My first visit to Sweden took me to the south of the country, to visit Smaland. In this Sweden blog, I sharing some things to do in Smaland, from seeing the little wooden houses and one of Sweden’s most important castle in Kalmar city, to outdoor activities in the Västervik archipelago and a tour at Glasriket aka the Kingdom of Crystal!
Visit Kalmar castle and the Old town of Kalmar city
We started our visit to Kalmar, the biggest city in the Småland region. After our arrival in Kalmar city, we checked into the Frimrarhotellet hotel and went for a picnic in a Park in front of the Kalmar castle. This castle in Kalmar used to be very important in the past because if it’s geographic situation close to the border of Denmark. This castle even belonged once to Denmark.
Later on, we wandered through the alleys to see the so typical little old houses in the medieval part of the city aka the Old Town of Kalmar.
Outdoor activities in Västervik archipelago
Day two got a little bit more adventurous. Together with Ilkay and Michael we took the car early in the morning and drove for around 2 hours to the city of Västervik that is the perfect stop for any outdoor lovers
We started the day mountain biking in the forest and in the afternoon we went to Korpaholmarna very close to Västervik city, that is famous for it’s small islands connected with each other by pedestrian bridges. There are 500 small islands in the Smaland Archipelago. With the typical red Swedish houses on them, it is truly lovely. We did some kayaking on the sea to enjoy that particular landscape and I could have stayed there for hours.
Later on I tried bouldering for the first time. The landscape, made out of medium rocks is perfect for this activity.
Visit of Glasriket aka the Kingdom of Crystal
Glasriket aka the Kingdom of Crystal where glass has been made since the 18th century. We went to visit Maleras, one of the many glasswork companies, where we had the opportunity to create our own crystal creations including glass painting, glass engraving and learning about the process of creating a crystal vase.
Even though you don’t aim to buy anything, I think a visit to Glasriket is quite interesting to understand the process of glassworks that make the pride of the region and is a major source of income since hundreds of years.
Have a Swedish Fika in Mörtfors
After Glasriket we went for a traditional Fika, aka a coffee break in the little village of Mörtfors. The little village of Mörtfors is just so idyllic and looks exactly how I imagined Sweden to look like with it’s river and typical little red houses. Mörtfors is very small, with only 85 inhabitants, a one and only Antiquarian Shop and the Mörtfors Pensionat where you can have a fika like in the 1920’s. This was seriously one of the highlight of this trip. The café was so perfectly decorated and the fika was the tastiest we had on this journey.
Most Swedish things to do in Smaland : Enjoy Swedish lakes and have a cray party
We ended our day at A way of life. A retreat owned by a couple, Lena and Peter who transformed a family house into a holiday retreat. This place again was idyllic and is the perfect place to spend some relaxing holidays, doing yoga, swimming at the close by lake and do a crayfish party. One of the most Swedish summer things to do! Crayfish are little freshwater lobsters and in the Swedish tradition they are eaten with bread, mushroom pies, cheese, salads and other dishes. While eating, you also sing some song and drink snaps. You can guess how much fun it is!
Go on a reindeer safari
On our last day, we stopped at Glasrikets Älgpark for a Reindeer Safari. The perfect occasion to see a reindeer in it’s traditional environment. The tour lasts around 50 minutes and if you are lucky enough you will have the possibility to feed some of the animals.
Other things to do in Smaland, Sweden
I spent only 4 days in Smaland. Not enough to dosciver all of this region of the south of Sweden. There are plebty of other things to :
Astrid Lindgren theme Park in Vimmerby
Do you know that the author of Pippi Longstocking comes from Vimmerby in Sweden? There is a theme park dedicated to her work in Smaland. There you can see Astrid Lindgren’s most famous stories come to life and see where the movies have been filmed! Perfect if you have children!
Visit Sweden’s brand new national park Åsnen
Spot a Moose Park in Skullaryd
Go on Europe’s longest zipline at Sweden Zipline
As you can see, Smaland is the perfect summer destination in Sweden. I also visited Jamtland, Sweden’s winter wonderland.
Bisous
Amandine