Inspiring Adventure

We spent four days exploring the city of Stockholm and the surrounding archipelago. When researching the trip we wanted to stay somewhere accessible to the city centre but also to boats out to the island. We decided to stay in Nynashamn at Nordic Camping. This turned out to be a perfect seaside base which was only a 50 minute train ride to the city.

Nynashamn

Nynashamn is a pretty town south of Stockholm and one of the main stop off points when exploring the archipelago. The area surrounding the harbour is lined with beautiful wooden cabins which are restaurants, shops and coffee houses. The tourist information office is also along the harbour front.

There are three train stations in Nynasham. The main Nynasham station, and end of the line, is on at the harbour. Nynäshamn Gröndalsviken station services the marina and Nynäshamn Nynäsgård station is the closest to Nordic Camping and services the surrounding residential area. The train stations are all very close together and it is possible to walk between them.

There are ferries to the surrounding archipelago and Gotland, Poland and Latvia.

Three things to do in Nynashamn

Take a walk at strandvagen

Strandvagen is a beautiful natural area South of Nynashamn. There is parking next to Lovhagen Cafe where you can access walking routes the coast to secluded beaches and through the pine forests. Our boys really enjoyed this walk as there was such a variety of things to see and the scenery changed from beach, to forest, to meadow. This is one of few places in the county of Stockholm where you can see the horizon from the mainland.

Visit the beach at Nordic Camping

The public beach at Nickstaviken is the main beach in Nynäshamn and has large sandy and grassy areas. The beach is a short walk from Nynäshamn Nynäsgård station or for those arriving by car there is a public car park. There are also cycle paths and footpaths from the centre of town. Here you will find jetties with seating to watch brave souls launch themselves from the high diving boards and rope swing. There is a pontoon to swim out to from either the jetties or the beach, which the ducks and geese seem to make the most use of. The beach is next to Nordic Camping Nickstabadet who operate the adjacent water slide and rent canoes and kayaks.

Take a boat out to the archipelago

There are plenty of ways to explore the archipelago from Nynasham. Detailed below are the trips that we made on the Waxholm ferry. If you prefer a guided tour, or are interested in renting your own boat then the Nynasham Website has lots of information.

Nordic Camping Nickstabadet

The campsite has a reception, small shop, kids club during peak season, three water slides and crazy golf (charges apply), play area and bar / restaurant. There is also a toilet/shower block for those camping on the site.

We booked to stay in a self catering four bed cottage. This consisted of a bedroom with two single beds pushed together and a sleeping loft with mattresses for two people. It is worth noting that to access the loft you need to climb a steep ladder and there is no rail or edging on the loft so I would not recommend this space for young children. Our boys slept in the bedroom and we slept in the loft. However, the eves were so low that there was not enough space for us to turn over without grazing our shoulders and it very much felt like sleeping in a coffin. These cottages are fine for two people but it is a stretch to say they are suitable for four people due to the space in the loft.

Due to biblical rains our cottage flooded on the first night. This is not usual and sadly has led to five cottages requiring major renovation. On the plus side, we were moved to a larger cottage for the rest of our stay which had two separate bedrooms. One with two single beds pushed together and the other with three bunk beds. This suited a family of four much more comfortably. Both cottages were clean, with self contained wet rooms with toilet, basin and shower. The kitchen area had two hob elements, a fridge, sink and small table. This was perfectly adequate to cook simple meals. There was decking at the front with outdoor seating for four people and a lounge area with sofa bed and coffee table. The four bed cottage cost 861 SEK / £68 per night.

One day in Stockholm

We caught the train from Nynäshamn Nynäsgård station which is a 10 minute walk from the campsite. The train took 50 minutes to get into Stockholm Central station.

Train tickets are 50 SEK for an adult and 5 SEK for children up to 15 years old. It is worth booking your ticket online before your travel.

From Stockholm Central station we followed the Lonely Planet’s walking tour. The boys managed the 3km walk well and particularly enjoyed finding the narrowest street in Sweden (Marten Trotzigs Grand). We didn’t go into any of the museums as although we would have probably enjoyed them they didn’t hold much interest for the boys. Instead we spent our day in the city exploring the old part of town and watching the locals enjoy the parks within in the city.

Once we had completed the walking tour we jumped on the number seven tram from near Stockholm Central Station to Skansen tram stop. This area contains Skansen, the first open air museum and showcases how the Swedes used to live and also the Abba museum. Had we had longer than one day we would have like to have visited Skansen as recommendation from friends advised that you can easily spend a whole day here.

There is also Grona Lund theme park in this area but it was closed when we visited, which the boys were very disappointed about!

We caught the ferry back from Allmänna gränd to Nybrokajen (Stockholm) terminal. We stopped for ice cream in Berzelii Park before walking back to Stockholm City station and catching the train back to Nynasham.

The Archipelago

Alo

We caught the boat to Alo from Sjömacken Nynäshamn ferry terminal. During peak season, up to mid August, the summer timetable applies. After this the frequency of ferries is reduced. If like us you are travelling in late August it is worth bearing this in mind when making your plans. You buy tickets from the kiosk onboard, which also serves coffee and pastries. Tickets cost 140 SEK per adult and children up to seven are free.

It takes approximately an hour to get to Alo, which is the last stop on this route. On Alo there is a cafe close to the jetty. Walking and cycling tracks around the island are clearly marked. If you have older children it is possible to rent a bike from the cafe to explore the island and go over to Uto. To make sure that the return ferry stops to pick you up make sure that the semaphore on the jetty is raised (although when we visited there were lots of people waiting to be picked up).

The island of Alo is very peaceful and we were on the walking trails on our own most of the time. As we visited on the first day of our holiday the boys were quite tired so we didn’t walk as far as we usually would. The ferries were also not particularly frequent so we only spent two hours on the island before heading back to Nynasham.

Nattaro

Nattaro is reputed to have the longest sandy beach and best swimming beach in the archipelago. We caught the boat again from Sjömacken Nynäshamn ferry terminal and it took approximately thirty minutes to get to Nattaro. Once on the island it was an easy walk across the island and through the pine forest to the beach. We stopped at Drottninggrottan on the way to the beach which is a small cave. This is where Queen Maria Eleonora hid after fleeing the government after the death of her husband King Gustav II Adolf in the early 1600s. There is also a large village of cabins available to rent during the summer season.

The beach did not disappoint and despite the water being very cold we all enjoyed swimming and playing. We had brought a picnic lunch with us but if you require food while visiting the island there is a small shop and restaurant, Nåttarö krog, and hotdog restaurant, Nåttarö Bryggkiosk. These are located a few metres from the ferry terminal.

Grinda

To visit Grinda we drove from Nynasham to Nacka Strand, 45 minutes away. Here we picked up Princess Ferries to Grinda. This is a popular commuter route and the ferry was very busy. Again tickets are purchased from the kiosk on board, where refreshments are also available. It took just over an hour to sail from Nacka Strand to Grinda stopping at Vaxholm en-route. The cost of the ferry tickets (one way) were 140 SEK per adult, 70 SEK for six to fifteen and free for under fives.

Once on Grinda we walked to the highest point of the island which is well signposted. This was a gorgeous walk through farmland, meadows and pristine pine forests. The island has hotels, cabins, a youth hostel, and campground, plus a range of activities such as kayaking.

There is a troll trail on the island which the kids enjoyed following and kept them interested when their legs started to tire. We took a picnic for lunch but stopped at Grinda Lanthandel & Café for ice cream.

Food and drink

Sweden is notoriously expensive to eat and drink at restaurants and bars. We made the decision early on that we would take picnic lunches out with us and cook simple meals in our cabins for the majority of the evenings. In Nynasham there is a Lidl and Co-op both of which were sizeable. We found that Co-op provided a better selection of fresh meat and vegetables so did most of our shopping there. Our picnics consisted of filled flatbreads, fruit, crisps and an abundance of snacks that are constantly required by the boys such as nuts, dried fruit, biscuits and cereal bars. Evening meals were usually meatballs and pasta or mash, chicken skewers, rotisserie chicken and a selection of salads. On average we spent approximately £30 per day on meals for our family of four.

Alcohol

Alcohol is only available to purchase from Systembolaget (liquor stores) which are closed from 2pm on Saturdays and all day Sunday (make sure you stock up to account for this!) The most cost effective way to purchase wine is in boxes and is very good quality. A four bottle box of wine cost around 200 SEK / £16 . The local beer was Pripps Bla and cost 11.50 SEK / £1 per 500ml can.

What are your favourite things to do in and around Stockholm? We would love to hear about them.