Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is giving holiday-goers even more value for money this summer by offering a free five-day Stockholm Island Hopper Card with all return flights from the UK to Stockholm booked for travel between 1 August and 30 September 2009. The card, worth £29, allows travellers to venture beyond Sweden’s capital city to freely explore the natural beauty of one of the world’s most beautiful archipelagos by boat.

Stockholm’s famous archipelago stretches 80 kilometres east of the city and comprises over 30,000 islands. While some are uninhabited, others have beautiful manor estates or “herrgεrd” as they are more commonly known by the Swedish. The islands vary in size, atmosphere, facilities and remoteness and offer a wide range of exciting activities for visitors including sailing, cycling, hiking, swimming in the islands’ lakes, canoeing or kayaking.

By way of contrast, Stockholm city is stylish and hip offering an appealing combination of chic accommodation, great shops, a diverse and sophisticated nightlife and a restaurant scene offering superb Michelin-starred cuisine. Often called “the Venice of the North” the capital boasts a stunning Old Town which showcases buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries and offers Stockholm’s biggest ranges of restaurants, tourist shops, studios and museums as well as a wealth of wonderful walkways and paths to explore.