Sweden has 267,570 islands, by some counts more than any other nation in the world. They’re so ubiquitous that the Swedish word for island is one letter: ö (pronounced “uh”). Perhaps that’s why Swedes consistently rank near the top of happiness indexes: Here, there are plenty of options to leave the world behind and surround yourself with the healing properties of water.
The largest cluster in Sweden, the Stockholm Archipelago, has 30,000 islands. Once a sheltered trade route for the Vikings, the archipelago became a haven for Swedish glitterati in the late twentieth century. Greta Garbo had a summer home on Ingarö; Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA penned “The Winner Takes It All” in his hideaway on Viggsö.
Now there’s a way for the rest of us to enjoy this summertime haven: via the new 168-mile Stockholm Archipelago Trail. This journey connects twenty different islands. Though it’s called a “trail,” there is no true end or beginning—each island is a hike unto itself.
“Hiking from island to island is extremely Swedish,” says Michael Lemmel, one of the trail’s creators. “Some islands have great restaurants and inns, others have next to nothing. The trail really is diverse, [which] makes it so special.”
The beauty of the new trail is that hikers don’t have to get wet. A ferry services every island on the trail three times per day throughout the summer. Most hikers, however, will want to go for a dip here and there: The islands are full of sandy beaches, protected inlets surrounded by rock slabs perfect for sunning, and—in classic Swedish fashion—saunas.
The average length per section is about eight miles, and the terrain ranges from flat and easy to technical, with rock scrambles and some elevation gain. The longest path is 21.2 miles on the island of Ornö, traversing through dense forests and around inland lakes. For hikers who want solitude, the sparsely inhabited island of Ålö has eight miles of trail, sandy beaches, and a nature reserve where camping is allowed for one night only.
Not interested in camping? There are many chic hotels throughout. Lotstornet, in the village of Landsort, is a retrofitted pilot’s tower with six rooms and endless views of the sea. Arholma’s pastoral Bull-August Farm sports a classic red cottage and a waterfront sauna. Then there’s the iconic Sandhamn Seglarhotell, the one-time clubhouse for the Royal Swedish Yacht Club. The establishment has now been turned into a hotel, restaurant, and “sailing bar, complete with a DJ and partying Stockholmers on the weekends.
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