Naval Museum (Marinmuseum)
Sweden's national naval museum
The model chamber of 18th-century ship models, a hall of figureheads and an underwater tunnel beside a sunken wreck; outside, a submarine you can board.
StumholmenMuseumShips
Karlskrona & Blekinge Archipelago, Sweden
Ideal: 2–3 daysBest: Jun–AugPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Karlskrona & Blekinge Archipelago in 60 seconds
Karlskrona was built from scratch in the 1680s as the base of Sweden's Baltic fleet, and it still is: the whole naval town — dockyard, fortresses, ropewalk and churches — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city spreads over some thirty islands. On Trossö, the main one, baroque churches face one of the largest squares in Scandinavia; on Stumholmen, the Naval Museum keeps the Swedish navy's ship models and figureheads above an underwater tunnel to a wreck. Outside the wooden Admiralty Church stands Rosenbom, a carved poor-box beggar who lifts his hat for a coin. Take the summer boat to Kungsholm Fort at the harbour mouth, then island-hop east and west through the Blekinge archipelago, a UNESCO biosphere reserve of smooth granite, juniper and fishing villages. Two or three days, in summer.
UNESCOArchipelagoNaval history
Best for
- Islands
- History
- Hidden gems
Known for
- The naval port
- Naval Museum
- Rosenbom
- Archipelago
Skip if
You want to visit outside summer — the archipelago boats and the fortress tours are seasonal, and the city is very quiet in winter.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Karlskrona & Blekinge Archipelago fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Admiralty Church & Rosenbom
Sweden's largest wooden church · 1685
A vast red timber church meant to be temporary; outside, lift Rosenbom's hat and drop in a coin — he is the beggar from The Wonderful Adventures of Nils.
TrossöChurchFree
Stortorget
Baroque square and its two churches
One of Scandinavia's biggest squares, with Fredrikskyrkan and the domed Trinity Church facing each other across it.
TrossöBaroqueFree
Kungsholm Fort
ExpensiveSea fortress at the harbour mouth
Still a military site, so it is seen only on the summer World Heritage boat tour — book days ahead; the round harbour inside the walls is the prize.
TjurköBoat tourBook ahead
Eat
Where to eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
More places to eat
Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.
Bistro Skeppsgossen
ModerateSwedish lunch by the water at the Naval Museum
Herring, potato dumplings, potato pancakes and fried pork on a big terrace over the water.
StumholmenSwedishTerrace
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Björkholmen
The shipwrights' wooden houses
Small painted cottages built by the dockyard's carpenters in the 1700s, in lanes named after ships and admirals.
BjörkholmenFreeHistoric
Tjärö
Car-free nature island
Granite slabs, flowering meadows and a hostel and restaurant, reached by summer boat; the archipelago at its loveliest.
West archipelagoIslandSummer
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Trossö
The city island
The square, the churches and the pedestrian streets, all on a grid laid out for the navy.
Stumholmen
The old naval island
Once closed to the public, now the Naval Museum, a hotel, the lighthouse and waterside walks.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Trossö
ModerateHotels around the square and the station
Everything is walkable, and the archipelago boats leave from Fisktorget at the edge of the island.
FerriesWalkable
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Trains run from Malmö and Copenhagen along the Blekinge coast; Ronneby Airport is 30 minutes away, and ferries sail to Gdynia in Poland.
- Archipelago boats
- In summer, public boats run from Fisktorget to the islands; out of season, many routes stop.
- Kungsholm Fort
- Visits are by guided boat tour only, booked in advance with ID details, as the fort is an active naval site.
- When to go
- June to August, when the boats, beaches and island cafés are all open.
- Taste locally
- Smoked and pickled herring, potato dumplings (Blekinge has its own) and fish from the archipelago.
- Combine with
- Kalmar and Öland to the north, and Skåne's south coast to the west.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 1680
Karl XI founds Karlskrona as the new base for Sweden's navy, closer to the Baltic and its enemies.
- 1685
The wooden Admiralty Church is consecrated, meant to stand until a stone church could be built.
- 1998
The naval port is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Kalmar
Castle town on the Baltic
A Renaissance castle and the old town of Kvarnholmen — Kalmar has its own guide.
1 hr by carCastleHistory