Europe

[Visited: May 2006 and several times before]

Gothenburg is a major city in Sweden; in fact, it is the second largest city of the country. Nevertheless, as in most other parts in Scandinavia, nature is never far away. Gothenburg is right on the coast, and a nice break out of the city is the archipelago. Gothenburg actually boasts two, the Northern and Southern archipelago. The Southern archipelago consists of several dozens of islands, some small, some larger, of which only eight are inhabitated by around 5000 residents. Boats typically stop at several islands on the way to their final destination, which makes it possible to visit several islands on one day.
To get to the islands, I took a tram from downtown Gothenburg, which took me directly to Saltholmen in the south. From the last stop, it is a short walk to a small harbour where boats are waiting to take passengers to the outlying islands. Although they all leave in the same direction, and sometimes at the same time, they have different routes, most calling at several islands. You can base your decision where to go, on what you want to do. For the beach, Styrsö is best, while Donsö has good bathing spots, and Vrångö is good to walk around, and watch birds.
I decided to go to Vrångö, and shortly after leaving Saltholmen, the boat took us past Köpstadsö and Styrsö to make a short stop at Donsö, passing under the bridge linking Styrsö and Donsö. Donsö is the most densely populated island and consequently has the biggest harbour. Vrångö is the most southerly island, and after I set foot on the island, I followed a walking path leading me over the south part of the island. It took me to desolate bays, islands, a nature area, and a marvellous view over the sea from the south cape, from which I could see still other islands. It was very quiet, I didn't see anyone except some animals and mostly birds. Residents live in the village which is laid back as well, completely in tune with the islands atmosphere. On a later visit, I explored Styrsö.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Gothenburg Archipelago (Sweden). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Gothenburg Archipelago.
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Gothenburg Archipelago > Sweden > Europe

[Visited: May 2006 and several times before]

Around the World in 80 Clicks