Trip Planning for Öland

Öland is easy to take in as a single trip: one main road runs about 137 kilometres from the northern tip to the southern tip, and almost every highlight sits close to that road. Whichever way you're arriving on the island, it's worth planning in day-by-day stages from north to south

• and deciding in advance what's genuinely worth the detour and where you'll need to pay admission.

Getting there, with or without a car

The island is reached via the roughly six-kilometre, toll-free Öland Bridge (Ölandsbron) from Kalmar; there is no ferry between Kalmar and Färjestaden, despite what you might expect. Öland also works well without a car of your own: the island has no railway, but the mainland station Kalmar Resecentrum is well connected, and from there bus line 105 crosses the bridge to Färjestaden in around 22 minutes, roughly every 30 minutes. In summer, the small car ferry Ölandsfärjan also runs from Oskarshamn to Byxelkrok at the northern tip. For more detail, see the guides Getting to Öland and Ferries to Öland.

The highlights from north to south

In the north stands the island's landmark: the mighty castle ruin Borgholm Castle, easy to combine with the royal summer residence Solliden Palace. Along the west coast are the photogenic limestone sea stacks of Byrums Raukar, and further north the forest Trollskogen and the long sandy beach Böda Sand, next to the family-friendly beach Lyckesand.

In the middle of the island, the bare limestone steppe Stora Alvaret, a UNESCO World Heritage site you're free to walk across, shapes the landscape. This is also where you'll find the windmill row Lerkaka Väderkvarnar, the open-air museum Ölands Museum Himmelsberga, the glass-art museum Vida Museum, and the family-friendly Ölands Djurpark.

In the south are the reconstructed ring fort Eketorp, the Iron Age Gettlinge burial ground, and the harbour village Grönhögen. The southern tip itself is a single unit: the bird reserve Ottenby with its Naturum visitor centre, and Sweden's tallest lighthouse Långe Jan. Its counterpart at the northern tip is the lighthouse Långe Erik.

Free or with admission

Many of the finest places on Öland cost nothing to visit. Byrums Raukar, Stora Alvaret, Trollskogen, the Gettlinge burial ground and Lerkaka Väderkvarnar are open and free year-round, as are the beaches Böda Sand, Grönhögen and Lyckesand. It's worth knowing the difference between the site itself and its car park or climb: at the Lyckesand beach car park, parking costs around 10 SEK per hour during peak season (15 June to 15 August), and is free the rest of the year. At Långe Erik and Ottenby, the causeway, the walk and the Naturum are free, you only pay to climb the tower or join a guided tour.

The major attractions are more conventionally paid: Borgholm Castle (140-150 SEK depending on season), Solliden Palace (150 SEK), Eketorp (75 SEK in spring, 150 SEK in summer, 125 SEK from 17 August), Himmelsberga (120 SEK, half price in April and October), the Vida Museum (140 SEK) and Ölands Djurpark (495 SEK per person in peak season, 195 SEK for the animal park only in the off-season, plus a 60 SEK daily parking fee in each case). Climbing Långe Jan costs 50 SEK for adults and 30 SEK for children; the Naturum at Ottenby is free. Sources put the fee for the Långe Erik tower at around 30 SEK, which isn't officially confirmed for 2026, check locally before you go. Current prices and opening hours are listed on each destination's own page.

Routes and the best time to visit

For a first visit, the route plan Öland in 3 Days is a good starting point: three stages from north to south taking in castles, World Heritage landscape, beaches and lighthouses. A week makes for a more relaxed trip, leaving room for beach days and cycling. The island also groups well by theme: families head for Ölands Djurpark, Böda Sand and Eketorp; birdwatchers go to Ottenby, which also runs guided bird-ringing tours from 500 SEK per small group, and the lighthouses Långe Jan and Långe Erik; and those interested in culture and art head for the Vida Museum, Himmelsberga and the castles.

Most of the paid attractions run seasonally: Eketorp is open from May to the end of August, the animal park's peak season runs from mid-June to mid-August, Långe Jan from early April to the end of October, and the Långe Erik tower from early May to the end of September. The free nature reserves and the World Heritage site, by contrast, are worth visiting year-round, so if you prefer things quiet, travelling outside peak season still pays off. For swimming, high summer (June to August) is the safest bet; for the orchids flowering on Stora Alvaret, May and June are ideal; and for bird migration at Ottenby, spring and autumn, more in the guide Best Time to Visit.