Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [83]
Gripsholms Värdshus & Hotell (347 50; info@gripshols-vardshus.se; Kyrkogatan 1; s/d from Skr1700/2290, summer Skr1290/1690; ) Opened in 1609, Gripsholms is Sweden’s oldest inn and Mariefred’s slumber darling. Charming and elegant, its 45 individually furnished rooms are full of antiques, many also having great views of the castle. There’s also a beautiful, highly regarded restaurant (mains Skr175 to Skr300) on site.
Broccoli (132 00; meals Skr69-155; 11am-5pm May-Aug, noon-4pm Thu-Sun Sep-Apr) Sharing an entrance with Grafikens Hus (see left), this tasty cafe is a better option than the overpriced, underwhelming Gripsholms Slottcafé near the castle. There’s an emphasis on local produce, with edibles ranging from focaccias and salads to ditch-the-diet cakes.
Getting There & Away
Mariefred isn’t on the main railway line – the nearest station is at Läggesta, 3km to the west, with trains from Stockholm every two hours in the summer. A museum railway (210 06; www.oslj.nu; one way/return from Skr50/70) from Läggesta to Mariefred runs on weekends from early May to late September (daily from Midsummer to mid-August), roughly every hour during the day; call to check the schedule. Bus 303 runs hourly from Läggesta to Mariefred.
The steamship S/S Mariefred (08-669 88 50) departs from Stadshusbron (Stockholm) for Mariefred from Tuesday to Sunday mid-June to mid-August, and weekends only from late May to mid-June and from mid-August to early September (Skr220 return). A ticket from Stockholm, including an SJ train, the museum railway and S/S Mariefred, costs around Skr275 one way and is available at the tourist office in Stockholm.
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Southeast Sweden
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ÖSTERGÖTLAND
NORRKÖPING
LINKÖPING
BERGS SLUSSAR
VADSTENA
AROUND VADSTENA
SMÅLAND
JÖNKÖPING & HUSKVARNA
GRÄNNA & VISINGSÖ
EKSJÖ
VÄXJÖ
KALMAR
GLASRIKET
OSKARSHAMN
VÄSTERVIK
VIMMERBY
ÖLAND
BORGHOLM & AROUND
NORTHERN ÖLAND
CENTRAL ÖLAND
SOUTHERN ÖLAND
GOTLAND
VISBY
AROUND VISBY
EASTERN GOTLAND
NORTHERN GOTLAND & FÅRÖ
GOTSKA SANDÖN NATIONAL PARK
SOUTHERN GOTLAND
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Stoic castles, story-book towns and magical islands – Sweden’s southeast is a veritable treasure trove.
Carved by the epic Göta Canal, Östergötland is home to the small but perky industrial cities of Norrköping and Linköping. This is where you’ll also find lovable, lakeside Vadstena: St Birgitta’s terrestrial stomping ground and home to a hulking Renaissance castle.
Further south, Småland sparkles with its ethereal forests, preserved pastel towns and show-off Kalmar castle. Snoop through Astrid Lindgren’s childhood home in Vimmerby, pig out on peppermint rock in sweet-smelling Gränna or blow glass (or your budget) in the world-renowned Glasriket (Kingdom of Crystal).
Offshore Öland is one of Sweden’s favourite chill-out spots, with a beguiling mix of dazzling beaches, windswept fields, ring forts and Iron Age burial sites. Not surprisingly, much of the island sits on the Unesco World Heritage list.
Yet the real ace of spades is the island of Gotland. One of Sweden’s historical heavyweights, it’s a mesmerising spectacle of rune-stone scattered landscapes, hauntingly beautiful medieval churches and the walled, Hanseatic town of Visby (another Unesco favourite).
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HIGHLIGHTS
Lazily cruise the lock-laced Göta Canal
Snoop around Astrid Lindgren’s childhood home at Astrid Lindgrens Näs or go Pippi-mad at Astrid Lindgrens Värld, both in Vimmerby
Blow your own glass vase, or bag one from a master in Glasriket
Watch the sun set in silence from the haunting, southernmost point of Öland
Prowl medieval walls, hunt for truffles or succumb to a culinary adventure on the cultured island of Gotland
POPULATION: 1,226,162
AREA: 46,807 SQ KM
HIGHEST POINT: STENABOHÖJDEN (327M)
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Orientation
Southeast Sweden stretches south along the coast from Stockholm to Blekinge and inland as far as Lake Vättern. It incorporates the following landskap areas: Östergötland, the eastern part of Gotland, which is split