My travel stories	My photo impressions
Käringön, one of my favourite islands	Gullholmen	Ramsvikslandet
Marstrand	Hälleviksstrand	Tresticklan NP
Skaftö, hiking to lovely Grundsund	Härmansö
Stocken	Koster Islands
	Mollösund

The West Coast of Sweden

A short intro to the area of the West Coast

Area: Provinces of Bohuslän and Halland

The landscapes of the Västkusten (the West Coast) have been formed by the Inland Ice. Inland Ice is the name for the glacier ice that has been covering northern Europe during 100.000 of years, and nowadays only present in Greenland and Antarctica. The ice has scraped the surface and grinded the landscape into smooth bare rocks. The (at times) wild sea has helped to wash the rocks clean. Inner parts of the provinces have lots of forests of birch and aspen.

This part of Sweden is a favourite part of mine to visit during late spring / early summer, and I have been here many times. I try to visit before the tourist season starts (end of June) when the area starts to get flooded with visitors. Sitting on these bare rocks in the evening, overlooking the calm sea, while eating fresh sweet strawberries and sipping a glass of wine. The eyes are treated on a beautiful view of the sun slowly setting behind the horizon in an array of colours ranging from orange to red. Life doesn't get any better than small enjoyable moments like this :-)

Interesting points to see in the area are:

• Stocken: small fishing village on the northwest coast of Orust (Island north of Göteborg). A little village that I've often used as the place to stay during my visits of the West Coast.

• Mollösund and Hälleviksstrand: two small picturesque villages at Orust Island.

• Käringön: Small island outside Stocken, and a favourite place of mine.

• Gullholmen: Another favourite; oldest fishing village in Sweden, 11th century. Very picturesque.

• Flatön: small island north east of Stocken known from lyrics by Evert Taube (the in Sweden well known and loved song writer).

• Smögen: A very popular fishing village with the tourists that ten doubles its inhabitants in summer.

• The beautiful island of Marstrand with its historic Carlsten Fortress

• Tanum: Rock carvings, on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

• Koster Islands: Swedish most westerly islands with unusual nature, and recently has become a National Park

Click on the names in the map below
to go to their destination pages.

The West Coast of Sweden

My travels in the West Coast of Sweden

Skaftö, hiking to lovely Grundsund

Which way to go?

One of our favourite spots to visit for a week during the spring, before the tourist season starts, is the West Coast of Sweden. I think this is my seventh visit to this part of Sweden, quite remarkable as I hardly ever revisit a place! I often squeeze in some all-time favourites during these visits, but I also try to discover new places. And although I have been to the cute villages of Fiskebäckskil and Grundsund before, I had never hiked the coastal stretch between the two, until today. And it didn't disappoint! A very varied hiking trail and always a pleasure to walk through picturesque Grundsund.

I made a separate page where I will take you on a virtual tour to Skaftö.

Käringön, one of my favourite islands

Käringön is a tiny little island and village on the West-Coast of Sweden. This island is not about things that you 'must-see', it is more a sort of 'must-be'. An island that is not about any highlights or must do's. It all boils down to the feeling you have when walking around on the island while enjoying some good food, the beautiful views and above all feeling relaxed.

I made a separate page where I will take you on a virtual tour to Käringön. On this page you'll find a few tips, a bit of the islands history, and of course some personal impressions and images. I hope you will enjoy reading it and maybe even be convinced to take a detour and go here! I promise you won't regret it!

Marstrand

The little town of Marstrand is located on the West Coast of Sweden, just north of the city of Gothenburg (Göteborg). This village and island is a place that seems to attract the crowds and especially the ones that love sailing. But there is much more to Marstrand then only its harbour and of course the amazing amount of sailing boats. Marstrand seems to be a place that has it all: a cosy quay with colourful wooden houses, a fortress from the 17th century, wonderful rocky cliffs, a clear blue sea and views to die for.

I made a separate page where I will take you on a virtual tour to Marstrand.

Simone & Åke, West Coast of Sweden