Sweden's northern Gothenburg archipelago boasts over 260,000 tiny islands, yet only a fraction have ever been settled or inhabited – fewer than 1,000 currently call them home.
For this trip, I focused on visiting six of the 10 inhabited islands in the archipelago, using my own definition of an island: any land mass surrounded by water large enough to pitch a small tent. Using this definition alone would suggest Sweden boasts over 260,000 islands – yet only about eight have ever been settled.
Getting here was surprisingly straightforward. From Gothenburg's second city, I caught a short bus ride out of the country and then took a leisurely hike along the new coastal trail that snakes round these islands. The journey might take time due to the relatively short distances between each island, thanks in part to a maze of boulders, massive adventure playgrounds for those who love leaping and scrambling.
The final destination was Vinga, once home to Evert Taube – one of Sweden's great folk music balladeers. His father served as lighthouse keeper before he disappeared at sea while attempting a solo voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1910. Today, we wended our way through uninhabited islands out to Vinga.
Visitors can explore this unique landscape using the Västtrafik app and catching ferries or buses that connect these small landmasses.
In Öckerö's old church, I found myself in a different world – literally and figuratively. This simple red-roofed Scandinavian church dates back to 1450, yet its rear ceiling still features vibrant painted scenes from the 17th century.
One scene depicted hell with fire-breathing monsters – no wonder island kids grew up terrified of this place. Another showed salvation as a sailing ship floated towards heaven, leaving those sinking in scarlet flames blissfully adrift.
My adventure on these tiny islands ended far sooner than expected. After a trip provided by the Gothenburg Tourist Board and travel via Interrail, I stepped back into everyday life with my senses somewhat dazed – perhaps having truly traveled very far away indeed.
For this trip, I focused on visiting six of the 10 inhabited islands in the archipelago, using my own definition of an island: any land mass surrounded by water large enough to pitch a small tent. Using this definition alone would suggest Sweden boasts over 260,000 islands – yet only about eight have ever been settled.
Getting here was surprisingly straightforward. From Gothenburg's second city, I caught a short bus ride out of the country and then took a leisurely hike along the new coastal trail that snakes round these islands. The journey might take time due to the relatively short distances between each island, thanks in part to a maze of boulders, massive adventure playgrounds for those who love leaping and scrambling.
The final destination was Vinga, once home to Evert Taube – one of Sweden's great folk music balladeers. His father served as lighthouse keeper before he disappeared at sea while attempting a solo voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1910. Today, we wended our way through uninhabited islands out to Vinga.
Visitors can explore this unique landscape using the Västtrafik app and catching ferries or buses that connect these small landmasses.
In Öckerö's old church, I found myself in a different world – literally and figuratively. This simple red-roofed Scandinavian church dates back to 1450, yet its rear ceiling still features vibrant painted scenes from the 17th century.
One scene depicted hell with fire-breathing monsters – no wonder island kids grew up terrified of this place. Another showed salvation as a sailing ship floated towards heaven, leaving those sinking in scarlet flames blissfully adrift.
My adventure on these tiny islands ended far sooner than expected. After a trip provided by the Gothenburg Tourist Board and travel via Interrail, I stepped back into everyday life with my senses somewhat dazed – perhaps having truly traveled very far away indeed.
and let me tell you it was a real eye opener, literally had to hike through some crazy boulders on the trail and saw like 3 islands with no signs of life at all 
. but the highlight was visiting vinga island where this famous swedish folk singer used to live and I found an old church from like 1450 that still had these insane painted scenes from the 17th century, one of them showed hell and it was honestly super intense 
. but what really got me was when i saw how tiny the islands are and like 1k people call them home 
, i mean i know sweden is rich or whatever but still kinda blew my mind.
i mean sure you do have to hike a bit but trust me its worth it there's just something so peaceful about being on those tiny landmasses surrounded by water 
It makes me wanna grab a tent and explore ASAP! 
The coastal trail sounds amazing too - all that hiking through boulders and adventure playgrounds would be so much fun! 
But what really took my breath away was Öckerö's old church - I mean, 1450?! That painted ceiling is stunning! 
And can you imagine the stories those walls must tell? 
The Västtrafik app and ferry rides make it super easy to explore these islands, so I'm definitely adding this to my bucket list 
, but i didn't realize there were so many tiny islands to explore... like, 260k or something? 
. And the history behind some of these places is wild - like that old church in Öckerö with the painted scenes from the 17th century... it's like stepping into another world! 
. Definitely going on my bucket list now! 
. and the Västtrafik app is like, super convenient too 
.
and OMG, it was SO surreal! I mean, have you ever walked on an island that literally feels like it belongs in a fantasy novel? The tiny islands are just so beautiful and peaceful... but also super rugged and wild 
His dad was a lighthouse keeper, can you imagine?! 
. And omg, the scenery must've been stunning with all those boulders and adventure playgrounds around 
. I'm actually kinda jealous now, wanna join me on a virtual island-hopping trip soon 
. But hey, at least the adventure playgrounds were lit!