All activities / Sailing / Stockholm Archipelago
Sailing in Stockholm Archipelago
The vast archipelago spread east of Stockholm across the Baltic, some 30,000 islands, islets and skerries running from the city out to the open sea. Tide-free, sheltered and dense with harbours, red-cabin islands and summer jetties, it is one of the world's great cruising grounds for sailing from June to September.
Why here
The Stockholm archipelago is one of the finest sailing grounds on earth, a scatter of some 30,000 islands running from the quays of the capital out to the open Baltic. What makes it exceptional is the density and the shelter: you can day-sail from island to island with barely an hour of open water between anchorages, tie up at a rock or a village jetty each night, and never run out of new sounds to explore across a whole summer. The water is tide-free and the winds are steady and forgiving, usually ten to twenty knots, which makes it a superb place both to charter with a skipper and to learn to sail from scratch. Inner islands are green and wooded with red-painted summer cabins and swimming rocks; the outer skerries are bare and wild, opening to the sea. Long Nordic evenings stretch the sailing day well into the night, and midsummer traditions, sauna and swim culture, and simple island restaurants give the cruising a distinctly Swedish rhythm. From a weekend escape to a week-long voyage, the archipelago rewards every level under sail.
Best months
The sailing season runs June to September, peaking in July and August with the warmest water, longest daylight and most reliable winds of ten to twenty knots; June and September are quieter with cooler, brisker conditions. The archipelago is tide-free and largely sheltered, which keeps it beginner-friendly, though the outer islands are open to Baltic weather and can turn choppy in a blow. Navigation among thousands of rocks and skerries needs care and good charts. Bareboat charter requires a recognised qualification; skippered charters carry beginners.
Getting there & around
The archipelago starts at Stockholm's doorstep, so access is simple: fly or take the train to the city, then reach the charter and sailing-school harbours at Nacka Strand, Bullando and Viggbyholm by bus, metro or a short transfer. Skippered charters and sailing courses run from June to September and need booking ahead for the summer peak; bareboat charter requires a Day Skipper, ICC or equivalent certificate. Bring layers, deck shoes and sun protection for the long days. Ferries and the archipelago's own boats link the islands for non-sailors.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Sailing Sweden
OutfitterSailing Sweden runs skippered yacht charters through the Stockholm archipelago and its 30,000 islands, from home harbours at Nacka Strand and Bullando. Its flagship is Evita, a 46-foot yacht with four cabins, backed by a fleet of ten sister boats for group charters and flotillas. With fully licensed skippers fluent in English and Swedish, it offers day sails, weekend escapes and week-long voyages, plus onboard instruction, so beginners can learn to sail the tide-free Baltic waters in summer.
Sailstar
SchoolSailstar is a Stockholm sailing school founded in 2010 and based at Viggbyholm in Taby, with more than 4,800 course participants to date. It teaches from scratch on single and two-person dinghies and on keelboats, from 22-foot Aira day sailors up to a Beneteau 50 used for four-day liveaboard courses through the Stockholm archipelago. Courses lead to the Swedish NFB Sailing Certificate levels 1 and 2, the national yachtmen standard recognised across Europe.