Guest post: Maria from the popular Swedish interior design blog > www.inredningsvis.se
My name is Maria and I live in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second biggest city and also Sofia’s home town - Gothenburg has so much to offer, but my absolute favourite getaway is the archipelago.
It consists of some of Bohus county’s most beautiful islands, and is just far enough away to make it feel like a mini-holiday destination – if you’re visiting Gothenburg, I highly recommend a trip on the water – you won’t regret it 
Each island has its own unique charm – here is a list of my absolute favorite summer getaways close to Gothenburg:
Styrsö – Where Time Stands Still
The first time I set foot on Styrsö it was love at first sight – when stepping off the ferry, the first thing you see is an adorable old-fashioned garden café – with beautiful white-washed villas from the turn of the 20th century lined up along the promenade.
There are two shops on the island, as well as a lovely place to go swimming called Utterviken – it’s an island with a hint of romance where time stands still.
Asperö – Picnic Perfect
Asperö is a recent discovery for me and a new favourite on my list – it is the island closest to the mainland – just 9 minutes from the port of Saltholmen.
Small, picturesque Summer cottages and newly built villas are huddled on a small land mass.
There is an ice-cream kiosk, and one shop on the island which is reminiscent of an old-fashioned Swedish country grocers.
If you walk towards the island’s sole swimming beach, you can take a short climb to a look-out – it has a stunning view over all Asperö and also parts of nearby Bränno.
Asperö is quite simply a perfect island for a Summer picnic with a Swedish sea view.
Brännö – For The Island Enthusiast
Brännö is one of the biggest of the islands with approximately 900 permanent residents – it is unique in that it is not a fishing island like the others, rather, agriculture is the biggest industry there.
The island has rich bird life and wonderful nature to walk in – you can also paddle sea kayaks from there.
There is a classic quay on the southwest side of the island called Brännö Husvik – every Summer, the classic Swedish “Dance at Brännö Quay” is held here and is a must for every true island enthusiast
Köpstadsö – The Hidden Gem
Köpstadsö is like a little sugar-sweet praline in a bag of island-candy.
There are only footpaths here – cars are not allowed on the island – you can see many of the 100 residents driving around on mopeds carrying tools on the narrow, winding roads.
There are many small picturesque houses and gardens. The genuine island feeling is made stronger by the fact that there is not one single shop on the island.
A tip is to take your own picnic with you to eat on the rocks, to the sound of the gently rolling waves and seagull serenade
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Amazing photos !!!!! So very beautiful !!!!!
Sweden is definitely climbing my list of places I need to visit!
Haha, ironically, it’s climbing up my list too. I’ve seen way too little of my own country
I’ll be visiting Sweden in 2 weeks. I cannot wait!
fantastic! where will you be going?
I had no idea that Gothenburg had all these islands around it. They look beautiful! Although I’m a bit confused by Köpstadsö – do locals have to leave the island every time they want to buy something?! That view on Asperö is stunning, too. They all look picture-perfect
Glad to hear you like it, it’s a beautiful part of Gothenburg that most tourists don’t get to see, definitely a place to visit
About Köpstadsö, yes they have to leave the island and take a boat to a bigger island when they want to by something, or go all the way back to mainland. Pretty rural, haha.
Köpstadsö looks wonderful. I was in Gothenburg recently and didn’t realize they had these islands so near by. I ended up spending some time in Smogen, which was really cool. Very hip and touristy but beautiful, almost as beautiful a Norway
Just kidding. I find the name Smogen so funny, do you know what it means? It sounds like some kind of marzipan cake to me 
Glad to hear you enjoyed Sweden
Next time you visit Gothenburg, just take tram nr 11 (from the train station for example) all the way to the final stop, and from there you can catch ferries to all the islands (with the same tram ticket).
Smögen is amazing, the name is very old, and while it doesn’t mean anything in itself they believe it derives from a word loosely translated to “loophole”, from a narrow strait between the main island and Kleven island.
looks like a very nice place to enjoy