Finnhamn
Latitud: N 59º 28' 52.77"
Longitud: E 18º 49' 28.01"
If you follow Husaröleden northwards from Möja you come to Finnhamn. From here Husaröfjärden opens up and the outer archipelago takes over. Finnhamn is actually a whole group of islands and the name originally comes from the harbour on the main island of Stora Jolpan, where Finnish freight boats stopped over on the way to and from Stockholm. Finnhamn is accessible all year round. The hostel with its own restaurant is also open during the winter. In the summer months there is a local store and the hotel with a restaurant with outdoor seating and a lovely view over the sea channel.
You can walk through the lovely broadleaf woodland, use the sauna and rent rowing boats to explore the waters around the islands and maybe try your luck fishing. An island hopping route crosses the sound between Idholmen and Kålgårdsön. There is plenty of accommodation available. Apart from the hostel there is a development of cottages which was built by Stockholm City during the 1940s to give families the opportunity of taking a holiday in the Stockholm Archipelago. There is a good campsite and Sommargården, a former holiday camp.
Finnhamn is a nature reserve and the landscape varies from broadleaf woodland easy for walking through and agricultural countryside on Idholmen to the west, to barren outer archipelago nature on the eastern part towards the open sea. Pay a visit to Idholmens Gård where there is an organic farm with pigs, cows and hens, flowers and vegetable cultivation. There is also a farm shop where you can buy Organic produce.
How to get there
Finnhamn is on the sea route so the islands are easy to reach from Stockholm. Waxholmsbolaget ferries and Cinderella ferries go there from Strömkajen in Stockholm. The journey time is about 2.5 hours. If there is ice during the winter, then you can easily get there by hovercraft, guaranteed to be a unique winter experience.
Accommodation
STF's (The Swedish Tourist Association) hostel, Utsikten (The View), is the largest in Stockholm's Archipelago with 80 beds. It is open all year round, tel 08-542 462 12 Cottages are available to rent during the summer months. They can be booked through the hostel, tel 08-542 462 12
Sommargården with 50 beds, tel 08-542 462 12
As Finnhamn is a nature reserve, you may only camp on the designated campsite on Södra Jolpan right next to the sea with its own beach. There are showers available at the nearby hostel, tel 08-542 462 12
Food
Finnhamn's Café-Krog, tel 08-542 464 04
The STF hostel, Utsikten, open all year round, tel 08-542 462 12
The hostel is also responsible for Sliphuset, a former boathouse which can be rented by groups for functions and dinners, tel 08-542 462 12
Guest Harbours
Paradisviken
Långhamn's natural harbour on the other side of the sea route from Finnhamn has room for about 40 boats.
It is possible to have your septic tank emptied at the hostel jetty.
Natural Harbours
The natural harbour, Djupfladen, to the south of Idholmen, is very well protected and has a lot of visitors. There are rubbish stations around the bay.
The natural harbour between Söder-Långholm and Korsholm has two refuse collection points.
Service & Information
Sauna, shower, a café and rental of rowing boats are all available at the STF hostel.
There is a shop on Finnhamn pier on Norra Jolpan, tel 08-542 462 07
Farm shop at Idholmen's farm, tel 08-542 462 42/070-461 74 21
Information Österåker, tel 08-540 815 10
Traffic information 08-679 58 30
Swimming
There are nice spots for swimming on the northwestern part of Stora Jolpan and on Idholmen. All around the islands there are many good spots to swim from the rocks or sheltered beaches.
Sauna
A sauna at Idholmsviken can be booked at the hostel, tel 08-542 462 12
Nature
Finnhamn is a group of islands. Stora Jolpan and Idholmen, which are joined by a narrow nose, are the main islands where nearly all of the buildings are situated. The next largest islands, Söder-Långholm, with its lovely hilltop view in the middle of the island, and Särsö with cultivated land round Ladviken, lie towards the northeast.
Stora Jolpan and Särsö have a varied landscape with broad leaf woodland including much oak and hazel, open areas with cultivated land and the coastline with its rocks, sheltered bays and small beaches. Söder-Långholm consists almost entirely of rocky landscape and Fjärdholm to the west is wooded. In the leafy copses can be found rare orchids and if you keep your eyes peeled in the evenings you may have luck and catch sight of Finnhamn's shyest inhabitant, the eagle owl.
History
Finnhamn was an important harbour for cargo traffic in the Stockholm Archipelago in the past and the name comes from the many Finnish freight ships that landed here. The main building, Utkiken, on Stora Jolpan, was built as a holiday home by the coal merchant, Wilhelm Rönström in 1915. The funnel from his pleasure boat can still be seen today, outside the building. The magnificent building was drawn by the greatest architect of the time, Ernst Stenhammar.
The islands were bought by Stockholm City in 1943 who built a development of cottages to give working class families the opportunity to experience life in the archipelago They are called Sommargården today and many children from Stockholm have enjoyed summer camps their for many years.
Agriculture on the islands disappeared in the 1940s but the open landscape is still there. The tradition is kept alive today by Idholmen's farm, which has been running since 1999.
Other
Information Österåker, tel 08-540 815 10
Trafficinformation 08-679 58 30
http://www.finnhamn.se/
Visit Skärgården
e-mail: info@visitskargarden.se
Telephone: 08-100 222
