Not to be missed. Unbelievable art museum! Architecture meets nature in its essence and it truly is! Located 20 km outside of Stockholm nestled in lush green forests encompassed by water. The building itself is astonishing and full of big windows and design. Follow the woodsy trail down the peninsula around the lakes and explore the museum's hidden sculptures and of course the Golden Solar Egg! The restaurant is superb and so is cafe! Chef Anne brings her world famous semlas to life. Stunning place! read more

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If you're in Stockholm for more than a couple of days, this is a place you should not miss. Art and food in an exquisite surrounding untroubled by crowds of tourists, Artipelag is a jewel of a destination loved by Swedes but largely unknown to others. Do yourself a favor and make reservations on a boat that will take you from Stockholm directly to the pier by the center, or take an inexpensive bus from T-Centralen, but don't try the bus -- you'll be waiting forever in Gustavsberg. Then have lunch in the restaurant, or just some fika in the cafe. read more

Artipelag is a stunning building, a delicious cafe and a great exhibition space in Stockholm's archipelago. If you are interested in art or architecture, or just like nature, you should definitely visit Artipelag. I was lucky that the girlfriend of my Airbnb host was an art student, otherwise I would probably never have known about this gallery. Artipelag is located perhaps an hour away from central Stockholm in the archipelago. And yes, it is a bit of a pain to get there, but there is a bus stop right in front of the building. However, I took a bus from Slussen and instead of waiting and changing to a different bus, I simply got off somewhere and walked the last leg. It took me ages, but the last bit was enjoyable, as they built a little path through the forest. To be honest, I found the building and the permanent exhibition more impressive than the temporary exhibition. The building is huge and beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Arken Museum of Modern Art near Copenhagen, however when I sent Artipelag an email and asked about it, they seemed surprised, so I guess if anything, only the architect was inspired by Arken. The light building is dominated by clear lines and simple colours, mostly white, grey and black. I found the large-scale photographs, beautiful nature shots, that were commissioned specifically for the building, most fascinating. When I was there, the temporary exhibition was called "Land meets water - European and American photography from 1860 to the present". I liked it, there were some great photos. Still, the permanent photographs of the surrounding area were the highlight for me - maybe mostly because I lived in Stockholm for a few months a couple of years ago. For me, the museum itself is a work of art and I very much enjoyed the time I spent at Artipelag. Whether you check out the exhibitions, just sit in a corner to read or treat yourself to the delicious food at their cafe - I found that being exposed to this architecture, the aesthetics and the calm atmosphere was kind of mesmerising. While it took me two hours or so to get there, I took the bus from the building on the way back to Stockholm and with one interchange arrived at Slussen within only 40 minutes. If you like architecture, nature, or photography, Artipelag, "an international venue for art, good food, events and activities", as they describe themselves, is a place you should not miss when in Stockholm. read more

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A caveat to this review - I didn't go into the art gallery, so made it to an art gallery without seeing any art, so to speak. However, the walks around the building, built by Babybjorn magnate Björn Jakobson, are fantastic. The bus takes you from Stockholm Centralstation (there's a stop outside the station), and 20 mins later, you're deep in countryside, amongst the most peaceful inlets. The bus drops you off at 'The Boardwalk', a 15 min walk to the art gallery over a buggy and wheelchair friendly walkway. More rugged (by comparison, no specialist footwear required) routes are given as options, and you can visit the 'Head Office'. Lunch was well priced, delicious, with 200 Kr for buffet and coffee. The bread is baked in their own bakery on site, and is very tasty. We were lucky with some fantastic weather, and it is definitely worth the effort to get out there! read more

We came a little before 11 (when they open) and a bunch of people had already gathered outside the doors. But by the time we had parked and walked ourselves over there they had opened the doors. We basically came for the brunch, and although small, it didn't disappoint. You pay by the counter, gets a plate and then start eating. Like I mentioned it didn't have a huge selection of food but it sure was good. The cold stuff included herring, salads, smoked fish, pasta, and some other yummy things. The warm stuff included sausages of some kind, some kind of protein, mushroom lasagna etc. They also had a cauliflower soup which I never tried. For the kids they had small swedish pancakes called plättar with jam and whipped cream. The dessert table was also very nice with things like carrot cake, lime cheesecake, and some strawberry thing. The price is a bit steep for not including the fee for the exhibit, 235 for the brunch. If you bring kids they charge 15 sek / year of age. We also went for the Andy Warhol exhibition. Although a good exhibition it wasn't my type of thing but surprisingly the kids were quiet throughout the place. What I really liked about this place is that you can walk outside, they've built a path through the forest down to the waterline and then around. It's a nice walk but it's closed during winter which I can understand. I will most likely come here again given that the next exhibition they have is Lars Wallin - the fashion story. Something I'd love to see! read more

I so wanted to give a four star review but felt that this space was let down badly by its central purpose - the gallery - and somewhat by its cafe. First off, the positives. We arrived by boat and a great trip that was. 90 minutes from Nybroplan, through some narrow straits and, effectively, a fascinating tour of Stockholm's posher suburbs and summer houses. There are limited board walk type walks around the grounds and they amplify the stunning setting of the main gallery and building. And the gallery is stunning - well designed with huge rooms and beautiful from the outside as well as the inside. The living roof is clearly an afterthought and not properly developed. However, the gallery does not have any permanent exhibitions - merely temporary ones. When we visited, there was a Warhol exhibition on, but this proved very disappointing. Relatively few (genuine) exhibits and, I thought, poorly curated. I admit that my standards are set by galleries in major cities, but this was simply poor, unlike the Moderna Museet in Stockholm which, whilst small in scale, has much that fascinates. We ate at the cafe rather than the restaurant. You queue to pay at the start - you can either choose a pre-made sandwich, or get a plate for the Smorgasbord, or get a bowl for the soup. The place was packed, so you queued to pour your soup, then had to lurk, trying to pounce on a table as it came free. When you wanted coffee, you then queued to pay, followed by a queue to actually get the coffee. That said, the food was fine and they made an open sandwich for me specially on gluten free bread. read more

My closest archipelago restaurant with a great dock, which is free to use. Always seving quality food. With better sevice and a bit lower pricing, they'd get 5 stars! read more

Such a nice venue and place for an afternoon lunch. We loved the buffet lunch here. If you get to sit by the floor-to-ceiling windows, the view is fantastic and overlooks the Baltic sea. The spread is an amazing array of salads, entrees, desserts, etc. Very good/strong coffee too. If weather permits, take a walk outside along the paved wooden path. read more