The Gothenburg Nomad Chapter: Archipelago Hikes, Cold Dips & Local Connections
Arrival & Home Base: Setting Up Camp
After leaving Stockholm, I made a quick detour to Hjo: a picturesque town of wooden houses and endless lake views recommended by the Heja Livet group. Sitting on the shore (home to Sweden's longest bench!), I even bumped into a German couple who used to live in my hometown of Augsburg.
After a classic Räksmörgås (the iconic Swedish open-faced shrimp sandwich), it was time to catch the final leg to Gothenburg and settle in for the next four weeks.
My new home base was a cozy basement apartment right on the edge of a nature reserve. As a self-proclaimed "Kellerkind" (a nod to my friend’s basement setup back in Augsburg where this nomad journey started), it felt surprisingly fitting. My first day was a regular workday, but I used the morning hours to explore my immediate surroundings.
It didn't take long to realize my new neighborhood was a great functional base:
Nature on the Doorstep: Miles of quiet hiking trails through the reserve, complete with local wildlife. A deer was literally the first neighbor I met!
An Outdoor Gym: A fantastic setup just five minutes away, though I was briefly tempted to use the swings instead.
Proximity to the Water: A peaceful nearby lake that became a favorite spot for swims; even in the rain once!
While the reserve was a great backdrop for what I'd like have to become daily routines 😉, the coastal islands further out were calling. But more on that next...
Island Hopping: Ferries to the Archipelago
Having spent so much time in Stockholm, I was curious to see how Gothenburg's archipelago compared, especially after hearing how different the western coast is.
So time to make good use of my 30 day transit card, and check out several of the islands.
Hönö & Fotö: Rocky Views and Rural Charm
My first trip took me north to Hönö and Fotö, part of the Öckerö group. My grand plan was to hike between the two and find a quiet swim spot, but reality hit. The island bus gave me an unexpected complete tour of Fotö right off the ferry, and with a nippy drizzle settling in, it was an easy decision to stick to Hönö. I ducked into the local fishing museum, a tiny, modest setup where the sign outside was almost bigger than the exhibit itself, before setting off on a coastal walk as the weather cleared, revealing beautiful, windswept granite landscapes.
Vrångö: Quiet Trails and Breathtaking Views
Next was Vrångö in the southern archipelago, which immediately stole my heart. My first stop was the Lotshuset (the old pilot lookout) perched at the highest point, offering a breathtaking 360-degree view of the sea. Can you spot it up there?
I spent an unhurried hour up there with my devotional and just soaked it all in. After a fantastic fish-and-chips lunch down by the harbor, I spent the afternoon wandering the quiet hiking trails. Between the birds, the insects, and the rustle of the water, it was so peaceful it almost felt like I was trespassing on untouched nature.
Marstrand: Historic Forts and Unplanned Discovery
Marstrand was a standout favorite. A quick two-minute ferry across the water brings you to a car-free island dominated by a massive stone fortress. After spending time exploring the historic site and relaxing by the water with a super yummy Thai chicken curry lunch, I stumbled into a small Persian art exhibit that fondly reminded me of a dear friend back in California.
Right when I was almost ready to call it a day, I happened upon a spectacular coastal hiking trail that extended my stay. What are a couple thousand more steps, right?
Styrsö & Donsö: Wild Blackberries and Car-Free Streets
Lying right next to each other in the southern archipelago, Styrsö and Donsö made for a fantastic paired trip. Connected by a small bridge, these car-free islands had a wonderful early-autumn feel, with quiet paths and wild blackberries ripe for the picking along the trails.
Tjörn: A Day Trip Further North
Getting to Tjörn was a completely different experience from the other islands, mostly because you cross over via bridge rather than waiting around on ferry schedules.
For my Bay Area friends: doesn't this bridge have a bit of a mini Bay Bridge vibe? 😀
What waited for me on the other side was the cutest harbor in Skärhamn, with sea star art strewn all over the place.
Another adorable feature of the town was the church's smile.
Yes, you read that right. Do you see it?
It doesn’t just happen to look like a face; every summer, the parish actually hangs a massive smile across the tower windows so the whole building grins down at the town.
The local story goes that a priest started the tradition back in the '90s to give sailors and locals a cheerful, tangible reminder that God is smiling down on them when they look back at the island.
I was very excited that the day turned out to be warm enough to just lay out on the sun-warmed granite rocks and jump straight into the sea for a few cold dips.
OK, maybe "jump" doesn't quite accurately describe the careful descend into the rather chilly water. 😉
Heja Livet: Making Connections in a New City
One of the consistent highlights of my time in Sweden has been connecting with people through the Heja Livet! Facebook group, and Gothenburg was no exception.
My first meetup turned into a long, scenic walk around Lake Stensjön and through the forest trails past Gunnebo House. We spent hours hiking and getting to know each other, working up a serious appetite along the way.
We eventually landed at Crêpe et Ciel, a charming spot nestled right in the countryside, and rewarded ourselves with savory galettes and a slice of delicious almond cake.
It was the perfect cap to a great day of fresh air and even better conversation.
We ended up meeting up again during the final days of my stay. After a nice dinner, we went on a long evening walk through town, which gave me some of my absolute favorite photos of Gothenburg.
Church, Falkenberg, and Beyond
Recommended by the pastor at Calvary Stockholm, I right away found a home away from home at Gothenburg International Baptist Church. One of the lovely ladies there invited me over for a wonderful afternoon. She happens to be an 80-year-old local who runs half-marathons (putting my complete lack of running to shame!), and she hosted me for a beautiful hike, great conversation, and a delicious lunch complete with homemade chapati.
That "athletic host" theme continued that very same evening, when I headed south to Falkenberg for three days with another friend from Heja Livet!, who turns out to be an ultra-marathoner! Which made me a bit nervous about our proposed evening hike 😉
There was really no reason to worry, though. She is such a thoughtful person and put incredible effort into making this visit so very special.
On our evening walk, she brought along sparkling water and treats so we could sit and watch the gorgeous sunset over the sea.
On our way, we also stopped by the crash site of Bob Birmingham, an 18-year-old American pilot who crash-landed there in January 1945 and kept returning to visit all the way into his 90s (she had even printed out his story for me to read!).
To top it all off, she mapped out a personalized bike route for me for the next day, complete with local fika recommendations, so I could explore while she was at work.
Day two was an absolute whirlwind packed into a single day: the best kind of whirlwind!
Morning Exploration
After morning cuddles with her adorable, magnificently chunky cat, I hopped on the bike and followed her curated route straight into Falkenberg.
My morning included a stop at the beach swimming pier, complete with its wheelchair-accessible ramps into the water, a classic cinnamon bun fika, and a private tour of city hall where my host works.
We finished up with a pizza at the legendary Lilla Napoli. Looking at it from the outside, you’d think it was just a scruffy roadside shack, but pizza lovers travel from all over to eat here. They're so obsessively purist about Neapolitan dough fermentation that reserving a table weeks in advance is mandatory. My host had painstakingly set up our booking weeks prior, but in a classic twist, hit every step except the final "confirm" button.
Luckily, the staff were incredibly kind and managed to squeeze us in anyway—and the pizza fully lived up to the hype.
The Ullared Dash:
In the afternoon, we visited the tiny 12th-century Svartrå Church before doing a record-speed lap through Gekås in Ullared: the legendary, massive middle-of-nowhere department store.
As a nomad with limited luggage, I promised not to buy anything, yet I still walked out with a lightweight beach towel and workout shorts!
It was just way too tempting.
At least I stopped before their underwear merch 😂
The Standout Sauna & Forest Dip:
While the wood-fired sauna was heating up, we hiked out into the forest, did a bit of light rock scrambling, and foraged wild chanterelles along the trail.
But the real highlight of the night was joining her local sauna club. I got to hang out and enjoy a cold beer with them in the heat, but the best part was cooling down afterward in a tiny nearby stream. Do you see it?
It was barely wider than a human body and just deep enough to submerge yourself if you lay flat. We didn't just cool off in it, either. At the end of the session, we used that exact same little stream to actually bathe with soap instead of taking a shower!
It was totally wild and definitely not something I ever would have done on my own, but it ended up being one of the most charming, unique experiences of the whole trip.
We capped off the night with a late dinner featuring our freshly sautéed chanterelles.
The next morning, I woke up to put my new workout shorts to the test at her 9:00 AM gym class, followed by a long, unhurried breakfast where we sat and talked for hours over bacon and fresh, farm-grown eggs, potatoes, and squash.
We took our time with the rest of the day, going for another coastal hike and stopping for gelato before I finally packed up and headed back to Gothenburg in the evening.
Beyond Falkenberg, I managed to fit in a day trip to Borås to visit a new friend who works as an international tour leader. Since the city was built around textiles and canals, it carried an immediate connection to my hometown of Augsburg.
Having a professional guide walk me through its heritage was incredible: we explored the Textile Museum, popped into the Abecita Pop Art & Photo Museum, and she pointed out tiny street artwork hidden in plain sight I definitely would have missed on my own.
Imagine how hard to spot this is from the curb!!
These on the other hand could hardly be missed 😉
To top off all these incredible connections, I reconnected on my very last day in Sweden with another friend I’d met earlier in the trip over a glass of wine. As we caught up over a simple, healthy lunch, we realized we’d be in Barcelona at the exact same time!
We’ve already made plans to meet up there, which felt like the most fitting way to end this chapter: proof that these spontaneous nomadic connections don't just have to stop when you leave town.
Cold Dips & Hot Saunas: Individual Swims and Steam
After a day of coaching sessions, I needed a proper reset.
I took an evening walk through the neighborhood to decompress and ended up discovering a nearby swimming lake.
While taking in the water, I ended up in a warm conversation with a local; a moment sparked simply by noticing we were both wearing crosses. She gave me the lay of the land, assuring me that the lake stays surprisingly warm even when it rains, which was comforting given the forecast.
That evening, I also met two of my housemates, and one generously offered to lend me her bike for the rest of my stay.
That borrowed bike led straight to a true #SoulMoment the very next morning.
A morning rain was coming down, but with a short ride to the water, it didn't matter at all. Jumping into the cool lake for a quick morning swim before opening my laptop was pure magic.
Over the next few days, I ended up hopping on the bike for a quick swim several times; whether heading out to Delsjön or just dipping into the "home" lake around the corner between work blocks.
Later in the trip, I made my way down to Varberg to visit its famous Kallbadhus; a historic wooden bathhouse perched on stilts right over the sea.
Being there made me realize just how wide the sauna spectrum really is.
On one extreme, you have massive, high-tech wellness palaces like Spa World in Tokyo or the sprawling Thermen complexes back in Germany, like Bad Wörishofen.
On the other, you have the raw, wild simplicity of soaping up directly in a tiny Falkenberg stream.
Varberg’s Kallbadhus sits much closer to that stream end: historic, wooden, stripped of unnecessary fuss, and focused purely on the elemental ritual of intense heat followed by an ocean plunge.
When I went down for my first dip, I spotted two ladies standing on the ladder with what looked almost like a garden rake, poking around the surface. That’s when I learned about the local jellyfish situation! A full-on swim was a bit of a gamble, but if you used the rake to clear the water first, a quick dip was still fair game.
Green Spaces & Ships: Culture, Flora, and City Sights
With my first work day behind me, it was time to actually explore Gothenburg! In very untypical fashion, I grabbed a paper map (!!!) from the tourist info and set off on the recommended walking tour. Naturally, I got immediately derailed when I stumbled into Trädgårdsföreningen; one of Europe's best-preserved 19th-century parks, packed with historic greenhouses and sprawling rose gardens. I loved seeing bright, cheery sunflowers sitting right next to delicate, exotic tropical flora 😍.
When Sunday rolled around, I already knew exactly where I was going. Based on a recommendation from the pastor at the church I had attended in Stockholm, I headed to a local church that quickly became my "home church" for the four weeks I was in town. Over the month, it became such a warm anchor for my stay; a place where I made genuine new friends and felt connected to the local community.
Looking to fill the rest of my Sunday, I headed over to the Gothenburg Botanical Garden; one of the largest in Europe. I ended up spending way more time there than planned, just wandering through the incredible variety of plant life, waterfalls, ponds, and quiet paths.
Later that afternoon, I caught a bit of live music at Göteborgs Kalaset, the city's massive free annual festival.
The festival perk of free admission also got me aboard the Götheborg, a magnificent replica of an 18th-century East Indiaman wooden sailing ship anchored on the other side of town.
When the rain inevitably rolled in, I ducked into the Röhsska Museum of Design, Fashion, and Crafts, which turned out to be wildly thought-provoking, before catching a few more rainy concert sets.
Towards the end of the month, I dedicated a chunk of time to the Maritime Museum and Aquarium (Sjöfartsmuseet Akvariet). It was a fantastic combination of naval history and shipbuilding paired with interactive shark facts and vibrant marine tanks.
On another rainy day, I tackled the Göteborgs stadsmuseum (City Museum) to dive into local Viking history and the story behind the Äskekärrsskeppet (Sweden's only preserved Viking ship), followed by a trip to the Konstmuseum; fascinating and full of classic Nordic art, though almost overwhelming in its scale!
Before wrapping up my time in town, I made sure to catch up on the remaining city landmarks. I spent a lovely afternoon strolling through Slottsskogen park, timing it just right to watch the harbor seals and penguins get fed.
Even though my "local church" was across from Domkyrkan, I had never made it inside until one of my last days. The simplicity was stunning. But my favorite part was the crown of thorns set against that gold background. It's hard to describe, but it really made a lasting impression on me.
Continuing with the theme of sacred spaces, though of an entirely different kind, I headed over to check out the iconic Feskekörka ("Fish Church") down by the canal, which gets its nickname because the fish market building looks remarkably like a Gothic church.
My last day in Gothenburg brought me back at Slottsskogen: an outdoor Sunday service where three local churches, including my temporary home church, came together in this beautiful park. Sitting out in the green space with new friends for that combined service was the perfect way to end my Swedish chapter.
With that last beautiful memory, I was on my way south-ish.
First stop: a four-day whirlwind tour of Copenhagen and Roskilde to spend time with another new Facebook friend.
Now, back here in Augsburg, these three weeks are serving as a much-needed reset, a chance to unpack, process everything from the road, catch up on filling you all in on my time in Gothenborg and Copenhagen 😉, and getting ready for the next chapter down further south in early October.
Stay tuned...
With gratitude,
Renate ❤️
from Augsburg 🇩🇪
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And if you want to see more behind-the-scenes pictures from the road, you can browse my growing collection of travel galleries below:
🇳🇴 Norway Gallery
🇸🇪 🇩🇰 Scandinavia Gallery
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