Things to do on Öland - 25 sights and experiences

What to do on Öland? The island of sun and wind offers everything from beaches and nature experiences to historical sights and activities for children. Here you will find all our top tips for things to see and do on Öland.

Öland

Öland is Sweden's second largest island and also its smallest landscape. We have travelled around here by camper van and if you followed that trip you will certainly recognise some of the photos. Here is an article with lots of tips on things to see and do on Öland.

Öland is located in the Baltic Sea east of Småland. Since 1972, the island has been connected to the mainland by the Öland Bridge, which crosses the Kalmar Strait.

What can you do on Öland?

So what can you do on Öland? Well, there is a lot to see and experience, whether you like nature, culture, history or just enjoying the holiday atmosphere. Here are our top tips.

1. sunbathing and swimming

In the summer it is very popular to sunbathe and swim on Öland. There are many nice beaches and bathing areas around the island. Böda Sand is perhaps the most famous beach of all, and the beach at First Camp Löttorp is also very nice. On the west coast you will find a nice sandy beach in Byrum-Sandvik. If you prefer to swim from rocks or piers, there are also many options.

2. Hiking in Stora Alvaret

Stora Alvaret is a 37 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide area of alvar land found on the southern part of Öland. This is an area that offers beautiful and different nature. For example, there is the 13 kilometre long hiking trail Stora Alvarleden, which runs from Karlevi to Frösslunda.

2. Discover Långe Jan and the southern tip of Öland.

In the south of Öland, the Långe Jan lighthouse is Sweden's tallest and one of the country's oldest lighthouses. The southern tip of Öland also offers an exotic landscape with open spaces and free-roaming animals. Here you'll find the Ottenby nature reserve, where you can see harbour seals or watch birds. You can also see interesting exhibitions about animals and nature at Naturum Ottenby.

4. Visit ancient burial sites

If you like grave fields and other ancient remains, you can easily find things to do on Öland. There are around 40 sites with prehistoric graves. One of the most famous sites is Gettlinge burial ground, where you will find, among other things, a ship set, but also rock coffins. Spearheads and swords have been found inside the tombs.

Another interesting place is Seby cemetery where there are 280 graves, a shipwreck, a Viking rune stone, rock chests and bowl pits.

5. See the Karlevisten

Öland is also home to a large number of rune stones, with inscriptions telling of times gone by. One of the most famous stones is the 'Karlevistenen', which is considered one of Sweden's most remarkable rune stones. The stone dates from the end of the Viking Age and contains a poem in what is known as 'Queen's Quiet'. The poem is dedicated to a powerful chieftain named Sigge, who perhaps once upon a time performed some great deed.

6. Shop in the garden centre at Capella Farm.

Do you like cultivation and gardening? Then take a look at Capellagården in Vickleby. This farm serves as a school with training in arts and crafts and gardening. In the summer you can visit the garden shop or the arts and crafts shop, or perhaps have a coffee in the garden café.

7. Be impressed by Öland's ancient castles

There are around 15-20 ancient castles on Öland, all of which have a long and exciting history. The castles are now ruins, but the finds have taught us a lot about how people lived in the Iron Age. For example, jewellery and Roman coins have been found that tell the story of journeys to the East. Some of the most important castles include:

• Eketorp Castle (reconstructed)
• Bårby castle
• Sandby castle
• Gråborg
• Ismanstorp fortress

8. Travelling in time at Eketorp Castle

Eketorp Castle stands out among the ancient castles on Öland because it has been reconstructed to show what life might have been like in the past. In the courtyard, a number of houses have been built, along with informative signs. When the attraction is open, you can visit the interior of the museum houses and various activities are organised such as bread baking, archery and historical games.

9. Take a look at St Knut's Chapel

In Borgs by, right next to the ancient castle Gråborg, you can visit the ruins of St Knut's chapel. The chapel was built at the end of the 12th century, during a period when Öland was in a borderland, when the kings fought around the Baltic Sea and everyone had to be Christianised. The chapel was abandoned in the early 16th century and is now an imaginative ruin.

10. Learn about history at the Öland Museum Himmelsberga.

Öland Museum Himmelsberga is a fine open-air museum where you can visit an old-fashioned Öland row village and learn more about life in the past. There is also a cosy little café, a shop and an art gallery.

11. Make a stop at St Brita's chapel

St Brita's Chapel was probably built in the 13th century and was located at the medieval trading centre of Sikavarp. Today you can see the ruins of the chapel and a tall stone cross. You can also enjoy the peaceful environment by the sea.

12. Check out historic churches

If you like old historic churches, there are several interesting buildings to check out.

• Gärdslösa church is one of the best preserved medieval churches on Öland.
• Source old church is a stone church built in the 13th century.
• Högby church has a 13th century defence tower and a 15th century Madonna cabinet.

13. Hanging out in Borgholm

Borgholm is really a cosy and charming tourist town, full of cafés and restaurants. Here you can shop in small stores, watch boats in the harbour or maybe buy an Öland ice cream.

14. Experience Borgholm Castle

One thing you won't want to miss doing on Öland is seeing the mighty ruins of Borgholm Castle. This structure was built in the 13th century as a castle and fortress, and in the 17th century Charles X Gustav rebuilt it into a grand baroque palace. Today you can visit the great ruin and see the stunning views from its walls. There is also a museum for those who want to learn more about the castle's history.

15. Strolling in the park at Solliden Castle

Solliden Palace is the royal family's private summer paradise, but most of the beautiful gardens are open to the public. Here you can stroll through the Italian Garden, the English Park or the Dutch Rose Garden. When you get tired, you can sit down for a coffee at Kaffetorpet.

16. Photograph the windmills of Öland

Öland is known for its windmills, and if there's one thing you want to include in a photo from your Öland holiday, it might just be a windmill. The vast majority of today's Öland windmills are stump mills from the late 1700s or early 1800s, and in total there are around 350 windmills today. Here are some that may be particularly interesting to check out:

• The mill king in Björnhovda is Scandinavia's largest preserved stump mill.
• Kvarnraden in Lerkaka is a long line of windmills that are popular to photograph.
• Störlinge mill is a row of seven windmills in Störlinge.

17. Coffee at the 2D café at Mellböda farm.

A slightly different thing to do on Öland is to visit a 2D café, which you can do at Mellböda Farm. So, what is a 2D café? Well, here you can have coffee in a room painted in black and white, to achieve the feeling of a two-dimensional cartoon world. Mellböda Farm also has an art stable, a play barn, a fantastic toy shop, kite flying and a holiday apartment with a difference.

18. Holiday at Böda Sand

Böda Sand Camping is not only Sweden's largest campsite, but also known from the TV reality series Böda Camping. The campsite is located along a two mile long white sandy beach and is like its own little oasis with pools, bars, restaurants, shops, entertainment and various activities for children and adults. Here you can holiday in a motorhome, caravan or cottage.

19. Exploring the Troll Forest

Just north of Böda Sand is the lovely Trollskogen forest, which offers gnarled tree trunks and great hiking trails. Here you can also visit Naturum to learn more about animals and nature in the area. At Trollskogen is also Böda Skogsjärnväg - a museum railway that occasionally offers tours through the forest.

20. Check out Long Erik

In the far north of Öland you will find the Långe Erik lighthouse, a 32 metre high lighthouse tower built in 1844-1845. The building is now a listed building and just next door is a former lighthouse keeper's house. If you want, you can go up the tower to admire the view of the coast and the surrounding sea.

21. Take a trip to the Blue Maiden.

One thing we did not have time to do on Öland - but would like to do on our next visit - is to make an excursion to the island and the Blå Jungfrun National Park. Boat trips can be made with M/S Solvind from Byxelkrok. Another way to get to Blå Jungfrun is to take a tour boat from Oskarshamn on the mainland.

22. drive the Öland coastal road Byrum - Äleklinta

Kustvägen Byrum - Äleklinta is an old-fashioned road that follows the beautiful west coast of Öland. You drive through fantastic nature and pass prehistoric sites, old harbours, remains of quarrying and Öland's only preserved wind-powered rogue mill, which is now a listed building. You also pass the beautiful beach in Byrum-Sandvik and the rauks in Byrum.

23. Fascinated by the rauks of Byrum

Raukar are found not only on Gotland but also on Öland. The most famous rauks can be found in Byrum on the west coast. Along the water, there is a long line of tall rocks that have been formed over millions of years. The area is also rich in fossils, and nearby is the fine sandy beach of Byrum-Sandvik.

24. Have fun at Öland's animal and amusement park.

One thing to do on Öland, especially for those travelling with children or teenagers, is to visit Öland's animal and amusement park. Here you can see lots of wild animals, and there is also a water park and an amusement park with carousels.

25. Eat body biscuits

Last but not least, we would like to recommend the Öland speciality "kroppkakor", which may be worth trying during your visit. The dish is made from grated raw potatoes and some boiled potatoes, and the filling consists of pork and onions.

More to do on Öland for culture and history lovers

There is of course even more to see and do on Öland than our suggestions. Here are some more tips for those who like culture and history.

• Blue tubes is Öland's most famous Bronze Age cairn. It is also the largest cairn on the island with a diameter of 40 metres and a height of about three metres.
• Charles X Gustav's wall is 4.5 kilometres long and was built in the 17th century to separate the king's land from the public land.
• Skedemosse museum talks about the archaeology, culture and history of the former sacrificial site of Skedemosse.
• Störlinge Agricultural and Motor Museum is a private museum with around 2500 artefacts.
• VIDA Museum & Art Centre is a privately owned art museum just south of Borgholm.

More things to do on Öland for nature lovers

Are you most comfortable in nature? Then you can find more suggestions for things to do on Öland, all over the island, here.

• Cycling is a popular activity on Öland. Here you will find the Ölandsleden trail as well as several other cycling and mtb trails.
• Halltorp's garden is a nature reserve with deciduous forest, as well as a habitat for large beetles.
• Neptune fields is a shingle field and nature reserve located on the coast north of Byxelkrok.
• Southern Öland Farming Landscape World Heritage Site is a Unesco World Heritage Site in the field of living cultural landscapes and one of the Sweden's 15 world heritage sites. 

More to do on Öland for those travelling with children

Here are some more tips on things to do on Öland for families with children or teenagers.

• Go-karting is available in several locations, including Greby Gokart and Öland Gokart Centre.
• Horse riding can be experienced in several places, including Kvarnbacka Islandshästar in Mysinge.
• Boxcar country is a tourist attraction where you drive a car in a built-up miniature city. (Gaxa Skoggata 7, Löttorp)
• Snake eyes camel ranch offers the possibility to book meetings with camels in the summer (Ormöga farm, Borgholm).
• Skäftekärr archaeological open-air museum is open for a few weeks in the summer (Kullenvägen 88, Löttorp).

Where can you stay or park your motorhome?

On Öland there are many hotels, bed & breakfasts and holiday apartments to choose from. There are also plenty of campsites (where you can stay with a motorhome, caravan, tent or cabin) and simple caravan sites. It may sometimes be possible to car park, but please note that there are many nature reserves and large areas of fragile nature, which means you can't park anywhere.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood of Öland

If you want to continue your journey in the vicinity of Öland, we recommend a visit to the beautiful and interesting city of Öland. squid. Then, if you want to continue travelling inland, you can discover, for example, the exciting Kingdom of glass in Småland.

Even more tips for things to do on Öland?

Have you visited Öland? Do you have any more tips on what to see and do on Öland? Please tell us!

Facts about Öland

• Landscape: Öland
• County: Kalmar County
• Municipalities: Öland municipality
• Population: More than 26 000 (2021)
• The name: The name Öland (Ølandia 1268) may be the Old Swedish word øland (island) or a combination of the words "ö" and "land", the latter meaning land or landscape.
• Read more: You can find more information at the destination's website.

Travelling to Öland

• Flight: Kalmar Öland Airport is located on the mainland. You can fly here from, among others, Stockholm.
• Train/bus: Several different trains go to Kalmar. Kalmar Läns Trafik operates a bus service between Kalmar and Öland. You can also go by bus from Stockholm, with Silverlinjen or Flixbus.
• Car/caravan: Of course, you can take your car or motorhome to Öland, via Kalmar and the Öland Bridge.
• Ferry: The Öland Line runs between Oskarshamn and Byxelkrok. There is also the Dessi cycle ferry from Kalmar.
• Boat: If you have your own boat, you can take the boat to Öland. There are a number of guest harbours around the island.
• Bicycle: During the summer, the Dessi cycle ferry runs between Kalmar and Öland (the Öland Bridge is closed to pedestrians and cyclists).

Getting around on Öland

• Cycling: Cycling is popular on Öland. You can bring your own bike or rent a bike. Bike hire is available in several places.
• Car/caravan: A car or motorhome is convenient for travelling around. Please note that there may be parking or overnight bans in sensitive natural areas.
• Bus/taxi: You can also travel different distances by local bus or taxi.