To visit the Swedish country side has been on our mind for a long time. Out of the many recommendations that we received, we boiled down our choices to Trosa or Mariefred! Me being an ardent lover of castles, we decided to go with Mariefred!

Once we made the decision to visit Mariefred, I began my usual research. This time, apart from looking for information online and asking recommendations from friends, I did something new. I joined a Mariefred Facebook group and asked the locals for recommendations! A majority of them had suggested we spend a day at Taxinge on the way to Mariefred!

We do not have a car. We always take the public transport and we try to keep our travels ‘cheap and cheerful’ as my now-British friend Anita puts it! Therefore, when we figured we can go to Taxinge using our SL card, it gave us all the more reasons to include it in our itinerary!

From Södertälje we have to switch two buses to reach Taxinge (Since, a lot of work and changes are happening in the SL routes, I suggest you check the exact bus details on the app at the time of travel!). The route the last bus took was super scenic. The bus drove through vast meadows where horses were grazing and finally dropped us close to the Taxinge Kyrka!

Taxinge is a very little town that comes under the municipality of Nykvarn.

The town is popularly known for its castle and steam rail that connects Mariefred. Situated 60 Kms south of Stockholm along the shore of Mälaren Lake, this town dates back to the Viking era.

It was a blazing hot day according to the Swedish standards. But thanks to the many trees that lined up the quiet road and the cool summer breeze, we never felt the heat!

It was lunch time when we arrived. The Taxinge Slottscafe was very highly recommended by almost every single person who had been there.

This castle was built as a manor house in the early 1800s by the Wahrendorff family who were extremely successful farmers.

In 1979, two ladies decided to start a little cafe in the property. Today, the Taxinge Slottscafe serves 65 kinds of home-baked bread, making it Northern Europe’s largest cookie and cake table!

If you are someone with a sweet tooth, a visit to Taxinge Slott is totally worth even if its just to see, drool and taste this delectable spread!

The cafe staff all dressed up in long traditional dresses carrying around trays of creamy pastries will take you back in time!

We enjoyed our selection of cakes and sandwiches outdoors!

We then took a lazy stroll around the castle…

… along the massive Mälaren Lake! The water, islands and little family boats as far as the eyes can see was a calm and relaxing sight. We sat there for a while simply absorbing the tranquility!

The badet (i.e. bath or beach as we call it) beside the castle is a perfect stop to cool yourself!

Vj and kids had a whale of a time in the lake, while I lay down in the shade listening to ‘Soft Sommar Hits’ on Spotify!

We didn’t want to leave Taxinge without seeing the horses. Our girls love horses and over time I have also fallen in love with these majestic creatures.

 

Although feeding or touching the horses are not allowed, a walk through the outdoor stable admiring each horse was a perfect way to wrap up our visit to Taxinge!

Our plan was to take the steam train from Taxinge to Mariefred. Due to one small planning error, we did not know that the steam train and steam boat run only certain days a week. So we ended up paying a hefty sum for a 15 minute taxi ride to Mariefred!

Check out the Timetable of the Steam Boat and Train here www.oslj.nu/sv-SE prior to your visit!

Our day at Taxinge is definitely a perfect Swedish summer day we will cherish and remember for a long long time!