Seafront pleasures in abundance
The long coastlines in the east, south and west of southern Sweden, and on the islands of Gotland and Öland, offer constantly changing scenic panoramas, with a multitude of picturesque fishing villages, coast towns, beach resorts and secluded getaways in splendid settings.
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The island Tjörnekalv at the West Coast |
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Photo: Lars Rosenhoff |
The rocky coast and vast archipelago of the west, with its characteristic barren and dramatic cliffs, islands and islets coloured in tones of grey and pink is a paradise for boaters who arrive from all over Northern Europe during the summer season. If you´re boatless, the magnificent west coast archipelago is available by ferries from Göteborg, Strömstad and other coastal towns. You can take a day trip or embark on a longer isle-hopping excursion to enjoy simple, free pleasures such as salty dips from your very own rock, fresh winds and the smell of seaweed, and crab fishing from jetties or stony beaches. All along the coastline you’ll find a large number of charming fishing villages and coastal towns with cozy hotels, inns and restaurants, where you can savour fresh north Atlantic seafood delicacies.
Halland and Skåne also have rocky coastlines, such as the scenic Kullaberg peninsula and the famous and dramatic Hovs hallar on the Bjäre peninsula, near Torekov, where Ingmar Bergman´s ”The Seventh Seal” was filmed. Both of these landscapes, however, are first and foremost characterised by the many mile-long beaches with white sand and rolling dunes of a kind many visitors are amazed to find on these latitudes. Some of the most beautiful and popular of these beaches are Tylösand, Mellbystrand, Varberg and Laholm in Halland, and Skanör, Sandhammaren, Haväng and Åhus in Skåne.
On the east coast, there are paradisical island groups off the coasts of Blekinge and Östergötland, ideal for boating, canoeing or fishing holidays for those who enjoy calm and relaxing natural experiences far from the stress and commotion of mass tourism.