Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Orientation to Svartsö
The island, about five miles long and a half-mile wide, has three docks. The
main one, at the southwestern tip, is called Alsvik (with the general store and
restaurant). Halfway up is Skälvik (near the B&B), and at the northeastern
end is Söderboudd. Most boats stop at Alsvik, but if you want to go to a dif-
ferent dock, you can request a stop (ask the conductor on board, or use the
semaphore signal at the dock).
At the Alsvik dock, the great little general store, called Svartsö Lanthan-
del,sellsanythingyoucouldneedandalsoactsasthetownTI,postoffice,and
liquor store (mid-June-mid-Aug Mon-Fri 9:00-19:30, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00;
mid-May-mid-June Mon-Thu 9:00-17:30, Fri 9:00-19:30, Sat-Sun
10:00-14:00; shorter off-season, tel. 08/5424-7325, run by friendly Matte
Hedelin). You can rent bikes here; call ahead to reserve in busy times. The
little café on the dock sells drinks and light food, and rents cottages (shared
showers and toilets, tel. 08/5424-7110).
The island has a few paved lanes and almost no traffic. Residents own
three-wheeled utility motorbikes for hauling things to and from the ferry land-
ing. The interior consists of little more than trees. With an hour or so, you can
bike across the island and back, enjoying the mellow landscape and chatting
with the friendly big-city people who've found their perfect escape.
Svartsö hosts the school for this part of the archipelago. Because Swedish
law guarantees the right to education, even kids living on remote islands are
transported to class. A school boat trundles from island to island each morn-
ing to collect kids headed for the school on Svartsö. If the weather is bad, a
hovercraft retrieves them. If it's really bad, and all of the snow days have been
used up, a helicopter takes the kids to school.
Eating in Svartsö
If you leave the Alsvik dock to the right and walk five minutes up the hill,
you'll find the excellent Svartsö Krog restaurant. Opened by a pair of can-
do foodies who also run a top-end butcher shop at a Stockholm market hall,
this place has a deep respect for the sanctity of meat. Specializing in well-
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