• About an hour by boat from Stockholm on the archipelago boats, or take the bus on a regular SL ticket
• Fortress museum closes in winter, so save the fort for the warmer months; the town itself is open year-round
• English booklets at the fortress, since the museum's displays are mainly in Swedish, with short English summaries in each hall

Vaxholm is an archipelago town of pastel-painted wooden houses, harbor cafés and small shops, spread over several islands. Across a narrow channel sits Vaxholm Fortress, a sea fort first built in the 1500s that stood in for the pirate stronghold in Pippi in the South Seas. Its museum covers coastal defense, spies and animals at war. Hiking trails, canoe routes and fishing spots start close to the harbor.