Considered a sailing vacation destination for centuries now, Bohuslän continues to reinvent itself and you’ll surely need more than one visit to grasp its whole beauty and the way it evolved from a quiet fishing village to the ever surprising tourist attraction it is today.
Sea & Coast
The region of Bohuslän lies on the South-Western shore of the Swedish peninsula, reaching out into the North Sea. Millions of years of glacial erosion have carved the coastline (300 km long) into a rocky labyrinth with literally thousands of islands and islets that form the Gothenburg/ Göteborg archipelago, Sweden’s second in size after the Stockholm archipelago. On land, the rocky formations rise above the shoreline, giving way to an uneven terrain that could be considered a mountainous region, although the highest altitude does not exceed 224m.
Since the region is mainly known to Swedes as a recreational sailing destination, you can imagine that the landscapes here are breath-taking. Beautiful clear waters in quiet fjords that mirror windswept rocks and thousands of small islands that border the vast open space of the sea are sure to impress anyone.
Out of the 3000 islands, a couple stand out for their tourist potential: Marstrand is famous for its first-rate restaurants and the numerous yacht regattas held every summer that attract boats from all over the world, Klädeholmen is famous for the herring cannery which has been the backbone of the local industry for many years, and Käringtön with its old fishing village is definitely a place worth visiting when in Sweden.
The best known tourist attraction of the region are definitely the Rock Carvings in Tanum dating back to 2,500-3000 years back, actually entered in the UNESCO World heritage program. In fact, the whole region is “littered” with rock carvings by the old indigenous population.
Other interesting sites are the old fortresses (Bohus, Carlsten), the old burial grounds (Pilane burial ground from the Iron Age and the Blonsholm Ship from the Viking Age), natural reserves (there are 3800 acres of nature reservations here scattered on different islands) and a hoard of museums, mainly related to sailing and fishing history.
Culture & History
The largest city of the region is Göteborg, but the Bohuslän region has many other densely populated establishments like Uddevalla, Marstrand and Kungälv. Since the Bohuslän history goes back a long time, local architecture consists mainly of old sleepy fishing villages, a reminder of the natives’ deep rooted sea culture.
Many of these fishing settlements were built in the 19th century during the great herring period when the local population doubled in size. Some of them attained in time a more luxurious look thanks to the coming of the nobility, which regarded them as seaside health resorts. The old spas and fancy villas seem to blend in perfectly today with the narrow cobble-stone streets, a testament to the granite cutters that also used to make a living here.
Seamanship & Experience
While the deep waters around shorelines should make mooring and navigating the channels a breeze, underwater rock formations could prove a challenge to the inexperienced skipper. Also, the inter-island region is very hard to navigate during bad weather with strong winds and reduced visibility, but this seldom occurs in the summer season, when most of the tourists come to Bohuslän.
This unique blend of interesting features – breathtaking scenery with deep fjords and a myriad of islands coupled with the whole turn-of-the-century feel of the villages – really make the Bohuslän region in Western Sweden one of the top choices for those who own or charter boats. But don’t take our word for it, just ask any of the numerous Swedish, Dutch and German boaters who head up here sailing during the holidays or on the weekends.