Strömma Archipelago Tour with Guide: What to Know Before You Book
A live-guided cruise into Stockholm’s inner archipelago from Strandvägen, sold as 1.5, 2.5 and 3-hour tours. The scenery and the guides get good reports. How good the experience is depends quite a lot on where you sit, because seats aren’t allocated.
Tour details
- Rating: 4.3/5 from more than 11,900 reviews on GetYourGuide
- Price: from $30 per person when we checked on 1 October 2026
- Length: 1.5, 2.5 or 3 hours, depending on the boat you book
- Departs: Strandvägen, berths 14 to 16, opposite the Hotel Diplomat
- Commentary: a live guide on board, in Swedish and English
- Cancellation: free up to 24 hours before
What to expect on the Strömma archipelago tour
Stockholm sits at the inner edge of an archipelago of somewhere between 24,000 and 30,000 islands, and the first of them are a short boat ride from the city centre. Strömma’s Archipelago Tour with Guide lets you see them without working out a ferry timetable. You board on Strandvägen, a guide talks you through the islands, and the boat brings you back to where you started. It started from $30 per person when we checked on 1 October 2026.
The calendar below shows which tour lengths are running on your dates. Outside summer that usually means the 2.5-hour boat every day and the 3-hour boat at weekends.
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What you see is the inner archipelago: wooded islands, summer cottages and large waterfront villas, with Vaxholm and its fortress at the far end of the longer routes. Travellers regularly praise the views, and reviewers say a good part of the commentary is about the houses along the shore and who owns them.
You can reach the same water on the public Waxholmsbolaget boats, but then you are planning a route, a return sailing and a day on an island. The guided tour is a round trip with commentary, which suits a short stay or a day when you only have a morning or an afternoon free.
We haven’t taken this tour. For this guide we checked Strömma’s own timetable and the current GetYourGuide listing, and read recent traveller reports in English and German, looking closely at what people said about seating, the commentary and the length of the cruise.
There are four things worth knowing before you book:
- Seats aren’t allocated, and there are only a few outdoor seats on the upper deck. On cold or wet days the indoor seats can run out.
- Several reviewers say the guide mostly points out sights on the right-hand side of the boat.
- The commentary is in Swedish and English, and it can be hard to hear in parts of the boat.
- The boat doesn’t stop anywhere, and some people found 2.5 or 3 hours too long.
The boat depends on the tour length you book, and each one is described below.
Those reviews are a minority. The tour holds 4.3 out of 5 from more than 11,900 reviews, and guides and transport both score 4.4. Value for money scores a little lower, at 4.2.
1.5, 2.5 or 3 hours?
The three lengths are three different boats, leaving from three berths next to each other on Strandvägen.
| Length | Boat | Berth | Season (2026 timetable) | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 hours | M/S Angantyr or M/S Evert Taube (1 h 45 min) | 14 | 30 April to 20 September | Around Fjäderholmarna |
| 2.5 hours | M/S Östanå I | 15 | Most of the year (see below) | The inner archipelago, out towards Vaxholm |
| 3 hours | S/S Stockholm | 16 | 7 February to 31 December, weekends only outside summer | Out past Vaxholm |
A few people on the longer tours said the views began to repeat after the first hour or so, and that 90 minutes would have been enough. If you mainly want a taste of the archipelago, the 1.5-hour tour is enough, but it only runs in summer.
The 2.5-hour tour runs for most of the year. Recent reviewers describe it going up towards Vaxholm and back.
The 3-hour tour runs on S/S Stockholm, a steamship with a restaurant that serves a brunch buffet on some departures. Strömma notes that you won’t hear the guide in the restaurant.
Some travellers expected the boat to weave between small islands. Several reviewers say it mostly follows the wider channels, so you see much of the archipelago from a distance.
Finding a seat on board
Seating comes up in more of the lower-rated reviews than anything else. Seats aren’t allocated, and the outdoor seats along the sides of the upper deck tend to go first. On M/S Östanå I the rest of the upper deck is a restaurant, reserved for lunch or dinner guests on departures that serve meals. Several reviewers only found this out on board.
Sightseeing guests use the main-deck saloon or any unreserved outdoor seat. On busy departures, extra folding chairs may be put out on deck.
On a cold or rainy day far more people want a seat inside, and reviewers on several departures between October and April say the indoor seats ran out and they stood for part of the trip. Some indoor seats face inwards, and several reviewers found the windows small or smeared. Getting to the berth early is the main thing that helps.
Sightseeing ticket or the lunch cruise?
The Archipelago Cruise with Lunch is the same 2.5-hour cruise on the same boat, with a main course and a reserved table in the upper-deck restaurant. It started from $55 per person on 1 October 2026 and is rated 4.5 from more than 300 reviews. Drinks are extra. Its lower-rated reviews don’t mention the shortage of seats. A couple say the commentary was harder to hear over the diners, or that their table had a view of only one side.
The sightseeing ticket makes sense in warm weather, when the outdoor seats are pleasant and you don’t mind standing for part of the trip. Consider the lunch cruise between October and April, or if a guaranteed seat indoors matters more to you than the extra $25 or so.
Tips for booking the Strömma archipelago tour
- Check the boat name and berth on your booking. The 1.5, 2.5 and 3-hour boats leave from neighbouring berths, and the listing’s description and meeting-point section give different boats and times. Go by your voucher. One recent reviewer said their 1.5-hour ticket also scanned on the 3-hour boat, so it is worth asking the crew which tour you are boarding.
- Arrive at least 20 minutes early if you want a deck seat. Several reviewers who got a deck seat say they queued well before departure. One group arrived 40 minutes early and were still about 30th in the queue.
- Sit on the right-hand side if you can. Several reviewers on the left said most of the commentary was about the other side of the boat, on the way out and on the way back.
- Book the 10:30 departure from late October. By mid-November the sun sets at about 15:20, and in December before 15:00, so the second half of a 14:00 cruise is after sunset.
- Pick up a route map when you board. There are route maps on board, but not always enough for everyone, and one reviewer only noticed them near the end. A map makes the commentary much easier to follow.
How the cruise runs
You board at Strandvägen, across the road from the Hotel Diplomat. On M/S Östanå I the main deck is an indoor saloon with the café and toilets, and the upper deck has the restaurant and an open deck along the sides.
The guide speaks over loudspeakers, first in Swedish and then in English. One reviewer said that by the time the English came, the sight had already passed. The boat leaves the city and heads out into the islands. On the 2.5-hour tour it turns around near Vaxholm without stopping. Two reviewers say it came back by a different route, and one had to cross to the other side to see Vaxholm Fortress on the way back.
The café sells sandwiches, pastries, snacks, coffee, beer and wine, at Stockholm prices. Blankets are available for the open deck.
The commentary
Reviews praise the guides for being funny and well informed. The complaints are more often about the sound than about the guide. The loudspeakers can be hard to follow at the back of the boat, on the open deck and near the engines, and several people inside said the speakers were too quiet or crackled.
Opinions on the commentary itself are more mixed. Some people enjoy hearing who owns which villa. Others hoped for more history of Stockholm and the archipelago and found the commentary thin on that. If history is what you are after, a walking tour of Gamla Stan or the Vasa Museum covers it in more depth than the cruise does.
Running in autumn and winter
Strömma markets the tour as running all year, but each length has its own season.
The 1.5-hour boat stopped for the year on 20 September. In 2026 it ran from 30 April, and the 2027 times hadn’t been published when we checked.
From October to 28 November the 2.5-hour tour sails every day at 10:30 and 14:00. It then stops from 29 November to 25 December, when the boat is listed on Strömma’s Christmas dining cruises, and sails daily again from 26 to 31 December. In 2026 it ran Thursday to Sunday from early January to the end of March. The 2027 winter timetable hadn’t been published on 1 October.
The 3-hour tour on S/S Stockholm sails at 12:00 on Saturdays and Sundays until 31 December. In 2026 it didn’t run from 1 January to 6 February.
If your dates fall in the December gap, Strömma’s separate Archipelago Winter Boat Tour is a shorter guided trip that runs daily from 24 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. Our guide to the best time for an archipelago cruise has a date checker that shows what is sailing on a given day.
Other practical things to know
- The boats aren’t suitable for wheelchair users. There are stairs and thresholds on board, and the gangway can slope at low water.
- Foldable strollers are allowed but have to stay on the main deck.
- Dogs are welcome, but have to stay outside or in a designated area.
- Strömma occasionally swaps a boat or shortens a departure for technical reasons, and the lower-rated reviews include a few people moved from the 2.5 or 3-hour tour onto the 1.5-hour boat. If your departure is changed, ask the crew what refund applies before you board.
- Free WiFi is listed, but one recent reviewer found it wasn’t working.
- The open deck is windy even in summer, so bring a warm layer.
Is the Strömma archipelago tour worth it?
Yes, if you want to see the inner archipelago in a morning or an afternoon, with commentary, without planning ferries. At $30 or so per person for 2.5 hours on the water, it is one of the lower-cost guided ways to do that.
It works well in summer, when the long evenings let you choose any departure. In colder weather, the lunch cruise may be worth the extra simply for the reserved indoor table.
If you would rather stand on an island than look at one from the deck, the public Waxholmsbolaget boats go to Vaxholm and stop there, and our guide to Stockholm’s ferries explains how they work. If you want someone else to organise the day, the small-group Vaxholm day trip takes up to 10 people by boat to Vaxholm for a walk through the town and a visit to the fortress museum. It started from $218 per person on 1 October and is rated 4.7 from 49 reviews.
If you do book the standard cruise outside summer, check which boats are running on your dates before you settle on a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Strömma archipelago tour?
It comes in three lengths: 1.5 hours on M/S Angantyr or M/S Evert Taube (the Evert Taube sailing takes 1 hour 45 minutes), 2.5 hours on M/S Östanå I and 3 hours on S/S Stockholm. Each one leaves from its own berth on Strandvägen, so check your booking for the boat and berth.
Which side of the boat should I sit on?
The right-hand side, if you can. Several reviewers sitting on the left said most of the commentary was about sights on the right, both on the way out and on the way back.
Does the boat stop at Vaxholm or any island?
No. It is a round trip from Strandvägen with no stops. To spend time in Vaxholm, take a public Waxholmsbolaget boat or a guided day trip that goes ashore.
Is the commentary in English?
Yes, but not only in English. Strömma describes the guide as Swedish- and English-speaking, and reviewers describe each point being given in Swedish and then in English.
Does it run in October and winter?
Partly. In October and November the 2.5-hour tour sails daily at 10:30 and 14:00 until 28 November, and the 3-hour tour sails at weekends at 12:00. The 1.5-hour tour stopped on 20 September. The 2.5-hour tour doesn’t run from 29 November to 25 December, and the 2027 winter timetable hadn’t been published on 1 October 2026.
Is food included?
No. Each boat has a café selling sandwiches, snacks, coffee, beer and wine. A main course and a reserved restaurant table come with the separate lunch cruise on M/S Östanå I.
Can I cancel?
The listing currently offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. If Strömma cancels for weather or safety, its terms give a full refund of the ticket price.
How we put this together
Nobody on our team has taken this cruise. This guide is based on Strömma’s published timetables and product pages, the GetYourGuide listing, and recent traveller reports in English and German, including the lower-rated ones. The rating, review counts and prices were checked on 1 October 2026 and change with the season.
If you book through the links on this page we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t affect which tours we recommend.
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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