Borgholm Sweden
Sweden
Frequently Asked Questions
It stays at anchor — ships anchor offshore and tenders land passengers at Borgholm’s small harbour. The town is the main settlement on Öland, a long Baltic island linked to the Swedish mainland by a bridge. The castle ruin on its limestone plateau is visible on the approach.
Yes. The centre, its low streets of wooden houses and the marina are minutes from the harbour. The castle can also be reached on foot up the hill above town; those less inclined to climb take the organised excursion.
It is one of the most imposing ruins in Scandinavia, and it has no roof. A medieval fortress turned baroque palace under Karl X Gustav in the seventeenth century, it burned in 1806, leaving only the limestone walls. You move freely through open courtyards and roofless halls, past gaping windows over the Kalmar Strait and ramparts full of wind. The site spans more than 900 years of Swedish history.
The gardens, yes, during the warm season; the villa itself stays private. The estate, a short walk from the ruin, was built in the early twentieth century for Crown Princess Victoria in an Italian style, with a park blending Mediterranean and Nordic influences: rose gardens, shaded walks and views over the Baltic. A raised flag signals the royal family is in residence.
The castle and the Solliden gardens form the natural half-day pairing, since both sit on the same hill. That leaves an hour or two to wander the town between galleries, craft shops and terraces with a kanelbulle in hand.
Cinnamon buns — kanelbullar — ice cream and herring in every form: that is the repertoire of the resort terraces. On some days a craft market sets up near the harbour, with honey, soaps and woollens.
Yes, by ship excursion or the local bus network. Öland is known for its wooden windmills and farming villages, and its southern part, made up of alvar — bare limestone plains — is a World Heritage site for an agricultural landscape shaped over millennia.
Excellent, in spring and autumn. This corner of the Baltic is one of northern Europe’s major migration corridors: flocks of geese and cranes stop on the shores, watched from established observation points. At the height of summer the spectacle is quieter.
Very much so. The castle ruin is an open-air playground of nooks, staircases and roofless halls, and distances are short. The island’s almost flat terrain also suits family cycling for those who want to get out of town.
Summer, June to August: that is when the Solliden gardens open, the terraces are running and Borgholm returns to being the seaside resort Swedes have favoured for more than a century. Outside the season, some shops and attractions close.
