The coastal region of Falkenberg, located in Halland in Southern Sweden, is renowned for its long, sandy beach, fantastic spa, and cosy fika spots. Surrounded by stunning nature and farmlands, this region offers the perfect off-season getaway for anyone who enjoys hiking, delicious food, farm shops, cosy cabins, and the seaside! This guide provides everything you need to plan an ideal weekend in Falkenberg – from activities and dining options to the best farm shops!
Every year, during the autumn, we like to plan a short getaway to a different destination in Sweden – usually based around nature, hiking, camping or glamping. It’s the best way to really immerse yourself in the season and experience the autumn leaves, the crisp air, and the transition into darkness. Over the past few years we have been camping in Söderåsens National Park, hiking in Kullaberg Nature Reserve, and visiting nature reserves in Dalsland, so we were excited about experiencing something different in Falkenberg!
An autumn weekend in Falkenberg means buying local meat and vegetables from farm shops to put together the perfect dish, hiking through golden forests, and most importantly, “winter” swims! On this trip we were lucky enough to stay in what is now one of my favourite accomodations in Sweden – Gullis Gård – an off-grid glamping escape right in the middle of the countryside.
We drove down for the weekend from Gothenburg, which is about 1.5 hours North of Falkenberg. While you can take this trip without a car, staying in the centre of Falkenberg and exploring closer to the town centre, several places in the itinerary are hard to get to with public transport! If you don’t have a car, you can hire one from most nearby cities!
So, with all that in mind, let’s gets started!
Disclaimer: This post was written in paid collaboration with Destination Falkenberg, however, all thoughts and opinions in this post are genuine.
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Things to Do in Falkenberg
Smörkullen Nature Reserve
The first stop of the day was Smörkullen Nature Reserve, a small forest with a viewpoint that lies 52m above sea level. From the top, there’s a beautiful view over the surrounding landscape, with fields and farms on one side and the coast on the other. On a sunny day, you can see all the way to Kullaberg Nature Reserve in Skåne, while on a cloudy day you can be lucky enough to get a beautiful golden haze over the fields (like we did)!
While the nature reserve is relatively small, there are several different paths you can take to the viewpoint. The loop walk is the easiest and most gentle, while the more direct route takes you on a steeper path. On the loop walk it took us around 15 minutes to reach the viewpoint so you’ll need less that 1 hour for this stop!
Visit Local Farm Shops
Something so special with visiting Falkenberg is the possibility to buy so much local produce so close to the city. Driving around the area it felt as if we passed a farm shop every five minutes, selling everything from honey and potatoes to padrones and “pick your own”! We stopped at 3 different farm shops on our trip – Kilagårds Gröna, Tångagård, and Kärrets Grönsaker – but you can find a complete list on this page.
All the farm shops are “self-serve”, either allowing you to pay by card of Swish. In the most cases you write down the details of what you are buying, your name, and the price and send over the money. The prices were very reasonable for most things – so much so that we thought it would be worth taking the trip to Falkenberg more often just to purchase the organic vegetables.
Recommendations:
Kilagårdsgröna: Close to Smörkullen this is a very cosy little farm shop with a cafe that opens during the summer months. This is where we stopped to buy our meat, taking home some delicious lamb mince and thickly sliced bacon.
Tångagård: Tångagård is a vegetable farm with “pick your own” during the summer and a very wide selection of organic vegetables on sale in their farm shop all year round. In October they had cabbage, kale, cauliflower, parsnip, potato and parsley just to name a few. We ended up buying carrot juice, yellow beetroot, and onions which went perfectly with the meat from Kilagårdsgröna.
Kärrets Grönsaker: Kärrets Grönsaker is a smaller-scale vegetable farm with a variety of different produce on sale. The shop is open 24 hours a day and was well stocked when we visited. We ended up buying most of our ingredients here – taking chilli, padrones, parsley, lettuce, and beautiful beef tomatoes!
Lunch at Borgmästargården
There are several great options for lunch in Falkenberg, most of which are located in the city centre. We head to Borgmästargården, a trendy cafe with seasonally inspired lunch dishes. The vibe in here is very chic, with dark blue walls and elegant lamps hanging down over the tables. It exuded that perfect “autumn coziness” we all crave during this season! As most places in Sweden, their lunch menu includes coffee and a dessert alongside the dish of your choice. We had a delicious pumpkin ravioli and the autumn toast – a mushroom and lingonberry toasted sandwich.
If you want to try something different then a few other tips are Stålboms Konditori for something light, Bistro Grand for classic Swedish dishes, or even Lilla Napoli for some of Sweden’s best pizza (if you are prepared enough to book a dough in advance)!
Falkenberg’s Old Town: Gamla Stan
While in the city, make sure to swing past Gamla Stan (map). This is the old part of Falkenberg made up of cobblestone streets lined with colourful houses. The oldest building in the area is the church S:t Laurentii Kyrka, located next to the colourful rose garden and park Laurentiiparken. Further down the street you will find Falkenbergs Hembygds Museum, an old home that takes you back in time to see how life in the city was in the 17-1800’s. Lastly, on the edge of Gamla Stan you have Rian, a museum focused on cultural history, design, and art from the region of Falkenberg.
Suseå Choklad & Deli
Another speciality shop in town is Suseå Choklad and Deli, a boutique selling all sorts of wonderful foods and drinks – perfect to add to your farm shop meal! With everything from locally produced sparkling ciders, to plants and homemade pralines, you’ll definitely find something in here! We bought some Suseå sparkling rhubarb drink (definitely recommend!!) and a pack of 6 pralines. They had a few different flavours but we went with white chocolate passionfruit, chocolate mango, and dark chocolate liquorice. They were all delicious but the white chocolate passionfruit was to die for!
Skrea Strand
You can’t visit Falkenberg without at least stopping for a short walk (or swim) at Skrea Strand. This is the long, sandy beach where you will find Falkenberg Strandbad Spa, and the picturesque boardwalk out into the water. If you are brave then don’t be afraid to take a cold water swim – it is so unreliable refreshing and one of my personal favourite things to do in the off-seasons here in Sweden!
Fika at Stålboms Konditori
Stålboms Konditori is a classic bakery and cafe dating back to 1957. When they can, they use ecological and local produce to create the most delicious pastries. The cafe itself is beautiful, with old style decor, and a series of different rooms to sit in, very much like a house. Looking through the display case at the variety of cakes and pastries it was hard to just pick one! We ended up choosing Prinsesstårta (princess cake) and key lime pie – both beautiful to look at and delicious to eat.
If you don’t have much time, you can always do what we did and get takeaway. We ended up saving our fika and eating it at one of the picnic stops along Halland’s Most Beautiful Road the next day!
Where to Stay: Glamping at Gullis Skjul
Now to the best part of this trip – glamping at Gullis Gård! This is one of the most unique accomodations that I am yet to stay at in Sweden. A beautifully converted shed surrounded by farmlands, with an outdoor cooking space, sauna, outdoor shower, and the most picturesque toilet I have ever seen.
The shed’s panoramic windows open fully, blending the cosy interior seamlessly with the picturesque outdoor environment. From the bed, you can watch the crackling fire outside in the evening or enjoy a lazy morning with fresh air wafting into the “bedroom”. The sauna has big open windows looking out over the fields, where sheep roam during the late spring to mid-autumn. Alongside this there are countless other places to sit and relish in the environment. From the chandelier candle holder to the wood carving corner, it felt like every detail had been considered to make this place perfect .
We arrived here around 4pm but I can recommend arriving as early as you can – especially in the autumn when the days are so much shorter. There is space for 2 to 4 people, with a double bed and sofa bed, making it the perfect place for a cosy couples escape or little adventure with your family. It’s worth noting that there is no electricity in the shed itself, however there are enough candles, lamps, and oil lamps around that it just adds to the experience. Plus, there is possibility to charge phones in the breakfast hut. Find out more or book it here.
Other places to stay in Falkenberg
If you are visiting outside of Gullis Skjul’s season, I can recommend both Falkenberg Strandbad and Ocean Hotel! We have stayed at both previously and were really happy with everything! Falkenberg Strandbad has an amazing spa with a sauna, outdoor jacuzzi, and tropical pool club vibe, while Ocean Hotel is right on the sea front, with a sauna and really nice dining area – a place you could stay for a while!
Find all your Falkenberg accomodation options here.
Hallands Vackraste Väg
Celebrated as Halland’s Most Beautiful Road, the 15km stretch between Askome and Gällared is a great drive with amazing views as you get up close to the Ätran River. There are three different stops along the road worth visiting! You can find more information about the road on this page.
Ätraforsdammen
The first road trip stop is Ätraforsdammen badplats (map). This is a small sandy beach with a dock out into the water during the summer. It the perfect place for your second winter dip, or just a fika by the water! Just down the road is Ätraforsdammen, the dam in which the lake water passes through on its way down the river. You can stop here for a short walk, or just look out the window as you drive past.
Yngeredsforsen
The road then passes Ätraforsdammen and continues up to Yngeredsforsen. Here you can park just off the road (map) and follow the cultural walk through the nature reserve to Döda Fallet, the old waterworks, now a very interesting area and small waterfall. In the carpark they have several booklets guiding you around the area which I recommend taking as that way you can learn about the different areas of the old waterworks, and the old roads that pass through the forest.
Yttre Berg Nature Reserve
Just before reaching Gällared, you’ll pass Yttre Berg Nature Reserve—a diverse landscape of forests and farmlands boasting a rich blend of deciduous and coniferous trees. The autumn colours really shine here, with so many golden maple trees spread throughout. Parking just up the road (map) you will first encounter the Yttre Berg Museum, a beautifully constructed exhibition about the history of the area with stories of those who once lived there.
From here there are several different trails you can take, all varying in length. we followed the blue walk which was 2km and was the perfect mix of forest and field paths. If you want something shorter, the yellow trail follows a similar route but is 1km, otherwise the yellow path is 0.8km, and the green is 2.5km. Find maps and more information on this page.
Morups Tånge
The last stop of our trip to Falkenberg was a walk around Morups Tånge, a beautiful lighthouse built in 1841. While there is no marked trail here, you can wander around the nature reserve as you like – just make sure you are aware of the bird protection areas and when they are in play! In the spring, the lighthouse is surrounded by a sea of purple flowers, while the autumn is perfect for bird watching.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I do this trip without a car?
Falkenberg itself is really easy to visit without a car, with a train line that runs between Gothenburg and Malmö/ Copenhagen and a lot to do in the city centre. It can be harder to visit the different farm shops and more secluded locations I mentioned in this blog post, but that shouldn’t stop you! There are buses to some locations, and you can just spend more time exploring the city/ beach area. In the summer a bike is always a good option too!
Alternatively, you can hire one from most nearby cities just for a few days!
When is best time to see autumn colours in Falkenberg?
It can be hard to predict autumn colours but generally the best time to see the golden leaves in Falkenberg is between the 10th and 20th October.
An Overview: Things to Do in Falkenberg
An off-season weekend in Falkenberg offers the perfect cosy escape, with autumn bringing an abundance of things to do and places to explore! Visiting some of the regions farm shops and buying local produce, sleeping surrounded by the countryside in a picturesque cabin, and hiking through forests adorned with golden leaves is a must! It is trips like this that make me feel so grateful to live in Sweden and to be able to experience this lifestyle!
Where To Next?
- Nearby: Mölle and Kullaberg Nature Reserve, Båstad and Bjärehalvön, Falkenberg Strandbad, Söderåsens National Park, Lund
- Maps: 300+ Places to visit in Southern Sweden, West Sweden Map
- The Best Places to Visit in Sweden During Autumn
- 12 Trip Ideas for Southern Sweden
- Gothenburg: One Day Itinerary, 2-4 Day Gothenburg Itinerary, Top 10 Things To Do
- One Day in Malmö
- 10 Day Scandinavia Itinerary
