Sundsby Naturreservat

One of the most beautiful nature reserves on Tjörn, where forest trails wind through beech groves, caves, and viewpoints above Stigfjorden. The routes vary in difficulty: there are easy walks near Sundsby säteri, as well as narrow rocky passages and climbs across boulders leading to Grottorna i Sundsby.Here, you may see deer, foxes, hares, and even seals along the coast. Birdlife includes cormorants, herons, gulls, waders, buzzards, and sea eagles soaring above the bay. The best time for wildlife watching is early morning or evening, when the reserve is at its quietest. You can also hike up to Solklinten, a viewpoint with sweeping views over the archipelago and Stigfjorden.

Grottorna i Sundsby

Small natural caves hidden among the cliffs inside Sundsby Nature Reserve. They formed between enormous boulders after the Ice Age. Even in summer, the caves remain cool and dark, and some passages are so narrow that you have to crouch or squeeze between the rocks. This place is especially appealing for those who prefer raw, natural trails over perfectly maintained tourist routes.

Tjörns Hembygdsförening

A small local museum right by the sea, displaying old fishing boats, wooden houses, and everyday objects from island life. It is a great place to see what Tjörn looked like before tourism and summer restaurants — a simple fishing archipelago where everything depended on the sea and the weather.
The area feels more like an old coastal settlement than a traditional museum. It is especially atmospheric in calm weather, when the boats, red sheds, and surrounding water create an authentic West Coast Sweden atmosphere.

Valsängs strand

A small beach with smooth cliffs, a wooden pier, and calm water between the islands. This is not a classic sandy beach, but a typical rocky Bohuslän coastline. People come here not only for swimming, but also to sit by the sea or watch the sunset. The water is usually calmer than on the open coast, and around the bay, you can often spot gulls, jellyfish, and small boats moving between the archipelago inlets.

Stigbergs röse

One of the oldest stone burial cairns on Tjörn, dating back to the Bronze Age. Such tombs were built on elevated spots near the sea so they could be seen from afar by boats travelling along the Bohuslän coast.
Today, most visitors come here for the view: from the hilltop, there are wide panoramas of the archipelago, cliffs, and straits between the islands.

Pilane Gravfält

A place where an ancient Bronze and Iron Age burial ground merges with contemporary art in an open landscape. Among the stone cairns and green hills stand large sculptures that change with the seasons and exhibitions.
The most famous work is the seven-metre-tall sculpture Anna, visible from almost the entire coastline. The area is large and open, with views over the sea, sheep grazing on the slopes, and the unmistakable atmosphere of Bohuslän.

Villa Solfrid

An old wooden house by the coast that perfectly captures the atmosphere of the Swedish archipelago at the beginning of the 20th century. The place feels peaceful: a pale facade, greenery around it, the sea nearby, and almost complete silence. It is worth visiting more for the mood of the island than for any specific attraction. In cloudy or windy weather, the location feels especially cinematic.

S:t Olovs Valar

A group of rocky islets and coastal cliffs on the western side of Tjörn, known for open sea views and untouched scenery without development. The coastline here is extremely rocky, with natural pools between the cliffs and narrow paths along the water.
The area is popular for short walks, fishing, and seabird watching. On clear days, you can see parts of the archipelago and boats passing between the islands, while during strong winds, waves crash dramatically against the rocks by the shore.

Utsiktsplats kyrkesund

A viewpoint above one of the island’s most beautiful fishing villages. From here, you can see the narrow Kyrkesund strait, boats, wooden houses, and tiny surrounding islands, making the place feel like a postcard from the Swedish archipelago. The hike up is short and easy, and the best time to visit is near sunset, when the light falls across the strait and rooftops.

Härön

A small island near Kyrkesund, reached by a tiny ferry in just a few minutes. There are almost no cars here, and part of the island belongs to Härön Nature Reserve, known for its cliffs, pine trees, and archipelago views.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, nearby Kyrkesund grew rapidly thanks to periods of intense herring fishing, which brought major wealth to the islands. When the herring disappeared from these waters, the region experienced an equally sharp economic decline. Today, Härön feels very peaceful, but the fishing history is still reflected in the local houses, piers, and slow rhythm of island life.

Toftenäs naturreservat

Toftenäs Nature Reserve, near Skärhamn, shows what the Tjörn coastline looked like before modern development. The reserve preserves an old rural landscape with stone fences, grazing fields, farms tucked between cliffs, and narrow paths along the sea. Parts of the area have been inhabited since the Bronze Age – a burial cairn from that era still stands on the hill called Röseberget.
The trails pass through coastal meadows where sheep and cows still graze, helping keep the landscape open for centuries. Visitors can spot skylarks, yellowhammers, seabirds, and many rare plants, including orchids. Near the trails are also the remains of an old trankokeri – a site where fish oil and fat were processed during the famous herring periods.

Säbyleden

A hiking route passing through forests, coastal meadows, old pastures, and the bay of Säby Kile. The trail is especially popular among birdwatchers: during spring and autumn migrations, hundreds of birds stop here, while herons, waders, cormorants, and sea eagles are often seen along the shoreline.
The landscape changes constantly along the route – from pine forests to open sea views and small farms. Old stone fences and traces of rural life that have barely changed for centuries can still be seen along the way. It is an excellent route for those who want to discover not only the cliffs of the archipelago, but also the greener side of Tjörn.

Säby kile

A shallow bay on the eastern side of Tjörn is known as one of the most important bird habitats in all of Bohuslän. Thanks to its calm water, meadows, and marshy shores, hundreds of migratory birds stop here during migration seasons – from waders and herons to cormorants, geese, and sea eagles. The scenery changes dramatically throughout the year: in spring, the bay feels lively and noisy with birds, while in autumn it becomes quiet and almost mirror-like.It is especially beautiful early in the morning, when mist rises above the water and flocks of birds gather along the shallow shoreline.

Skärhamn

The largest town on Tjörn and one of the oldest fishing harbours on Sweden’s west coast, with its name literally meaning “rocky harbour”. The settlement began to grow rapidly in the 18th century during the major herring fishing periods, when fishermen, traders, and sailors arrived from across the coastline.
Today, the town combines old fishing houses, a harbour filled with boats, galleries, and waterfront restaurants. It is also home to the Nordic Watercolour Museum – one of Sweden’s best-known contemporary art museums – which has made Skärhamn popular not only among sailors but also among artists and creative residencies.

Skärhamns kyrka

A white wooden church above the harbour, visible even from the sea. It is often called the “smiling church” because the shape of its facade and windows resembles a smile when viewed from the harbour or the water.
The church was built during the period when Skärhamn was rapidly expanding, thanks to fishing and maritime trade, and for many years it served as a landmark for boats returning to the harbour. From the hill around it, there are beautiful views over the port, red fishing houses, and the surrounding islands.

Fiskebodarna

Old fishing sheds by Skärhamn harbour that recall the time when nearly all life on the island revolved around the sea. These wooden buildings were used to store nets and fishing gear, salt fish, and repair boats after returning from the sea.
It is a lovely place to walk along the harbour or through the narrow alleys between the buildings, admire the red facades and boats at the piers, buy fresh shrimp or fish in local shops, and spend the evening by the sea when the harbour becomes quieter, and the boat lights start glowing.

Nordic Watercolor Museum

One of Sweden’s most famous contemporary art museums, dedicated to watercolour and everything connected with water, light, and nature. The museum stands directly by the shore in Skärhamn, and its minimalist building almost extends into the sea – during storms, waves sometimes crash right beside the terrace.
Exhibitions here have featured Salvador Dalí, Yayoi Kusama, Lars Lerin, and other major artists, despite the museum being located on a small island in the archipelago. What makes it especially interesting is that watercolour is presented here not as a “light” genre, but as something experimental, large-scale, and unexpected. Even if museums are not usually part of your travel plans, this place can easily become one of the highlights of Tjörn.

Styckens Bageri o. Speceri

A small bakery where locals come early in the morning for fresh bread, cardamom buns, and coffee. The atmosphere feels unmistakably Swedish: wooden tables, the smell of pastries, a calm rhythm, and people leaving with paper bags in hand.
Besides baked goods, the shop also sells local products, cheeses, jams, and delicacies from Sweden’s west coast. It is the perfect stop before a harbour walk, or for taking coffee down to the water – especially on a chilly day when you want something simple and cosy.

Klädesholmen

A tiny island settlement that was once one of the centres of Sweden’s herring industry. This is where the famous Klädesholmen pickled herring brand originated, now sold throughout Sweden. The island is densely packed with white and pastel-coloured wooden houses connected by narrow passages right above the water.
It is worth visiting not only for walks around the harbour, but also for the small fish shops and simple seafood lunches by the sea. Despite its popularity, the island still feels like a living fishing community rather than an open-air museum.

Sillebua museum

A museum dedicated to the herring periods that once completely transformed life on Sweden’s west coast. The name “Sillebua” literally means “herring warehouse” – buildings like this were used to store and process fish during the major fishing seasons.
Inside, you can see old fishing tools, boats, photographs, and objects from everyday island life. The museum is small, but it clearly shows how strongly herring shaped the economy of Tjörn: when the fish arrived, towns quickly became wealthy, and when it disappeared, fishing communities declined almost as fast.

Tjörnehuvud

A rocky hill near Rönnäng offering one of the best panoramic views over the southern Tjörn archipelago. A short hiking trail with old stone steps leads to the top – the steps were built by the military during the First World War to access an observation post.
From the summit, you can see Dyrön, Klädesholmen, Åstol, and dozens of tiny islands scattered between the straits. Visitors especially love the contrasts here: red granite, low pine trees, the smell of seaweed, and open cliffs directly above the sea. On clear days, it is even possible to spot Carlsten Fortress near Marstrand.

Åstol

One of the most unusual islands in the archipelago – almost treeless, but completely covered with houses, cliffs, and narrow stairways between them. Because of its dense layout, Åstol sometimes feels more like a tiny Mediterranean town accidentally placed on the Swedish coast.
The island was once so overcrowded with fishermen that houses had to be built almost on top of one another. Today, people come here for cliff swimming, the evening light around the harbour, and the unique feeling of wandering through a “sea labyrinth”.

Dyröleden

The best-known hiking trail on Dyrön Island follows almost the entire coastline between cliffs, forest sections, and open sea views. The path was originally created by local residents many years ago, when people travelled on foot between fishing villages and bays.
The trail is especially famous for its wooden walkways and sections carved directly into granite cliffs above the water. Along the route, you may spot cormorants, gulls, tiny harbours, and even seals if the weather and timing are right. After the walk, many visitors stop by the sauna and swimming spots built directly into the rocks.

Hamninloppet Dyrön Fiskehamn

A narrow entrance to the old fishing harbour of Dyrön, surrounded by cliffs, boat piers, and tiny houses standing almost at the water’s edge. It is especially easy here to imagine what the archipelago looked like centuries ago: fishing boats slowly entering the harbour through fog and darkness, guided only by the light of the small lighthouse at the entrance.
Even today, the lighthouse looks incredibly picturesque – especially in the evening, when its light reflects across the water between the narrow channels of the archipelago.

Dynes Ravin

A deep ravine with a narrow path, a stream, and dense forest that feels completely different from the typical open cliffs of Tjörn. The reason is its unique microclimate: the air here is cooler and more humid, allowing ferns, mosses, lichens, wild blueberries, anemones, old oak trees, ash trees, and hazel to thrive along the slopes. The ravine formed after the Ice Age, when meltwater gradually carved a narrow gorge through the rock.
The place is especially loved by photographers and local hikers because of the mist after rain, the soft light filtering through the trees, and the almost fairy-tale atmosphere of the trails. Compared to the rest of the island, Dynes Ravin feels like a hidden forest world tucked between cliffs and sea.

Tjörns högsta punkt

The highest point on Tjörn is located on Mount Björndalen, about 70 metres above sea level. By Swedish standards, this is not particularly high, but because of the open landscape, there are good views over forests, bays, and parts of the surrounding archipelago.
The place does not feel like a classic viewpoint – people mostly come here for a short walk through the pine forest and the feeling of quiet, far away from harbours and tourist areas. At the top, there is a small marker showing the highest point of Tjörn and several natural viewing spots among the rocks.