The Swedish summer is usually quite nice and we therefore prefer to stay in Sweden to see what our beautiful country has to offer. This summer we chose to take a road trip northwards. The way up went inland via Borlänge, with stops in Järvsö and at our northernmost destination Östersund. After a few days on Frösön, we made our way out to the High Coast and turned down again.
Järvsö
The first night of our tour we spent at Järvsöbaden, a small cosy guesthouse on the outskirts of Järvsö. We had booked a package with overnight stay and four-course dinner. However, we were quite surprised and slightly disappointed when it turned out to be a buffet where you simply had to pick from the different parts of the buffet table depending on how many dishes you booked. I had actually looked forward to a composed meal served at the table, which meant that the expectations of the evening's dinner were not really fulfilled. If it is a buffet that is served, it is better that it appears, I think. The food was otherwise good and well prepared, but really nothing special. Henrik who likes herring, however, thought that their herring table was very good.
We were a bit unlucky with the weather in Järvsö so we didn't stay as long as we otherwise intended, but during our walk in the pouring rain we had time to see that this small village has a lot to offer. No one has missed that Järvsö was Lill-Bab's home village and she even has a square named after her. Previously there was Lill-Babs Caffär, but the café has now changed its name to Järvsö Gårdsbageri and houses not only a bakery but also the world's northernmost Tattinger. Champagne bar. You couldn't believe it and that alone should be worth a trip to Järvsö. Unfortunately, we only discovered the bar in the morning right after breakfast when we were on our way out. Not really time for champagne this time. However, the combination of good coffee and champagne means that Järvsö Champagne Bar is on the list of future destinations. Then we will also make sure to dot Järvsö Creperie which is said to be really good.
Frösö Park
The next stop on our trip was Frösön, an island just outside Östersund where we booked two nights at the spa hotel. Frösö Park. We stood a little in the choice and qualification about whether to book a night on Frösön and a night in Östersund, but chose to stay on Frösön so that we had time for spa and hiking on the island. We had maximum bad luck because just when we were there they had problems with the heat in the pools so unfortunately there was no spa for us. We certainly made an attempt but it was quite cold so we gave up. Super sad, but that can happen sometimes, we had to console ourselves with a glass of bubbly on the terrace and a good dinner instead.
Since there was no spa, we took the opportunity to take a small hiking trip. Frösön is a really beautiful island with plenty of hiking trails and also farm cafes behind every bush. This day SMHI had warned of extra rain but the storm just missed us and we had a nice and sunny hiking day.
Östersund
Östersund is perhaps best known for its winter sports and the Storsjöodjuret. With its beautiful wooden houses and proximity to the water, the city also works perfectly well in the summer. In the summer, we also have Storsjöyran, which is one of Sweden's oldest city festivals. We arrived in Östersund just in time for lunch so we started our visit with crêpes at Norra Station. To our great delight, we also found that there was a small coffee roastery in the same building so there was an extra good coffee on the food. Full and satisfied after lunch, we then set off to explore the small town.
During our summer trips, we always try to look for nice tea shops where you can find good teas to drink in the autumn. It will be a nice memory from the summer to sip on when it gets colder and darker. In Östersund we found Tea centreA very nice shop with good service and lots of tea. Here we stocked up properly for the autumn, they also have an online store if the tea stock would run out.
If you have a little more time at your disposal, you should definitely visit Jamtli. It's like three museums in one where you get access to the County Museum, the National Museum Jamtli and the Outdoor Museum on the same ticket. In the summer they also have the outdoor museum Historieland with environments from the 18th century until 1975.
If you want to eat well in Östersund, there are quite a few good restaurants here. One tip is Bastaan Italian restaurant that in addition to Östersund also has restaurants in Falun, Borlänge, Gävle, Sundsvall and Stockholm. The pictures below are from Borlänge but all the places are said to be equally good class.
Frösötornet
Back on Frösön, we climbed Frösötornet, a viewing tower located at the highest point on Frösön, 468 metres above sea level. At the bottom of the tower is a café where you can strengthen yourself with good buns after the many steps up the tower. If you prefer to save your strength, you can take the lift instead. Once up in the tower you have a fantastic view of the whole of Östersund and Frösön. In fine weather, it is said that you can see all the way to the Norwegian mountains.
After a couple of nice days in Östersund and on Frösön, it was time to head out to the coast. But first we stopped at the Thai pavilion. You can read about our visit to this remarkable place. here.
I end this post with a couple of pictures of the cute little Storsjöodjuret Birger who pops up here and there in the city. He is said to live in Storsjön together with his father Storsjöodjuret, while his mother lives in Loch Ness. Unclear if there is any truth in the story but he is cute anyway. 🙂
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