Blekinge County

Blekinge is Sweden's second-smallest province and is often called the "Garden of Sweden": beech forests reach all the way to the sea, and offshore lies an archipelago of thousands of islands. A vacation in Blekinge takes you to the Baroque naval city of Karlskrona, to fishing harbors, and to swimming spots on smooth rocks.

Sights in Blekinge

Karlskrona was founded in 1680 as a base for the Swedish fleet and built across more than 30 islands. The naval port with its shipyard, fortresses, and Admiralty Church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is still in operation today; the Naval Museum displays figureheads, ship models, and a submarine. On boat trips you can reach the fortresses of Kungsholm and Drottningskär at the harbor entrance. Karlshamn has an old town with wooden houses, and its cultural center commemorates the emigrants who set off from here for America; in summer, the Sweden Rock festival takes place near Sölvesborg, a small town with a medieval core in the west of the province. Ronneby is known for the Brunnsparken spa park with its ponds and rhododendrons, a reminder of the town's days as a spa resort. The archipelago off Karlskrona is a biosphere reserve, with islands such as Tjärö and Hasslö that can be reached by ferry. A special experience is the boat trip to the island of Utklippan, Sweden's southeasternmost point, with a lighthouse and a bird observatory.

Landscape and History

Blekinge belonged to Denmark until 1658, and some churches and village names still hint at that past. The interior is hilly and wooded, crossed by rivers that run through valleys to the coast. The Blekingeleden hiking trail runs across the entire province, and the Mörrumsån river is considered one of the best salmon rivers in Sweden; near Mörrum, a salmon center provides information about the fish.

Food, Getting There, and Best Time to Visit

Typical dishes include Blekinge kroppkaka, potato dumplings filled with pork, made here with gray potatoes, along with smoked herring and Baltic salmon. Ronneby Airport serves domestic flights to Stockholm, and trains along the coastal line connect Karlskrona with Kristianstad and Malmö. A ferry runs from Karlskrona to Gdynia in Poland. The best time to visit is summer, when the water in the archipelago is warmest. Many islands have guest harbors, cafés, and swimming spots that you can reach by kayak or scheduled boat.