Best of Vaxholm: Stories of Fishermen, Soldiers and Summer Holidays

(3 reviews)

Vaxholm audio tour: Best of Vaxholm: Stories of Fishermen, Soldiers and Summer Holidays

This is a 1.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 60 mins to complete.

Vaxholm

Sweden

$7.99

Access all 32 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

Buy for a Group

Reviews

About the Tour

Stockholm’s archipelago is a world of 30,000 islands and skerries, but its true essence is captured in the charming town of Vaxholm. On this walking tour, you’ll hear the stories behind Sweden’s coastal defense and the summer paradise that wealthy Stockholmers have cherished for over 150 years. From rounded granite rocks shaped by ancient ice to red wooden houses painted with the famous Falu red colour, Vaxholm is a slice of authentic Swedish island life.

This tour starts at the harbor in front of the historic Waxholms Hotel, with views of the imposing Vaxholm Fortress. You’ll weave through the Fishermen’s Town with its distinctive wooden architecture, stroll past centuries-old water pumps, and explore charming streets where Swedish summer life has flourished since steamboats first connected Vaxholm to Stockholm in the 1840s. Along the way, you’ll discover how this strategic defense point has shaped the town’s unique character.

You’ll hear stories about brave fishermen’s wives who rowed fresh herring to Stockholm markets each day, and the tale of a Polish-Lithuanian princess who chose imprisonment with her husband over freedom. The tour ends back at the harbor, where you can continue your exploration of this precious archipelago.

On this 60-minute walking tour, you’ll have a chance to:

Learn about Vaxholm Fortress which twice saved Stockholm from invasion
Explore Battery Park (Batteriparken) with its hidden ammunition storage and cannon placements from the 1700s
Notice the smooth granite rocks shaped by ancient glaciers that characterize the Stockholm Archipelago
Walk through an authentic fishermen’s village with its old traditional homes
Hear the story behind the town’s iconic bell tower with its golden rooster (kyrktupp)
Discover why wealthy Stockholmers built hundreds of elegant wooden villas here between 1860 and 1930
See Sweden’s oldest charity donation box from the mid-1700s with its touching inscription
Find the best spots for traditional Swedish fika or authentic local herring dishes

Take this walk through Vaxholm to experience the perfect blend of Swedish defense history, maritime traditions, and summer holiday charm in the capital of Stockholm’s archipelago.

Tour Producer

Ausra Visocke

8 tours

Hi! I’m Ausra — originally from the Baltics and now living in Sweden for almost ten years. For the past seven years, I have worked as a professional tourist guide, leading international groups in Stockholm Old Town, Uppsala and across the Nordic region. People repeatedly say they feel my passion, and my tours are among the very best they have ever had!

I have a deep interest in history, cultural traditions, and the stories that connect countries around the Baltic Sea. What I truly love is weaving separate historical events into one meaningful, connected story of a city, a country, or even an entire region of Northern Europe.

In my tours, you will discover connections between:
* past and present
* major historical events and modern cultural identity
* powerful personalities and the story of a nation.

One of the key historical figures in many of my tours is Katarina Jagiellon, the Lithuanian-Polish princess who became Duchess of Finland and later Queen of Sweden. Her mother was Italian, and her other ancestors were from Austria, Hungary and other European royal families. She connected Europe through art, culture and influence. Her powerful life story unfolds, connecting Stockholm, Uppsala, Vaxholm, Kalmar, Kaunas, Tallinn and many other cities in the region, revealing how dynastic politics and religious conflicts shaped the Baltic Sea region. It is a loyal, strong lady who was often overshadowed by her husband, the King Johan III, but I am on a mission to tell her remarkable story to the world! Most probably, you will learn a bit about her in one of the stories of my tours.

Now, as a mother of three small children, my opportunities to travel frequently are more limited. But thanks to VoiceMap, I can continue sharing my favourite stories and guide you through wonderful cities in the Nordics.

Cities where I offer self-paced audio tours:
* Stockholm Old Town (Gamla Stan)
* Central Stockholm
* Uppsala
* Vaxholm
* Kalmar
* Karlskrona
* Tallinn Old Town
* Kaunas Old Town

I am proud that some of my self-paced tours are top-ranked on platforms such as Viator and TripAdvisor.

If you are looking for a self-guided audio tour in Sweden or the Baltics and a historically rich walking tour experience, you are in the right place.

Thank you for choosing to explore Northern Europe with me.

Ausra

Preview Location

Location 7

Stockholm Archipelago and Princess Katarina Jagellion

Once you’re almost at the top, take a look at the ground. Can you see the round metal structures in the ground? These are remains of mechanisms that once allowed soldiers to reposition cannons when needed as the place where you stand is the place where some of the massive cann... Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

The VoiceMap app uses GPS to play audio automatically, at the right time and place, so you can focus on your surroundings, not the screen.

Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a fixed starting point. That lets us give turn-by-turn directions and use context to tell a better story.

Resume playback to go at your own pace

If you'd like to stop for a drink or go into a museum, end your tour then use the Resume feature to pick up exactly where you left off.

Listen as many times as you like

You can listen to your tours as often as you like using both the VoiceMap app and website.

Take virtual tours anywhere, like a podcast

Select Virtual mode in the VoiceMap app to listen to tours like a podcast - at home or in transit.

Buy for less on voicemap.me and sync

Once you've purchased a tour, it's added to your VoiceMap library. To access it in the app, just sign in using the same account.

Do tours without paying for data

Tours work offline, so you don't have to pay roaming fees. Just download them over WiFi before you get started.

Major Landmarks

Waxholms Hotell
Vaxholm Fortress
Vaxholm Färjeterminal
Battery park
Batteriparken simplats
Vaxholms Hembygdsgårds Café
Camilles Trädgård & Café
Vaxholms Kyrka
Rådhustorget
Hamngatan

View all

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Hamngatan 2, 185 32 Vaxholm, Sweden
Total distance

2km
Final location
Hamngatan 4-8, 185 32 Vaxholm, Sweden
Distance back to start location

116.2m

Directions to Starting Point

Starting at the corner of Vaxholm's main harbour, next to Waxholms Hotell.

Show Directions

Gift vouchers

Buy tours for friends and family who delight in discovery

Buy Now

Buy for a group

Get 15% to 50% off when you buy for a group

Buy Now

License this tour

Adapt this tour to use your brand and suit your guests

Find out more

Tips

Places to stop along the way

Fika places on the route: Camilles Gården & Cage, Hembygdsgårds Cafe and by the end of the route - Boulangerie. Other restaurants for a meal are primarily in the harbour where we start and end the tour, e.g. Hamnkrogen.

There is a free museum, Hembygdsgård, that we will pass and you will be shown to it.

Best time of day

The walk through the town can be done any day, any time.
Some restaurants and museums are open only during the summer season.

Precautions

In the winter, be cautious when walking on small paths or near water - it can be slippery.

Get The App

Download tours to use them offline

Listen hands-free with GPS playback

Get turn-by-turn directions

Scan the QR Code

“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”