Things to do in Ekerö

Nature and trails

The nature reserves are of two kinds: the large cultural landscapes of Lovö and Eldgarnsö with oak pastures and grazing land, and small protected islets and pastures such as Gåsholmen, Husby and Djurgård. The trails pass through most of them.

• Lovö nature reserve, protected in 2014, 3,228 hectares of which 2,090 are land, with the Fornstigen trail and the Lovö runt trail. Managed by the National Property Board.
• Eldgarnsö, protected in 1979, 510 hectares of which about 200 hectares are land. Oak, hazel and grazed meadows, a nature trail of a little over five kilometres. Bus to Karlskär, then two kilometres on foot.
• Väsby hage (1981, 119 hectares) and Husby (1986, 20 hectares) on Munsö, with Björn Järnsida's mound just beside Husby.
• Huvududden (1970) and Bonavik (2007) on the Uppsala ridge, both along the Ekerö-Munsö trail.
• Adelsö-Sättra (2004) by the Adelsö hiking trail, Gåsholmen (1945) in Södra Björkfjärden, Skansholmen (1974) in Lövstafjärden, Djurgård (1967) by Stenhamra and Björkö (1944) on Birka.

Culture and sights

• Drottningholms slott

  Palace and World Heritage site · Drottningholm

  The royal couple's permanent residence since 1981, open to visitors all year together with the palace park. The palace grounds with the Chinese Pavilion and the Court Theatre became Sweden's first World Heritage site in 1991. Visitor centre with the Royal Gift Shop, a café and Museum de Vries with Adriaen de Vries's seventeenth-century bronze sculptures.

• Kina slott

  Pleasure palace · Drottningholm

  Pleasure palace at the far end of the palace park, built in secret as a birthday present for Queen Lovisa Ulrika in July 1753. Swedish rococo mixed with Chinese silk, lacquer screens and porcelain. The Chinese Pavilion café next door, open in season.

• Drottningholms Slottsteater

  Theatre and museum · Drottningholm

  Theatre from 1766 with its stage machinery intact, built under Lovisa Ulrika and described as the world's oldest working theatre. Summer season of opera, guided tours daily from May to early October, and the museum shop Teaterboden with a film about the machinery.

• Drottningholms slottskyrka

  Church · Drottningholm

  Round palace chapel with a copper-clad dome, completed in 1728, consecrated in 1730 and reconsecrated in 1746 after Carl Hårleman's interior work. Owned by the Royal Court; services on the last Sunday of the month and concerts in summer and at Christmas.

• Evert Lundquists ateljémuseum

  Artist's studio · Drottningholm

  The painter Evert Lundquist's studio in the old engine house in the palace park next to the Chinese Pavilion, preserved as he left it. Run by a foundation, shown on Sunday afternoons in summer.

  Open

  Sundays in summer, closed for the season

• Wallenbergs mausoleum

  Listed building · Lovön

  Temple-like tomb with a copper dome from 1912 at Malmvik on Lovön, the burial place of the bank founder A O Wallenberg.

• Birka vikingastaden

  World Heritage site and museum · Björkö

  Trading town from the mid-700s, often called Sweden's first town, a World Heritage site together with Hovgården since 1993. The Birka museum with models and finds, a reconstructed Viking village, guided tours, the Ansgar cross, Restaurang Särimner and a guest jetty. Run by Strömma, with boats from Stockholm and the Mälaren islands.

  Phone

  08-1200 4900

  Open

  Season May to October

• Ansgarskapellet

  Chapel · Björkö

  Chapel on Birka consecrated in 1930 in memory of Ansgar's arrival, owned by a foundation and looked after by Ekerö parish.

• Hovgården

  World Heritage site and ancient monument · Adelsö

  The royal estate that governed Birka, a World Heritage site since 1993. The royal mounds north of the church, the ruin of Alsnö hus from the 1200s where Magnus Ladulås issued the Alsnö statute in 1279, the King's rune stone by the old harbour and the reconstructed Viking farm Alsnu gård. Freely accessible.

• Hovgårdens informationscenter, Adelsö hembygdsgård

  Heritage farm and World Heritage exhibition · Adelsö

  The Adelsö heritage society's farm with the municipality's information centre for the World Heritage site, opened in 2022, with maps, leaflets and an exhibition in Swedish and English on what Hovgården may have looked like in the 900s.

  Address

  Adelsö Ringväg 112

  Open

  In summer 11 to 16

• Café Hovgården, hembygdsmuseum

  Local history museum and café · Adelsö

  Garden café in a small red house next to Adelsö church, with a local history museum in several buildings: the main house, a bakehouse, a granary and a carriage shed, about life on the island a hundred years ago.

  Address

  Adelsö ringväg 114

  Phone

  073-703 08 03

  Open

  Season May to autumn, reopens May 2027

• Runstensparken

  Rune stones · Adelsö

  Kalle Runristare's park south of Hovgården where old rune stones are reproduced at full size and in their original colours. Workshop on site, tours by booking. The municipality's rune stones from around the year 1000 are marked with blue R signs.

• Hilma af Klints ateljé

  Art and visitor centre · Adelsö

  Non-profit association founded in 2021 which since June 2025 runs a visitor centre on Adelsö, near Munsö where Hilma af Klint had her studio built. Summer exhibitions, lectures, guided tours on Adelsö and the annual Hilma af Klint safari in August. Most activity in the summer half of the year. Email [email protected].

  Address

  Adelsö Ringväg 212

• Adelsö kyrka

  Medieval church · Adelsö

  Church from the early 1100s next to the royal mounds, on a site believed to have been a sacred grove in the Viking Age. Two rune stones are built into the wall of the vestry.

• Munsö kyrka

  Round church · Munsö

  Round church from around 1185, according to a papal letter of that year, probably built as an estate and defensive church for the Archbishop of Uppsala. One of Sweden's few round churches, modelled on Jerusalem and Aachen.

  Address

  Slutvägen 13

• Ekerö kyrka

  Medieval church · Ekerö centre

  The parish's main church on the northern shore of Ekeröfjärden, built in the late 1100s as an estate church for Asknäs.

  Address

  Ekerö kyrkväg 5

• Lovö kyrka

  Medieval church · Lovön

  Church in the middle of Lovön from the second half of the 1100s, possibly preceded by an older wooden church. The Drottningholm golf course lies beside it.

• Färentuna kyrka

  Medieval church · Färentuna

  Royal estate church built before 1175 in Färingsö's oldest parish, unusual in that the tower stands at the east end.

• Hilleshögs kyrka

  Medieval church · Hilleshög

  Church from the late 1100s, one of the best-preserved Romanesque churches in the county.

• Sånga kyrka

  Medieval church · Sånga

  Church from the late 1100s that once stood almost at the water's edge, today surrounded by farmland.

• Skå kyrka

  Church · Skå

  The first estate church from the late 1100s burnt down in 1695, and the present church was consecrated in 1702.

• Ekebyhovskyrkan

  Modern church · Ekerö centre

  The parish's modern church from 1980 near Ekerö centre, with the parish office, youth activities and a preschool. Drop-in on Wednesdays.

  Address

  Björkuddsvägen 2

• Ekebyhovs slott

  Manor, gallery and café · Ekerö centre

  The municipality's wooden manor house, with origins in the 1670s and described as Sweden's largest of its kind, a short walk from Ekerö centre. Lunch buffet Tuesday to Friday and soup lunch on Mondays, coffee and waffles in the daytime; at weekends local associations run the café, known for the manor's own apple cake. Art gallery, lectures and concerts, the nature trail and the apple gene bank in the park. Email [email protected].

  Address

  Björkuddsvägen 107

  Phone

  08-124 572 01

• Ekebyhovs slottsgalleri

  Art gallery · Ekerö centre

  Mälaröarna art society shows painting, sculpture and crafts in the manor's gallery, with several exhibitions in autumn 2026.

  Open

  Saturday and Sunday 12 to 16 during exhibitions

• Konstringen

  Open studios · The whole municipality

  Network of artists and craftspeople connected to the Mälaren islands, started in 1989, who open their studios on the last weekend in September. Group exhibition with a map at Ekebyhov manor. In 2026 the round was held on 26 and 27 September.

• Ateljé Björn Bernström

  Artist's studio · Hilleshög

  The watercolourist Björn Bernström's studio in Hilleshög on Färingsö, open to visitors by arrangement, with weekend watercolour courses roughly once a month. Email [email protected].

  Phone

  073-702 75 12

• Svartsjö slott

  Palace, museum and coffee house · Svartsjö

  Sweden's first rococo palace, designed by Carl Hårleman for Fredrik I and completed in the 1740s, extended in 1766 by Adelcrantz and for 75 years a prison. Open to visitors with museum rooms, guided tours, the exhibition Det dukade bordet, Historiska Bokhandeln, Lovisa Ulrika's coffee house and Sunday lectures in autumn 2026. The park is free to visit.

  Address

  Svartsjövägen 2

  Phone

  070-444 16 45

  Open

  Thursday to Sunday 11 to 16

• Kaggeholms slott

  Manor and beach bistro · Helgö

  Manor from around 1650 with a main building from the 1720s, formerly a folk high school and the filming location for Young Royals. Since 2024 run by Frans August with a beach bistro, accommodation, padel, disc golf and bathing. The grounds are open to visitors, free parking.

• Helgö fornlämningsområde

  Ancient monument · Helgö

  Trading and workshop site discovered in the 1950s, in use from the 200s to the 800s and thus older than Birka. Information boards at the hill fort, burial ground and house foundations just after the bridge to Helgö. The finds, including a Buddha figurine, are at the Swedish History Museum.

• Stenhuggarbyn och stenbrottet

  Industrial heritage · Stenhamra

  The City of Stockholm's paving-stone quarry from 1884 to 1937 with its preserved workers' village: housing, offices, a school, a shop, a bathhouse and a dance floor. The village is today a housing cooperative and can be seen along a signposted walking loop past the quarry. Scenes from The Brothers Lionheart were filmed here.

• Färingsö hembygdsförening

  Heritage farm · Färentuna

  Society founded in 1946 with around ten buildings, including a granary, at the heritage farm on northern Färingsö. Midsummer celebrations, a children's club and the Färingsö market in September.

  Address

  Ölstavägen 27

• Bertil Ifwers museum

  Museum · Ekerö centre

  Private collection of local tools, household goods and periodicals in a cottage at Solvik near Söderby gård, managed by a society and shown by arrangement.

• Kulturhuset Ekerö

  Arts centre, stage and cinema · Ekerö centre

  The municipal arts centre in Ekerö centre designed by Ralph Erskine, with the library, the 218-seat Erskinesalen for theatre, concerts and film, Galleri Utkiken with contemporary art and a foyer with a small stage.

  Address

  Mälarö Torg 7B

  Phone

  08-124 573 00

• Mälaröbion

  Cinema · Ekerö centre

  Cinema in Erskinesalen at the arts centre, usually on Sundays and Wednesdays, sometimes with live opera from the Metropolitan. Programme and tickets online.

• Galleri Utkiken

  Art gallery · Ekerö centre

  The municipal gallery in the arts centre with around four exhibitions a year, open when the library is open. Galleri Granit in the children's library in Stenhamra.

Activities

• Kungl. Drottningholms Golfklubb

  Golf · Drottningholm

  18-hole course on royal land a stone's throw from Drottningholm Palace, laid out in 1959, with a short course, driving range and Lovö Bistro. Green-fee play by booking.

  Address

  Lovö Kyrkallé 1

  Phone

  08-759 00 85

• Mälarö Golfklubb Skytteholm

  Golf · Munsö

  Open parkland and links-style course with 18 holes, a 9-hole course and a short course at Skytteholm. Pay and play on the nine-hole course, driving range and golf restaurant.

  Address

  Skytteholmsvägen 18

  Phone

  08-564 206 00

• Troxhammar Golfklubb

  Golf, padel and golf simulator · Skå

  18-hole and 12-hole courses through forest and water on Färingsö, plus a short course, driving range and restaurant. Troxhammar Indoor has seven TrackMan simulators all year, and padel courts are booked via Matchi.

  Address

  Ekeby gårds väg 1

  Phone

  08-564 206 00

• Ekerö Ridskola

  Riding school · Ekerö centre

  Riding school in a rural setting by Ekebyhov manor and the Jungfrusund ridge, with qualified instructors and small groups. Group riding, riding camps, taster sessions for children and competitions through Mälaröarnas Ridklubb. Email [email protected].

  Address

  Ekebyhov

• Ekerö badhus

  Swimming baths · Träkvista

  The municipal swimming baths with a 25-metre pool and diving tower, a multi-pool with adjustable floor, a teaching pool, jacuzzi, children's pool with slides, sauna and café. Swimming lessons and water exercise.

  Address

  Träkvistavallen 6

  Phone

  08-124 575 54

• Ekebyhovsbacken

  Ski slope and cross-country tracks · Ekerö centre

  Ski slope with a children's slope, a competition slope and several runs, two lifts, ski hire, ski school and Café Sjötuna. Cross-country tracks with artificial snow. Lift passes and track passes bought online.

  Phone

  079-104 11 34

  Open

  Winter season, see current hours online

• Rosell's Gym

  Gym · Ekerö centre

  Family-owned gym since 1991 with roots in strength training, free weights, group classes, personal training and physiotherapy in the building. Members have access from early morning to late evening every day.

  Address

  Roddargränd 3

  Phone

  08-560 339 30

• STC Ekerö Träkvista Torg

  Gym · Träkvista

  Chain gym on Träkvista torg with long opening hours every day.

• Ekerö Padel

  Padel · Träkvista

  Heated indoor hall in Träkvista with three courts and a children's court, plus outdoor courts by the jetty in Jungfrusund. Unstaffed; courts are booked via Matchi and rackets hired from a vending machine. Email [email protected].

• Ekerö Tennisklubb

  Tennis and squash · Ekerö centre

  Tennis hall with five indoor hard courts, a squash court and a café. Non-members can book off-peak hours via Matchi. Club championships and junior activities in 2026.

• Stenhamra Tennisklubb

  Tennis · Stenhamra

  Non-profit club with two outdoor courts at Uppgårdsskolan, also open to the public. Booking via Matchi, summer camps for children.

• Jungfrusund

  Marina, guest harbour, bowling and minigolf · Jungfrusund

  Marina with 36 guest berths, fuel, a mast crane and a boatyard, next to the Ekeröleden ferry landing. On land: bowling, 18-hole maritime-themed minigolf by the water, padel and a gym; on the water: kayaks, SUP and a wood-fired sauna raft. Several restaurants and a bakery. Email [email protected].

  Address

  Bryggavägen 133

• Rastaholm gästhamn

  Guest harbour, inn and hostel · Ekerö, Rastaholme

  Guest harbour with 40 berths on the island of Rastaholme, in the Stockholm Sailing Society's old clubhouse. Restaurant with a large terrace, hostel, sauna, electricity for motorhomes too, bathing jetty, mast crane and launching ramp.

  Address

  Rastaholm 1

  Phone

  08-560 230 70

• Birka gästhamn

  Guest harbour · Björkö

  Guest harbour with forty berths at the Viking town for those arriving by their own boat. No advance booking, first come first served. Fresh water, waste disposal, toilet and shower in summer, plus a kiosk, restaurant and museum on the island. The fee is paid at Restaurang Särimner, and harbour guests get a discount on the tour and the museum. From November to April the museum and restaurant are closed but the harbour can still be used. Water taxi from Hovgården on Adelsö.

• Ekerö Båtklubb

  Boat club · Ekerö centre

  Boat club on Lake Mälaren with berths, yard space, a slipway, a clubhouse and active sailing: racing in the Swedish sailing league, J/70 training, sailing camps and youth sailing in 2026.

• Skytteholm, gästhamn och spa

  Guest harbour, spa and padel · Munsö

  Hotel and conference venue on Lake Mälaren with ten guest berths by the old steamboat jetty, Nordic Spa with an outdoor pool and sauna pavilion, padel courts, bathing and restaurants.

  Phone

  08-560 236 00

• Tappströms gästbrygga

  Guest jetty · Ekerö centre

  Free guest jetty in the Tappström canal a few hundred metres from Ekerö centre, with shops, pharmacy, bank and restaurants within walking distance. Smaller guest jetties also at Karlskär and Törnbyviken on Färingsö.

• Brostugan

  Kayak, canoe, rowing boat and SUP · Kärsön

  Restaurant and café in an eighteenth-century house by the Nockeby bridge on Kärsön, near Drottningholm, with lunch, coffee and cakes and a Christmas table. Hire of kayaks, canoes, rowing boats and SUP boards. The minigolf is being rebuilt as a 12-hole adventure golf course and reopens in spring 2027. The Kärsön disc golf course is next door.

  Address

  Brostugans väg 3

  Phone

  08-759 03 01

  Open

  Every day except Christmas Eve

• Kayakomat Ekerö Södran

  Self-service kayak and SUP hire · Ekerö centre

  Unstaffed hire of single kayaks, tandem kayaks and SUP boards at the Södran bathing spot. Book online, unlock with a code and paddle for anything from two hours to several days. Closed out of season.

• Friluftsfrämjandet Mälaröarna, kajakuthyrning

  Kayak and canoe for members · Ekerö centre

  The local branch hires out kayaks and Canadian canoes to members, booking via [email protected]. Led Tuesday paddles and guided tours.

  Address

  Tranholmsvägen 17

• Kaggeholms slott, aktiviteter

  Padel, disc golf and beach · Helgö

  Four padel courts, one of them on a barge in Lake Mälaren, a nine-hole disc golf course, a sandy beach with beach volleyball, a nature trail and barbecue spots by the water. Free parking.

• Saunify Kaggeholm

  Sauna and cold bathing · Helgö

  Electrically heated beach sauna for eight people below the Kaggeholm beach bistro, open all year with a dip in Lake Mälaren. Book a place in a shared sauna or the whole sauna.

• Kärsöns discgolfbana

  Disc golf · Kärsön

  32 holes in varied terrain, laid out in 1978 and described as the oldest course in Europe. Coffee at Brostugan afterwards. Disc golf is also found at Kaggeholm and as multi-golf at Troxhammar.

• Jungfrusundsåsens elljusspår och utegym

  Running trails, cross-country skiing and outdoor gym · Ekerö centre

  The municipality's largest trail system in hilly terrain, maintained by Mälarö SOK, floodlit in winter and with ski tracks when there is enough snow. Further floodlit trails at Uppgårdsskolan in Stenhamra and at Sånga-Säby, outdoor gyms at Lundhagen, Södran, Borgenparken and Ekebyhovsdalen among other places.

• Ekebyhovsdalens aktivitetspark

  Skatepark, outdoor gym and playground · Ekerö centre

  Floodlit skatepark of almost 700 square metres for skateboards, scooters, inline skates and bikes, next to a large outdoor gym with a running loop, a playground and a dog exercise area. Parking at Mälaröhallen.

• Kommunala badplatser

  Bathing spots · The whole municipality

  Seven municipal bathing spots: Södran with a diving tower and kiosk, Lundhagsbadet with a ramp into the water, Mörbybadet, Närlundabadet, Stockbybadet near Stenhamra, Karlskärsbadet on Färingsö and Adelsöbadet next to Hovgården. Dogs are not allowed.

• Naturkartan Ekerö

  Hiking app and map · The whole municipality

  The municipality's guide in Naturkartan, as an app and online, with hiking trails, running loops, nature reserves, heritage sites and bathing spots. The municipality describes 140 islands in eastern Lake Mälaren.

• Naturstigen vid Ekebyhov

  Hiking trail · Ekerö centre

  About five kilometres around the Jungfrusund ridge starting at Ekebyhov manor, maintained by Friluftsfrämjandet Mälaröarna and the municipality. Signs about the habitats, a giant oak and the park's beech wood. Parking at Björkuddsvägen 107.

• Adelsö vandringsled

  Hiking trail · Adelsö

  Blue-marked trail of 14 to 18 kilometres through forest, past burial grounds and hill forts and along the shores. Lookout tower on Kunstaberget, the island's highest point at 54 metres above sea level. More trails: Fornstigen on Lovö, Barfotastigen, Huvududden, Bonavik and Eldgarnsö.

• Fiske i Mälaren

  Fishing · The whole municipality

  Lake Mälaren is ringed by rocky shores, jetties and islands. The municipality refers to the map service Svenska fiskeregler for the rules that apply per species and tackle, and reminds visitors that many jetties are private. Boats are hired at Brostugan on Kärsön.

• Skå-Edeby flygfält

  Flying · Skå

  Airfield on Färingsö where the Royal Institute of Technology's flying club is based, with the option of booking a trial lesson. Veterans' Day with vintage aircraft and old vehicles is usually held in June.

• Fritidsbanken Ekerö

  Free loan of sports equipment · Ekerö centre

  The municipality's free loan of skates, skis, helmets, tents and other leisure equipment for up to 14 days. Opens in the Kulturskolan premises at Tappströmsskolan in autumn 2026, and is already accepting donated equipment.

  Address

  Tappströmsvägen 1B

  Phone

  070-167 06 71