Solliden Castle on Öland - stroll in a royal garden

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: October 2026 | Solliden Castle on Öland is the royal family's summer paradise. Although the villa is private, large parts of the beautiful castle park are open to visitors. Here you can stroll through several different gardens and perhaps finish with a coffee at Kaffetorpet.

Solliden Castle

Solliden Palace was once built as a summer residence for Sweden's future Queen Victoria (Victoria of Baden) and was completed in 1906. Victoria had health problems and hoped that the mild climate on Öland would make her feel better.

Solliden Castle is located just outside Borgholm, on the west coast of Öland.

Kaffetorpet at Solliden Castle

Almost as soon as you arrive at Solliden Castle, you are greeted by Kaffetorpet, a very cosy summer café. The cottage itself was originally called Slöjdartorpet after the craftsman Olaus Persson, who once lived here with his wife and all their eight children.

Pavilion - with entrance to the castle park

Shortly afterwards you will come to the pavilion and the entrance to the castle park. From here you continue into the various gardens and on towards Solliden Castle. The entrance fee is subject to change, so check the current price before your visit.

The castle and the Italian garden

Even if you can't go all the way to the castle, which is a private residence, you can get relatively close. And you can understand why the royal family likes it here, the surroundings are fantastically beautiful.

Queen Victoria was, in her time, very involved in the building. She often travelled abroad because of her respiratory problems, including visiting the Swedish doctor Axel Munthe at his villa in Capri.

From there she drew a lot of inspiration for her own villa. Axel also helped her acquire Italian architectural details and statues. (And yes, their relationship has sometimes been described as the 'love story of the century', albeit a hushed one. Victoria was, after all, married to Gustav V.)

Right next to the castle is the Haga Princesses' playhouse. The cottage was originally a residential building for day labourers, but in 1948 it was converted into a playhouse. A really cute little house!

English Park

Also adjacent to the castle is the English Park. This part of the garden is inspired by the romantic garden ideal, which is freer and wilder than the organised Renaissance garden.

For an English park, it may not be very big, but it has a variety of exotic trees such as walnut, giant tuja, tulip tree and cypress, as well as a magnificent blood book. There are also the so-called Fuchsia Arches, i.e. arches with fuchsias initiated by Queen Silvia. When we were here, art was also on display in the park.

Dutch rose garden

Another garden at Solliden Palace is the Dutch Rose Garden. This garden was a gift from the Dutch court for Queen Victoria's 60th birthday. The garden is adorned with four unique marble statues.

Frederick I of Baden

Near the Dutch Rose Garden is a statue of Frederick I of Baden. He was the father of Queen Victoria and it was he who paid for the castle and much of the park. Many of the plants in the garden come from his Mainau in southern Germany, but he himself never had the opportunity to visit Solliden.

Croquet pitch

The croquet pitch was built by Queen Victoria as a gift to her husband Gustav V, who was a keen ballplayer. There were tents for refreshments and a telephone booth for contacting the government. Two mighty marble lions guard the entrance.

More details to discover in the castle park

There is much more to discover when you walk through Solliden Park. Here you will find, among other things, the water feature Cascade, which King Carl XVI Gustaf received from the government on his 40th birthday, as well as rock gardens, perennial plantings and various sculptures.

Also look out for Queen Victoria's memorial bust and the old gate from Kalmar. But you don't really need to hunt for sights here – a big part of the experience is simply strolling around among the flowers, trees and beautiful surroundings.

See more in the neighbourhood

• Borgholm Castle
• Things to do in Borgholm
• Öland Museum Himmelsberga
• Öland's ancient castles
• Around Öland by car or campervan