Ringsö in Lake Mälaren - a Swedish idyll

Text and photo: Helena Bergström

Updated: September 2026 | Ringsö is a small island in the middle of Lake Mälaren, with forests, gravel roads, summer houses, piers and beautiful sunsets over the water. There are no regular boats here and to get to the island you need to have your own boat – or know someone who has one.

We belong to the latter category. Our friends Lennart and Beata have had a summer house on Ringsö for many years and through them we have had the opportunity to get to know the island. There have been many visits over the years, during different seasons and with everything from midsummer celebrations and swimming to house building and fishing adventures.

Ringsö – an island in the middle of Lake Mälaren

Ringsö is located in Lake Mälaren, near Selaön and Stallarholmen in Strängnäs municipality. The island is just over 200 hectares in size and is divided into nine areas with a total of 272 plots, some of which are still undeveloped.

It is primarily an island for holiday accommodation, with summer houses along small roads and paths. The nature is varied with forest, open areas and old oaks. Of course, Lake Mälaren is also ever-present around the island, with jetties, boats and small beaches.

For us, Ringsö has become associated with peace, nature and spending time with good friends – and lots of sunsets.

How do you get to Ringsö?

The special thing about Ringsö is that there is no regular boat service to the island. When we go here we drive via Södertälje and Stallarholmen to Selaön. From there it is about 800 meters across the water to Ringsö. On Selaön there are two dock areas that belong to the Ringsö community, Näsbyviken and Sjöbacka.

The last leg must therefore be done by your own or private boat. If we have come by motorhome, Freedom is welcome to stay on the mainland.

Going out to an island of course involves a bit of extra logistics. You have to think through what you need and bring food and other gear on the boat. On Ringsö we haven't seen any regular cars. However, many residents have quad bikes and similar vehicles on the island, which are used, among other things, to transport gear from the boat to the cabin.

There was once actually a regular boat service to Ringsö.

Getting here has not always been quite so difficult. In the summer of 1974, an attempt was made to provide regular boat service from Stockholm to Ringsö during the weekends. However, the service was short-lived because it became too expensive for the shipping company.

It was also around this time that today's holiday home development began to emerge. The development agreement for Ringsö was signed in 1967 and the sale of plots began in 1972. But people had lived and farmed on the island long before that. During the 1920s and 1930s, there were farms with cows and horses here, among other things.

We may not need to write a big history chapter about Ringsö, but it is fascinating to think about when you walk around the quiet island today.

That's why Ringsö has become special to us.

The reason we ended up on Ringsö in the first place is because of our friends Lennart and Beata. Many years ago, they embarked on the slightly crazy project of building a log house here – from scratch.

And when we say from scratch, we really mean from scratch. They started by clearing the site and have since done an impressive amount of the work themselves, log by log.

The project has been ongoing for many years, with both intensive construction periods and longer breaks. Peter and his brother Dennis, who both have experience in the construction industry, have also been here and helped with various parts of the construction.

For us, it has meant many reasons to return to Ringsö – and we have been able to follow how a rather spartan house construction has gradually transformed into a real summer home.

READ MORE: Building a house on an island in Lake Mälaren

Summer on Ringsö

Of course, it is in the summer that there is the most life and activity on Ringsö. Boats come and go, people stay in their cottages and days can be spent by the water.

There are two landscaped beaches on the island, one in the north and one in the south, with barbecue areas and swimming floats. We have swum many times on Ringsö, not least during warm summer evenings when Lake Mälaren was almost mirror-clear.

And then there are the sunsets. We don't know how many times we've stood down by the water and photographed the sun as it disappears behind Lake Mälaren, but it's hard not to.

Midsummer on Ringsö

We also celebrated Midsummer at Lennart and Beata's place on Ringsö. It's clear that the island is a summer island, with more people in the cottages and more boats at the piers.

Our own celebration was of the quieter kind, with a classic midsummer lunch on the patio with new potatoes, herring, hard bread, cheese, beer and nubbe. Then there was a walk on the island and a barbecue dinner in the evening.

Sometimes a joint Midsummer celebration is arranged on the island, but the year we celebrated here, there was no such thing. It didn't bother us that much. Sitting on the balcony with good friends and having Lake Mälaren and the Swedish summer all around us worked perfectly as a Midsummer celebration.

Ringsö in autumn

We haven't only experienced Ringsö during the height of summer. A visit in the fall gives a completely different feeling.

It's quieter, the days are shorter and the nature is changing colors. Coming out here for a few days can almost feel like a small trip, even though the island is not very far from Stockholm.

During one of our autumn visits we also went out on Lake Mälaren to fish with nets. Peter has extensive experience of net fishing since growing up on Blidö, while this was a new adventure for several of the rest of us.

When we set the nets, Lake Mälaren was calm and beautiful. When we were to whitewash them the next day, a dense white fog lay over the lake. Among other things, three large pike-perch were waiting in the nets, which eventually ended up on the dinner table.

READ MORE: Fishing with nets in Lake Mälaren - a fishing adventure

Nature and wildlife on Ringsö

One of the things we love about Ringsö is the nature and wildlife. There is plenty of forest here and because you are on an island, nature always feels close.

We have seen deer, hares and moose on the island, among other things. The birdlife is also rich, and our friends have seen white-tailed eagles, ravens, kestrels and ospreys, among other things.

There are of course also smaller animals. We have photographed both lemon butterflies and bumblebees here, while Lennart and Beata have had much more exciting observations over the years. They have seen beavers, ferrets and pine martens, among other things.

The latter may not sound so dramatic – until a marten suddenly comes swinging between the trees!

An island we would love to return to

Ringsö may not be a travel destination in the usual sense. There is no regular boat that tourists can hop on and the island lacks the attractions, restaurants and activities that we usually write about here at FREEDOMtravel.

For us, Ringsö has become something else. Here we have celebrated midsummer, gone swimming, fished and had dinners with good friends. We have seen a log house grow, carried luggage from the boat, walked along the gravel roads and photographed more sunsets than we can count.

And maybe that's why we like the island so much. Not every place needs a long list of things to do. Sometimes, forest, water, a pier and people you like are enough.