Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [96]
Fiket (100 57; Brahegatan 57) The pick of Gränna’s eateries is this time-warp bakery-cafe, complete with retro jukebox, chequered floor and record-clad walls. Tackle tasty grilled baguettes, quiches, salads and drool-worthy pastries, either indoors or on the breezy balcony.
You’ll find two supermarkets on nearby Hamnvägen, just off Brahegatan.
VISINGSÖ
STF Vandrarhem Visingsö (401 91; stfkontakt@visingso-vandrarhem.se; hostel dm/s/d from Skr170/250/400; May-Oct) This hostel lies in an oak wood around 3km from the ferry pier. The vandrarhem (hostel) is scattered across three buildings, with a separate kitchen-shower block.
Visingsö Värdshus (404 96; mains Skr79-165; May-Aug) Expect simple meals like grilled chicken, salads, burgers and baked potatoes at this rustic place in the woods. The speciality is fish from Vättern lake.
Restaurant Solbacken (400 29; lunch Skr72, mains Skr90-150; May-Aug) Local fish also find themselves on the menu at this lively restaurant, pub and pizzeria at Visingsö harbour. The fish is smoked at the owners’ own farm and the kitchen uses mostly organic vegetables.
Getting There & Around
Local bus 121 runs hourly from Jönköping to Gränna (Skr55, one hour). Bus 120 runs several times Monday to Friday from Gränna to the mainline train station in Tranås (Skr55, one hour). Daily Swebus Express destinations include Göteborg, Jönköping, Linköping, Norrköping and Stockholm. Swebus Express services stop 3km outside Gränna. Catch bus 121 into town or walk (30 minutes).
The Gränna–Visingsö ferry (410 25) runs half-hourly in summer (less frequently the rest of the year). Return tickets for foot passengers are Skr50 per adult, and Skr25 for those aged between six and 15 years; a bicycle is Skr30 and a car with up to five people is Skr230.
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EKSJÖ
0381 / pop 16,440
Eskjö is one of the most exquisitely preserved wooden towns in Sweden. The area south of Stora Torget was razed to the ground in a blaze in 1856, paving the way for beautiful neoclassical buildings. To the north of the square, buildings date back to the 17th century. Both sides will have you swooning over the jumble of candy-coloured houses and flower-filled courtyards.
Information
The tourist office (361 70; www.eksjo.se; Norra Storgatan 29; 8am-8pm Jul–mid-Aug, 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat rest of year) can arrange English-language guided town tours (per person Skr40; Mon-Sat late Jun-early Aug). The hire of bicycles (Skr60/225 per day/week) and two-person tandems (Skr90/250) is also available.
Sights
Stroll through the town’s delightful streets and yards, especially those north of Stora Torget. Check out the buildings at Fornminnesgårdens Museum (148 39; Arendt Byggmästares gatan 22; admission Skr10; 11am-5pm Mon-Sat mid-Jun–mid-Aug); some were built in the 1620s. Exhibits chart the history of the area from the Stone Age to modern times.
Award-winning Eksjö Museum (361 60; Österlånggatan 31; admission Skr40; 11am-6pm Mon-Fri, 11am-3pm Sat & Sun Jul & Aug, 1-5pm Tue-Fri, 11am-3pm Sat & Sun Sep-Jun) tells the town’s story from the 15th century onwards. The top floor is devoted to local Albert Engström (1869–1940), renowned for his burlesque, satirical cartoons. Eksjö was once known as the ‘Hussar Town’, and the region’s long-standing military connections are also explored at the museum.
Aschanska gården (361 65; Norra Storgatan 18) is an evocative, 19th-century bourgeois house with guided tours at 1pm and 4pm daily July and August (Skr50), as well as Christmas tours in December.
The Skurugata Nature Reserve, 13km northeast of Eksjö, is based around a peculiar 800m-long fissure in the rocks. Its sides tower to 56m, yet in places the fissure is only 7m wide. In times past, the ravine was believed to harbour trolls and thieves. The nearby hill of Skuruhatt (337m) offers impressive forest views. You’ll need your own transport to get here.
The Höglandsleden