sun never came out which is what made us so cold. Asides from the chilly weather, the boat ride was fun because we could see all the islands in the archipelago and the cute red houses along the shoreline.
The boat ride was just over two hours so when we arrived to Sandhamn we were hungry! We stopped by one of four restaurants on the island for lunch. I had salmon with potatoes and carrots, my friend had Swedish meatballs. It felt like a very appropriate Swedish meal.
Building off the quintessential Swedish day, we took a long walk throughout the island of Sandhamn, walking through the neighborhood of small village houses (which are mainly only inhabited in the summer months) and exploring some of the forest and coastal lines of the island. It was great and made me want to be a cute yellow or red cabin one day!
As we got ready for the boat to come pick us up, we went to a coffee shop for fika. I have made it a goal for myself to buy a postcard at every new city or country I go to. Naturally, I wanted to get a postcard from Sandhamn. It just so happened that the small coffee shop was the only place on the island that had postcards so I am glad we stoped by!
We got a seat on the inside of the boat for the ride home, so I was much warmer. As we rode back, I reflected on the day and how glad I am to be getting the chance to explore other areas of Sweden outside of Stockholm.
Finally, check out my friend’s tiktok from our day in Sandhamn!
Helen in Sweden 