with over 30,000 islands making up the archipelago of stockholm, dotting the cool baltic sea, we chose to visit sandhamn, the island farthest from stockholm. it's one of the more popular inhabitaed islands which is why we haven't been before, choosing to visit other less crowded islands instead. but since visiting we can see why it's popular. it's such a cute little island and i regret taking so long to visit.
from stockholm, we took the 9:30 ferry on cinderella arriving in sandhamn two hours later. with online tickets, we were one of the first to board the boat, sitting by the window. along the way, we stopped at small towns to pick up more passengers and enjoyed the view outside.
approaching sandhamn's harbour lined with yachts and boats and red and yellow painted wooden houses, i couldn't help but feel happy to start exploring.
we walked the village, a colorful little neighbourhood with red, white and yellow cottages with small gardens, picture perfect windows. it was lovely.
sandhamn is home to about 100 permanent residents but it's a summer getaway for many swedes so during the summer the population grows to about 3000 residents plus tourists. bonus, no cars are allowed on the island.
in the harbour, we ate lunch at the fish monger. stefan had the mackerel and i had the salmon. i dipped my feet in the sea at fläskberget beach... it was actually warm and i was eager to swim.
after walking further along the forest path, we ended up at the southern point of sandhamn to trouville beach. here, i joined the swedes and swam in the sea. it was refreshing but surprisingly the water was much warmer than i expected.
being in the water is magic.
back in the harbour, dominated by the sandhamn yacht club founded at the turn of the 20th century, small yachts and sailboats filled the harbour. we had a drink here on the terrace, enjoying the view. we peeked into the shops and had ice cream too. the raspberry sorbet was delicious. and, from the café strindbergsgården, i ate one of their waffles with burrata and the sweetest cherry tomatoes.
sandhamn is where sailors meet, creating a party scene during the summer and racing in regattas, including the round gotland race, the most prestigious race in the baltic sea.
the area has a laid back vibe to it, it's really nice.
and then we boarded the cinderella boat for home... wishing we booked a later sailing. see you again, sandhamn.
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