My first experience with Gothenburg southern archipelago left me itching to explore more. After Brännö and Galterö, I was determined to see other islands. This time, we opted for Styrsö and Köpstadsö.

We took a ferry from Stenpiren, a port at the city center which was much more convenient than Saltholmen. It added an extra 35 minutes to our ferry-ride for the time it took to sail from Stenpiren to Saltholmen. It wasn’t a bad thing, since sailing away from the city offered us with the magnificent view of Gothenburg skyline. Too bad, the wind was ferocious that I chose to stay inside the ferry.

Styrsö

After 50 minutes on the ferry, we arrived in Styrsö.

Being one of the bigger islands in the southern archipelago, Styrsö made me think of a more lively island vibe, but it turned out I was wrong. While there was a strong sense of a community here, it was still a quiet, sleepy island where the loudest thing you’d hear was the gust of wind.

There was a local fair going on when we visited, spread across the island. Every few meters, we spotted something like a yard sale, and people were selling all kind of things from paintings and photographs, to books and trinkets.

Red Huts and Cottages, Everywhere…

Being in Sweden, I was used to seeing red houses and cottages. Styrsö was no exception. While I thought I’d become jaded, these red huts proved I was still very much into it.

You might have guessed that I got slightly overwhelmed with all these beauties.

Stora Rös

Seeing the red huts and walls in every corner of the island was great, but the highlight for me was the visit to Stora Rös, the highest point of the island. We had an easy hike, and I honestly didn’t expect anything.

But when we got there, the view… oh the view. We could see the ocean and the neighboring islands, dotted with little houses along the shore. The sky was grey, but it was stunning nonetheless.

The Dock

Not to be missed from this island adventure was a visit to the dock. Boats, seagulls, and more red huts… You get the picture.

And so we wrapped the short visit to Styrsö, and hopped to another ferry that would take us to Köpstadsö.

Köpstadsö

From Styrsö, we sailed to a smaller neighboring island, Köpstadsö. Here, it felt like everything just stood still. We only saw 2 or 3 people on the island, and it was perfectly tranquil.

Just in Styrsö, red cottages were a common sight.

Our aimless walk brought us to the more idyllic part of the island. After walking in what seemed like a thin forest, we found a meadow, which led us to a hidden part of the island. Nobody was there, save for a few birds and a couple of rusty boats.

The Beautiful Mailboxes

Finally, one last thing I noticed about these beautiful islands is… all the mailboxes were pretty! I’m curious if they bought it from the same shop (and if they did, where can I find this shop?).

I wish I could do a better job at describing these islands, but as of late, words seem to have escaped me. For now, I’ll just let these photos speak for me.