Genuine West Swedish coastal life – Northern Bohuslän

Take your time - stay a few days at each stop.

From Strömstad and the Koster Islands, this route follows the coast south through Grebbestad, Fjällbacka, and Smögen to Fiskebäckskil and Lysekil. Along the way, you’ll find colourful fishing villages, Bronze Age rock carvings, glacially smoothed granite, oysters fresh from the sea, and spa hotels close enough to hear the waves. The sea is never far away here, shaping both what you eat and what you see.

 

Stop 1:

Start in Strömstad

Bohuslän may be best known for its small fishing villages, but this trip begins in Strömstad, one of the larger towns on the northern coast. Browse the small shops in the lively centre, where you can pick up local delicacies, crafts, and other finds.

For a bracing dip, head to the traditional kallbadhus, or cold bath house, at Södra Hamnen. The views across the water should help distract you from the temperature.

Take the boat out to the Koster Islands

From Strömstad, take the boat out to the Koster Islands, on Sweden’s western edge. South Koster is the larger of the two, with a varied landscape of open pastures, coastal meadows, woodland, and rocky outcrops.

Start at naturum Kosterhavet to learn more about the islands and Sweden’s first marine national park. Café Ekner is close by when you are ready for fika, before setting off along one of the island’s many walking trails. Both North and South Koster are easy to explore on foot.

On South Koster, bicycles are the main form of transport, as the island is virtually car-free. To get even closer to the landscape, rent a kayak or join a guided tour with Koster Adventures and paddle between the islands.

For an overnight stay on Koster, Kläpphagen is a small boutique B&B where the attention to detail extends from the rooms to the restaurant.

Check in at Scandic Hotel Laholmen or Strömstad Spa & Resort

If you are not staying on Koster, take the ferry back to Strömstad and check in at Scandic Laholmen, set on a peninsula overlooking the harbour. After a full day in the fresh air, dinner in the hotel restaurant may be exactly what you need. Still feeling energetic? Follow the coastal path to Backlunds Bageri, Bistro & Bar.

Alternatively, you could stay at Strömstad Spa & Resort, which overlooks the marina just outside the town centre and offers plenty of opportunities to swim, unwind, and forget what time it is.

Nearest stop: Strömstad Station

More places to stay near Strömstad: Stay in a cabin or at a campsite at Lagunen or Daftö Resort.

Stop 2:

 Travel on to Grebbestad and Fjällbacka

After breakfast, it is time to head south. Before reaching Grebbestad, make a detour to Vitlycke Museum. Even if prehistory does not usually set your pulse racing, the ancient rock carvings are well worth seeing.

The museum brings the Bronze Age world to life, while the nearby carvings form part of the UNESCO-listed Rock Carvings in Tanum. They lie within a cultural landscape bearing traces of more than 8,000 years of human activity.

Continue to Grebbestad, where the harbour is lined with fishing boats, traditional boathouses, cafés, and restaurants serving fish and shellfish fresh from the coast.

If you love oysters, you have certainly come to the right place. Grebbestad is famous for the wild oysters harvested in the waters just offshore. While you are here, climb to the viewpoint above the town for sweeping views across the harbour and sea.

Stay in Grebbestad

To spend more time in Grebbestad, stay at TanumStrand, perched among the rocks just outside the town. Relax in the spa during the afternoon, then have dinner at the hotel or follow the path along the shore into Grebbestad.

Another option is Everts Sjöbod, where you can soak in the hot tub and tuck into one of their celebrated seafood platters. Oyster lovers should make room in the itinerary for a tasting.

Nearest stop: Grebbestad bus station

More places to stay near Grebbestad: Stay in a cabin or at a campsite at: Grebbestadfjorden, Saltviks Camping

Stay in Fjällbacka

Alternatively, continue south to Fjällbacka for the night. This classic west-coast village has more than beautiful scenery to recommend it. It has long been associated with actor Ingrid Bergman, who loved spending her summers here, Camilla Läckberg’s detective novels are set here, and the dramatic Kungsklyftan ravine featured in the film adaptation of Astrid Lindgren’s Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter.

There may even be time for a shellfish safari with MS Mira before checking in at Bryggan, where you can stay and eat right beside the water. Restaurang Matilda specialises in fish and shellfish.

For a wilder taste of the coast, take a trip to the Weather Islands, where you can scramble over rocks, swim in the sea, eat wonderfully fresh shellfish, and look out for seals and seabirds. Värdshuset also has rooms if you would like to spend the night on the islands.

For a wilder taste of the coast, take a trip out to the aptly named Weather Islands, where you can scramble over the rocks, swim in the sea, feast on fresh  

Nearest stop: Fjällbacka

Stop 3:

 Travel on to Smögen

It is time to continue to one of northern Bohuslän’s most recognisable sights: the colourful boathouses lining Smögenbryggan. A walk along the 600-metre boardwalk is a must. The old boathouses now contain shops, cafés, and restaurants serving locally caught fish and shellfish.

You can also head out into the archipelago with Smögens Fiske & Skärgårdsturer, which offers a range of boat trips and activities. At certain times of year, Zitabåtarna runs between Smögen and nearby Kungshamn.

In summer, Smögen buzzes with visitors and boats. Outside the high season, it settles into something slower and quieter. Both have their charms, but they are very different experiences.

Stay for lunch on the boardwalk, perhaps at Skärets Krog & Café, where the menu ranges well beyond the day’s catch and makes generous use of local and seasonal ingredients from across Bohuslän.

Stay somewhere with character

Smögens Hafvsbad opened as a seaside health resort in 1900 and is now a modern spa hotel that has retained much of its historic charm. Spend a few hours swimming, enjoying the sauna, or booking a treatment before dinner in the hotel restaurant, with views across Smögen’s rocks, rooftops, sea, and sky.

Across the bridge, Hotell Kungshamn Suites offers double rooms and private suites in the heart of Kungshamn.

Nearest stop: Smögen bus station

More places to stay near Smögen: Stay in a cabin or at a campsite at: Johannesvik Camping or Ramsvik Stugby & Camping. 

Stop 4:

 Head on to Fiskebäckskil and Lysekil

Fiskebäckskil and Lysekil face each other across Gullmarsfjord. Stay on one side and take the ferry across to explore the other. Whichever you choose as your base, there is plenty here to fill the final days of the trip.

Nearest stop: Fiskebäckskil vägskäl

Fiskebäcksskil

In Fiskebäckskil on Skaftö you can wander the winding lanes and admire the captains’ villas and fishermen’s cottages. Make sure you go past the beautiful church and have a look at artist Carl Wilhelmsson’s villa and studio from the outside.

 

In Fiskebäckskil, on the island of Skaftö, winding lanes lead between sea captains’ villas and fishermen’s cottages. Pass the beautiful church and look up at artist Carl Wilhelmson’s summer villa and studio, set high on the hillside.

Continue around Skaftö to Grundsund, another lovely fishing village. Hotell Villa Lönndal is beautifully situated with the sea channel just a few metres away. To explore the archipelago from the water, join a guided kayak tour or hire your own kayak, both are available from Balanspunkten.

Nearest stop: Grundsund

Gullmarsstrand Hotel in Fiskebäckskil sits right at the water’s edge, stretching along a jetty overlooking the islands and bays of Gullmarsfjord. The hotel has a spa and restaurant, as well as a waterside terrace where you can stop for something light or simply enjoy a drink.

Slipens Hotell is another characterful option, with individually designed rooms and a restaurant rooted in the food traditions of Bohuslän while drawing inspiration from further afield. Whisky enthusiasts should stop at Brygghuset, known for its extensive selection of malt whiskies.

Further south on Skaftö, Grundéns hotell offers another place to stay in Grundsund.

 

Lysekil

Begin in Gamlestan, Lysekil’s old quarter, where well-preserved wooden houses line the narrow streets of the original settlement. You can also discover more of the town’s historic bathing culture around Kallbadhuset and Havsbadsparken.

Just west of the centre is Stångehuvud nature reserve, where walking trails cross glacially sculpted granite and open up to magnificent views across the sea.

For another perspective on the coast, head out aboard Signe to eat oysters and mussels in the archipelago, or take a dip at the town’s traditional cold bath house.

To see what lies beneath the surface without putting on a wetsuit, visit Havets Hus. The aquarium introduces some of the fascinating species found in the waters off Sweden’s west coast.

Check in at Strandflickornas Havshotell or Grand Hotell Lysekil

Strandflickorna offers several distinctive places to stay. Choose one of its three turn-of-the-century villas, with individually decorated rooms, or get almost impossibly close to the water in Havsateljén or Badpaviljongen. These two glazed rooms stand on wooden pillars at the water’s edge and have private outdoor hot tubs and sundecks.

Another option is Grand Hotel Lysekil, a charming hotel dating from the end of the 19th century and housed in a Swiss-style building on the town square.

For dinner, Norra Hamnen 5 serves food strongly influenced by ingredients from the coast and sea, accompanied by fabulous waterfront views. Villa Solviken gives classic Swedish dishes a creative but unfussy touch.

Or try Publik Mat & Bar, a modern bistro drawing inspiration from the West Coast, Japan, and South America. It is a fitting place to end your journey through northern Bohuslän – and you do not even have to leave the waterfront.

Nearest stop: Lysekil södra hamnen