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The beautiful city of Kalmar is almost entirely surrounded by water. It was an important trade centre for the Baltic countries throughout the middle ages and into the early modern era. According to Wikipedia, the oldest evidence of the establishment of a town dates from the 11th century.
Lighthouse just south of the entrance to Kalmar’s harbour
Many of the buildings constructed during this period are still standing, making it a fantastic visit for anyone interested in history or architecture. Even if you aren’t, the city, with its cobblestone streets, charming boutiques, and friendly population make it a “must visit”.
If you arrive from the south, you’ll pass in front of Kalmar Castle
The jewel in the crown of Kalmar is its castle, Kalmar Slott. This fabulous example of medieval architecture stands majestic on its own island. Though the construction of the castle began during the 1100s, it has been renovated many times throughout its history.
It was a symbol of peace in the 1300s as the treaty called the Kalmar Union was signed here. It united Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The Kalmar Union was dissolved however, in 1523, and a long period of war and bloodshed followed. One of the worst battles was the during the Kalmar War with Denmark-Norway, which took place between 1611 and 1613. The treaty of Roskilde in 1658 marked the end of the worst hostilities and the end of the era of Kalmar as an important military city outpost.
Outer part of Kalmar Harbour
Arrival at Kalmar Marina
We had left Kristianopel early and were aiming for an arrival in Kalmar at about 12.00. We figured that most people who were leaving, will have left by then, and those coming would not arrive for another couple of hours.
View of inner part of Kalmar Marina
Although the marina does not take reservations, I called the marina manager about 2 hours before our arrival to ask what the situation was (in other words: “we have a 17 meter long boat — is there a berth free?”). He informed us that there was one berth large enough for Freja was free. I said we would call back when we passed the Kalmar castle (about 10 minutes before entering the marina channel). When I called the second time, he informed me that a big catamaran, a Catana 54, was in the processing of casting off and that we could take her place. Yay!
We got help with our lines from the marina manager, Thomas, and after we finished mooring, I went directly to the marina office, while Jacques took Senna for a walk. The marina office is quite cleverly installed in the tourist office next to the waterfront. After I paid for a two-night stay, I collected tourist information on Kalmar and the entire southeast coast of Sweden. The tourist office houses a gift/souvenir shop as well, but I didn’t find anything that we really needed for the boat. You know the rule for the boat — anything that comes into the boat will mean something else going off! At least when it comes to things that aren’t a necessity.
This part of Kalmar is only a 5-minute walk from the marina
Speaking of things that are a necessity, we did need a few things from the local chandlery. Baltic Skeppsfournering (Baltic Ship Supply), is one of the largest boat supply shops we’d seen until now. The personnel speak Swedish, English and even excellent German.
We then went to the Coop Supermarket in the Baronen shopping mall at the marina to stock up on food for the next week or so. The Coop is actually my least favourite supermarket chain in Sweden. Both the ICA shops and the Hemköp stores are better — with more choice of things we like, especially organic food. But the Coop in Kalmar is right at the marina, so in the interest of convenience, we shopped there.
Visiting Kalmar Slott (Castle)
The next morning, we hopped on our bikes to ride over to the castle. It’s 5 minutes from the marina by bicycle, 15 minutes by foot.
This is the amazing view of the castle if you approach from the marina
The gorgeous Kalmar castle, built in the Nordic Renaissance style, was gleaming in the morning sunshine as we approached. The first thing I wanted to do is to try to reserve a table at the castle restaurant that evening. It was Jacques Birthday and the restaurant there has excellent reviews. Success! They had a table for two available.
Kalmar castle greeting us in the summer sun
Coat of Arms at the Castle
These ducks on the grounds of Kalmar Castle are incredibly tame
We then went for a tour of the castle itself. We ended up spending about 3 hours — not as part of an organised tour, but on our own. There’s just so much to see and examine, especially if history and architecture are some of your personal interests.
Map of the nordic and Baltic countries back in 1539. Note all of the fascinating sea monsters!
Model of Kalmar and its castle from the early 1600s
Room after fascinating room presented the most amazing craftsmanship — marquetry, embroidery, painting, glass and metalwork.
Beautiful scenes depicting hunting are painted and carved into the walls. Notice the incredibly intricate ceiling carvings.
Another scene in the “hunting room”
And yet another scene in the same room
The two temporary exhibitions were wonderful: one on large glass sculptures and the other on the illustrations of Björn Bergs illustrations of the Emil i Lönneberga children’s books by Astrid Lindgren. Just lovely!
One of the breathtaking glass sculptures at the castle
Björn Berg’s illustrations for one of Astrid Lindgren’s children’s books “Emil i Lönneberga”
One of our favorite rooms in the caste is the banquet hall. It’s exhibited as fully prepared for a banquet with wax “food” done in the gastronomic style of the period. Notice how they used birds and waterfowl as table decorations 😟. Beautiful but horrifying!
Banquet hall at the castle with wax “food” and decorations
Close-up of the pie decorated with fake birds
After our 3 hours at the castle, we rode our bicycles back to the boat and got Senna (our dog) for a walk around town. One word of advice — stop at the chocolate maker called Johannas Choklad. They have the best dark chocolate sorbet! Another boutique we love is Gerdas Te och Kaffehandel. In addition to the many tea and coffee blends on hand, the shop is full of other gourmet foods. We have to be careful not to blow our budget here!
Johannas Choklad, a lovely chocolatier that serves dark chocolate sorbet during the summer
A home in the old town of Kalmar
Colourful residences in Kalmar’s Old Town
Marina Review
The Kalmar marina is relatively small but it’s almost in the middle of town and a short walk from almost everything you’d want to visit. The service is excellent, and although it’s not possible to reserve a berth (with the exception of a few small berths managed by Dockspot), the manager did find and hold a place for us when we phoned in a couple of hours before arriving. If you’re boat is less than 45 feet, Dockspot has a few berths but be warned that they do charge a commission for the reservation (almost 100 crowns for a boat our size).
The state of the toilets, showers and laundry was pretty much spotless. Everything seems to have been recently renovated, and you need a code to enter. You’ll get the code when you pay for your berth. The marina office is housed in the tourist office (located in the one the inner corners of the marina — it’s clearly marked with a huge “Tourist Office” sign). We experienced efficient and friendly service all around. We heartily recommend the Kalmar Marina.
Facts about Kalmar Marina:
Total number of berths: about 150
Mooring Methods: Bouys, Y-booms, Alongside
Water depth: 2- 4.5 meters
Facilities: Toilets, showers, sauna, washing machines and dryers (10 SEK per load), free WiFi, fresh water, electricity (40 SEK per day), black tank pump-out self-service dock, fuel dock.
Our berth in Kalmar. We are lying just in front of the shopping mall “Baronen”.
Prices per day (2016)
Low season (1 MAY to 25 JUN and 15 AUG to 30 SEP):
Up to 10 m (33 feet): 180 SEK
Up to 12 m (40 feet): 200 SEK
Up to 14 m (46 feet): 220 SEK
Up to 16 m (53 feet): 240 SEK
Up to 18 m (59 feet): 260 SEK
Up to 20 m (66 feet): 280 SEK
Over 20 m (67 feet): from 300 SEK (call to ask)
High season (26 JUN to 14 AUG):
Up to 10 m (33 feet): 200 SEK
Up to 12 m (40 feet): 220 SEK
Up to 14 m (46 feet): 240 SEK
Up to 16 m (53 feet): 260 SEK
Up to 18 m (59 feet): 280 SEK
Up to 20 m (66 feet): 300 SEK
Over 20 m (67 feet): from 320 SEK (call to ask)
There’s a discount of around 200 SEK if you stay for an entire week.
Diagram of Kalmar Marina. Please excuse the bad quality of the image, but it was the only one I could find!
Full-service repairs are conveniently located in the marina at Kalmar Marina AB (sails, engine, lift-outs, general maintenance and repairs. Telephone: +46 (0)480-316000. email: service@kalmarmarina.se. They even have indoor winter storage of your boat (up to 60 feet), if you fall in love with sailing on the east coast of Sweden and want to keep your boat here!
If you’re in need of spare parts or products for maintenance of your boat, Baltic Skeppsfournering is across the street from the marina office/tourist bureau.
Casting off for more adventures on the Swedish east coast
Marina Review: Kristianopel – first stop on the east coast of Sweden
After a wonderful sail under southwesterly winds across the southeastern coast of Sweden, we headed up the east coast. Kalmar, the city on one end of the bridge to the island of Öland, was a bit far. Again, we need to arrive early to find a berth large enough for Freja. We decided to stop at the tiny marina of Kristianopel taking the chance that an early arrival (around 14.00) would enable us to snag the only berth that would take a 55-footer.
The only berth available for boats longer than 15 meters
Success! We moored to the outer pontoon that’s reserved for boats over 15 meters with a sign of relief. Now it was time to pay our marina fee and go explore the village.
This is the guest marina area. You’ll find all of the marina services here.
The marina office is located in the corner of the L-shaped marina. It’s run by a jovial fellow who seems to get around the marina in a golf cart, accompanied by his trusty Jack Russell Terrier. The fee was not expensive for Sweden — just 250 SEK, including electricity price of 25 crowns.
A view of the village of Kristianopel
We began our walk with a visit to the boutique called “Sköna Ting” (Beautiful Things). It’s a shop for both home ware and clothing for women and children. There’s a small selection of local and international gourmet foods (honey, balsamic vinegar, olive and nut oils, mustards, marmelade, etc.).
The boutique “Sköna Ting” is just a stone’s throw from the marina
Next stop was the “general store” called the Handelsboden. This is a supermarket with a selection of everyday items you’d need for home and garden. Nothing, alas, for cruising. We found some local seafood – mostly smoked fish and shrimp from the Smoke house (rökeri) called Blomlöfs Rökeri. If you haven’t tried smoked shrimp, you should! It’s delicious!
A charming doorway in Kristianopel
As it was the “pre-season” (before the school summer holidays), a few of the small boutiques in the village were still closed. We walked through the residential areas to admire the vintage charm of the homes and gardens.
Interesting flower arrangement in the village
Summer flowers in Kristianopel
Café Sött & Salt next to the marina is a great stop for hand-crafted (not factory-made) ice cream. We settled down for ice cream and coffee at a table in the garden with a view of the sea. They serve traditional Swedish lunches and dinners as well and sandwiches.
The view from the Sött & Salt café
Kristianopel Marina Info:
The marina office is located in the corner of the marina. You may have to phone the manager (+46 708 27 77 39) as he’s also the handyman in the harbour. He’ll come in his golf cart to help you. You’ll find tourist information in the marina office.
Total berths: 50
Mooring method: buoys or anchors. One berth for large boats (over 15 meters) on the exterior of the first pontoon.
Facilities near the marina: Small supermarket including postal and pharmacy services at the “Handelsboden”, cafés, restaurants, boutiques, fuel and propane, beach. The beach is quite shallow so it’s great if you have children and it warms up quickly during the summer.
GPS Coordinates: 56°15,30 N; 16°02,48 E
Marina prices (2016):
205 SEK during low season for our 17 meter boat.
During the high season (school summer holidays) the prices are: Less than 12 meters: 175 SEK, 12-15 meters: 240 SEK, over 15 meters: 21 SEK per meter.
Electricity is 45 SEK.
Fresh water, showers and toilets are included in the price.
View of the marina from the café
Note: the marina does not offer WiFi, but you can connect at the Sött och Salt Café next the the marina.
Sailing the south coast of Sweden, part three: Ystad to Skönviken
We got off to an early start — 8.15- – from Ystad. Our goal was to arrive at Simrishamn, another marina that doesn’t have many places for larger boats. We wanted to arrive by 15.00 at the very latest. Fortunately, we had wind blowing from the right direction at between 12-16 knots. Enough to cross the 33 nautical miles before the crowds arrived.
The marina in Simrishamn is a bit unusual in that you need to read the signs indicating the depth in each part of the marina. Closest to land it’s 1 meter, then a sign states 1,6 meters, then 2 meters, etc. If you just go for a vacant berth without reading the signs, you could go aground.
The side of the pontoon with the white Danish boat is marked as having a depth of 1.6 meters along its entirety. Where we are, it’s 2 meters and at the end, it’s 2.5 meters
Luckily, we arrived just after 15.00. The crowds (mostly German and Danish boats) began coming in at 16.00. You may be thinking, “why all the worry about getting a berth – why don’t you just raft up to another boat”. Well, its mostly because of the dog. We don’t think our old dog would be able to jump onto another boat, since most boats either don’t have a mid-ship gate or would leave it up (this is happened to us). You also can’t be sure that the boat being rafted is dog-friendly. They could be allergic — or have a cat onboard! The final reason is that the average size boat in Scandinavia is perhaps 40 feet and weighs 10 tonnes. Freja weighs 27 tonnes fully tanked, so her size and the displacement scare most other boat owners – and they’ve flat out said no, you can’t reef up to us. The only boat that ever said “OK, but we need to leave early tomorrow morning” was a Westerly 49 when we were in the Bristol Marina.
Visiting Simrishamn
Simrishamn is a colourful, picturesque coastal town that becomes a popular summer resort town in the summer. The beautiful white sand beaches in the area between Ystad and Kivik, just north of Simrishamn, attract thousands on tourist each year. This area is called Österlen.
One of the colourful townhouses in Simrishamn
The centre of town begins at the fishing harbour. From there you’ll find a pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants. The areas on either side of the pedestrian street are residential and you’ll find colourful one and two-storey townhouses and cobblestone streets. It’s worth a walk with your camera.
The pedestrian street begins at the fishing harbour
The pedestrian street is lined with restaurants, cafés and ice cream shops.
Unfortunately, we arrived too late to get a table. Everyone was out and about on this warm June evening.
The complementary pastel colours on these townhouses are lovely
A look into one of the townhouse windows
Simrishamn Marina Info:
The marina office opens only on appointment (07.00-09.00 and 14.00-16.00).
Marina prices (2016): 200 SEK during high season (June, July, August) and 135 SEK during low season. You pay the marina fee at the automat (takes credit cards only). You can also buy a Tallycard smart card for electricity here and “fill it up” . Money on the card that isn’t used will be refunded when you return the card to the machine. It will just swallow the card and give you your cash!
Showers and toilets are included in the price.
Note: there is no Wifi here
Contact: 0414-81 92 02 or 0414-81 92 17 Mobile: 0709-819202
Simrishamn to Hällevik
Most sailors who spend the night in Simrishamn will make the traverse over the Bay of Hanö to Utklippan. That’s because they’re in a hurry to work their way up to the east coast archipelago which begins just before the town of Oscarshamn. Since we weren’t in a hurry we decided to sail north and explore the coast north of the bay. Our first stop was the small marina at Hellevik. We found this marina in the guide book “Hamn Guiden”, part of the Hamn/Havne Guiden series.
View of the marina in Hällevik
The village itself is so small that you don’t even realise there’s a village. There’s the marina and fishing harbour, a few houses, a seafood shop, a restaurant and a combined supermarket-boat supply shop. That’s it! But it was a very pleasant 33 mile sail and set us up to visit the small archipelago of Blekinge.
Hällevik Marina info:
Prices: 180 SEK for all boats
Includes Wifi, electricity, showers, toilets (a real bargain because it’s actually a boat club, not a profit-making marina.)
The supermarket/boat supplies shop is next to the marina office.
Restaurant: about 300 meters from the marina office
Contact: +46 705-89 12 17 or email j.ulf@telia.com
Blekinge archipelago
Blekinge is the area located north of the Hanö Bay. Its archipelago isn’t well-know to those who don’t live there. If you have the time, we encourage you to explore it — it’s lovely and not very crowded. We were really itching for a peaceful anchorage surrounded by forest. The last time were at anchor was south of Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden. We found it in a well-protected cove called Skönviken (“beautiful bay”) just west of Ronneby — and it is indeed beautiful.
View of Skönviken in the Blekinge archipelago
We were all alone, since the school holidays had not yet begun. It’s a wonderful anchorage because it’s well-protected but not far from the open sea. You can take your dingy and row/motor over to one of the outer-lying islands to admire the view.
View towards the open sea late in the evening
The GPS coordinates for the anchorage are 56°09.48 N, 15°11.23 E. One warning for the Blekinge coast – it’s shallow and rocky. There are underwater rocks everywhere, and when there aren’t rocks there are sandbars. You need to be super-alert while sailing here! You will often find underwater rocks near the entrance to and even inside the marinas.
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Sailing the south coast of Sweden, part three: Ystad to Skönviken
