Vaxholm Fortress image

Vaxholm Fortress

Restaurant Tourist attraction Museum Historical landmark Conference center

One of the Best Places To Visits in Ytterby


Address

KASTELLET 1, 185 99 Vaxholm, Sweden

Website

www.kastellet.com

Contact

+46 8 120 048 70

Rating on Google Maps

4.30 (1.7K reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Monday: Open 24 hours
  • Tuesday: Open 24 hours
  • Wednesday: Open 24 hours
  • Thursday: Open 24 hours
  • Friday: Open 24 hours
  • Saturday: Open 24 hours
  • Sunday: (Christmas Eve), Open 24 hours, Hours might differ

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: ferry (20) fortress (19) castle (14) Vaxholm (12) museum (11) visit (10) Stockholm (7) time (6) island (6) interesting (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 John K. 3 years ago on Google
    If a visit to Stockholm allows enough time to get out of the city for part of a day, I can't imagine a better diversion than a visit to this castle. Our ferry left from the western terminal, giving us a different view of the Royal Castle as we left. The boat ride also gives you water views of the Prince Eugene museum, the "God our Father on the Rainbow" statue/fountain, spectacular summer houses on the archipelago, and a look at some of the prettiest ships I've ever seen. After arriving in Vaxholm, we wandered the town and found a lovely lunch under a tent just steps from the dock. Our daughter (the local expert) tells me that with such a short tourist season, restaurants in Sweden won't survive if they don't provide quality and value to the locals. So, we never encountered a 'tourist trap' restaurant, no matter how close it was to any kind of attraction. A small, cable guided ferry takes you from the town to the castle itself. Vaxholm sits on one of the major shipping lanes into Stockholm, and the castle was built to protect the city from unwanted visitors. Most of what you find inside is a museum outlining the history of the protection of Sweden's coastline. Swedish museums have a delightful tendency to include little things that will frighten visitors, and this one was no exception. I won't include any spoilers, but it made my wife gasp, and then laugh. As a way of feeling like you are leaving the tourist center of the country, and are truly seeing part of Sweden, this is an amazing way to spend a summer afternoon.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Babatunde A. 2 years ago on Google
    Well worth my money and time ☺.. We used the ferry from Stockholm to Vaxholm ..then got the ferry to the fortress and ensure you do the tower first, you need the energy to get to the top, trust me 😂. Also wear comfy shoes, preferably trainers..back at vaxhom get ice cream and ensure you go to the beach...it is small, not really a beach 😂 for real beach lovers but you can swim and the kids can have fun..
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Govindan M. 1 year ago on Google
    Awesome place to try out during the summer.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Veronika W. 7 months ago on Google
    We were very excited to visit this fortress however it was big disappoinment for us. It is changed into a hotel ( it can be nice to stay over night at this place - but nothing else to do) and except for the tower, where there is a nice view, there is nothing to see. Admission is free. Only the ferry is paid. Definitely not worth a visit for me. Very small town to walk through, you're going to be done in less than 10 - 15 min. If you really plan to visit this place go by public transport - from Stockholm you are here by bus in 34-45min and it costs a few crowns. Cruises are very expensive to get here and the result is not really worth it. Sweden has beautiful nature and it is worth paying for a cruise or other sightseeing tour of smaller islands and surroundings. We would rather skip this island next time
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Cisco 1 year ago on Google
    The Castle was quite impressive. The walk up to the top was not for folks with mobility issues. The architecture was amazing, brick laid spiral staircases, thick castle walls and cannon. Thought about perhaps returning to visit overnight. The most interesting thing about the adventure was the ferry ride across the channel. Cable driven on the way back from the castle. Guess how the pedestrian only ferry gets over to the castle from the dock? Took me a while to figure it out. The inexpensive ticket included access to the castle. If you love castles, history, ferries or just plain wander lust, this fun ferry ride is well worth the fare. Cash and cars can be a problem. It is of course 🇸🇪 Sweden, and Vaxholm tends to be crowded for vehicles during peak tourist season. I swish you a pleasant visit to this castle.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Sith a. 8 months ago on Google
    So we took the ferry from Stockholm to Vaxholm which doesn't come with the usual public transport SL tickets (it's 97 for adults and 64 SEK for student per trip) then we realize that we need to take another boat around 20 meters to the fortress which is another around 100 SEK 🤣🤣
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Tomas “Lapp3n” L. 8 months ago on Google
    It's an old fortress that was defending Stockholm from the bad guys. It has a bed and breakfast, cafe museum and a small souvenir shop. The ferry to the fortress cost 100Skr for a return ticket and then the museum cost the same to enter. But it was a nice tripp if you are interested in some history and a very nice fortress indeed.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Arnab P. 1 year ago on Google
    Accessible by scenic ferry ride from Kungstagarden, this largest fortress in Swedish Archipelago features military relics and historical period furnishings. The Vaxholm ferry departs from Stromkajen next to Kungstagarden and near Stockholm’s ‘Grand Hotel’. In the time of my visit, the direct ferry from the Vaxholm ferry station to the foot of the fortress was adjourned, so I had to call a private water taxi, a fun ride in a small boat costing 300 SEK, takes around 2-3mins to reach the entry point of the museum. The castle is picturesque when visualised from the ferry/boat and the scenery from the highest point of castle(around 200 stairs) was breathtaking. Since I visited the fortress in the winter, the museum was closed, so I would suggest to plan around June-September.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Febrina M. 7 months ago on Google
    Absolutely loved it here. The Vaxholm fortress itself is impressive with a large courtyard and lots of roses (we visited in July). It has a restaurant (with limited fika options during lunchtime) and a nice museum. The entrance fee to the museum was 100kr for adults, sadly there was no student discount. I found the basement level which tells how people used to live in Vaxholm particularly interesting and the stories were told very well with a lot of multimedia experience. The very short cable ferry trip to reach it was kinda expensive though (100kr for a runaround trip)

  • 5/5 John G. 1 year ago on Google
    Really enjoyable day out. The fortress is really well maintained and offers great views over the archipelago. The museum tour was very informative and the staff were friendly throughout.

  • 4/5 Bhanu Prasad M. 10 months ago on Google
    Great place to roam and have a picnic. It is well maintained and clean. 100kr for round ticket to fortress. Also have to pay to visit museum inside the fortress.

  • 5/5 Paola Pratz A. 8 months ago on Google
    Nice view! And don't miss the ice cream on the most famous corner!

  • 3/5 Kadir A. 9 months ago on Google
    From the outside, the Vaxholm Fortress looked fantastic. The courtyard is big, and you see everywhere something interesting around the fortress. The museum was not a disappointment, but I expected a bit more of history, or a more interesting design. It was a bit boring and the design was more for kids. The transport way was also something that very annoyed me. It was a short trip of 1 minutes maybe, and they charged me for one way 5 euros! I understand it is a tourist attraction and everything but 5 euros... Anyway, in general 3 stars. It would be 4, but the transport way really annoyed me.

  • 4/5 Patrick O. 9 months ago on Google
    Imposing castle on an island, a short ferry hop from the town of Vaxholm. Very well maintained. Variety of cannons through the ages. Lots to explore, or just relax and ponder life.

  • 5/5 Hasan B. 10 months ago on Google
    What a great fort, with lovely restaurant and gift shops and super free musuem for children

  • 5/5 Yishen Z. 1 year ago on Google
    A lot of fun to run around the island exploring, evening during the cold winter weather. But don't come alone, otherwise you might not be brave enough to go down some of the dark passages on the island. If the passage doors close on you and you are by yourself, there is no one on the island to free you :(

  • 5/5 Waldemar K. 1 year ago on Google
    Vaxholm Fortress is an interesting place to visit. You can admire this charming place from the fortress. To get here you need to buy a ticket for the ship (Waxholmsbolaget) on the quay opposite the Grand Hotel. A return ticket for one person costs 200 sk.

  • 5/5 Nipun A. 1 year ago on Google
    Great historical and well maintained castle. You have to take a ferry to reach the castle, cost 90kr. After reaching Castle it's an amazing place. There are amazing cannons and launchers, some looks from the recent past. Good time to go in the early afternoon and morning, as in late afternoon, coffee shops are closed. Castle has some hidden doors which are accessible to the Castle staff, they might allow you incase you request them. Also around the castle it's a great walk.

  • 5/5 Ademar A. 1 year ago on Google
    I visited the fortress with my work colleagues. We had a blast over there. At first we were greatly welcomed with tea, coffee and pastries, followed by loads of team building activities that challenged us in many different ways, leadership, strategy, strength, logic and also music. Later we had a super lunch served by the chefs of the fortress, which I super recommended as well (including veggie and vegan options), the staff were great with us at all the time. We left the place with loads of great and fun memories. Super recommended for both, personal visitors and business activities.

  • 5/5 Moldovan C. 6 years ago on Google
    A true keep, well preserved as it looks like it can withstand several more centuries! Several guns and heavy artillery pieces lay around, well restored too. Access is easy enough with a 2 minutes ferry from the mainland. A highly recommended attraction.

  • 5/5 N K. 2 years ago on Google
    Small fort, free entry, boat charges 50 kr. Nothing much to see but you can have some good photographs

  • 4/5 ALOK K. 2 years ago on Google
    View is amazing from the top of fortress. It's on vaxholm Island and you can reach the fortress via ferry from the vaxholm island.

  • 5/5 niloofar h. 1 year ago on Google
    It has Lovely views and interesting history!


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