In spring and summer, it can still be very hot in Sweden. We took full advantage of the incredible facilities on offer in Stockholm and around the Swedish lakes.
Don’t forget to take a dip when you visit Stockholm or Sweden in general, as almost every lake has a small wooden pontoon (super cute), a few picnic tables and a fire pit.
Below, we share with you our 6 most beautiful beaches or places (sometimes just a small pebble) to cool off in Stockholm or the immediate vicinity. We’ve also grouped our favorite beaches on our map to help you find them easily.
Where to swim in Stockholm
You can either take advantage of the small beaches (stranden in Swedish) or the bathing areas (badplats in Swedish) to cool off on hot Swedish summer days. Yes, it’s possible: we’ve had temperatures of up to 30 degrees in the middle of summer. Don’t expect big sandy beaches: in Stockholm, beaches are usually green spaces, pontoons or pebbles.
There are several beaches close to Stockholm. And don’t forget to explore the beautiful nature parks and lakes around Stockholm. Bathing areas in the heart of nature invite you to take a dip.
Even from June to September, the water temperature remains cool. Matthieu and our daughter enjoyed it all the same, but I never managed to get above the knees #teamfrileuse
What are Stockholm’s best beaches?
We list below the 6 most beautiful places to swim in Stockholm.
1. Tanto Beaches: closest to Stockholm
Tanto beach (Tanto strandbad) is one of the closest beaches to the city center. It’s located in the southwest of the island of Södermalm, one of our favorite Stockholm neighborhoods. Easily accessible by public transport or bicycle.
It’s a small sandy beach in a natural park, with a wooden pontoon. There’s also a lovely play area for children.
It’s a lovely place to take a dip during the day or enjoy an aperitif at the end of the day, overlooking the buildings of Stockholm’s suburbs. A victim of its own success, it can be very frequent on sunny days. You can get there by metro to the Horsntull stop (red line), then 5 minutes on foot.
Small sandy beach, lawn, restaurants and public toilets
2. Langholmen island beach: an oasis in the middle of the city
A second small beach is located on theisland of Langholmen, west of Stockholm city center, with a small sandy beach and lawn for relaxing (Långholmsbadet). It’s also a good option for swimming close to Stockholm.
You can get there by metro to the Horsntull stop (red line), then 10 minutes on foot.
Sandy beach, restaurants and public toilets
3. Wooden pontoon in Hellasgarden nature park
And don’t forget to explore the natural parks around Stockholm. The bathing areas are located in the heart of nature. The lakes are generally equipped with wooden pontoons, diving boards and sometimes sandy beaches.
We recommend a visit to the Hellasgarden nature park, south-east of Stockholm. Don’t expect a beautiful sandy beach, but you can take advantage of the lovely wooden pontoon to swim in the lake water, and there’s also a sauna.
In winter in Stockholm, it’s on this lake that you can go ice skating on natural ice.
How do I get there? The pontoon is located in the middle of nature, next to a lake and easily accessible by public transport, in just 20 minutes by bus (bus 401 leaves Slussen every 15 minutes)! A final word of advice: get there early on weekends, as it can get crowded.
Rocks + pontoon
4. Tyresta Nature Park
We recommend a second nature park around Stockholm, Tyresta, 20 kilometers southeast of Stockholm. A great place to swim around Stockholm.
Like the previous park, you’ll find several lakes equipped with a small pontoon. An ideal spot for a swim in the heart of nature.
Rocks + pontoon
5. Mälarhöjdsbadet beach on Lake Malaren
A picturesque swimming area southwest of Stockholm, with pontoon and diving board for the brave. Small restaurant and children’s playground.
Sandy beaches, restaurants and public toilets
6. Beaches of the Stockholm archipelago
If you want to swim in beautiful surroundings, consider a trip to theStockholm archipelago. We loved exploring this corner of Sweden, with its many islets and colorful wooden houses surrounded by greenery.
We recommend a trip to the island of Vaxholm, the best-known and closest, about 1 hour’s boat ride from the historic center. We explain how to get there in our article on visiting the Stockholm archipelago by boat.
Once there, you can visit the small town of Vaxholm and its fortress, then follow the coast to explore part of this still wild island. Weather permitting, you can enjoy a swim on the largest beach at the south-western end of the island(Eriksö Beach). Allow 1 day for this getaway!
To save time, you can opt for a 2.5-hour cruise, which will give you lovely views of Stockholm and take you deep into its verdant archipelago.
Swimming pools around Stockholm
As you’ll see when you come to Sweden, there are plenty of swimming pools, some of which could even be considered water parks. As Swedes have very long winters, we imagine that this is a usual outing when it’s raining or very cold.
Around Stockholm, we didn’t get the chance to try out any swimming pools. Here are those recommended to us by other travelers: Centralbadet is Stockholm’s chic swimming pool, and Kokpunkten Actionbad to the east of Stockholm, a veritable water park. Don’t hesitate to leave us your comments if you try them out.
Private boat rental
The best way to swim wherever you like is, of course, to hire a private boat, so you can explore the archipelago at your own pace and bathe (if you’re not too cold) in complete peace and quiet.
Don’t panic if you are new to sailing, you can rent a boat with or without a license and with or without a skipper. In short, you’re bound to find a formula to suit your needs.
To rent your boat, we recommend the Samboat platform. It’s very simple, they have the most complete offer of boat rental and their website is very easy to use!
You enter your“Stockholm” location, then your dates, then you can filter by type of boat (motorboats, houseboats, small boats…), with or without a license, with or without a skipper: in short, you’re spoilt for choice.
For easy access to the main points of interest, we recommend the Norrmalm district (today’s city center) .
Map of Stockholm’s most beautiful beaches
We wish you an excellent trip, and don’t miss Stockholm’s museums, where you can learn while having fun (yes, it’s possible)! The Vasa ship museum and the Skansen open-air museum are two museums not to be missed!
Feel free to leave us a quick note or 5 stars below, to tell us if you’re planning this trip, to ask any questions you may have, here or on Instagram, we’ll get back to you with great pleasure.
