Hållö at the Swedish West coast

Visit Hållö at the Swedish West coast

The Swedish West coast and especially the island of Smögen and nearby area has been my paradise since forever. I have posted several times about my passion for this place. A guide to the Smögen (HERE), how to spend a weekend at Smögen (HERE), Midsummer at Smögen (HERE) and Ramsvikslandet (HERE). This time I will though present a gem from my latest trip to my go to place, Hållö. I been there many times but only for daytrips. This time I stayed over at the cute hostel Utpost Hållö which is the one and only place to sleep at if you would like to wake up at the island and not have your own boat since it is strictly forbidden to camp at the island.

Hållö is famous for its rocky nature and the lighthouse.

How to get there

We went with Hållöfärjan which leaves the harbour of Smögen frequently during the season. You can also take Hållö express or the Zita boat from Kungshamn. If you head to the island out of season you need to pre-book your ride but it is possible to get out to the island without swimming (or ice skating during the winter). The second option is to go with your own boat.

Accomondation and facilities

As I mentioned Utpost Hållö is the only place to stay at. The facilities are basic but with everything you need. Don’t expect comfort as a five star hotel. Here you need to bring your own food for the entire stay and your own bed linens. The location is just nearby the water so 200 meters from your bed you can take a morning swim so no excuse not to do it when you wake up. If you would like to there is also a sauna you can heat up if you feel that it would ease your dip. We brought all the best West coast food like Skäret fika buns, bread, shrimps, west coast sallad, chips and so on with us to not starve. They had some board games and outdoor games to borrow which we also tried out. I won’t mention who won.

Activities at the island

Hiking around on the cliffs and go swimming are the main activities. If you are not into birds. I love walking around on the cliffs and we toured every corner on the island which took around 2,5 hours in a slow pace.

For swimming you can basically go swimming everywhere. The latest thing this season is though Japanese oysters which is a knife sharp plant which grow on the cliffs and sometimes on the stairs that you need to watch out for. So not only jellyfishes you need to be careful with. The famous pool “Marmorbassängen” that often is mentioned as one of the most beautiful beaches in Sweden is located at this island. This is a not miss out place. During peak season it can be ridiculous crowded though but during our stay on a weekday in late August we had it for ourselves.