Sweden has two Baltic islands that dominate summer conversation: Gotland, which most people have heard of, and Öland, which is somehow still a secret outside of Scandinavia. Öland is the more unusual of the two. It is long and narrow – about 140 kilometres from tip to tip and rarely more than 16 kilometres wide – with a landscape of ancient windmills, vast open limestone plains and wildflower meadows so dense they look like a painter's mistake.
The Swedish royal family has summered at Solliden Palace on Öland for over a century. They have impeccable taste.
The Alvar: A Landscape Like Nowhere Else
The central and southern parts of Öland are dominated by the alvar – a vast, flat limestone plain that is one of the most unusual landscapes in Europe. It is largely treeless, windswept and in summer covered in a carpet of wildflowers that includes species found nowhere else in the world. Öland's alvar was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 alongside the agricultural landscape that frames it.
Walking out onto the alvar on a clear June morning is a genuinely disorienting experience. The horizon seems impossibly far away. Orchids push up through cracks in the limestone. Lapwings and skylarks fill the air with sound. The light at this latitude in summer has a particular clarity that makes colours seem more saturated than usual. Photographers discover quickly that they cannot stop taking pictures.
The Windmills
Öland is known as "the island of sun and wind," and nowhere is the wind part more apparent than in its famous windmills. Over 400 windmills survive on the island – more than anywhere else in the world – standing in rows against the wide sky like something from a Dutch painting. Most are post mills or smock mills dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, built to grind the grain from the fertile farmland that stretches away from the alvar.
The most concentrated and photogenic grouping is at Lerkaka on the west coast, where a row of five mills stands in various states of preservation. The village of Vickleby has some of the best-preserved mills on the island and has attracted craftspeople and artists over the decades in a way that gives it a creative, slightly otherworldly character.
⚙️ Best Windmill Spots on Öland
Lerkaka for the most photogenic row of mills on the west coast. Vickleby for preserved mills plus an interesting arts community. Kapelludden lighthouse at the northeast tip combines a windmill view with dramatic Baltic coastline. Early morning or golden hour light transforms these landscapes completely.
Borgholm and the Royal Palace
Borgholm is Öland's largest town and summer hub – a pleasant, relaxed place that fills up in July and returns to quiet the moment August ends. The castle ruin above town, Borgholms Slott, is one of the largest castle ruins in the Nordic countries and worth the walk up for the views alone.
Just south of town, Solliden Palace is the Swedish royal family's summer residence. The palace gardens open to the public during summer – they are beautifully maintained and offer the slightly surreal pleasure of wandering gardens where the King and Queen were very recently having breakfast. The royal family is usually in residence in July, and there's typically a public celebration on Crown Princess Victoria's birthday on July 14th that draws large crowds to the grounds.
Beaches and Swimming
Öland's east coast has the calmer, warmer water – sheltered from prevailing westerly winds by the island itself. The beaches are typically rockier than Gotland but the water temperature in July reaches 20°C and above. Böda Sand at the northern tip is the island's most spectacular beach – a vast arc of white sand that in July feels like a Scandinavian answer to a Mediterranean shore.
The west coast faces the mainland and has stronger winds – better for windsurfing and kitesurfing than for lounging, though the sunsets from the west coast on a clear evening are extraordinary.
🏖 Swimming on Öland
Böda Sand: the island's best beach, 6km of white sand at the north tip. Nabbelund on the east coast for calmer, warmer water. Byxelkrok harbour for a swimming area with good facilities in the north. The east coast is consistently warmer and more sheltered than the west.
Cycling Öland
Öland is one of the best cycling islands in Europe. It is flat, the roads are quiet outside of July, the distances are manageable and the scenery rewards slow travel in a way that is lost at car speeds. A network of marked cycling routes covers the entire island, including the Alvar Route through the UNESCO landscape and the Windmill Route along the west coast.
Bikes can be hired in Borgholm and at several campsites across the island. A full day's cycling from Borgholm south through the alvar and back via the windmills is about 60–70km – achievable for most reasonably fit cyclists and one of the best days out in all of Sweden.
Getting There and When to Go
Öland is connected to the mainland by the Öland Bridge from Kalmar – a 6km bridge that was, when built in 1972, the longest bridge in Europe. Kalmar is reached by train from Stockholm in about 3 hours. Once on the island, a bike is enough for a Borgholm-based stay; a car is better for covering the full length of the island.
June is the ideal month: the wildflower season is at its peak, the alvar is in full bloom, daylight is at its maximum and the island is busy but not overwhelmed. July is the most popular and expensive month. Late May and August are excellent alternatives with significantly fewer visitors and the same landscape.