Gräddö

By Furusundsleden

Gräddö is located on Rådmansö, the peninsula east of Norrtälje that is the easternmost point of Svealand. The village is first mentioned in documents from 1547, but what shapes the place today is its location by Furusundsleden — the shipping lane that vessels travelling between Stockholm and Åland follow.

It is a good place to start from. From here you can reach Lidö and Tjockö, and the nature reserves on Rådmansö are within reach.

The Troops' Harbour

Gräddö's location has made the place a departure point more than once. From here the Swedish troops embarked in 1739 to be deployed in the Hats' Russian War. And in August 1809 the Swedish expedition set sail from here towards Råtan in Västerbotten to meet the Russian army.

Summer Guests, Warm Baths and Boat Yard

Towards the end of the 1800s, Gräddö became a popular tourist destination. A number of tower-topped summer houses were built in the area, and boarding houses followed one another — Sjömans, Söderbergs, Strands, Skogshyddan, Ida Bergströms and Björkö Örn. The place also got a warm bathhouse, which in 1920 was moved to Gräddö-Asken.

In 1924 Gräddö boat yard was founded by, among others, Axel Eriksson. The yard built motor cruisers, sailing boats and motorboats.

In 1959 Viking Line started ferry traffic from Gräddö to Mariehamn on Åland, and on to Galtby in the Åboland archipelago. Already the following year the traffic was moved to Kapellskär, which has been the Swedish departure port ever since.

Nature and Bathing

• Riddersholm — nature reserve on southeastern Rådmansö, with archipelago nature and winding forest trails.
• Sladdstycket — local heritage museum in the middle of Riddersholm nature reserve, right by Furusundsleden.
• Gräddö-Asken nature reserve — where the warm bathhouse once ended up.
• Björkö Örn bathing place — sandy beach on the north side by the southern shore of Norrtälje Bay.
• Rådmansö village hall

How to Get Here

Gräddö is reached by car heading east from Norrtälje over Rådmansö. Kapellskär harbour is on the same peninsula.