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Grisslehamn

29 August 2020 / 23 Comments

Grisslehamn in Roslagen - 7 tips on things to do

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Located on the island of Väddö in Roslagen, Grisslehamn is a charming little town, which is lively thanks to the Eckerö Line that allows people to cruise to Åland. We suggest seven things to do in Grisslehamn. There is a campsite, marina, spa hotel and a cosy little fishing harbour with restaurants. You'll also find the Albert Engström Museum here and you can cross over to the small island of Singö.

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Grisslehamn in Roslagen

Grisslehamn is a small town in Roslagen that once had an important function when the post office moved here. Today, the small town is an important starting point for Eckerölinjen's cruises to Åland. We visited Grisslehamn by motorhome last weekend. It doesn't take long to drive from Stockholm, and yet we haven't been here before. Now it was time!

Båthus i Grisslehamn

Grisslehamn is located in the northern part of Väddö, in Norrtälje municipality. You will find the resort about 11 miles north of Stockholm and about 8 miles northeast of Uppsala.

What to do in Grisslehamn?

So, what can you see and do in Grisslehamn? We spent a few lovely days in this cosy archipelago town, and here are our top tips.

1. camping at Grisslehamn marina & campsite

As it was a Saturday in August when we were going to visit Grisslehamn, and as the sun was shining, we realised that it could be a bit tricky to get a seat on the train. Grisslehamns Marina & Camping. We called at a quarter past eight in the morning. There were no vacancies that early, but the man at reception promised to call back as soon as he had a place. And sure enough, at 10 o'clock it became available and we could start rolling.

Grisslehamns Marina & Camping is large and beautifully situated by the water. There are boat moorings, cabins and many places for caravans and motorhomes. The price during the high season is 350 SEK/day and then a free ticket to the Eckerölinjen, to cruise to Åland, is included in the price.

Grisslehamn Marina & Camping
Grisslehamn Marina & Camping
Grisslehamn Marina & Camping

There is also a cosy restaurant and a mini-golf course, which looked really nice. We also learnt that there are plans to develop the business with a pool and apartments.

Grisslehamn Marina & Camping
Minigolf på Grisslehamn camping & marina

We first got a place that was a bit away from the water, but when a place close to the sea became available, we asked if we could switch, and it worked out perfectly. Here we stood completely fantastic nice, and Peter could even clean the fish (which we bought in the shop) in the water when it was time to cook dinner. This is how it should be when you are out with the motorhome!

Right next to us was the owner's caravan. He wasn't home at the time, but we could take the opportunity to admire the fascinating caravan. It's not often you see a slide-out on a caravan!

Husvagn

2. Strolling in the harbour of Grisslehamn

You don't want to miss the cosy little harbour in Grisslehamn! We cycled to the harbour, which is close to the campsite and is a really charming little harbour with charming fishing boats.

Hamnen i Grisslehamn

There is also a caravan site for motorhomes, which can accommodate six cars. The fee here is 200 SEK/day.

Hamnen i Grisslehamn

There are also several restaurants and cafés in and around the harbour, as well as a fish shop. The restaurants include the L8 restaurant, which serves things like fish soup and prawn sandwiches. We went into the fish shop and talked to the owners for a while. They told us that they have had 25 per cent better sales this year than usual. A lot of people have been swimming this summer!

3. Cruise to Åland with Eckerölinjen

Right next to the fishing harbour is the Eckerölinjen office. This is where you go if you want to cruise to Åland. M/S Eckerö operates daily on the route between Grisslehamn in Roslagen and Eckerö in Åland. The journey takes two hours one way and on board there are, among other things, restaurants and texfree shopping. For us, there was no cruise this time, but this is a nice excursion and a reason for many to visit Grisslehamn.

Eckerölinjen

4. Enjoying the spa at Hotel Havsbaden

If you're not travelling by motorhome, or still want to experience a spa weekend, we can recommend some great ones. Hotel Havsbaden. We asked to go in and have a look and were really looking forward to a luxurious spa weekend in Roslagen ... So fantastic!

We were allowed to step in and check out the spa area and it is probably one of the finest spas we have seen. There are lots of different small rooms with pools, saunas, jacuzzis and saunas. We avoided taking photos of people and therefore we could only take photos in some of the corners of the spa though.

At Hotell Havsbaden I found an anchor to photograph. Then it was "anchor hunting". There are plenty of them in Roslagen, we can promise!

Hotell Havsbaden i Grisslehamn

5. Check out Grisslehamn chapel

We cycled on and came past Grisslehamn's chapel. This nice little church, which was inaugurated in 1909, belongs to Väddö parish and is managed on a voluntary basis by a chapel association. Here we also found another anchor!

Kyrkan i Grisslehamn

6. Visit the Albert Engström Museum

Not far from the harbour and the chapel is the Albert Engström Museum. This is a fantastic little museum about the artist and writer Engström, who is perhaps best known for the drawing with the text "Kräftor kräva dessa drycker". Engström was born in 1869 in Lönneberga in Småland, and eventually ended up right here, by the sea in Grisslehamn.

You can visit the residential house, which is a short distance from the water, and the studio, which Albert Engström had built at the far end of the sea. Here we had a guided tour, which was very interesting. In the area there is also a copy of an optical telegraph that was inaugurated in 1796 and a café that is usually very popular. We highly recommend a visit here, but note that the museum is mainly open in the summer, so check the opening hours carefully.

Albert Engström museum

7. Take a trip to Singö

Another thing to do in Grisslehamn is to take a trip to the island of Singö. This island is located just north of Grisslehamn and there is a road connection. After we checked out of the campsite, we made an excursion here with the motorhome.

Singö

Here we stopped at Singö church. This fine red wooden church was inaugurated in 1753, on a site where it is believed that there was an earlier church since the 16th century. And do you see what we see? That's right, another anchor!

Singö kyrka

We also went to the eastern side of the island, where you can look out at the Svartklubben lighthouse. The lighthouse building was completed in 1820 and is "chubby" because it was built to burn coal. And yes, there was the last anchor for this post.

More things to do in Grisslehamn

In addition to our tips above, you can of course swim, fish, hike and cycle. There are bathing rocks in many places and a nice sandy beach next to Albert Engström's studio. Sport fishing is popular both from land and from a boat. When it comes to hiking, the Roslagsleden, which runs between Danderyd and Grisslehamn, is the most famous hiking trail.

In the summer, various events are also organised, such as a flea market in the marina and the so-called Postrodden. The latter is a race between Grisslehamn and Eckerö in Åland, commemorating the time when farmers on Väddö and Eckerö were obliged to transport mail and passengers across the Åland Sea.

See more in the neighbourhood

On Väddö you can also visit Väddö sea baths and Gamla Grisslehamn, where the town was located until 1754, when it was destroyed by fire. In Norrtälje municipality there are also many other beautiful places such as central Norrtälje, Viking village Storholmen and Norr Malma nature reserve. Just north of Grisslehamn you will find fine Öregrund and Gräsö.

Göra i Uppland
All our top tips for holidays in Uppland

More tips for things to do in Grisslehamn?

Have you been to Grisslehamn? How was your experience? Do you have more tips for things to see and do in Grisslehamn?

Facts about Grisslehamn

  • Municipality: Norrtälje municipality
  • County: Stockholm County
  • Landscape: Uppland
  • Population: More than 400
  • Attractions: Albert Engström Museum. The Roslagen Maritime Museum is also located in Älmsta.
  • Activities: Cruise the Eckerölinjen to Åland, walk the Roslagsleden trail, sunbathe and swim, and more.
  • Accommodation: Grisslehamns Marina & Camping, motorhome parking in the fishing harbour, Hotel Havsbaden and other places.

History of Grisslehamn

  • Older history: Grisslehamn is an old fishing village. The medieval national road from the Svea and Göta kingdoms to the Grand Duchy of Finland ran from Stockholm to Grisslehamn.
  • 1756: The post office moved here from the village further south on Väddö that is now called "Gamla Grisslehamn". With this, the community began to grow.
  • 1808-1808: During the Russian war, Grisslehamn was at the front. In Grisslehamn there was an optical telegraph used for messages to and from Stockholm.
  • 19th century: Grisslehamn was connected to the world through the optical telegraph, and English warships called at the village.
  • 1870: The first steamship was launched on a regular service to Åland.
  • 1900: The artist Albert Engström moved to Grisslehamn.
  • 1903: Hotel Havsbaden opened.
  • 1917: A smokehouse was built that was considered the largest in the world. Later, a fish factory was also built. Many people worked as fishermen.
  • 1940: Author Vilhelm Moberg bought the farm Söderäng in Tomta, a few kilometres south of Grisslehamn.

Getting to Grisslehamn

  • Car: From Stockholm, drive on the E18 towards Norrtälje. Take road 76 towards Svanberga and then road 283 towards Grisslehamn.
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29 August 2020 6:00
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14 Comments

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  1. Ama de casa says:

    Very nice pictures from lovely places 🙂 ðŸ™'

    Väddö is very nice. Have camped there, but then we camped a few times at the bridge attachment next to the bridge out to Singö. It was very cosy 🙂

    Have a nice weekend!

    29 August 2020 - 8:51

    Reply

  2. Ditte says:

    Grisslehamn and its surroundings are really charming and we have occasionally stayed at Hotel Havsbaden. Really good!
    But there are also a couple of smaller guesthouses and some B&Bs Perfect also as a starting point if you want to go to Åland and maybe spend one or more nights there. (Right now it does not work... Can really recommend the fine hotel Havsvidden a few miles northeast of Eckerö) Recommended.
    Understand that it was a nice weekend and the weather did its part, of course.
    Nice to combine with Singö.
    Great pictures!

    29 August 2020 - 9:53

    Reply

    • Comment by post author

      Helena says:

      Great tips Ditte, thank you! It will be nice when you can also visit Åland again!

      29 August 2020 - 18:25

      Reply

    • Dennis Strömberg says:

      I was born and raised in Grisslehamn. I chose to move from Grisslehamn in 2000 because of the unfortunate development when Grisslehamn was changed by new constructions to get more summer guests to G-harbour.
      Now after all these years, Grisslehamn looks terribly ugly. It was away with the old and in with the new, some call it development, I and many with me call it the complete destruction of a coastal community. I used to feel that G Harbour is where I have my roots and a community to be proud of, but I no longer feel that way. Every year I have thought about visiting Grisslehamn again, but I will never, ever go there again. Nor will I recommend anyone to visit Grisslehamn. Grisslehamn has suffered a war of development where the old cannot be restored 😠😡🤬.

      14 June 2021 - 9:46

      Reply

  3. Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:

    Grisslehamn we have visited Birgitta (wife) cousin lived in Grisslehamn. We were to Åland and we went in and bought tickets for the boat. But then we stood in the large car park before we drove on the boat. I understand that there have been a lot of tourists in the area this year.

    29 August 2020 - 10:46

    Reply

  4. bmlarstravellingblog says:

    Grisslehamn looks really nice and a spa weekend at Hotell Havsbad one we would definitely not say no to. Very nice!

    29 August 2020 - 13:26

    Reply

    • Comment by post author

      Helena says:

      The spa hotel really looked fantastic! 🙂

      29 August 2020 - 18:28

      Reply

    • Camilla Dahlberg ( Ekman ) says:

      My grandmother and grandfather lived on Singö . Me and my cousins spent all summers there and in Grisslehamn, a place on earth that is very close to my heart. Imagine experiencing the inner and outer harbour with the smell of the sea and a new eka. There is so much to see and experience so also on Singö such as Backby with nice boathouses. Singö church and Singö midsummer party, home farm. Buy an ice cream at Singö food shop. Take a trip up to Ellan, northern Singö and its sea views. ❤️

      01 July 2021 - 6:52

      Reply

  5. BP says:

    I didn't realise that such fine gems are just over an hour's drive from Stockholm. What cosy places. I would never have guessed that such a fine spa hotel would be there. Absolutely incredible. Great fun that it seems to have survived the pandemic.

    29 August 2020 - 18:28

    Reply

  6. Annie - Big Little Adventures says:

    So nice in Roslagen! 🙂
    I am not so much up in the northern archipelago. I am mostly in the central and southern Stockholm archipelago 🙂 .

    30 August 2020 - 10:17

    Reply

  7. Lena - good for the soul says:

    Yes, there are so many beautiful places even in our own country. And the best part is that many of them are in our neighbourhood.

    Hug Lena

    30 August 2020 - 19:14

    Reply

  8. Maria Nyberg says:

    What a wonderful place! I must visit it some summer!

    30 August 2020 - 20:34

    Reply

9 Pingbacks

  1. Öregrund in Roslagen - an idyll by the sea | FREEDOMtravel
  2. Gräsö in Roslagen - a scenic gem | FREEDOMtravel
  3. Kapellskär Camping in the Riddersholm Nature Reserve | FREEDOMtravel
  4. City guides to Swedish cities and towns | FREEDOMtravel
  5. Väddö sea baths and camping in Roslagen | FREEDOMtravel
  6. Albert Engström Museum in Grisslehamn, Roslagen | FREEDOMtravel
  7. Vikingabyn Storholmen - outdoor museum in Roslagen | FREEDOMtravel
  8. Free camping at Lake Erken and Norr Malma Nature Reserve | FREEDOMtravel
  9. Day cruise to Åland with Eckerölinjen | FREEDOMtravel

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