Where is Orust?
Orust is about 1 hour north of Gothenburg. It is Sweden third largest island, and is a wonderful place to visit for a day, or even longer. It have a rural feel, with many farms around the island, a few camping areas, and some nice small towns to explore.
Things to Do
Mollösund
Mollösund is a small port and fishing village that is a nice location to visit in Orust. Once upon a time it was a major herring fishing port, but now it is a nice place to visit for a few hours, for lunch, and a good location to base yourself for a weekend in Orust. There are lots of nice shops, restaurants and cafes. It also has a large guest harbour, with berths for up to 100 boats.
Stocken
Stocken is a small fishing village on the west coast, although these days it is perhaps known mainly a camping ground, and the large Stocken Camping Village dominates a lot of the area. The camping ground is really nice, and has a chilled vibe about it. We stopped there for lunch, and then explored some of the walking tracks to the ‘dog beach’.
The camping ground has a restaurant, plus the kayak and SUP hire is also within the camp grounds. There is general parking for day visitors to the area, so you can park and then walk to the restaurant and hire area.
Website: https://www.stockencamping.se/
Käringön
A small, traffic-free island. It is unique in that it is a small island almost entirely covered by buildings, yet it is an interesting visit for those who like explore narrows lanes, unique shops and restaurants. Catch a ferry from Tuvesvik, which takes about 40 minutes.
Hiking
There are some good hiking trails in Orust of different lengths, from the shorter trails in Härmanö and Gullholmen, to the longer trails like the Pilgrimsleden (90 km) and the trail to Sven’s Altar (6 km), given you a nice view of Orust. This page has more information on the different hiking trails.
Tavlebords Honungsgård
This honey farm is open to the public, and offers tours and the opportunity to be a beekeeper for a day. There is a cafe, plus accommodation, making it an interesting place to visit for a few hours, or stay overnight.
How to Get There
Orust is about one hour’s drive from Gothenburg. Due to the size of the island, getting around by car is the most convenient.
You can travel to Orust by train to Uddevalla and then bus. As an example, from Centralstationen to Mollösund will take you 2.5 hours.
How to Get Around
There are buses running on the island to get around, but travel times can be quite lengthy.
Visit the Västtrafik Website to find out your travel options to Orust, and to get around.