Think Sweden, ABBA, Ingmar Bergman and Volvo. Well, maybe not Volvo so much, now it’s Chinese-owned! But as you head west past Volvo’s factory to the Lilla Varholmen ferry, you’re minutes from the beautiful, super-relaxed, northern archipelago of Öckerö. Welcome to Gothenburg’s entrancing getaway secret.

Maybe you’ve visited Stockholm and experienced its myriad of islands. Or you love Swedish cinema and recall a sultry, sun-kissed, young Harriet Andersson skinny-dipping through Bergman’s ‘Sommer med Monika’? Öckerö Kommun is Sweden’s lesser known (to us Brits, at least) west coast counterpart to the island idyll portrayed in the 1952 film.

Your coastal playground
Whether you have friends or family on Öckerö’s islands, stay in one of a few delightful accommodations, self-cater, visit for the day, or arrive by yacht, 10 populated islands (Björkö, Fotö, Grötö, Hyppeln, Hälsö, Hönö, Kalvsund, Källö-Knippla, Rörö and Öckerö) and myriad tiny skerries are your coastal playground for the duration – with delicious food and stunning sunsets too!

Staying more than a day? Try the Hönö Hotell, Klåva Hotell or Havskatten AB. Or the impressive Nimbus Öckerö hostel, or Grötö’s Västerhav Hotell. But book early, because part of the secret is that Öckerö isn’t heavily commercialised! Great opportunities for camping or motorhoming also abound.

Delicious Swedish delicacies
For inner sustenance, delicious Swedish delicacies await. Try traditional Kottbullar (meatballs) and Gravlax, or the ‘Husets Fiskplanka’ at Öckerö’s Strandbaren. One of my favourites is the consistently amazing quality and value at Nimbus (Öckerö). The delicious fresh fish is worth every krone – the mesmerising waterside location is free! If you self-cater, several small shops and an ICA supermarket provide anything from Daim bars (invented by Sweden’s Marabou in the 1950s) to every conceivable shape and size of incredibly moreish Swedish Knäckebröd.

Your hardest task will be leaving
Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just Kanellebullar (cinnamon buns) for the ‘anytime’ Swedish institution of Fika (‘to have coffee’), you’ll need to build an appetite. That’s easy when walking and swimming opportunities abound, sea-kayaking is a joy, or you can explore on a trusty Skeppshult bicycle. Getting around is simple and regular ferries connect the main islands where bridges don’t.

On Öckerö, it’s easy to get away from it all to relax and recharge. The hardest work will probably be pulling yourself away and saying ‘Hej då!’ (‘Bye’ – sounds like ‘Hey dough!’) until your next visit!