Öland

VIDA Museum & Art Gallery, situated along Route 136, 9 kilometres south of Borgholm on Öland, is built on a spot of breathtaking coastal beauty, perched at the top of a slope overlooking the Kalmarsund. Today's 2000 m² building, constructed of glass, concrete, iron and wood, stands on historic ground, just north of Halltorps Inn. This contemporary art museum showcases impressive glass art of Bertil Vallien and Ulrica Hydman-Vallien. You can explore numerous milestone artworks from the early 1960s, to the very latest work in glass, ceramics, sculpture and painting.

Solliden is the summer residence of the Swedish royal family, which they visit several times a year. Commissioned by Queen Victoria, on the advice of her doctor Axel Munthe, and with Mediterranean influences, the palace was completed in 1906. Munthe was of the opinion that Öland’s abundant sunshine and oxygen-rich air would improve her health, and to this day the royals are happy to enjoy Öland’s sun! Solliden Palace is open to visitors throughout the summer months. Visitors have free access to most of the parks. Café, shop and a pavilion with exhibitions.

Eketorp fortress is a completely excavated and reconstructed ancient fort, where the reconstructions have been carried out directly on the archaeological remains. The ring wall stands five metres high and six metres wide, and within it lie Iron Age stone houses and medieval timber-framed buildings, all reconstructed using traditional craftsmanship techniques and materials.

Himmelsberga is Öland's most authentic village, now preserved as an open air museum with enclosed farms built along both sides of the narrow village road. The heart of the museum consists of several large farms with buildings dating back the 18th and 19th century. The cottage is still has the original furniture, and the old stables are packed with all the tools and equipment that were used on the farms. The coffee shop sells freshly baked bread and hot pies, and you can buy genuine Öland handicrafts in the village shop. Himmelsberga holds exhibitions of arts and crafts in its two galleries. There's also an art museum with a collection of older and modern Öland paintings.

Ottenby, on the very south of the island of Öland, is one of the top areas for birding in Sweden — 377 species have been observed here. A visit to Öland offers fantastic opportunities for bird studies all the year round. Ottenby Bird Observatory was founded in 1946 and has ever since performed studies on migrating birds. Around 20,000 birds are ringed each year. Also, the bird observatory is involved in bird migration research projects on the island of Capri, Italy, and in Nigeria.

The Långe Erik — 'Tall Erik' or oficially 'Ölands norra udde' — lighthouse, perched on the northern tip of Öland on Stora Grund, is a 32-metre-tall structure built from limestone. Climbing the 138 steps to the balcony, positioned at approximately 28 meters, affords visitors a commanding view of the surrounding seascape.

In Skäftekärr, close to Böda in northern Öland, lies an Iron Age village with around 20 well-preserved stone house foundations spread across 10 farms dating from 300–700 AD. At the heart of the Iron Age village are the remains of a chieftain's estate, comprising four house foundations. Adjacent to this historic site, the "new Iron Age landscape" includes a reconstructed version of one of these typical houses and the charred remains of an earlier reconstruction. The park is also home to an impressive collection of approximately 140 different species of trees and shrubs, forming an arboretum. An eco-park center with information about the Böda Eco-park is available on-site, along with Skäftekärr café, hotel, and conference, housed in the majestic main building. For the little ones, a popular obstacle course adds to the day's adventure.