Genuine West Swedish coastal life - Southern Bohuslän

Take your time - stay a few days at each stop.

Starting in Ljungskile and Lyckorna, this route crosses Orust and Tjörn before ending beneath the walls of Carlsten Fortress in Marstrand. Along the way, you can join a mussel expedition, sleep in a former fish-box factory or even a beehive, see monumental sculpture among grazing sheep, and make detours to car-free islands. Four days will give you a taste of the coast, but extra nights leave room for whichever island, gallery, café, or sea view tempts you to linger.

 

Stop 1:

Start in Ljungskile and Lyckorna

Your first night will be at Villa Sjötorp. Built in 1901, this beautiful old house is now an eco-hotel with an organic restaurant. Eye-catching ornamental woodwork, ornate tiled stoves, and fabulous views all add to its character. This will be your home from home after exploring Ljungskile and Lyckorna.

Ljungskile was once a popular spa and health resort, prized for its supposedly balmy climate. The town curves around the bay, backed by the wooded heights of Bredfjället. Follow the shore from Ljungskile to the hamlet of Lyckorna, where we suggest stopping for lunch.

Musselbaren occupies Klocktornet, the former office where visitors once checked in for their spa stays. Fresh blue mussels are served with classic accompaniments, and you can make the experience even more memorable by joining a mussel expedition and having a go at harvesting them yourself.

After lunch, head to Kärrstegens gård, where you can shop for clothes, interior décor, and flowers or stop for afternoon tea in the café.

Then you can check in at Villa Sjötorp and settle in for the evening. Dinner draws on ingredients from farms, forests, the sea, and lakes, supplied by small-scale producers from the surrounding countryside.

For a different kind of stay, Hällesdalens Gård, just south of Ljungskile, offers accommodation in traditional houses or a cosy tiny house.

Stop 2:

Travel on to Orust

Continue to the island of Orust, where peaceful Bohuslän countryside meets the archipelago. Pretty seaside villages are scattered around the coast, with skerries and smaller islands just offshore.

Lådfabriken is a joyfully idiosyncratic B&B, packed with art, design, and a lifetime’s worth of meticulously curated objects. This former factory once produced wooden boats and fish boxes for local fishermen but has since been transformed into wonderfully playful accommodation. In the evening, watch the sun set from the yellow box before sitting down to dinner, with local fish and shellfish taking centre stage.

At Tavlebord Honey Farm, you can learn about bees, stop for fika or lunch, browse the farm shop – and even spend the night in a beehive.

Fröken Trulls Café & Antikt is another charming stop, set in a lush garden. Find a seat outside or settle into the cosy interior for lunch, dinner, or Swedish fika. Much of what surrounds you is also for sale, so the chair you are sitting on or the painting on the wall may end up coming home with you.

Alternatively, stay at Hotel Strana, where you can check into its seaside house, set far out on the rocks with its own jetty, and hire the floating sauna.

Another option is Slussens Pensionat, a time-honoured Orust classic driven by a love of live music, food, and good company. Often described as Sweden’s music hotel, it serves local produce with a light, elegant touch, accompanied by a thoughtfully chosen selection of organic and natural wines.

Further south along the coast is Fatabur, where local flavours remain the focus and sourdough pizzas are served with something good to drink.

From Tuvesvik, on the western edge of Orust, take the passenger ferry to the island of Käringön. Stay overnight at Lotshotellet Käringön or Hotell Käringön and enjoy the island after the day visitors have left.

Stop 3:

Cross over to the island of Tjörn

Today, cross the Skåpesund Bridge to Tjörn, an island awash with art. Stop along the way at Sundsby säteri for a walk, fika, and a look around the small craft shops.

In Skärhamn, you’ll find the Nordic Watercolour Museum, a unique centre for art created with water, pigment, and paper. Temporary exhibitions and works from the museum’s collection are shown in a beautiful building right on the shoreline. Stay for lunch at Vatten, the restaurant and café in the same building.

A short distance from the museum is Skulptur i Pilane. Every summer, large-scale works by internationally renowned artists appear in a remarkable landscape of Iron Age remains, open countryside, and grazing sheep. The short cycle ride from Skärhamn is a fine way to take in even more of the scenery.

You could also take the ferry from Rönnäng to the car-free islands of Dyrön or Åstol, perhaps stopping for lunch at Dyröns Värdshus or Åstols Rökeri.

Check in at Salt & Sill or Björholmens Hotel & Marina

Salt & Sill, on Klädesholmen, is a floating hotel where the restaurant serves fish, shellfish, and, of course, its speciality herring platter. Herring has been central to life in Klädesholmen for centuries, and the fishing village remains closely associated with its production. In the mood for sourdough pizza instead? Lottas Bak & Form is just a short walk away.

Another option is Björholmens Hotel & Marina, surrounded by the Stigfjorden nature reserve. Here, rocky islands, coastal meadows, and fertile valleys create a landscape where the scents, flavours, and activities are all shaped by the sea. Make time for the wood-fired sauna on the jetty, overlooking the harbour and open water.

You can also stay in one of the charming houses at Atelier Blå Houses.

Stop 4:

 Carry on to Marstrand

Marstrand extends across the islands of Koön and Marstrandsön. A short ferry ride takes you across the sound to the historic island town, with its narrow lanes, sea views at every turn, and the spectacular Carlsten Fortress crowning it all.

Dating from the 17th century, the fortress’s most famous prisoner was the master thief Lasse-Maja, who was held there for 26 years. There is plenty to discover inside, but leave time to walk around the island as well. Pause at its outer edge near Skallens lighthouse, where the Skagerrak and Kattegat meet.

Back at the harbour, stop at Bergs Konditori when you are ready for something sweet. This traditional café has a long history, and the building once housed an officers’ mess. It is also said that Nobel Prize-winning author Selma Lagerlöf worked there on The Treasure, her novel set in Marstrand.

Check in to your accommodation

At Marstrands Kurhotell, you can experience something of the atmosphere of a 19th-century health resort and properly unwind.

Grand Hotell Marstrand is another hotel steeped in tradition and history, with a popular restaurant. Over on Koön, Marstrands Havshotell offers a more modern stay, with a spa, fitness facilities, and a quayside restaurant that catches the evening sun and looks across the harbour towards Marstrandsön and the brooding fortress.

A lovely end to your journey.

 

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