Sweden’s capital is situated among 24,000 smaller nearby islands that are collectively known as the Stockholm Archipelago.  This landscape is beautiful and diverse; the larger islands closer to the city are punctuated with stately homes and scenic inlets, and farther out into the Baltic Sea are countless tiny and often uninhabited islands.

So what are we going to do here?  Go out on a boat and explore them!

There is a ferry service that connects these islands named Waxholmsbolaget.

These large boats operate like a taxi service, and carry passengers across the islands at regular intervals.  All you have to do is climb aboard, buy a ticket, and watch the Baltic go by.

The locals encouraged us to leave early in the morning and travel farther out into the Archipelago, where the islands are lesser traveled and have remained largely untouched.

We decided to spend the day exploring Grinda and swimming in our underwear… we fit right in with the Swedish sunbathers who didn’t seem to mind Chris pretending the water wasn’t cold while splashing around in his Hanes.  We’re from the desert, we have an excuse!

After disembarking on this small island populated by beaches and intimate pastures it is impossible not to feel that we’re kids and it’s summer camp so let’s run around and have fun! vibe.

We were thrilled to find that the tickets are affordable (Sweden is stereotyped as an expensive travel destination) and we spent 360SEK ($42) for the entire day… not bad for a priceless adventure and beautiful daytrip while visiting Stockholm.