Experience Öland all year round

You have probably just travelled across the Öland bridge. Your visit to us has maybe just started. Many visitors say that this six kilometer journey between land and island, surrounded by glittering water, brings a certain peace of mind. Relax, fill your lungs with the Öland air and feel a warm welcome to the island of sun and wind. It does not matter whether you are a first-time or frequent visitor, a resident or just generally crazy about Öland - here you will be able to seize the day, enjoy life, experience nature and culture, have an active holiday or just listen to the waves hitting the beach.  

Are you looking forward to adventure and excitement? On Öland you can do anything from wreck diving, mountain biking, wave surfing, horse riding across the Great Alvar or wind surfing, to playing tennis or padel tennis, swimming, playing golf or rock climbing in a stone quarry. Do you want to try something new? Öland offers camel riding, pottery courses, yoga retreats and handmade sweets. Do you want some time to enjoy life? Rent a cottage by the shore, read a book by the light of an open fire, visit a museum, take a dip in the winter sea or book a table at one of the top gourmet restaurants. Enrich your life with a visit to one of our ancient fortresses, join a guided nature walk, go up a lighthouse and look out over the world, go to a jazz concert or help band birds.  

Or do you just want to feel free without demands? Öland offers a wide open landscape, mystical forests and endless ways to enjoy spontaneous activities. Hike across the Great Alvar and marvel at the beautiful and exotic orchids. Experience the sharp contrasts between the stone coast, the midland forest and the fertile agricultural landscape. Turn into a side road and discover a linear village or follow a row of traditional windmills along the island's sloping ridge. Head for the horizon and take a swim at the nearest beach. Whatever you choose, we guarantee that you will cherish your Öland memories for life. 

Spring, the lush season

To enjoy the spring on Öland is something very special. Walpurgis Night on 30 April is celebrated with large bonfires in villages all around the island, often arranged by the local heritage centre. Enjoy the light, the air and the colours! The pale and cold winter days are softened by the warm sunbeams. Blue anemones, white wood anemones and blue bulbous perennials spread joyfully across the fields and paths.

Springtime on Öland tends to bring fine weather, particularly in May, when the average daytime temperature rises to 20 degrees. Öland Spirar is an annual springtime festival that marks the start of an eventful season on our beautiful island. Various activities related to the spring season can be enjoyed across the island, such as open gardens, concerts, food, handicraft and open studios and art galleries. Get inspired by all things blooming! Allow yourself to be seduced by the orchids' colours and beauty. The early species start to flower in May, but if you are lucky you may spot the pretty Elder-flowered Orchid already in April. If you really want to see many different varieties perhaps a guided orchid tour on Southern Öland's Great Alvar is something for you?   

Summer feelings on Öland

For many people, a summer spent on Öland is the ultimate dream holiday. You are warmly welcome to share yours with us. A summer on Öland is everything you can wish for. Rent a small cottage or a large mansion, go camping with all the modern comforts or put up a tent close to nature, stay at a nice hotel or a hostel, farm or B&B. Your summer holiday on Öland can be just as comfortable as you wish with the large variety of accommodations on offer.

Wherever you are on our long and narrow island, it is never more than 10 km to the water. You can enjoy both sunrise and sunset just a short bike ride away. Öland's summers are sun-proof and the pleasant sea breeze provides the perfect conditions for some windsurfing in the Kalmar Strait. Fine weather is often a prerequisite for an enjoyable holiday. But when we occasionally receive some much-needed rain, Öland offers some excellent attractions and day-trip destinations. Away from the beaches you will find a glass museum, tractor museum, indoor playground, zoo, indoor boules court, cinemas and shopping mall. Farm shops, flea markets and art studios are open if you fancy a spontaneous detour. A summer's day on Öland offers crystal-clear waters, shallow bays, sun-drenched beaches and the feeling of sand between your toes. Seeing the sun sink into the Kalmar Strait and the swells hitting the shore is all but pure magic.  

Autumn, the golden season

Öland is often at its best when autumn takes over after intense summer days. The water is still relatively warm long into September. Sun-kissed rocks and long shadows at dusk - a sense of melancholy in the air. However, the summer does not give up entirely and lingers on for a while. And you can do the same.

Autumn on Öland is not as intense but still offers much to enjoy. Golf courses are open, as are many of the restaurants. Now is the time to have the island's favourite spots all to yourself. Less traffic means you can comfortably get around by bike. Autumn is also the perfect time for a culinary trip on Öland. Farm shops will welcome you with the season's local produce. Did you know that you can buy most of the ingredients you may need for a splendid meal directly from local producers? Free-range meat, fish, locally-grown vegetables, fruit, cheese, milk, icecream, eggs, honey, herbs, spices and much more can be found on Öland. Flour, pasta, bean crisps and chilli sauces are also produced on the island. After slaving away in the kitchen, perhaps you would like someone else to take care of the cooking? Then you will find a large selection of restaurants and cafés to choose from. Öland also boasts local breweries and fruit-juice producers. The highlight of the autumn season is undoubtedly Öland's Harvest Festival. During the last weekend in September, this festival encompasses the entire island from north to south. A large variety of cultural events is combined with flea markets, farm shops and food markets, offering pumpkins, potatoes, beans, onions and more. In short, everything Öland's pantry has to offer. Konstnatten (art night) attracts many visitors who tour across the island to experience the creations of our local artists and artisans.  

Winter, the season for recovery

Have you newly arrived as a winter tourist? Did you expect to come to an almost deserted island? Even though things have slowed down now, Öland is far from deserted during the winter months. The local business community is particularly active throughout the year and people meet on squares and in shops and cafés in the island's towns and villages. During the winter season, you can choose from various Christmas markets with a long tradition offering high-quality local craftsmanship. 

Winter on Öland means time for thought and reflection. Indulge yourself with a spa treatment, some shopping and good food. A number of establishments offer both accommodation and events during the winter season. Some golf courses are open all year round. Winter on Öland soothes the soul. A landscape without leafy trees provides wide-open views. The sea is thundering and even further away from the shores you can sense the murmuring waters at the stone coast. Put on some extra socks and cover your head as this is the perfect time to experience how nature shifts between icy blue and steel grey, and perhaps even white. A little bit of frost is enough for the shallow waters of the Great Alvar to freeze over, providing a natural ice skating track. Have you ever heard of Fåk, the Öland ground blizzard? This unique weather phenomenon, which can only be found on Öland, consists of severe snow storms which create enormous snow drifts in the vast and open landscape. And when the storm has passed and the sun is shining, the snow has given the landscape a completely new silhouette and appearance. It may even be difficult to recognise your surroundings at first sight. A walk across the Great Alvar in the beaming winter sun after a roaring Fåk is a true energy boost for the soul.