Castles and fortresses in Sweden carry many stories, from the beautiful history and fine clothes to crazy people and ghost stories. In fact, there are around 220 Swedish castles, although the number depends on how you count, as well as forts, fortresses and 22 castle ruins.
Table of contents
Castles and fortresses in Sweden
Castles and fortresses in Sweden and old ruins are so cool with all the excitement and mystery. What really happened over several hundred years that put the signature on the castles we look at and are drawn to. History is in the walls and here are lots of tips. Follow along!
Kalmar castle - 800 years of war, celebration and power games
Kalmar Castle is a mighty edifice, which feels both historic and fairytale-like where it rises...
Södertuna castle - fine castle hotel in Södermanland
Södertuna Castle is beautifully situated by Lake Frösjön in Södermanland. You come here, for example, to treat yourself to...
Nyköpingshus - the site of Nyköping's guest house.
Nyköpingshus has a long and sometimes very dramatic history. This medieval castle was transformed in the 16th century into a...
Stora Sundby Castle - fairytale castle on the banks of Lake Hjälmaren
Stora Sundby Castle is a fairytale castle with turrets and towers, beautifully situated on the shores of Lake Hjälmaren....
Swedish Slottshotellsvägen - FREEDOMtravel Theme Road
The Swedish castle hotel route is absolutely fantastic and we have 32 castle hotels for you to enjoy and...
4 Castles in Strängnäs - and a fortress
We have looked at a bunch of castles in Strängnäs, during our castle trip with a motorhome. Some castles...
Gripsholm Castle - a royal castle on Lake Mälaren
Gripsholm Castle is a magnificent and royal castle by Lake Mälaren. Here the rooms remain from the Vasa kings'...
Tidö castle in Västerås - with a bicycle and motorbike museum
Tidö Castle in Västerås is a beautiful 17th century castle. If you come here during the summer season...
Läckö Castle - De la Gardie's fairytale castle on Lake Vänern
Reflected in Lake Vänern with its spires and towers, Läckö Castle feels almost like a...
Fornborgar på Öland - 5 castles you don't want to miss!
Did you know that there are around 15-20 ancient castles on Öland? The castles are today ruins, which through...
Anundshög in Västerås - Sweden's largest ancient burial mound
Anundshög in Västerås is Sweden's highest burial mound. In the area around Anundshög and Badelundaåsen there are also...
Royal palaces in Sweden - 11 magnificent castles
Royal castles in Sweden are the subject of today's article. Did you know that there are 11 Swedish...
Borgholm Castle - powerful castle ruins on Öland, Sweden
Borgholm Castle is sometimes called "the most beautiful ruin in the Nordic region" and is indeed a mighty castle ruin. In addition to the castle...
Sundbyholm castle - and guest harbour with parking space
Sundbyholm Castle has a history as a monastic estate and royal palace. Today you can come here for hotel accommodation,...
Solliden Castle on Öland - stroll in a royal garden
Solliden Palace on Öland is the royal family's summer paradise. Although the villa is private, most of it is...
Ericsberg Castle - and other private castles in Södermanland
Ericsberg Castle is one of Sweden's most beautiful baroque castles, and the garden is occasionally open to visitors. Our...
Swedish Royal Palace Road - FREEDOMtravel Themed Roads
Svenska kungliga Slottsvägen is a themed road that takes you through the 11 royal castles, for...
Tyresö Castle - history and beautiful nature
Tyresö Castle is beautifully situated at Kalvfjärden in Tyresö, just south of Stockholm. We went...
Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm - guide for your visit
Last weekend we visited Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm. It was a fantastic autumn weekend, and really...
Görväln Castle and Görväln Nature Reserve
Görväln Castle and Görväln Nature Reserve are located in Järfälla municipality, north-west of Stockholm. We made an excursion...
Bogesund Castle in Vaxholm - and the Great Castle Tour.
Bogesund Castle in Vaxholm is a beautiful 17th-century castle in the Bogesundslandet area of the Stockholm archipelago....
Sofiero castle and gardens - royal floral splendour!
Sofiero Castle and Castle Garden in Helsingborg offers a fantastic environment with intense greenery, splendid flower beds and...
Castle ruins in Sweden - 21 cool castle ruins
Castle ruins in Sweden and old castles are so cool with all the excitement and mystery. What happened...
Häringe castle - fine castle hotel in Södermanland
Häringe Castle is located just south of Stockholm and is a castle you visit for lovely weekend packages,...
Salsta Castle in Uppland - castle café, guided tours and ghosts
Salsta Castle is a beautiful baroque castle from the 17th century. We were fascinated by the beautiful building when we...
Rörstrand Castle in Stockholm - the castle you never knew existed
Rörstrand Castle is located in the centre of Stockholm, yet it is perhaps one of Stockholm's least known...
Vreta Abbey - and Stjärnorps Castle ruins
Vreta Abbey in Östergötland is one of Sweden's oldest monasteries. Today there is a ruined monastery ...
Eight castles in Östergötland - well worth a visit
Guest writer: Cornelia Tonéri My name is Cornelia Tonéri and in everyday life I run the travel blog litemerarosa.se with a focus ...
Hesselby Castle in Stockholm
End of summer at work yesterday - at Hesselby Castle. And no, it's not me who spells...
Ulriksdal Palace and Park - Royal Palace in Solna, Sweden
Ulriksdal Palace is one of the eleven royal palaces in Sweden, and offers a beautiful...
Rydboholm Castle in Roslagen - and the English Park
Rydboholm Castle in Roslagen is a private castle from the 16th century, and next to the castle is the beautiful...
Årsta Castle - with memories of Fredrika Bremer
Årsta Castle is located in Haninge, south of Stockholm, and is perhaps most strongly associated with the author...
Glimmingehus - Scandinavia's best preserved medieval castle
Glimmingehus in Skåne is the best preserved medieval castle in the Nordic region. Construction of the castle began at the end of the 15th century, when...
Karlberg Castle - and why it's called 'Pampas'
Karlberg Castle in Stockholm is within walking distance of our houseboat in Pampa's marina. We walk or...
Teleborg Castle in Växjö - a fairytale castle in Småland
Teleborg Castle is a beautiful fairytale castle just outside Växjö. Here you can enjoy the fantastic...
Rosersberg Castle - a royal castle in Sigtuna, Sweden
Rosersberg Palace is a royal palace in Sigtuna, north of Stockholm. This castle is one of...
Kungsträdgården in Stockholm - and the Makalös Palace
Kungsträdgården in Stockholm is a beautiful park where people stroll, have coffee, listen to concerts and take...
Öster Malma Castle - hunting, buffet and wild animals
Öster Malma Castle is a fine little white estate in Nyköping municipality. Here, much is about ...
Hagaparken in Solna - castles, gazebos and pavilions
Hagaparken in Solna is a fantastic place to stroll among castles, gazebos and pavilions....
Varberg Fortress - museum visit and guided tour
Varberg Fortress is a powerful defence structure with a long history. Danes and Swedes have fought over...
Ivön and Bäckaskog Castle in Skåne - the hunt for the horse grave
Ivön and Bäckaskog Castle in Skåne is located just northeast of Kristianstad. We were here for a very...
Wenngarn Castle in Sigtuna - castle park, café and history
Wenngarn Castle in Sigtuna is a beautiful castle, which was once built by Magnus de la...
Gunnebo Castle and Gardens outside Gothenburg, Sweden
Gunnebo Castle and Gardens is located just south of Gothenburg and can be visited all year round. Here you can meet...
Julita farm - mansion and open-air museum
Julita Farm is a mansion and open-air museum owned by the Nordic Museum. Currently, the...
Krapperup Castle in Skåne - with castle park and coffee house
Krapperup Castle is a Scanian estate dating back to the 14th century. Today there is a beautiful castle from...
Swedish Castle Road - FREEDOMtravel Themed Roads
The Swedish Castle Road is a themed road that takes you past Sweden's most beautiful and interesting castles. Trav...
Tureborgen in Uddevalla - an exciting ruin
Tureborgen in Uddevalla is an exciting ruin of a castle that looked medieval, but...
Stegeborg - castle ruin, harbour, tavern and campsite
Stegeborg is located about 20 kilometres from Söderköping, and here you will find a castle ruin from...
Taxinge castle - cookie castle in a beautiful location by Lake Mälaren
Taxinge castle, or Taxinge-Näsby castle, is beautifully situated by Lake Mälaren. We came here by motorhome on...
Nynäs castle and nature reserve in Nyköping
Nynäs Castle is a beautiful castle in Nyköping municipality. There is also the Nynäs nature reserve, with lovely...
Castles and fortresses around Sweden
We have seen a large number of castle, ruins, castles, fortresses in Sweden during our motorhome trips in the country, many of which are both stunningly beautiful and historically interesting. In the 17th century, Sweden wanted to promote itself as a large, powerful and beautiful country. Erik Dahlbergh was Count of Skenäs, Baron of Stropsta, Lord of Werder, royal councillor, field marshal, governor-general of Livonia, chancellor of the Dorpat Academy and director-general of the national fortifications. Erik was commissioned to produce sketches of castles, churches and important people and have them engraved.
All the old sketches are still there and many of them are made in engraving The book Suecia antiqua et hodierna (Ancient and Modern Sweden) is the most important pictorial work in our history. Suecia work can be found online or at the Royal Library at Humlegårdsgatan 26 in Stockholm.
It's amazing that we have so many fantastic experiences in Sweden that we can be proud of! Many Swedish castles are open to visitors and open for guided tours. Others serve as hotels and conference centres, while still others are private residences.
Is there a castle, fortress or ruin in Sweden that you would like to know more about?
Feel free to write and tell us if you want us to delve into something we've missed. Feel free to write and tell us
Castles and fortresses in Sweden
This page is constantly being added to as there are more castles to delve into, but it's a good start for those interested in history.
English (UK) 
Svenska 
Deutsch 
Suomi 
Polski