Our first day on Öland we chose to spend in our local area. We had rented a house a short distance outside Köpingsvik. The first bike ride was to the small community to explore what there was to see and do there. Köpingsvik mostly consists of a long beach where the campsites are lined up. If camping life and hanging out on the beach aren't for you, our tip is to look further afield on the island. Despite this, there are still some gems worth mentioning in particular. After a walk along the beach, we had lunch and a super tasty Cava drink Sinus Bar & Beach Restaurant. Good food, nice view of the beach and much better than the typical beach restaurants. For the coffee oven there is also Köpingsvik's patisserie which has even earned a mention in the White Guide. Our real favorite in Köpingsvik was, however Klinta village pub which, in addition to fantastic pizza, also serves lava stone-grilled meat and fish as well as many other good things.
Since one of our biggest hobbies is finding new restaurants, we had googled, searched and asked friends for tips on the best restaurant on Öland and then got the tip to visit Trädgårdsgatan 26. During our week here there was only one free table and we had booked a month in advance anyway. An immensely popular restaurant, then. Once there, we can only agree with the praise, we had an incredibly pleasant evening with really good food. Restaurant Trädgårdsgatan 26 is located right in the center of Borgholm and is a small restaurant with only a few seats. The small format makes the atmosphere convivial and the service personal. Such a small detail as hanging a towel in the bathroom marked with each guest's name makes you feel extra welcome. The restaurant serves a fixed three-course menu but with two alternative main courses (meat/fish) and with the food you can also choose their wine package. We had especially heard about how good they were at pairing food and wine so we took the whole package. I can only say, oh oh how good everything was. If you get the chance, don't miss this place!
We also spent some time strolling around Borgholm. It is certainly a quite touristy town that comes alive in the summer, but we still thought it was quite cozy with its nice houses and with the proximity to the water and a nice harbor area. The city is hardly a shopping mecca, but there are still a lot of small shops with this and that as well as a number of clothing stores and a liberating lack of malls and chain stores. It is noticeable that Borgholm focuses on good food and drink rather than shopping. On the food front, there is a bit of everything. If you want to take an ice cream break, Ölandsglass has, for example, an ice cream café on the pedestrian street that serves homemade gelato and waffles. For the hungry, we can recommend Italian Rosmarino or why not tapas and tacos together with good drinks Thank you Bock.
No trip to Öland is complete without a visit to the two lighthouses on the island. One day we therefore headed north to check out Långe Erik, which is the smaller of the two lighthouses. The lighthouse itself is now closed to visitors, but there is otherwise a coffee shop and a small shop here, which is unfortunately closed this year. However, the environment out here is so beautiful that it didn't bother us. We found a couple of walking loops around the headland and in the area there are also information signs posted so that you can read more about the lighthouse and its history.
Up by Öland's northern headland is also Trollskogen. It certainly lives up to its name with its gnarled trees and ivy growing up along the trees. Trollskogen is a nature reserve that is part of the larger Ekopark Böda. Here you will find both a Naturum with a café and activities for children as well as three shorter hiking trails. To keep the land open, cows graze freely in the area, so don't be surprised if you suddenly come face to face with a ruminant. On this day, however, it was so hot that the cows chose to spend the day in the water. Clever animals! 🙂
On the way home to our cabin, it was time to try what is said to be Sweden's largest ice cream restaurant, namely Source ice cream farm. Here you can really eat ice cream until you freeze. They have a bunch of great ice cream creations with different kinds of ice cream alone or together with doughnuts, waffles or cake. The brave can also try the ice cream challenge. If you and a friend manage to put in 10 scoops of ice cream, soft ice cream in a waffle, cake, a number of Twix, sprinkles and some other goodies in less than 15 minutes, you will win not only the honor (and the nausea) but also the ice cream you just put in you. We actually considered giving it a try, but changed our minds and opted instead for the more modest creations you see in the picture below.
During a holiday in Sweden, you can count on varying weather. We were actually unusually lucky with the weather, but one day it was really dreary. So what do you do when it rains on Öland? According to the travel tips that can be found on Google, a rainy day is spent in Färjestaden, Öland's largest community. We therefore went down towards Färjestaden in search of entertainment, but were actually quite disappointed. Apart from a shopping mall, Färjestaden seems to mostly consist of a small harbor area with a number of restaurants. There is certainly nothing wrong with these places, but after the picturesque Borgholm I had expected a bit more. The highlight was instead when we found Öland's chocolate factory, which is located on the outskirts of town. Here they had both a small cafe and a shop with chocolates and other chocolates. Ölandschoklad also has a restaurant down in Färjestaden's harbor, but the factory was much better.
Strengthened after a praline coffee, we drove on this rainy day and stopped in cozy and sleepy Mörbylånga, a small community with beautiful little houses and lavish gardens. Mörbylånga celebrates 201 years this year (the 200-year celebration was canceled after all) and has been named Öland Village of the Year for the past two years. There is also a nice café here, Söderbönor, well worth a stop.
Before Mörbylånga won the title of Öland Village of the Year, the title was held by the small village of Vickleby. I am fully aware that I used the words cozy and picturesque several times in this text, but here we can really start talking. The husband of a more picturesque society is probably not to be found. There are old houses here in all sorts of conditions, most in very good condition and some a little more tarnished. Nestled in greenery and with little traffic, this was an incredibly lovely area to stroll around in. We also found a small B&B in the middle of the village that looked very nice. In general, it can be said that there are plenty of cozy B&Bs around Öland, worth looking a little extra for those who don't want to camp. Camping which otherwise seems to be the prevailing thing here.
In the middle of Vickleby is Capellagården, which is a school started by Carl Malmsten in the 60s. The school offers courses in ceramics, furniture and interior carpentry, textiles and gardening, and the students live on the farm. As a visitor, you can shop in their commercial garden, look at the gardens and buy arts and crafts. Of course, there is also a café and a small summer pub here.
On the eastern side of the island at the height of Färjestaden you will find the small community of Gårdby. We had booked a barbecue evening here Eksgården but since we were a little early, we took the opportunity to look around a bit. Imagine our surprise when we found Miss Frankenstein, a chocolate shop where chocolatier Ebba Frankenstein makes and sells handmade pralines. On Öland you can really find pearls like this everywhere, you definitely have to pay attention when you're out on the roads.
The barbecue evening at Eksgården was a really good and tasty experience. Instead of the mountain of food that you often get at buffets, they had a slightly smaller number of different cuts of meat and sausages, all locally produced, which were served together with fresh side dishes. The food was served in their rustic dining room, which provided a nice setting for the visit. In addition to barbecue evenings, they also have a la carte on other days as well as hotels for those who want to continue enjoying the pleasant area and the good food. Satisfied and satisfied, it was time for us to head home to our cabin in Köpingsvik. If you want to know more about what we found during our trip to Öland, you can read here.
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