Stockholm Archipelago Cruise Prices: What You Get at Each Price
A sightseeing cruise into the Stockholm archipelago starts at about $26 to $37 per person for 1.5 to 2.5 hours on the water. A meal on board roughly doubles that, and a small, fast RIB boat starts at $159. Below is what changes as the price goes up, and what each ticket leaves out.
A guided sightseeing cruise into the Stockholm archipelago costs from about $26 to $41 per person, for between 75 minutes and 2.5 hours on the water. Add a meal on board and the price roughly doubles. Above that you are paying for a different kind of boat: a RIB speedboat from $159, a guided day in Vaxholm for $218, or a private boat priced for the whole group.
The main price differences
- A good all-round choice: Strömma’s archipelago tour from Strandvägen, from $29 per person, rated 4.3/5 from 12,000 reviews.
- Under $40, the cruises cover much the same water. Most of the big-boat cruises pass the same inner islands, Fjäderholmarna among them, so you are mainly choosing a pier, a boat and a length.
- Coffee and a pastry are included on one of the cheapest cruises. The two-hour M/S Vindhem cruise from $27 includes a Swedish fika. On most of the others, food and drinks are sold on board.
- A meal on board costs about twice as much as a plain cruise. Strömma's lunch cruise starts at $55 and its evening shrimp cruise at $52.
- The big jump is to a small boat. A two-hour RIB trip starts at $159, nearly six times the price of a two-hour cruise on a big boat.
- Everything is priced per person except the private boats. At the starting price, two people pay $58 on the Strömma cruise and $318 on the RIB.
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The cruise we’d compare first
At $29, Strömma’s archipelago tour costs about the same as the other two-hour cruises, but it has by far the longest review record, and it is the only one in this price range sold in 2.5 and 3-hour lengths as well as 1.5 hours. The longer sailings go further out, and the 3-hour boat passes Vaxholm. The price shown is for the cheapest date and length, so check the calendar for the length you want. It leaves from Strandvägen 8, near the Hotel Diplomat. Seats on board aren’t allocated, and our guide to the Strömma archipelago tour covers where to sit and which length to choose.
If you’d like your coffee included
The two-hour cruise on the historic M/S Vindhem starts at $27 and includes a fika of one hot drink and one pastry per person, served on board. It leaves from Skeppsbron below the Royal Palace, has a live English-speaking guide and is rated 4.6/5 from more than 1,800 reviews. It suits you if you’re staying in Gamla Stan and two hours is enough.
If the boat matters to you
For $10 more than the Vindhem cruise, the guided tour by classic wooden boat takes you out on a smaller wooden boat for 1 hour 45 minutes, from Skeppsbron. Prices start at $37, and it is rated 4.7/5 from more than 850 reviews, the highest rating among the sightseeing cruises here. Drinks are sold at the bar on board.
Lunch or shrimp on board
Strömma’s archipelago cruise with lunch starts at $55 for 2.5 hours on the 1906 steamer M/S Östanå I, with a main course in the upper-deck restaurant and a live guide. Drinks are extra. In the evening, Strömma’s shrimp cruise is a little cheaper, from $52 for three hours, with all the shrimp you can eat, a welcome drink and a short stop at Vaxholm’s fortress. It is rated 4.7/5, but from fewer than 100 reviews. Dessert and drinks are extra on both.
A small, fast boat
The two-hour RIB speedboat tour costs from $159 and is rated 4.9/5 from more than 500 reviews. You wear the overalls and wind jacket provided, and the boat covers enough distance in two hours to pass the shores of Nacka and Vaxholm. For $36 more, the RIB tour with a stop on Grinda runs 4.5 hours and gives you two hours on the island’s nature reserve. It is rated 5.0/5, from 42 reviews.
A guided day in Vaxholm
The small-group Vaxholm day trip costs $218 for about seven hours, with up to 10 people and a local guide. The price includes the archipelago boat fares both ways, the ferry to the fortress and entry to the fortress museum. Lunch isn’t included. It is rated 4.7/5 from 49 reviews.
What you get as you spend more
Mostly a smaller boat with fewer people on it, and more time out in the islands. The islands nearest the city look the same from every boat.
Around $26 to $41: sightseeing cruises. These run 75 minutes to 2.5 hours on large or classic boats from Strandvägen or Skeppsbron, with a live guide on board. Within this range you are choosing an operator, a pier and a length more than a route. Strömma’s 2.5 and 3-hour sailings are the way to get further out without leaving this price range.
Around $52 to $59: a meal on board. The cruise itself is similar, and the extra money pays for lunch, a shrimp dinner or tacos with live music. The evening cruises also run longer, three to 4.5 hours.
Around $159 to $218: smaller boats and longer days. Here you leave the big sightseeing boats. You travel faster in a RIB, or spend the day in Vaxholm with a guide, and the longer trips include time ashore on Grinda or in Vaxholm.
Above $270: sailing and private boats. The one sailing day on sale is new and has no reviews yet. Private boats are priced for the whole group, so they only make sense when there are several of you.
Archipelago cruise prices compared
Prices checked on 7 October 2026. Operators use dynamic pricing, so these figures are a guide; check the booking page for the current price. Every option below is linked, with its rating and number of reviews beside it, and a low review count is a reason to be careful rather than a verdict.
| Option | From (per person) | Time on the water | Rating | What’s included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Archipelago Islands Tour | $26 | 1.5 hours | 4.0 (1,357) | Live guide; food and drinks extra |
| Historic M/S Vindhem cruise with fika | $27 | 2 hours | 4.6 (1,853) | Live guide, one hot drink and a pastry |
| Live Guided Archipelago Cruise | $28 | 2 hours | 4.5 (6,285) | Live guide; fika sold on board |
| M/S Vindhem cruise with craft beer | $28 | 2 hours | 4.3 (74) | Live guide and one craft beer |
| Strömma Archipelago Tour with Guide | $29 | 1.5, 2.5 or 3 hours | 4.3 (12,000) | Live guide; café on board |
| Archipelago Tour with Swedish Fika | $34 | 2 hours | No reviews yet | Live guide and fika |
| Classic wooden boat tour | $37 | 1 hour 45 min | 4.7 (856) | Live guide; bar on board |
| Strömma Winter Boat Tour | $41 | 75 minutes | 4.5 (1,476) | Live guide, blankets; winter only |
| Strömma Shrimp Cruise | $52 | 3 hours | 4.7 (84) | Unlimited shrimp, welcome drink, Vaxholm fortress stop |
| Strömma Cruise with Lunch | $55 | 2.5 hours | 4.5 (318) | Live guide and a main-course lunch |
| Shrimp or Tacos Cruise with live band | $59 | 4.5 hours | 4.2 (19) | Unlimited shrimp or tacos, live music |
| Two-hour RIB speedboat tour | $159 | 2 hours | 4.9 (505) | Overalls, wind jackets, guide |
| RIB tour with a stop on Grinda | $195 | 4.5 hours | 5.0 (42) | Guide, overalls, two hours on Grinda |
| Small-group Vaxholm day trip | $218 | About 7 hours | 4.7 (49) | Guide, boat fares, fortress ferry and museum |
| City and archipelago sailing tour | $270 | 6.5 hours | No reviews yet | Skipper, sailing jackets, lunch with a drink |
This page covers boat trips into the archipelago that leave from central Stockholm and come back the same day. Kayak tours, and cruises west of the city on Lake Mälaren, aren’t included.
What the price doesn’t include
The cruises start from piers in the city centre, mostly on Strandvägen or at Skeppsbron below the Royal Palace, and you make your own way there. On most of them, food and drinks are sold on board rather than included, so budget for coffee or lunch if you’re out over midday. On the meal cruises, drinks and dessert are extra, and on the Vaxholm day trip you buy your own lunch on the island.
A from-price is the cheapest date and option on sale. On Strömma’s archipelago tour, the longer sailings can cost more than the 1.5-hour one, and the date picker shows the price for each length on your day.
Cheaper or newer options with a thinner record
The 1.5-hour Guided Archipelago Islands Tour is the cheapest cruise here at $26, but it is rated 4.0/5, the lowest of the sightseeing cruises. For $1 more, the Vindhem cruise is half an hour longer, includes fika and is rated 4.6.
The two-hour archipelago tour with Swedish fika, from $34, has no reviews yet. The Vindhem cruise also includes fika, costs $7 less and has a long review record. The all-electric winter tour, from $32 for 1.5 hours, is also too new to have any reviews.
The shrimp or tacos cruise with a live band, from $59, is rated 4.2/5 from only 19 reviews, so there is little to go on yet. Strömma’s shrimp cruise costs $7 less and is rated 4.7 from 84 reviews.
Sailing Sweden’s city and archipelago sailing tour is the only sailing day on sale, from $270 per person for 6.5 hours with a skipper’s lunch. It is a new listing with no reviews, and our archipelago sailing guide explains what a sailing day involves.
What does a private boat cost?
Private boats are priced for the whole group, not per person, so the per-person cost depends on how many of you there are.
| Private boat | Price for the group | Up to | Per person when full | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-hour private boat with captain | $950 | 6 people | About $158 | 5.0 from 2 reviews |
| 3-hour private boat with captain | $1,351 | 6 people | About $225 | 4.6 from 3 reviews |
| 3-hour private cruise with a live guide | $1,591 | 16 people | About $99 | No reviews yet |
| 6-hour RIB and floating sauna day | $2,252 | 12 people | About $187 | No reviews yet |
| 3-hour private yacht cruise | $2,537 | 12 people | About $211 | No reviews yet |
With six people, the two-hour private boat works out at about $158 each, roughly the price of a seat on the shared RIB tour. With two people it costs $475 each. The 3-hour private cruise with a guide goes out to Vaxholm and includes a glass of sparkling wine, and with a group of 16 it costs about $99 each. None of the private boats has more than three reviews yet, so check the listing details carefully before you book.
Prices in winter
From late autumn the choice narrows. Strömma’s archipelago tour runs all year on a reduced timetable, and from late December to early April Strömma adds a 75-minute winter cruise on an icebreaking boat, from $41 with blankets on board. Our guide to the best time for an archipelago cruise has the winter timetable.
Is it worth paying more?
For a first look at the archipelago, a $27 to $37 cruise shows you the same inner islands as anything else on this page, and the 2.5 or 3-hour Strömma sailing takes you further for little extra. Paying for a meal makes sense if you’d be eating out anyway. The $159 RIB and the Vaxholm day trip are worth it if you want a smaller group, a faster boat or time ashore, and they are poor value if you mainly want to sit and look at the view.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Stockholm archipelago cruise cost?
A guided sightseeing cruise costs from about $26 to $41 per person when we checked on 7 October 2026. A cruise with lunch or a shrimp dinner costs about $52 to $59, and a two-hour RIB speedboat trip starts at $159.
What is the cheapest Stockholm archipelago boat tour?
The 1.5-hour Guided Archipelago Islands Tour from $26 was the cheapest on 7 October 2026, rated 4.0/5. The two-hour M/S Vindhem cruise costs $1 more, includes fika and is rated 4.6/5.
Is food included on a Stockholm archipelago cruise?
On most sightseeing cruises, no: food and drinks are sold on board. The M/S Vindhem cruise from $27 includes one hot drink and a pastry, and Strömma’s lunch cruise from $55 includes a main course. Drinks are extra on both meal cruises.
Is hotel pickup included?
Not on the cruises. They leave from piers in central Stockholm, mostly on Strandvägen or at Skeppsbron below the Royal Palace, and you make your own way there.
Are prices per person?
Yes, for every cruise, RIB tour and day trip on this page. Only the private boats are priced per group, from $950 for a two-hour boat for up to six people.
See Stockholm from the Water
The archipelago cruise sails from Strandvägen in 1.5, 2.5 and 3-hour lengths, with the widest choice from May to September, a live guide on board and free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Pick your date and length below.
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