Sightseeing Boat Tours, Stockholm

'The Classic Way to See Stockholm' - Stockholm Sightseeing

During my stay in Stockholm I saw a lot of the city from its canals and waters. I took in the following tours:

Historical Canal Tour
I got this tour free with my Stockholm Card of 150 SEK (May 2011). The tour takes approximately an hour and goes back 1000 yesrs of Stockholm's history including its historic famous buildings. The tour passes the Old Town (Gamla stan) and also around Kungsholmen and Langholmen Islands.

Royal Canal Tour
I decided to go on this tour for getting a different perspective of the city. The Tour takes you round the Djurgarden Island and passes Fjaderholmarna, Prince Eugen's Waldermarsudde, the Vasa Museum, Sodermalm and Slussen. It costs 150 SEK (May 2011) to take this tour.

Under The Bridges of Stockholm
Since I still had energy to explore Stockholm by water I decided to join this tour! The tour travels under 15 bridges and passes throught two locks that connect the Baltic Sea with Lake Malaren. The tour takes in a lot of old and new parts of the city and I remember how I appreciated Stockholm from the water. The tour cost 200 SEK (May 2011).

You can find out more information on the Stockholm Sightseeing's website.

We went to this sight seeing boat trip called Under the bridges. It is exorbitantly priced.

It is just not worth it...

Instead one can take a round trip by Silja Line or Viking Line to Mariehamm & return. This works out very cheap than the sightseeing boat trip & really worth a visit.

The first tour is called: "UNDER THE BRIDGES OF STOCKHOLM".

If you want to see the whole of STOCKHOLM from the water, you should choose this TWO HOUR conducted trip which passes under 15 bridges and goes through TWO LOCKS.

You will be travelling on both, THE SEA and on LAKE MäLAREN and you will see all the well-known buildings of the city....

is called "THE ROYAL CANAL TOUR" and will take ONE HOUR.

This tour on Stockholm's Waterways starts with a trip along the shady canal of Djurgården.

As the canal opens out into the sea, you return towards the City and pass FJäDERHOLNARNAR, Prince Eugen's WALDEMARSUDDE, the VASA MUSEUM and Södermalm and Slussen.

Again this tour takes one hour...

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Okay, well I had been to Stockholm before and so thought that I'd like a different view of the city.

From the mooring beside our cruise ship, a single-decker covered (mostly) boat took us around the waterways of Stockholm.

We sat in the partially covered section at the back ---it was lashing down with rain but the fresh air plus no steamy windows made it a much better option than being inside!

The guide narrated the tour through a PA system. She was good but we missed bits because of the engine noise.

There was lots to see. We enjoyed going under bridges, through locks, in narrow stretches, in wider parts etc etc

The most interesting part for me was going through the eco-village area: few cars, amazing apartments, vacuum-waste disposal system for everything (like on a ship or plane) including general household.

Would I go again? Yes ---but in better weather because the rain wasn't too helpful when I was taking photos.

Stockholm is a beautiful city, and what better way to see a city made up of islands than by boat? Strömma offers several tours varying in length and route. My husband and I chose the Under the Bridges of Stockholm tour. It was just under two hours long and took us by several points of interest, including Gamla Stan, Södermalm, Lilla and Stora Essingen, past the spot where the Vasa sank, Gröna Lund (the amusement park), and several significant buildings. The boat is covered and seats at least 50 people. There is a little café on board as well as a bathroom. The commentary is not done by a live person, however, but through headphones on the back of the seat in front of you. The commentary came in at least 10 languages, which is great.

The Under the Brides of Stockholm tour was 190SEK per person, departing from Strömkajen and Nybroplan, and runs from April to September. Check their website for more info on the different cruises.

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There are many boat tours that leave from the harbour in Stockholm- check out all the different options and choose one that fits your needs. They are fun, you get a great view and they are in English as well as Swedish.

As Stockholm is built on a couple of islands it makes perfect sense to see the city by boat. I took the Royal Canal Tour which takes you around Djurgarden Island and takes appr. 50 minutes. The commentary is recorded and available in 10 languages.
The tour is maybe a bit expensive with 130 SEK, but it's included in the Stockholm-Card (see my General Tip).
Boat tours are available from late April until mid of December.

There are different cruise itineraries, some head for the Stockholm archipelago (skarsgarden), others head for a canal tour that allows you to experience the sights of Stockholm from a different perspective. The cruises are a convenient way to sample different impressions of the capital, and surely worth your time and money. Be aware that outside the main season you may have limited cruise options, as some routes are operated only in high season.

One of the things to do is to take a boat cruise to view Stockholm and its surroundings from the sea. Stockholm is actually made up of a cluster of islands connected by bridges and underground ways hence boat ways are the way to actually explore the area.

Decided to take a boat cruise - and ended up on an "original" wood Viking boat. For KR150 for 2 hrs - thats a bargain!

There is a guided 1 1/2 hr boat cruise at 530pm daily during summer.