The archipelago boats are public transport, and the ticket you already hold for the metro may cover the trip. Here is where the SL ticket ends, what to buy beyond it, and the on-board routine nobody explains to visitors.
When you need this
You are planning a day on Vaxholm, Grinda, Sandhamn, Utö or Möja, or standing at Strömkajen wondering which ticket to buy. Maybe you already hold an SL ticket and want to know how far it reaches. Or you are bringing a bike or a dog, or visiting when the summer timetable is long gone.
Three kinds of boat
Waxholmsbolaget (Waxholms Ångfartygs AB, founded 1869) runs the public, tax-subsidised boat service in the Stockholm archipelago every day of the year, and serves 299 jetties in summer. It belongs to Region Stockholm; contracted shipping companies such as Blidösundsbolaget, Madam Rederi and Ingmarsö Sjötjänst actually sail the boats. If a departure is in Waxholmsbolaget’s journey planner, its tickets and rules apply, whoever runs the boat.
| Type | Examples | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Waxholmsbolaget | Strömkajen to Vaxholm and Grinda; Stavsnäs to the central archipelago; Årsta brygga to Utö | Its own distance fares, sold in the SL app and on board; SL tickets in part of the network |
| SL commuter boats (pendelbåtar) | Line 80 Nybroplan–Ropsten, line 82 Djurgården ferry, line 84 Ålstäket–Strömkajen, line 89 Ekerö–Klara Mälarstrand | Every SL ticket |
| Private operators | Strömma’s Cinderella boats, Strandvägen–Vaxholm–Grinda–Sandhamn | Their own tickets, booked online |
Many guides still tell you to download the Waxholmsbolaget app. It closed in spring 2025. Tickets, booked departures and disruption information now live in the SL app.
Where your SL ticket works
This is the part most visitors get wrong, usually by paying twice.
Every SL ticket, even a tapped single, is valid year-round on Waxholmsbolaget boats between 44 jetties — the “SL area” from Strömkajen in the city to Vaxholm and the islands around it, reaching Ytterby brygga on Resarö in the north and Ålstäket in the east. A trip to Vaxholm needs nothing beyond the SL ticket in your pocket.
There is one catch inside the city: SL tickets are valid only on lines that run via Vaxholm. Lines 17, 18 and 19, which head for the southern archipelago (Utö, Nämdö) via Baggensstäket, never take SL tickets.
Beyond the SL area it depends on the season:
| When | What covers a trip beyond Vaxholm |
|---|---|
| High season (30 April–13 September) | A Waxholmsbolaget ticket; with an SL ticket you only buy the part beyond the SL area |
| Low season (14 September–29 April) | An SL ticket valid 30 days or longer — 30-day, 90-day or annual, including Arlanda and UL/SL versions — covers every Waxholmsbolaget line |
Shorter SL tickets, such as the 72-hour or 7-day, do not count in low season. And if you start in Vaxholm and head out in high season, you need a Waxholmsbolaget ticket for the whole trip.
This autumn the low-season rule is unusually cheap. SL’s 30-day ticket is half price until 2 December 2026 (see our guide to Stockholm public transport). One ticket then covers the metro, buses, trams, commuter trains and every archipelago boat.
Buying a Waxholmsbolaget ticket
Singles are priced in six fare bands (taxa 1–6) by the length of the trip and are valid for 180 minutes from when you start them. Search your trip in the SL app, on sl.se or on waxholmsbolaget.se and the result shows the band, the line and the berth.
- In the SL app: singles, group singles and the kombinationsbiljett, a 180-minute boat-plus-SL ticket. It costs exactly the same as the two tickets bought separately; it simply saves a second purchase.
- On board: every ticket type, including returns, paid by Visa or Mastercard. A return costs the same as two singles, needs both jetties in the same fare band, and its return half is valid for 90 days.
- The 5-day boat-hopper ticket (båtluffarbiljett) gives unlimited Waxholmsbolaget travel for five days from first use. It is sold only on board, loaded on an SL card, with no reduced price, and is not valid on SL.
The boat-hopper ticket is built for island hopping. Until 1–2 December 2026, though, a 30-day ticket costs less, whether Waxholmsbolaget’s own or SL’s half-price one.
Reduced fares cover ages 7 to 19, students with a student ID carrying the SL logo, and people 65 and over. Children under 7 travel free with a paying traveler. Unlike on SL, a Waxholmsbolaget ticket does not let an adult bring children aged 7 to 11 free. That SL rule still applies inside the SL area if you travel on an SL ticket.
On board and at the jetty
The routine differs from the metro in three ways.
- Print a paper ticket. Whatever you travel on — an app ticket, an SL card, an SL period ticket or a combination ticket — tap it on the ticket reader on board. The reader prints a paper ticket, even if you already tapped the ticket elsewhere today.
- Hand it in on the way off. The deckhand (matros) collects the paper ticket at the gangway.
- Signal at small jetties. At the end of most archipelago jetties is a semafor, a round folding disc. Raise it upright and turn it toward the boat, or the boat may pass. In darkness or fog, signal with a light such as a torch and stand where the crew can see you. Fold it down again when you board.
Some islands and jetties are served only when a trip has been booked in advance. The journey planner shows a booking button on those departures; you book on sl.se and get an SMS confirmation.
SL’s delay compensation never applies to Waxholmsbolaget boats, whatever ticket you travel on.
Bikes, dogs, strollers and luggage
| Item | Waxholmsbolaget rule |
|---|---|
| Hand luggage | Under 30 kg; anything more is goods and costs extra |
| Stroller | Free with a child under 7; otherwise charged |
| Ordinary bike | Free, space permitting; the crew decides, and a bike can be left on the jetty if the boat is full |
| E-bike or e-scooter | Outside on deck |
| Bike trailer, cargo bike, tandem | Charged |
| Dog | Free, on a leash, in the signed pet areas |
| Small pet | Free, in a bag or cage |
| Guide or assistance dog | Free, and may sit anywhere |
Most larger islands have bike rental, which is worth knowing on a busy summer weekend. SL’s commuter boats also take bikes when there is room. The Cinderella boats take bikes for an extra fee and welcome pets on the outside deck.
Seasons, timetables and ice
Waxholmsbolaget changes timetables four times a year, and some lines run only part of a period. The 2026 autumn timetable runs from 17 August to Saturday 12 December, shaped around school and work travel. On public holidays and bridge days a boat may follow another weekday’s timetable, so read the notes rather than the calendar.
Summer brings several daily departures from Strömkajen and late-summer trips on the classic steamships (in 2026, Norrskär, Storskär and Västan until 14 September). Winter is far quieter, but the boats still run every day.
When the archipelago freezes, Waxholmsbolaget switches to an ice timetable (istidtabell) with fewer, slower departures, some bookable only in advance. Do not plan a winter return on the last boat of the day. SL’s line 80 skips some Storholmen jetties in ice.
Where the boats leave from
| Harbour | Serves | Getting there |
|---|---|---|
| Strömkajen, central Stockholm | Northern and central archipelago; almost every departure calls at Vaxholm | Metro to Kungsträdgården; it faces the Grand Hôtel and the Nationalmuseum |
| Vaxholm | Gateway town | Boat, or bus 670 from Tekniska högskolan |
| Stavsnäs, Värmdö | Year-round hub for the central archipelago | Bus 433 or 434 from Slussen |
| Årsta brygga, Haninge | Most departures to Utö (also from Strömkajen in summer) | Commuter train to Västerhaninge, then bus 846 |
| Nynäshamn | Southern archipelago | Commuter train from the city |
| Strandvägen, berth 14 | Private Cinderella boats, not Waxholmsbolaget | Central Stockholm |
Two changes this autumn: Waxholmsbolaget has used a new jetty at Nacka strand, about 100 metres east of the old one, since 17 August 2026. Several jetties are also closed for repairs into June 2027, including Bromskär on Blidö, so check traffic information before you go. At Möja, the electric hydrofoil Nova runs between Sollenkroka and Berg until autumn 2027.
Mistakes to avoid
- Buying a boat ticket to Vaxholm while holding an SL ticket, which already covers it.
- Taking a 72-hour or 7-day SL ticket beyond Vaxholm. Only 30-day-plus tickets count, and only in low season.
- Waiting at Strandvägen for a Waxholmsbolaget boat. Its city base is Strömkajen.
- Leaving the ticket in your phone. Without the printed paper ticket you have nothing to hand over.
Practical information
| Item | Detail (checked 2026-09-25) |
|---|---|
| Waxholmsbolaget single, 180 minutes | 61–186 kr adult / 39–114 kr reduced, by fare band 1–6 |
| Return | Two singles; return half valid 90 days |
| Combination ticket (boat + SL) | Same as the two tickets bought separately |
| 5-day boat-hopper ticket | 595 kr adult; no reduced price |
| Waxholmsbolaget 30-day, half price | 530 kr adult / 325 kr reduced, bought by 1 December 2026 |
| SL 30-day, half price (all boats in low season) | 530 kr adult / 325 kr reduced, bought and activated by 2 December 2026 |
| SL card bought on board | 50 kr |
| Stroller without a child under 7 | 65 kr |
| Bike trailer, cargo bike or tandem | 120–240 kr (check on board) |
| Children under 7, ordinary bikes, dogs | Free |
| Low season (30-day SL tickets valid everywhere) | 14 September 2026 – 29 April 2027 |
| Customer service | 08-600 10 00 (press 2), around the clock; accessibility line 020 120 20 22 |
FAQ
Can I use my SL ticket on the Waxholm boats?
Yes, partly. Every SL ticket, including a tapped single, is valid year-round on Waxholmsbolaget boats between 44 jetties from Strömkajen to Vaxholm and the islands around it. Beyond that area you need a Waxholmsbolaget ticket, except from 14 September to 29 April, when SL tickets valid 30 days or longer cover every line. Lines 17–19 via Baggensstäket never take SL tickets.
How much does the boat to the Stockholm archipelago cost?
Waxholmsbolaget singles are priced in six distance bands, from 61 to 186 kronor for an adult and 39 to 114 kronor reduced, checked September 2026, each valid 180 minutes. A return costs the same as two singles. The journey planner shows which band your trip falls in. Private operators such as the Cinderella boats set their own, higher prices.
Where do I buy Waxholmsbolaget tickets?
In the SL app, which sells singles, group singles and the combined boat-and-SL ticket, or on board, where every ticket type is sold and you pay by Visa or Mastercard. The old Waxholmsbolaget app closed in spring 2025. Whichever way you buy, tap the ticket on the reader on board to print a paper ticket for the deckhand.
Which ticket is best for a few days of island hopping?
The 5-day boat-hopper ticket costs 595 kronor and is sold on board. In autumn 2026, though, a 30-day ticket is cheaper: Waxholmsbolaget’s is 530 kronor if bought by 1 December, and SL’s half-price 30-day ticket, also 530 kronor, covers every archipelago boat plus the metro and buses in low season.
Can I take a bike or a dog on the archipelago boats?
Yes. On Waxholmsbolaget an ordinary bike rides free when there is room, and the crew decides; e-bikes go outside on deck, and trailers or cargo bikes cost 120–240 kronor. Dogs ride free on a leash in the signed pet areas, and small pets in a bag or cage. SL’s commuter boats also take bikes when there is space.
Do the archipelago boats run in winter?
Yes. Waxholmsbolaget runs every day of the year, but with far fewer departures than in summer, and Stavsnäs is the year-round hub for the central archipelago. When the sea freezes, an ice timetable with fewer, slower departures applies, and some trips must be booked ahead. Check the journey planner and traffic information on the day.
How do I get the boat to stop at a jetty?
Raise the semaphore, the round folding sign at the end of the jetty, into its upright position and turn it toward the approaching boat. In darkness or fog, signal with a light such as a torch and stand where the crew can see you. Fold the semaphore down again when you board. Some jetties need the trip booked in advance.
What is the difference between Waxholmsbolaget and the Cinderella boats?
Waxholmsbolaget is Region Stockholm’s public archipelago service from Strömkajen and other harbours, with fares that also sit in the SL app. The Cinderella boats are a private Strömma service from Strandvägen via Vaxholm and Grinda to Sandhamn, about two and a half hours, with their own tickets and online booking.
Related guides
- Stockholm public transport — the SL ticket and the half-price 30-day offer that covers the boats
- The Stockholm archipelago — which islands to go to once you know how to get there
- Sweden in winter — ice, darkness and what else slows down
- Bikes on Swedish public transport — the rules on trains and buses before and after the boat
- Dogs on Swedish public transport — getting your dog to the jetty
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Waxholmsbolaget and SL (both Region Stockholm), Strömma for the Cinderella boats, and SVT for ice timetables — full register in this topic’s source file. The half-price 30-day tickets end on 1–2 December 2026 and the autumn timetable ends on 12 December. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.