DRIVE ON THE EDGE OF NORDIC BLISS NOW

Explore the edges of the deep blue North Sea in a beautiful drive on Sweden’s coastal highway.

After a start in Stockholm, you will begin this road trip at Sweden’s port city of Gothenburg (Göteborg) and drive 100 miles north to the Norwegian border.

The archipelago of Gothenburg is rough, made up of barren rocks and cliffs. Yet it is home to Sweden’s 2nd largest city.

Enjoy Gothenburg’s many parks and gardens, including the Garden Society of Gothenburg, horticultural garden, founded in 1842 by king Carl XIV Johan. Its rose garden is planted with over 4,000 rose bushes, including 1,900 cultivars.

Check out Slottsskogen’s "open" zoo to see freely roaming harbor seals, penguins, horses, pigs, deer, moose, goats, and many birds.

Drive on to Klädesholmen (“Herring Island”), Sweden’s largest herring producer.

You can sample some at Salt & Sill, a Scandinavian-minimalist “boatel” which floats on a pontoon. Wash it down with some Aquavit and chill out in the salty air before carrying on.

Drive up to the fishing village of Lysekil, where you can join Lars Marstone and Adriaan van de Plasse for an island hopping seafood safari to get a taste of the freshest coldwater fish and crustaceans.

The coastal town of Smögen can reward you with a soak in a Swedish mineral bath and other soothers at the Smögens Hafvsbad spa hotel. Or camp in the surrounding forest.

Walk along the boardwalk, then enjoy a Swedish coffee and pastry at one of the dozens of century-old fishermen’s houses that have been turned into cafés. Take a boat tour around the archipelago. Invite a lobster to lunch!

The final stop on your drive will be in the harbor town of Strömstad, where you can have a final taste of Sweden, smoked mackerel from the legendary Rökeriet smokehouse. You can hop a ferry to Norway, where you can drive onward for even more Nordic bliss.

You will mainly drive along routes: E6 and E45, along with some rural detours.

Read more about Beautiful Drives in Beautiful Drives Through Americana Now, Beautiful Drives Through Americana Now, Drive The Road To Beauty Now, Get Lost In A Beautiful Corn Maze Now and Eggleston’s Beautiful Drives.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Guillaume Baviere. “Skanör. Vid sundet.” Scania, Sweden.
2. Image: Courtesy of Göteborg & Co. Göteborg, Sweden.
3. Image: by Michelle Fleming. “Archipelago.” Gothenburg, Sweden.
4. Image: by cat_collector. “Gothenburg.” Gothenburg, Sweden.
5. Image: by Dennis. “Gotland Pony.” Slottsskogen, Sweden.
6. Image: by underthesun. “Full of Houses.” Klädesholmen. Gothenburg, Sweden.
7. Image: by Fiffsan. “Svenska: Salt & Sill på Klädesholmen.” Klädesholmen, Sweden
8. Image: by Magnus. “Lysekils Kyrka.” Lysekil, Sweden.
9. Image: by Milan Nykodym. “Lysekil.” Lysekil, Sweden.
10. Image: by Erik & Pia Sjostedt. “Hilleberg Allak på Bäckhall.” Smögen, Sweden.
11. Image: by Amy Jane, of Anglonavia. Smögen, Sweden.
12. Image: by I99pema. “Svenska: Restaurang Pelles, Grundsund.” Grundsund, Sweden.
13. Image: by Pasi Mämmelä. “Camping@lake” Delsjön Göteborg, Sweden.
14. Image: by Chris Lofqvist. “Lighthouse.” Lysekil, Sweden.
15. Image: by Daniel Hansson. “Fisherman's Tools.” Gothenburg, Sweden.
16. Image: by BN App - Download now!
17. Image: by Magnus. “Stuga vid Vikarvets museum, Lysekil.” Lysekil, Sweden.