When is the apple pick-your-own season?

September to early October, depending on the variety and the farm. The farms announce on their own pages when the fields open; we link to them on the shopping page but publish no dates, since they shift from year to year.

An annual event in which artists and craftspeople on the Mälaren islands open their studios over a weekend at the end of September, with a joint exhibition at Ekebyhov manor. The map and the participants are published by the organiser ahead of the weekend.

Can you visit Ekebyhov manor?

Yes. The manor has been owned by Ekerö municipality since 1980 and is run with a café, exhibitions and events; the park and the apple gene bank are open to walk in. Opening hours on the manor's own website.

Do the buses run as often in autumn?

Yes, SL runs its winter timetable from mid-August and the buses to Ekerö run frequently all year. What changes is the boats: Strömma's services to Birka and Drottningholm end in October. Commuter boat 89 runs all year with a sparser winter timetable.

September to November

Autumn

Autumn is apple time. The farms on Färingsö and Munsö open their fields for pick-your-own, the cider presses run at full tilt and Konstringen opens the studios. The oak pastures turn yellow, Birka takes its last boat and Drottningholm gets its silence back.

What to do in autumn

Apples

The Mälaren islands are apple country. Pick-your-own on the farms in September, cider presses that press their own and other people's apples, and at Ekebyhov manor a gene bank for old varieties since 1998. The farm shops are on the shopping page.

Konstringen

The art weekend when studios across the Mälaren islands open and Ekebyhov manor shows the group exhibition. The last weekend in September; in 2026 it was held from 25 to 27 September.

The oak pastures

Eldgarnsö is the reserve to visit in autumn: oak and hazel, grazed meadows, and a nature trail of a little over five kilometres around the island. Väsby hage and Husby on Munsö are smaller, equally old cultural landscapes.

Mushrooms on Lovö

The Lovö nature reserve has forest enough to fill a basket, with the Fornstigen trail and Lovö runt as starting points. The right of public access applies in the reserve, but not in the palace park.

Svartsjö Palace

The palace on Färingsö has autumn lectures, guided tours, museum rooms about its years as a prison and Lovisa Ulrika's coffee house. Open Thursday to Sunday in 2026.

Birka's last weeks

The boats run until 11 October 2026, and in October the island is almost empty of people. The autumn half-term week has its own programme for children, see the events page.

Mälarömilen

The Ekerö running race is held in September, in 2026 on the 13th. See the events page for next year's date.

Autumn light at the palace

The Drottningholm park is open all year, and in October the lime avenues are yellow and the park almost deserted. The palace itself keeps autumn hours with guided tours; times from the Royal Palaces.

The farmed landscape

Almost a third of the municipality's land is farmland, and that is what makes the Mälaren islands different from other suburbs. Autumn is the season when you see it most clearly: harvested fields, animals grazing in the oak pastures, farm shops with their own signs by the road. Much of the land has been farmed since the Iron Age, and the burial grounds still lie in the middle of the fields.

Common questions

When is the apple pick-your-own season?: September to early October, depending on the variety and the farm. The farms announce on their own pages when the fields open; we link to them on the shopping page but publish no dates, since they shift from year to year.
What is Konstringen?: An annual event in which artists and craftspeople on the Mälaren islands open their studios over a weekend at the end of September, with a joint exhibition at Ekebyhov manor. The map and the participants are published by the organiser ahead of the weekend.
Can you visit Ekebyhov manor?: Yes. The manor has been owned by Ekerö municipality since 1980 and is run with a café, exhibitions and events; the park and the apple gene bank are open to walk in. Opening hours on the manor's own website.
Do the buses run as often in autumn?: Yes, SL runs its winter timetable from mid-August and the buses to Ekerö run frequently all year. What changes is the boats: Strömma's services to Birka and Drottningholm end in October. Commuter boat 89 runs all year with a sparser winter timetable.

Where to stay

The conference estates have room in autumn, and the farm bed and breakfasts sit in the middle of the orchards. See all accommodation.

When Lake Mälaren freezes, winter begins, with skating and Christmas at the palace.

Information last checked 19 October 2026.