Kalmar & Öland travel guide

Öland is the second largest island in Sweden. It is connected to the mainland by a bridge between Öland and Kalmar.
Öland is listed on the Unesco world heritage list.

The top 10 things to do and see in Kalmar and on the Öland island in Sweden are:

1. Stay at the hotel hotell Borgholm on Öland if you like small botique hotels. A nice hotel with a great restaurant that you shouldn´t miss.
If you are a partygirl Hotell Strand in Borgholm is a better choice with its after beach and club.

2. Start with some sightseeting and visit the royal Solliden castle and Borgholm castle close to Borgholm.
The Borgholm castle is the ruin of the magnificent Baroque palace which Charles X was built here in the mid 1600s.
The Solliden castle is an Italian-styled white palace, built by Queen Victoria of Sweden in 1903. It is still used as a summer residence by the Swedish Royal Family. Visit the exhibitions, the palace giftshop and have lunch at the crêperie, which serves ice-cream, tea, coffee, soft drinks as well as pancakes.

3. Then it is time to go medieval at the Eketorps castle. You can experience the Iron Age and medieval living in this completely reconstructed (rebuilt) fort.

4. If you are in to handicraft a visit to Paradisverkstan in Färjestaden on Öland is like paradise.

5. I also like the ceramics by Lotta & Mary in Färjestaden harbour a lot.

6. There are over 350 Windmills (Väderkvarnar) on Öland.
Visit Sandviks kvarn in Löttorp on Öland. It is the largest windmill in northern Europe. It has a café and restaurant.

7. After exploring Öland, it is time to travel over the 6.072 meter long bridge to Kalmar. The first place to visit is the magnificient Kalmar Castle. It was built in 1592 and is truly beautiful.

8. The Kalmar dome is a church that looks a very different compared to other churches in Sweden. The buildings design was inspired by churches in Rome and it was inagurated in 1682.

9. After sightseeing in Kalmar, it is time for some shopping. Visit Gerdas te and kaffehandel (tea & coffeshop), which has a wide selection of teas, coffees, cheeses and chocolate. Yummie.

10. Where to eat?
A really nice fish and shellfish restaurant is Hamnkrogen in the Kalmar harbour
A nice Italian restaurant is Ernesto in Kalmar
Another nice restaurant is Helen and Jörgen in Kalmar

Great Gotland

Gotland is an island outside Sweden which definitely is worth a visit.
It is the largest island in the Baltic sea and the region is considered by some historians to be the original homeland of the Goths. Nice isn´t it?

The top ten things to do on Gotland is...

1. Start your trip with staying at the hotel Djupvik by the sea. A small fabulous lux hotel by the sea. To sit by the pool, overlooking the sea, having a drink and see the sunset is truly amazing.
   
   2. After dreaming away at Djupvik, go to Visby and visit the Dome church. The island is suppose to have nearly 100 medieval churches and I didn´t visit all of them. The Dome is beautiful, it is in Visby which is the largest town on the island.
   
   3. Time for Icecream! Try a the local Guteglass in the ice cram shop by the harbour in Visby.
   
   4. Have lunch at Donners plats in the city centre of Visby. The place to eat is restaurant Donners Brunn. A smaller but nice restaurant in Visby is Packhuskällaren on Strandgatan 16. Cheaper but with ok food is Trossen in the port on adress Skeppsbron 14.
   
   5. Check in at the Clairon Wisby hotel. A supernice hotel in the middle of Visby. The hotel was started in 1850, but don´t worry it has been renovated into a design medieval hotel.
   
   6. Have a coffee at the St Clemens ruin. The church was built in 1200 and today there is only a ruin. You can buy the coffe in the hotel St Clemens.
   
   7. Shopping? Buy a sheep, it is a typical sovenier of Gotland. But do not buy a real one, just a small fake one.
   
   8. Chill at the cool bar by the sea called Kallbadhuset. According to their website it has been nominated to the best beach club in Europe. Do you agree?
   
   9. Go to Stånga to see the Knights tournament during the middle age theme week in August. It is like travelling 600 years back in time. Visit the medieval markets, listen to the music, see theater and Knights clash in tournaments.
   
   10. If you are in to film. You should also include a visit to the Ingmar Bergmar center on Fårö.

More information about Gotland is available on the tourist website of the Island.

What to do in Ostergotland

The must see things in my home county Ostergotland.
The region Östergötland, in Sweden is my home. I have gathered my very Top things to do in Östergötland, and these are things you won´t find in the travel books. Enjoy!
1. Peaceful walk in the beautiful nature in the nature reserve Tinnerö, Linköping. This is one of my favourite places to go for a quiet walk and to take some photos of the animals.

2. A guided tour & café at the lovely Bjärka Säby castle by the lake Rengen. It was built in 1700 and the former owner was a noble Count who sold it for 1 krona (0,1 Euros) a couple of years ago. It has been restored and is a truly lovely place.

3. A boat trip on a sunny day in the archipelago is supernice. Take a boat from Arkösund, on the east coast of Sweden. The Östgöta archipelago has thousands of small islands which are nice for an excursion or just for sun bathing. A nice place to stay is the Arkösund hotel. It has a lot of music performances during the summer. A place you also should visit in the archipelago is the Harstena island.

4. Have dinner and fun at the the combined Theatre-Restaurant Mejeriet in Vadstena.

5. Check out the Kinda Kanal (canal locks) in Sturefors and castle park in Sturefors, Linköping. The park is open for visitors in the summer. The locks in Kinda Kanal was built in 1870 and the one Sturefors is beuatiful and not so known by tourists.
Bring some picnic food and have some lunch by the locks with a view of the canal and lake.

6. Visit Knäppingsborg in Norrköping. An old area sparkling with new small shops, nice restaurants and a fab bakery.

7. In the summertime, enjoy live music with local artists and homebaked cookies and cakes at Adelsnäs Kaffe Stuga (café) by the Adelsnäs castle, in Åtvidaberg. The music performances are on Sundays.

8. Art in Åtvidaberg. Fab Raku ceramics things by Susanne Nyhlin-Åstrand. Visit her shop at Verksg.3 Åtvidaberg. When in Åtvidaberg you should also go to the artists & painters in Åtvidabergsgruppen on Bruksgatan and admire their beautiful paintings.

9. In December, have julbord (Christmas Buffet), it is a Christmas version of the Swedish smorgasbord. My favourite is in Skänninge at the local hotel Skänninge Stadshotell. I read somewhere that tennislegend Björn Borg celebrated his 50th birthday here but I dont know if it is true or not.


10. Avoid the big shopping malls and go for shopping in one of the many small shops and boutiques in the countryside.
Interior design...Elsas Hem in Borenshult, Motala.
Hantverksgården outside Malmslätt in Linköping.
Unnerstad gård close to Ekenäs castle outside Linköping.
Food...Fresh aspargaus at the shop between Linköping and Berg.
The butchers, Britta och Lennarts, Norsholm
Brunneby Musteri, for fresh juices & jams, Borensberg
Bleckenstad, Mjölby
Hargodlarna, Kisa
Boxholms cheese factory is called Boxholms ostClothes&shoes...Blankas butik in Vadstena
Minsjö säteri, Norrköping
Erika Tubbin, Norrköping
Blankas Port, Vadstena

Art...Hjortslunds ateljeer, Kisa
Linnefors krukmakeri, Boxholm

And then - sorry - but I couldn´t resist some things from the tourist travel guides:
For shrimp-lovers: Shrimp-cruise from Bergs slussar (it is not a cruise for shrimps, it is a cruise for those who love shrimp buffets and boat trips)
For ice cream - lovers: Visit the ice cream restaurant in Söderköping, Halvars kiosk in Norrköping or Bosses glassbar in Linköping.