Gripsholm Castle and two charming towns
It surprised me that the lovely town of Mariefred is only about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Stockholm, Sweden. It seems much further because it is so different.
Disclosure: I visited Mariefred, Gripsholm Castle, and Strängnäs as part of a blogger fam tour provided by Visit Sörmland and Visit Sweden. I also stayed and ate at Gripsholms Värdhus as their guest. Nevertheless, all opinions are my own.
And another disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This will not affect your price.
“Only” 40 kilometers is a bit misleading, however, given that most of what lies in between is water and islands. Traveling there by road, as I did recently, is a much longer proposition.
If that doesn’t appeal to you, try taking the s/s Mariefred, a vintage coal-fired steamship that plies the waters of Lake Mälaren on the 3.5-hour trip between Stockholm and Mariefred in the summer months.
When I say that Mariefred is “so different” from Stockholm, I mean it has a charming, small-town feel. And a castle: a beautiful, royal palace of a castle. As you can see on their website, the Swedish royals have had lots of castles!
Gripsholm Castle
Built in the 1500s by King Gustav Vasa (as in the ship, the Vasa, that I wrote about in an earlier post – an epic fail!), Gripsholm was the site of royal visits and all sorts of intrigue. If you visit, make sure to take a guided tour to hear about Swedish royalty. It’s very entertaining.
Some of the interiors, dating from the 1500s, are remarkably well-preserved. The paintings on the walls and ceilings are intricate and colorful and must have helped cheer the occupants during the long nights of a Swedish winter.
National Portrait Gallery
Gripsholm castle also houses Sweden’s National Portrait Gallery, a collection of about 4500 portraits. This isn’t just about kings and queens either; it also includes other prominent Swedes. If you visit, look out for Astrid Lundgren, the author of the Pippi Longstocking books, and Greta Garbo.
Gripsholm’s theater
Probably the most impressive room in Gripsholm is the theater, added by Gustav III in the late 1700s. I’ve seen theaters like this in films, but never imagined that any still existed. The painted set is still intact, as are the decorative elements around the seats and balconies.
I could imagine those men and women of the royal court, in their ornate frocks and jewels, being entertained by tableaux vivants on this dramatically-lit stage (lots of candles, probably backed by mirrors).
Make sure to take a walk around the castle too to see it from all angles. Over the water, you’ll spot an impressive manor that must have an amazing view.
Mariefred
Mariefred itself is also worth exploring. The architecture along the narrow streets ranges from traditional red Swedish houses to art nouveau. Take a walk up to the church that dominates the hill. I didn’t get to see the inside, but the view is worth the short climb.
If the steamship isn’t enough for you, you can take a short trip on a vintage narrow-gauge steam railway in the summertime, leaving from a train station out of a storybook.
On our fam tour, we stayed and dined at Gripsholms Värdhus, which has been an inn since 1609, and where you walk out the front door to a view of Gripsholm castle. It’s been considerably modernized since 1609, but maintains a certain cozy charm, especially in the lobby areas, with their painted ceilings and comfy chairs. They also have a hotel.
The hotel owners also run a nearby snack bar that mostly caters to the day trippers who arrive on the steam train. It’s called Gripsholmsgrillen and I mention it because a) their food is much cheaper than a restaurant and b) their sweet potato fries are fantastic!
Find your accommodations in Mariefred, Strängnäs or Stockholm.
Strängnäs
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the village of Strängnäs, about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) away. It has a similar small-town charm to Mariefred, with traditional red-painted houses, a lakeside walk, and a windmill on a hill. Its church, sporting an absolutely massive tower, dates from 1290, and is worth a look inside.
You might also enjoy reading about these other sights not far from Stockholm:
- Sparreholms Manor, with its over-the-top collections.
- Öster Malma Estate: Not for animal lovers
- Fortresses in the Stockholm Archipelago
- Why You Should Visit Sweden’s Sörmland Region
Consider renting a car if you want to visit a wide range of places outside of Stockholm. Or take a guided private tour to see both Gripsholm and Drottningholm Palace, a UNESCO-listed royal castle.
Have you been to Sweden? What part? What would you recommend seeing?
(Updated September 3, 2024)
My travel recommendations
Planning travel
- Skyscanner is where I always start my flight searches.
- Booking.com is the company I use most for finding accommodations. If you prefer, Expedia offers more or less the same.
- Discover Cars offers an easy way to compare prices from all of the major car-rental companies in one place.
- Use Viator or GetYourGuide to find walking tours, day tours, airport pickups, city cards, tickets and whatever else you need at your destination.
- Bookmundi is great when you’re looking for a longer tour of a few days to a few weeks, private or with a group, pretty much anywhere in the world. Lots of different tour companies list their tours here, so you can comparison shop.
- GetTransfer is the place to book your airport-to-hotel transfers (and vice-versa). It’s so reassuring to have this all set up and paid for ahead of time, rather than having to make decisions after a long, tiring flight!
- Buy a GoCity Pass when you’re planning to do a lot of sightseeing on a city trip. It can save you a lot on admissions to museums and other attractions in big cities like New York and Amsterdam.
Other travel-related items
- It’s really awkward to have to rely on WIFI when you travel overseas. I’ve tried several e-sim cards, and GigSky’s e-sim was the one that was easiest to activate and use. You buy it through their app and activate it when you need it. Use the code RACHEL10 to get a 10% discount!
- I’m a fan of SCOTTeVEST’s jackets and vests because when I wear one, I don’t have to carry a handbag. I feel like all my stuff is safer when I travel because it’s in inside pockets close to my body.
- I use ExpressVPN on my phone and laptop when I travel. It keeps me safe from hackers when I use public or hotel wifi.
Rachel Heller is a writer living in Groningen, the Netherlands. She is the owner and primary author of this website, Rachel’s Ruminations, a travel blog focused on independent travel with an emphasis on cultural and historical sites/sights. Read more here about her and about this website. Rachel also owns and operates a website about travel to UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Each of these villages seem to have their own unique personalities and could be lifted right off the pages of an old-fashioned storybook: quaint, picturesque and charming. I loved the steamtrain in Mariefred that looks lovingly tended and spit-polished and the train station just seems to invite you in for a visit!
Great photos and it looks like a postcard destination. What a fun blogger outing!
It was! At the same time as seeing all of these beautiful and interesting places, we got to exchange blogging experiences, tips, etc. I love TBEX conferences!
Mariefred sounds like a delightful spot to visit. I especially would like to explore that castle and ride its vintage narrow-gauge steam railway.
Yes, I was sorry we didn’t get to ride it, but we just happened to arrive just as the train was arriving, which meant a quick picture-taking opportunity. I had forgotten how smelly steam trains are!