Skerries, fjords and rock carvings: a road trip along Bohuslän's west coast

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This trip is planned for 18 Aug – 29 Aug 2027.

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Day 1 · Wed 18/08 3:18 hr

Starting in Kiel and heading north

Travelling via Denmark

A deliberately short first stage, so you arrive relaxed in Nyborg with time for a swim.

Storebælt Bridge: toll approx. 40 euros per car.

Start

Kiel

Your trip starts here. From the north of Schleswig-Holstein, you head over the Danish land bridge towards the Öresund.

271 km · 3:20 hr
Campsite

Nyborg Strandcamping

A convenient stopover on the Danish island of Funen, right on the Baltic Sea with a beach and swimming. Ideal for breaking up the long drive and letting the teenagers into the water after sitting in the car.

35–48 € / night child-friendly
Website

Booking ahead is often cheaper here

Day 2 · Thu 19/08 5:30 hr

Across the Öresund to Gothenburg

Crossing the border and arriving on the west coast

Two toll bridges in one day: Storebælt (the day before) and Öresund. Keep your credit card handy.

Driving time around 3.5 to 4 hours, well within today's schedule.

A long stage — build in some breaks.

1
Town

Nyborg

In the morning you continue across Zealand and the Öresund Bridge into Sweden.

Website
436 km · 5:27 hr · 55–65 €
Campsite

Lisebergs Camping Askim Strand

A campsite on the sandy beach at Askim, just a few kilometres south of Gothenburg with a bus connection into the city. Having your own swimming beach makes arriving on the west coast an instant highlight for the kids.

40–58 € / night child-friendly
Website

Booking ahead is often cheaper here

Day 3 · Fri 20/08

Gothenburg: Haga and Liseberg

City day

Leave the car at the campsite and take public transport into the city, saving you the hassle of finding parking.

A pure rest-and-explore day, with no driving stage.

2
Town

Haga

Gothenburg's oldest district, with cobbled streets and low wooden houses, now full of cafés and small shops. Famous for its oversized cinnamon buns, it's a great start to a relaxed city stroll.

2:30 hr 0 € child-friendly
Website

See tickets on Tiqets(affiliate link)

3 km · 2 min
3
Activity

Liseberg

One of Scandinavia's largest and most traditional theme parks, with rollercoasters like Balder and Helix — great for teenagers. Centrally located and easy to reach on foot or by tram from the campsite.

5 hr 45–60 € / person child-friendly
Website

Booking ahead is often cheaper here

See tickets on Tiqets(affiliate link)

Day 4 · Sat 21/08 12 min

On to Marstrand and Carlsten Fortress

A car-free skerry island

Marstrand is car-free, so you leave the car on the mainland at Koön.

Bring your swimming things — the cliffs by the fortress are perfect for jumping into the water.

5 km · 4 min
4
Town

Marstrand

An elegant sailing and bathing town on a car-free island, reached by a small passenger ferry. Alleys of wooden houses, swimming cliffs and busy boat traffic make the island a lively introduction to the skerries.

4 hr 0 € child-friendly
Website
· 5 min · 4–8 €
5
Sight

Carlsten Fortress

A mighty 17th-century granite fortress high above Marstrand, with guided tours, views over the skerries and stories of prisoners and pirates. The climb up is well worth it for the panoramic view, and it's exciting for teenagers too.

2 hr 12–18 € / person child-friendly
Website
5 km · 4 min
Campsite

Instö Camping

A small, quiet site on the island of Instön near Marstrand, with water views and swimming right at the campsite. Perfect if you're after simple camping with a sea view rather than a big holiday park.

35–50 € / night child-friendly
Website

Booking ahead is often cheaper here

Day 5 · Sun 22/08 1:42 hr

On to the skerries of Fjällbacka

Fjords and climbing rocks

Climbing through the Kungsklyftan gorge is free and, in our experience, great fun for teenagers.

In the afternoon there's time to swim and settle in.

106 km · 1:40 hr
6
Town

Fjällbacka

A picturesque fishing village of red wooden houses at the foot of a steep granite cliff, made famous by Camilla Läckberg's crime novels. You can climb through the Kungsklyftan crevice, and from Vetteberget you get a sweeping view over the skerries.

3 hr 0 € child-friendly
Website
1 km · 1 min
Campsite

Fjällbacka Camping

A campsite on the edge of Fjällbacka with a short walk to the water and the cliffs. From here, skerry boat tours and the climbing rocks for the teenagers are both easy to reach.

38–52 € / night child-friendly
Website

Booking ahead is often cheaper here

Day 6 · Mon 23/08 12 min

Skerry boat tour from Fjällbacka

Out on the water

A second night at the same site, so no need to pack up.

Weather-dependent: if it's very windy, the boat tour can flexibly be moved to the following day.

2 km · 12 min
7
Activity

Väderöarna Archipelago Boat Tour

A boat trip out to the Väderöarna, Sweden's westernmost island group, with a chance of seeing seals and stopping to swim in sheltered coves. A real highlight for anyone wanting to experience the skerries from the water.

4 hr 30–45 € / person child-friendly
Website

Booking ahead is often cheaper here

1 km · 1 min
8
Nature

Swimming Spot at Fjällbacka Fjord

In the afternoon, time for a peaceful swimming spot among the smooth granite rocks around Fjällbacka. Perfect for jumping from warm rock into the fjord and winding down the day.

2 hr 0 € child-friendly
Website
Day 7 · Tue 24/08 24 min

Grebbestad: fish auction and oysters

Food and markets

A short stage, leaving plenty of time for the oyster tasting and the harbour.

If raw oysters aren't your thing, Grebbestad also has crab and other seafood.

14 km · 20 min
9
Food

Grebbestad Fish Auction

Grebbestad is regarded as Sweden's oyster capital, with a large share of the country's oysters caught here. At an oyster safari or in the auction hall you can try fresh oysters and learn how to open them.

2:30 hr 25–45 € / person child-friendly
Website

Booking ahead is often cheaper here

2 km · 2 min
Campsite

Grebbestads Familjecamping

A family-friendly waterside site near Grebbestad with swimming coves and views over the fjord. A good base for visiting the Tanum rock carvings the next day.

40–55 € / night child-friendly
Website

Booking ahead is often cheaper here

Day 8 · Wed 25/08 12 min

Tanum rock carvings

Bronze Age and UNESCO World Heritage

The rock carvings are easiest to see in the morning or evening, when the light is low.

A relaxed day, with culture in the morning and water in the afternoon.

9 km · 7 min
10
Sight

Tanum Rock Carvings

A UNESCO World Heritage site with thousands of Bronze Age rock carvings depicting ships, people and animals. The Vitlycke Museum brings Bronze Age life to life, and the reconstructed farmstead makes the journey back in time tangible for teenagers.

3 hr 0–12 € / person child-friendly
Website
Another night: Grebbestads Familjecamping
Day 9 · Thu 26/08 1:42 hr

On to the Koster Islands

National park and marine nature

Since the Koster Islands are car-free, plan to leave the roof-tent car in Strömstad and stay in a tent or cabin on the island, or just make a day trip and sleep on the mainland.

Bicycles can be hired on Koster — ideal for teenagers.

38 km · 45 min
11
Town

Strömstad

A small border town by the Norwegian border and the ferry port for the Koster Islands. This is where you leave the car, as the islands are largely car-free.

1 hr 0 €
Website
11 km · 45 min · 10–16 €
12
Nature

Koster Islands

Sweden's northernmost islands, within Kosterhavet, the country's first marine national park. Bike-friendly paths, clear swimming coves and an especially rich underwater world make these islands a peaceful highlight of the trip.

4 hr 0 € child-friendly
Website
2 km · 9 min
Campsite

Kosters Trädgårdar / Ekenäs Camping

A simple campsite on Sydkoster in a quiet spot near the swimming coves and walking trails. Exactly the kind of simple, nature-view camping you're after, with no car traffic at all.

25–40 € / night child-friendly
Website

Booking ahead is often cheaper here

Day 10 · Fri 27/08 48 min

Kosterhavet: swimming and hiking

National park day

A rest day on the islands, with no driving at all.

Bring a snorkel mask — the water in the national park is especially clear and rich in marine life.

3 km · 30 min
13
Nature

Hike to Nordkoster Lighthouse

A circular walk over Nordkoster to the old lighthouse, with wide views across Kosterhavet. Along the way there are sheltered swimming coves and flat rocks where you can stop for a dip.

3 hr 0 € child-friendly
Website
Another night: Kosters Trädgårdar / Ekenäs Camping
Day 11 · Sat 28/08 48 min

Back to the mainland and Smögen

Fishing village and boardwalk

Combines ferry and driving, but still fits within today's schedule.

The Ramsviklandet swimming spot is close by and easy to reach the next day.

60 km · 45 min · 10–16 €
14
Town

Smögen

A lively fishing village with the famous Smögenbryggan, a long wooden boardwalk lined with colourful boathouses, shops and fish restaurants. Here you can jump straight into the sea from the rocks — a classic west coast swimming spot.

3 hr 0 € child-friendly
Website
1 km · 1 min
Campsite

Smögens Hafvsbad Camping / Makrillviken

A site near Smögen with access to swimming cliffs and sea views. A short walk to the boardwalk, ideal for a last evening of fish and sunset.

38–55 € / night child-friendly
Website

Booking ahead is often cheaper here

Day 12 · Sun 29/08 6 min

Ramsviklandet and journey's end

Nature reserve and one last swim

An open-ended finish: from Kungshamn it's around 2 hours to Gothenburg, from where the return journey continues via the Öresund.

If you're spreading the journey home over several days, build in another stopover in Nyborg or Malmö.

3 km · 2 min
15
Nature

Ramsviklandet Nature Reserve

A vast coastal reserve with granite rocks smoothed by glaciers, heathland and fine sandy coves. The Sandvik swimming spot is one of the finest on the west coast and the perfect place for one last dip in the fjord.

3 hr 0 € child-friendly
Website
2 km · 2 min
16
Town

Kungshamn

This is where your journey along Bohuslän's west coast ends. From Kungshamn you can head home or extend your trip as you please, before continuing south via Gothenburg and the Öresund.

1 hr 0 €
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This trip is planned for 18 Aug – 29 Aug 2027.

Copy it and move it to your own dates.

Free account, no credit card. Copying, moving and adjusting are included.