Where is Väddö?
About 10 miles north-east of Stockholm and half an hour's drive from Norrtälje.

On-site services
On Väddö there is a wide range of services and also a golf course, bathing areas, restaurants, canoe and bike hire, charming shops and much more.

History - Postal rowers
Traffic across the Åland Sea started early. As early as the 12th century, the English princess Signella had a chapel built on Signilskär. In 1638, the route became an official postal route when Queen Christina of Sweden extended her postal order from 1636. The farmers of Väddö and Eckerö carried travellers and mail across the Åland Sea in the service of the Kingdom, risking their lives. The route eastwards from Stockholm across the Åland Sea was known as the ”Great Postal Road” and was an internationally renowned and busy route to the Far East via Russia. From 1756, the route passed through what is now Grisslehamn.

The journeys across the Åland Sea with mail, passengers and freight in the small mail rowing boats were lively until the end of the 19th century. Then steamboats began to take over the traffic. But in winter, when ice prevented the steamboats from travelling, the postal farmers had to continue carrying the mail. Over the years, mail rowers had to endure a lot of hardship. Not all of them made it, some were left on the ice and many, 250 postmen, were buried at sea.

Väddö Canal
Väddö Canal connects Bagghusfjärden in the south with Bay of Väddö in the north, offering a sheltered alternative to the open sea east of Väddö. The first canal was built by Gustav Vasa who in 1553 ordered nine parishes to join forces to clear and pile the canal so that smaller boats would not have to ”engage in such dangerous behaviour at sea in the open sea”.

Today's canal began to be dug in 1820 by soldiers commissioned for this work from various regiments. In 1835, the canal was opened to traffic, but it was only inaugurated in 1840 by Charles XIV John. Most of them sailing vessel could not sail through the canal but had to be pulled by hand or by draught animals. Roslagsskutorna could sail with only the topsail hoisted. The canal was given its current route in 1899-1902. Every year, the canal is travelled by around 22 000 boats.

See and do 

• Albert Engströms Studio - Grisslehamn
• The Cartoonist's House and the Albert Engström Museum 
• Fishing harbour
• Spa hotels
• Väddö church
• Crown commercial garden
• Väddö Alpaca Farm
• Roslagen Maritime Museum - Älmsta.
• Kista Hembygdsgård 
• Rönnskär headland
• Väddö sea baths in Sandviken
• Old Grissle Harbour
• Skottviken and the fishing village in Nothamn
• Play golf
• Swim
• Paddling
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Shoppa
• Campa

Accommodation

• Camping and caravanning
• Hostels
• boarding school
• Hotels

Food and drink
You will find at least 30 different types of restaurants, bars and cafés on Väddö.

Local delicacies
Väddö has plenty of locally produced goodies such as cheese, ice cream, burgers, vegetables, fish, must, beer, meat, sausages and salsa. Buy directly from the producer or from the local food retailer in Älmsta.

How to get here
Väddöbygden is accessible by SL bus, car or private boat.
From Norrtälje road 76 to Söderby Karl, then road 283 towards Väddö.
From Grisslehamn, Eckerölinjen boats go to Eckerö in Åland.
Other nearby places are Barnens ö, Björkö with its fine old shipyards and on to Simpnäs over to Arholma or north from Grisslehamn to Fogdö and Singö.