What to do in Borgholm on Öland - our 12 best tips

What to see and do in Borgholm? Borgholm is a lovely tourist town with a holiday feeling and attractions such as Solliden and Borgholm Castle. Here are our top tips on what to see and do in Borgholm!

Borgholm

Borgholm is a town and municipality on Öland, which is a very popular destination for tourists in the summer. Although the town itself is relatively small, the municipality extends all the way up to the northern tip of Öland. In this article, we will mainly provide tips on things to do in and around the town of Borgholm, but you will also find tips on excursions around the whole of Öland.

Borgholm is located on the west coast of Öland, about 20 miles north of Färjestaden.

What can you do in Borgholm?

What can you see and do in Borgholm? There is a lot to discover and experience, we can say. We have collected our best tips here in a list.

1. strolling in Borgholm

Borgholm is a charming little town, perfect for strolling around on a lovely summer day. There are plenty of restaurants, cafés and small shops selling clothes and accessories.

It is also nice to look at all the beautiful boats in the harbour.

2. Admire the Borgholm church

When walking around the town, you can also take the opportunity to check out the beautiful yellow church building. When the town of Borgholm was founded in 1816, there was no church, and residents had to go to Köping Church or Räpplinge Church to attend services.

Borgholm's church was built in 1879, after drawings by Ernst Jacobsson. The eastern part became the church hall and the western part the school hall, which shows how close the church and the school were at this time. The interior today dates back to the 1960s, when a major change was made.

3. eat an Öland ice cream

One thing you don't want to miss in Borgholm is to enjoy a really good Öland ice cream. You can choose between Swedish and Italian ice cream and there are lots of exciting flavours. We tried, among other things, the flavour "Mormor" which offered a mixture of strawberries and rhubarb.

4. Swimming in the cold bath house

Borgholm's cold bath house was originally built in 1882, at a time when the city was a renowned spa. The bathhouse has since been repeatedly destroyed in storms, but has always been rebuilt, albeit on a slightly smaller scale over time. The latest bathhouse was built in 2003 and is in a beautiful location, right next to Borgholm's harbour.

5. Hang out at Kapelludden campsite

Kapelluddens camping has an excellent location for visiting and discovering Borgholm and the surrounding area. The campsite is also beautifully situated by the water. The campsite has outdoor pools, a bathhouse with gym, playground, outdoor gym, sauna and bicycles for hire.

6. Experience Borgholm Castle

Borgholm Castle is sometimes called "the most beautiful ruin in the Nordic region" and is indeed a mighty castle ruin. The castle was built in the 13th century, and in the 17th century Charles X Gustav rebuilt the castle into a grand baroque palace.

As well as being impressive, the ruin also offers a fantastic view of the sea from its various floors. There is also a museum where you can learn more about its history.

7. Discover Solliden Castle Park

Solliden Palace on Öland is the royal family's summer paradise. Although the villa is private, most of the beautiful garden is open to the public. Here you can stroll through beautifully landscaped parks, and perhaps have a coffee at Kaffetorpet.

8. Immerse yourself in history at St Brita's Chapel.

If you like the mystique of old ruins, you should definitely pay a visit to Sankta Brita's chapel. This church ruin is located on the east coast of Öland, about 16 kilometres east of central Borgholm. The chapel was probably built in the 13th century and was located at the medieval trading centre of Sikavarp.

Right next to the chapel is a well and a 3.3 metre high stone cross. The surrounding environment is peaceful with a sandy beach, grazing cows and small red sheds, which today seem to be used for holidays.

9. Check out the Ismanstorp fortress

Ismantorp Castle is one of Öland's many ancient castles, telling the story of life in the Iron Age. The castle was built and used between 300 and 600 AD, and inside the large circular wall there are ruins of 95 houses.

What is special about this particular castle is that there are nine gates in the wall. This should be impractical from a defence point of view, and it is thought that it may be related to the nine worlds of Norse mythology.

10. Visit the Öland Museum Himmelsberga

Öland Museum Himmelsberga is a nice open-air museum that shows an old-fashioned Öland row village and what life was like in the past. There is also a cosy little café, a shop and an art gallery.

11. see Störlinge mill

Öland is known for its many windmills and if you go to Störlinge you can see no less than seven at once. The windmills stand in a long row along the road. While you're in Störlinge, you can also check out the Störlinge Agricultural and Motor Museum.

12. Photographing the row of mills in Lerkaka

If you can't get enough of windmills, take the opportunity to check out and photograph the row of windmills in Lerkaka.

More to do in Borgholm for those who like culture and history

There is also more to see and do in Borgholm when it comes to culture and history.

• Borgholm City Museum is located in one of Borgholm's most beautiful 19th century buildings (Köpmangatan 23).
• Gärdslösa church is considered the best preserved medieval church on Öland (Norra Gärdslösa 87).
• Ekerum art centre is located at the Ekerum Resort between Färjestaden and Borgholm (Gårdsvägen 22).
• Störlinge Agricultural and Motor Museum is a destination for the whole family. (Störlinge 32)
• Vida Museum & Art Centre is a privately owned art museum 9 kilometres south of Borgholm (Landsvägen, Halltorp).

More things to do in Borgholm for nature lovers

Do you like nature best? Then you can find some more suggestions for things to do in Borgholm here:

• Ekerum Golf Club is for those who want to play golf. (Gårdsvägen 22).
• Halltorp's garden is a nature reserve on the west coast of central Öland. This is a beautiful deciduous forest with ancient oak trees.
• Öland bike hire offers different types of bicycles. (Villagatan 4)

More to do in Borgholm with children

Here are some more tips for things to do in Borgholm with children or teenagers.

• Öland Zoo shows animals from all over the world. There are also amusement parks and water parks (Djurparksvägen, Färjestaden).
• Öland go-kart centre offers adventure in modern go-karts (Landsvägen Vässby 70).

Where can you stay or park your motorhome?

In Borgholm there are of course many different hotels and other accommodation options, such as Hotell Borgholm and Hotell Strand. If you come by motorhome, you have a few different options to choose from:

• Kapelluddens camping, Sandgatan 27
• Borgholm car park Sunset (run by Kapelluddens camping)
• The car park at Solliden (free of charge, no service)
• Car park at the Öland Museum Himmelsberga (small fee, toilet available)

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

When you are in Borgholm, you can of course take the opportunity to discover the rest of Öland. On the northern part (which also belongs to the municipality of Borgholm), you can for example discover Böda Sand camping, the unique 2D café at Mellböda farm, the Långe Erik lighthouse on the northern tip of Öland and the beautiful coastal road between Byrum and Äleklinta.

If you head south instead, you can discover the southern tip of Öland and the Långe Jan lighthouse. Around Öland there are also plenty of ancient castles worth seeing, not least Eketorp Castle, which is a rebuilt Iron Age castle. Last but not least, we must of course recommend visiting beautiful Kalmar with Kalmar Castle!

Even more to see and do in Borgholm?

Have you visited Borgholm? Tell us about your experience! Maybe you have even more tips on things to see and do in Borgholm?

Facts about Borgholm

• Landscape: Öland
• County: Kalmar County
• Residents: More than 10 000 in the municipality (2021)
• District: Borgholm district, Köping district and Räpplinge district.
• The name: The prefix 'Borg' may refer to the ancient castle that is believed to have been on the site of the ruined castle. The word may also be a variant of 'mountain'.
• Read more: You can find more information on Öland's website.

History of Borgholm

• 7th century: From this time, there was a Viking marketplace in Köpingsvik.
• 12th century: From this time there is evidence of a castle in Borgs parish, and a parish church next to the castle.
• 1280s: The name "Borgholm" has been documented since that time.

16th to 18th century

• 1520: Sören Norby besieged the castle and the former castle was destroyed. Borgholm was transformed into a royal estate.
• The time of Gustav Vasa: Borg parish was last dissolved during this time, and merged with Räpplinge.
• 1611-1613: The church was blown up during the Kalmar War. Borgholm continued to function as a ferry port and harbour.
• 1620: Borgholm was given rights as a sound town under the city of Kalmar.

19th century to present

• 1816: The town of Borgholm was formed, which was the only town on Öland. However, the town was small, with just over 100 inhabitants.
• 1855-1857: A new harbour was built.
• 1864: The city was transformed into a health resort. The air was considered good for health and wealthy tourists came from all over Sweden. Many beautiful villas and hotels were built.
• 1906: The Borgholm-Böda railway opened.
• 1910: The Southern Öland railway towards Mörbylånga and Ottenby opened.
• 1961: The railway was closed.
• 1972: The Öland Bridge was inaugurated.