Road Trip Sweden (Part II): Fjällbacka & Weather Islands

After gently rocking to sleep in our floating room, CP and I bid farewell to the Salt & Sill hotel and jump in our Volvo excited to see more of the Swedish countryside and coast and see the remote and beautiful Weather Islands.

Click here if you missed Part 1 of our West Sweden Road Trip.

Since I rarely, if ever travel abroad by car, there is a nice freedom to this — being able to throw our bags in our vehicle and come and go as we please; pulling off to snap photos or even have an impromptu picnic (okay, still a bit tricky when following a scheduled itinerary).

Visit Fjallbacka

We head up the rocky coast further north toward Oslo and spend the afternoon in the charming seaside town of Fjällbacka, home to Swedish Actress Ingrid Bergman’s former holiday residence.  Today, it’s still full-on famous thanks to local author, Camilla Läckberg, whose crime novels are woven in and around the town.

Tour Fjallbacka

We take a tour around the small seaside town with a local character named Torbjörn who also happens to be an ex-cop. He regales us with the stories in Lackberg’s crime novels and testifies to some of their accurate details about the town and surrounding areas in which they are set. During our walkabout, we are surprised to find a gorge practically in the middle of the town. We promptly march up the stairs to the top of what’s known as Vetteberget Mountain revealing lovely views of the sea, outlying islands, and colorful clapboard houses in the town below.

Where to Eat & Drink in Fjallbacka

Back down at sea-level, we enjoy a cold beer in the sun on the huge outdoor patio at the harbour in front of the wonderfully refurbished Bryggan Fjallbacka.  For someone who usually travels alone (and still loves it), this is nice. I really enjoy sharing my travels with CP by my side, especially seeing him soak it all in and enjoy it too. Plus having someone to watch my bag while I go to the bathroom…is a rare bonus!

Boat to Weather Islands

We could stay here for the night, but that would be too easy. So we leave our Volvo parked and take a boat out to Sweden’s hundred or so western-most islands, the Weather Islands (aka Väderöarna).

Where to Stay in Weather Islands

We overnight on the biggest island at Väderöarna’s Restaurant & Guesthouse, a very simple and cozy inn. Lovingly updated each year by its owners, the 11-room place has a bit of seaside rustic charm with shared baths and deliciously prepared meals made with local Swedish meats and, of course, fresh fish.

There is something very peaceful about this windswept rocky landscape which is the former home of shipping pilots and captains and now, a handful of locals and vacationers from the mainland. Time definitely moves a bit slower here. And I wish we could stay longer.

Read the other posts from our Road Trip in Sweden!

Part III: Skåne – Båstad & Malmö
Part IV: Video of West Sweden & Skåne

If you missed it…here’s Part I: Buy a Volvo, Get a Free Trip to Sweden!

Disclosure: I was a guest of Car + Vacation, Visit Sweden, West Sweden and Volvo.  As always, my writing and views are my own.