Top Ten Places to Visit in Öland, Sweden

Borgholm Castle was one of the first places I visited on Öland, and also one of the absolute best at the same time! To say that this castle is huge would be an understatement! It's by far the most iconic Swedish castle in my opinion, looking exactly like a typical medieval castle, only without the moat, which isn't that big of a deal either way because of how great it already is!

It truly feels ancient and gives an amazing view of Borgholm at the top! Borgholm Castle is my favorite from Öland!

Tall Jean (in Swedish Långe Jan) is the largest lighthouse in all of Sweden, located at the southernmost cape of Öland. It's 42 meters high, and the view from here is absolutely amazing! Terrifying, but amazing.

The nature around this lighthouse is also quite amazing, as it's a hotspot for birds of all kinds. There's a little village around the lighthouse with its own fair share of restaurants and museums. Overall, I loved my time here!

This is by far the most interesting natural location on Öland! Located at the northern tip of Öland, the Trollforest is one mysterious forest. Just by the coast, there are old trees of all kinds, leaning over other trees, covered with ivy, and intertwined naturally without human interference.

Add in a comfortable view of the sea and you have the Trollforest, one of the best preserved primeval forests in Sweden!

Eketorp's Fort is another ancient fortification, this time from the Iron Age. It's not the oldest nor the largest, however, it is the best preserved of Öland's many ruins. It's a huge ringfort which not only offers a great view from the top but also houses a reconstructed Iron Age village inside of it.

It truly feels like you're traveling back in time when you enter it. You can even play games, and my personal favorite is Archery!

Rauks are, in a nutshell, rocks by the coast that have been hit so many times by sea waves that they've softened and earned unique shapes. Most rauks are found on Gotland, another Swedish island/province. However, getting to Gotland is pretty hard as there is no bridge there. So if you've never seen rauks before, the Rauks of Byrum is a good start!

It was for me, at least. It was quite beautiful, with the many rocks everywhere, and the island of Blåkulla in the sea horizon.

Böda Beach is one of the top-rated beaches in all of Sweden, located at Böda Bay in northeastern Öland. Northern Öland as a whole is more beautiful and fit for beaches, so it's no surprise that the top beach here is located here. This beach is enormous, with so much tourism.

There's not just a beach. There's also a town, a water park, and more. The tourism is spot on, and I recommend this beach to anyone!

The windmill of Sandvik is the largest in all of Northern Europe, and is nowadays a combination of a restaurant and a museum, and both aspects are great! The restaurants serve the best of Öland's national dish, potato dumplings, and the museum offers a deeper view on how a windmill works, and also a balcony with a great view!

The beach in Köpingsvik is probably the most calm yet beautiful beach on Öland. It's not as populous as Böda Beach. Despite being on the west coast towards the mainland, it's really chill, especially in the evening. There are concerts featuring chill music and a bridge that extends out into the sea. It's really nice!

Öland, while being an island, is connected to the Swedish mainland through the Öland Bridge. It's the second-largest bridge in Sweden, at 6 kilometers. However, if you don't count trans-national bridges, then it is the largest Swedish bridge, and it's so cool that it even made it to the top ten!

From one end, you can see Öland, and from the other, you see Kalmar, and to the sides, you see the sea meet the horizon. At one point, the bridge is 42 meters above the sea (which, yes, is also the height of the tallest Swedish lighthouse!). Overall, this bridge is super cool!

This is the largest shingle field on Öland, which is essentially a beach made up primarily of rocks and stone, and it's quite beautiful. It's nothing compared to Byrum's rauks, but it's still pretty cool. Located in the north by Byxelkrok, it's a nice place to just take a break and enjoy the beautiful view of the ocean.

For being so small, it's surprisingly interesting! Historically, it was an important hotspot for trade, as travelers from the east came here and then ventured forth to Köpingsvik. Today, there are ruins of a chapel, a stone crucifix, and even a lighthouse.

The view of the ocean is cool as well. However, it does smell a lot like cow dung here and isn't too suitable for families.

From now on, we've gone from the great tier to the good tier. Tall Erik is the lighthouse located on the northern tip of Öland, but it's quite a disappointment compared to Tall Jean. Disregarding the fact that it's ten meters shorter, it offers more nature than the southern tip, but without all the wildlife of the southern, and the tourism is dead compared to Tall Jean.

What disappointed me the most, though, was the fact that the lighthouse was closed, and there was no explanation as to why! So, a bit disappointing. However, I did enjoy the nature around it slightly, even though I'd much rather revisit the southern tip overall.

The gravefield of Gettlinge is, in a nutshell, a smaller version of Ale's Stones, found in southern Öland just by the road. So, it's a gravefield shaped like a Viking longship, and it's cool. There's even a windmill by it, which adds to the atmosphere.

Gråborg ruin is the largest of Öland's many ringforts, although to be fair, there's really no other reason to go here. The church ruin nearby is pretty cool, but the ringfort itself doesn't really offer anything, as you can't really go inside the fort.

It's good if you're a history nerd, but if you want to go with the family, visit Eketorp or Ismantorps ringforts instead!