Menu Close

Öregrund in Roslagen - tips for things to see and do

Advertisement

Öregrund is a real gem in Roslagen with charming alleys, beautiful old wooden houses and a harbour full of boats and restaurants. Here you can enjoy a pleasant holiday atmosphere and watch the sun sink over the sea.

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Share
Share

Öregrund in Roslagen

Öregrund is one of Sweden's best preserved wooden towns and, according to the tourist office, the only town on the east coast where you can see the sun set into the sea. The town was founded in 1491 and was an important maritime town for a long time, shipping iron from Vallonbruken to England. In the 1870s, the town was developed into a health resort with a bathhouse and society house, and the small town is still popular with Swedish holidaymakers.

Öregrund

Öregrund belongs to Östhammar municipality and is located in Roslagen, approximately two hours north of Stockholm by car.

Öregrund harbour

When you come to Öregrund, sooner or later you end up in and around the harbour. There are guest berths for leisure boats, and both sailboats and motorboats are close by.

Here is also a long row of red wooden houses, where restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes are densely packed. For our part, it was a bullet ice cream here in the fine weather.

Restauranger i Öregrund

As you walk around to the "other side" of the water, you'll encounter even more small shacks, with both shops and restaurants. In one of the places you can enjoy your beer in cosy boats with cushions (when we passed by in the evening these boats were popular).

The West Bank lightship

There are also the remains of the West Bank Lighthouse, cast in concrete. As we understand it, there were once plenty of lighthouses like this one, meant to lie at anchor and warn mariners of grounding or other dangers.

Fyrskeppet Västra Banken i Öregrund

Cosy neighbourhood in Öregrund

You can also stroll around the wonderful wooden houses in Öregrund. The town is so picturesque that it's sometimes hard to believe it's real.

Öregrunds hembygdsgård with the Maritime Museum

Öregrunds hembygdsgård includes an 18th-century manor house with heritage interiors. There is also a craft museum and maritime museum. At this time, opening hours and guided tours were limited, so we were content to peek over the fence.

Öregrunds hembygdsgård

Öregrund church

Öregrund's church was built in the 1490s, when the town was founded. We peeked inside and the church is not big, but nice with small ships hanging from the roof. On a hill just south of the church you will find a red chip-covered bell tower, which is 18 metres high and can be seen from almost everywhere in the small town.

Cycling along the coast

We took a small bike ride along the coast. There are nice and wide trails where you can both walk and cycle, with lovely views of the sea. Then must you don't cycle on the narrowest paths (I think we're sometimes a bit too curious to realise when it's time to turn around...).

The coastline is stunningly beautiful here. It is mostly cliffs, but there are also some small sandy beaches. On a sign we could read about Hummelfjärd where fish seek out the cold Öregrundsgrepen to lay eggs. Among others, pike, perch and roach find their way here.

Promenade

There is also a nice little promenade you can walk around the headland where the Society House is located. The house was built in 1893 to serve as a meeting place. Today it is Öregrunds bygdegårdsförening that takes care of and rents out the house.

Societetsvillan i Öregrund

To make Öregrund more attractive as a seaside resort, in 1894 Badhusbolaget bought a baby seal, which was named Calle and placed in a pond by the cliffs. The seal became popular, but many people also started talking about animal cruelty. Eventually, it was decided to release Calle into the sea and crowds of people gathered to watch the 'departure'. Today, Calle remains as a statue along the seafront.

Sälen Calle i Öregrund

Motorhome pitches

There are two caravan sites in the centre of Öregrund. One (Tullbacken, Hamnpiren) is right by the harbour and has three spaces. The other (Västerhamn) has five spaces. Both cost 120 SEK per day and at least where we stood (Västerhamn) the service consists of a toilet and rubbish bin. A tip is, at least during the high season, to arrive early. The places are quickly occupied.

Ställplats i Öregrund

We usually cook our own dinner in the motorhome, and since we were by the sea, Peter took the opportunity to clean the fish in the water. Nice to get rid of the fish smell in the car, but he wasn't left alone ...!

Rensa fisk

Sunnanö Camping

There is also a campsite in Öregrund. Sunnanö camping is located on Sunnanövägen, about 3 kilometres from central Öregrund. We took the electric bikes here to have a look and received a warm welcome from super nice Kamilla, who has run the campsite for ten years with her husband, and who took the time to tell us about the campsite.

We had a very positive impression of this campsite. It is beautifully located on the waterfront, with a beach, piers and a guest harbour. About 60 per cent of the pitches are occupied by long-stayers and the remaining 40 per cent can be booked by temporary visitors.

Sunnanö camping

Many of the sites have a great view of the sea and are so popular that Kamilla said they hardly need to advertise. Word of mouth spreads from mouth to mouth. There is also a restaurant with a fantastic view of the water.

Sunnanö camping Öregrund

Excursion from Öregrund to Gräsö.

Just outside Öregrund is the island of Gräsö, which can be reached by car ferry in just 5-10 minutes. On the island you can visit Gräsö Church and the Gräsö Information Centre (which is unexpectedly nice!). There are also two nature reserves: Gräsö Farm Nature Reserve and Äspskär and Idön Nature Reserve. If you want, you can stay at Gräsöbadens camping, which is a really nice campsite.

We have to say that we think Öregrund is an absolutely beautiful and charming town. Have you been to Öregrund? What did you think? Please tell us!

Göra i Uppland
All our top tips for holidays in Uppland

Facts about Öregrund

  • Landscape: Uppland
  • County: Uppsala County
  • Municipality: Östhammar municipality
  • Population: 1620 (2019)
  • Tourist office: The harbour square in Öregrund
  • The name of the place: The name was written "Øregrundh" which means "gravel ground". This is thought to have referred to the "Dummelgrundet" which is located outside the harbour.

Attractions in Öregrund

  • City Hall: It sometimes hosts art exhibitions. Address: Rådhusgatan 8
  • Öregrunds hembygdsgård: With craft museum and maritime museum. Address: Västergatan 14
  • Öregrund church: Church from the 1490s. Address: Kyrkogatan 11
  • Tallparken: Outdoor area with tennis courts, walking paths and swimming areas.

Activities in Öregrund

  • Boat trips: Boat trips in the Öregrund archipelago, day trips to Örskär and various fishing trips.
  • Activities on water: Kayak hire, motor boat hire, sailboat hire, SUP hire, water sports and more.
  • Outdoor activities: Hiking, cycling and swimming.
  • Excursions to islands: You can visit the island of Gräsö (with its nature reserve, hiking trails, church and more) or the island of Rävsten.

Accommodation in Öregrund

  • Parking spaces: Tullbacken/Hamnpiren and Västerhamn.
  • Camping: Sunnanö camping (Sunnanövägen) and Gräsöbadens family camping (Gräsö).
  • Guest harbours: Öregrund guest harbour and Grepen Marin guest harbour.
  • Hotels and cottages: There are many different types of accommodation to choose from.

History of Öregrund

  • Prehistory: Land uplift means there is no evidence of prehistoric settlement.
  • 1491: Öregrund can count its history as a town from this year, and is originally a colony of Östhammar. King Christian II burned down the town and the inhabitants were forced to move to Östhammar, but Gustav Vasa restored the town.
  • 16th century: Öregrund was a shipping harbour for iron from the ironworks in Uppland.
  • 1719: The city was ravaged and burned during the so-called 'Russian ravages' at the end of the Great Northern War.

19th to 20th century

  • 19th century: From the end of the 19th century until the Second World War, Öregrund was a popular health resort. Many beautiful villas and gardens were built during this time. Because many summer visitors bought houses, the town was empty for much of the year, which caused financial problems for the town.
  • 1967: The town of Öregrund was merged with the town of Östhammar.
  • 1862: The town of Öregrund was transformed into an urban municipality.
  • 1952: The city municipality was expanded with Gräsö parish/country municipality.
  • 1967: The city municipality joined the city of Östhammar.
  • 1971: The town of Östhammar became the municipality of Östhammar.

Travelling to Öregrund

  • Car: From Stockholm to Öregrund you can drive either via Uppsala (about 1 h 45 min) or via Rimbo (about 2 h).
All our top tips about Sweden! Click on the image

Subscribe to our newsletter