Everyone can go island hopping in Bohuslän!
Island hopping is the perfect way to discover Bohuslän’s fantastic archipelago. Spend some time exploring salt sprayed granite rocks, picturesque fishing villages and classic seafood restaurants. What’s special about island hopping is that it’s you who decides how long the trip is going to be and what you want to see. Complete freedom, in other words!
You probably already know about interrailing or multi-stop flights, and maybe you’ve been on a road trip before. But have you experienced the feeling of freedom that island hopping around the coast gives you? One minute you’re standing by the railings on a traditional archipelago boat watching the glittering waves ripple below, and the next you’re catching the scent of smoked mussels emanating from the peaceful fishing huts. Bohuslän’s thousands of islands offer rich natural surroundings, and wide ranging experiences – all with a maritime atmosphere as a common denominator. And because the different ferry companies work together you can explore this beautiful coastline without needing your own boat – how convenient is that!
More beautiful than the Himalayas
In 2013 the American news channel CNN named Bohuslän’s archipelago as the world’s seventh most beautiful wilderness area. To put that into perspective, considerably more internationally famous areas are also named on the list, like the Great Bear Rainforest on Canada’s west coast, the gigantic Kakadu National Park in northern Australia and the Himalayas – the highest mountain range in the world! That’s how beautiful and unique Bohuslän’s coastline is!
Photographer: Åsa Dahlgren
Themed tour suggestions
The West Swedish archipelago stretches from Vrångö in the south (off Gothenburg) to the Koster Islands in the north (off Strömstad). With a bit of planning, and because there are so many different ferry routes, you can create your own dream trip between the islands. If you want tips and inspiration we’ve put together several route suggestions and categorised them with different themes.
Family trips – Every day in the archipelago is a family adventure, whether you like to swim, go kayaking, exploring or fish for crabs direct from the rocks.
Island hop by bike – If you want to have more freedom of movement you can take your own bike on board or hire where you are. And if you want to stretch your legs a bit more you can of course combine the boat trips with some lovely bike rides between the ferry terminals.
Romantic trips –Surprise someone close to you with breakfast in a pretty B & B, fall in love while you stroll by the boats and fishing huts, and see the sun and the horizon meet snuggled up on shoreside boulder. It can’t get any more romantic than that!
Discover coastal walking trails –Many of the islands in Bohuslän are so tiny and picturesque that there’s no room for cars and other vehicles. Step off the boat and enjoy clambering over rocks, by seashore meadows and windblown fir trees, all on foot.
Day trips –Sometimes there’s not enough time to go on a long holiday, but you still want to get away from it all for a bit. There are plenty of ferry companies here, so it’s easy to get out into the archipelago just for a day.
As you can see, you can make your trip as long or as short as you want, from a relaxing day trip to one of the islands just off Gothenburg, to an action packed six day journey via Marstrand, Klädesholmen and Mollösund. You’ll find a route map of the west coast here, and you’ll find information about all the pretty islands and seaside villages.
We hope you have a great island hopping trip in Bohuslän!
