Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to the skies, it's reached either through a nature reserve, signposted from the town
centre, or from the first exit south off Route 136. Built in the twelfth century, the castle
was fortified four hundred years later by King Johan III, and given its present shape
- with a tower at each corner - in the seventeenth century. Regularly attacked, it
eventually fell into disrepair, and when Borgholm was founded in 1816, the castle was
already a ruin.
Solliden Park
Gardens: daily mid-May to mid-Sept 11am-6pm • 70kr
Just a few hundred metres to the south of the castle is the present royal family's summer
residence,
Solliden Park
, an Italianate villa built in 1903 to a design specified by the
Swedish Queen Victoria (the present king's great-grandmother); a huge, austere
red-granite bust of her rises out of the trees at the entrance to the car park. Of Austrian
stock, Victoria loathed Sweden, and demanded the bust face Italy, the country she most
loved. The villa itself is not open to the public, but the formal
gardens
can be visited.
There's a very ordered Italian Garden, a colourful Dutch Garden and a simple
English-style one.
6
Villagatan
To see what Borgholm looked like before the likes of the
Strand Hotel
were built, head
along
Villagatan
, the road to the left of the
Strand
as you face out to sea; it's lined with
classic wooden villas, their porches and eaves all fancy fretwork. You can't drive along
the street without authorization, though, as this is the route used by the king and
queen to reach their summer home.
Blå rör
Just to the north of the town centre is Öland's largest Bronze Age cairn,
Blå rör
, a huge
mound of stones excavated when a coffin was discovered in 1849. People have been
turning up artefacts from time to time ever since: in the 1920s, burnt bones, indicating
a cremation site, were found, along with bronze swords and tweezers - apparently
common items in such tombs.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
BORGHOLM
By bus
The bus timetable, available from Kalmar's bus
station and tourist office, is almost impossible to
decipher - Ölanders mostly laugh when you refer to it.
Buses #101 and #102 are safe bets, however, and run
pretty well every hour from Kalmar bus station to
Borgholm; timetables are online at
W
klt.se.
Tourist o
ce
Storgatan 1 (June & Aug Mon-Fri
9am-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm; July Mon-Fri 9am-6pm,
Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm; Sept-May Mon-Fri
9am-5pm;
T
0485 890 00,
W
olandsturist.se).
ACCOMMODATION
It's imperative to book ahead if you're planning a visit to Öland during the June to August peak summer period, since the
island is extremely popular with Swedish holiday-makers. Unlike elsewhere in Sweden, rooms prices go up in summer, so
the lower rate is for out of season.
Borgholm
Trådgårdsgatan 15-19
T
0485 770 60,
W
hotellborgholm.com.
A smart central choice with
interior decor by Philip Starck amongst others and some
pleasant gardens, too. The beautifully appointed top-floor
double rooms with their wooden floors, Fren
ch balco
nies
and stone finishes are worth splashing out on.
1335kr
Ebbas Vandrarhem
Storgatan 12
T
070 990 04 06,
W
ebbas.se.
This spacious STF hostel is right in the heart of
town and boasts a delightful garden café. Accommodation
is in one- to four-bed rooms and it pays to book well ahead
in sum
mer. Open May-Sept only. Dorms
320kr
, doubles
620kr
Kapelludden Camping
Sandgatan 27
T
0485 56 07
70,
W
kapelludden.se.
A family-oriented campsite (under
25s not allowed unless with children) that's set on a small
peninsula 5min walk from the centre. It has a number of
overpr
iced cotta
ges for r
ent. Open late April to Sept. Tents
140kr
, cottages
1250kr
Strand Borgholm
Villagatan 4
T
0485 888 88,
W
strandborgholm.se.
Straddling one side of the harbour
