The coastline of Southwest Sweden is dotted with diverse beaches, interspersed with beautiful nature reserves. We discovered that walking is the best way to visit all the lovely spots. We stumbled upon Prince Bertil’s Trail by chance, and we didn’t regret it. This marked walking route passes through dunes, forests, and across one of Sweden’s most famous beaches. With the splendid summer weather we had, we enjoyed it doubly. This walk is one of the highlights of Halland province.
In this blog ...
- Prince Bertil, namesake of Prince Bertil’s Trail
- Halmstad, starting point of Prince Bertil’s Trail
- Our route of Prince Bertil’s Trail
- More attractions near Prince Bertil’s Trail
- Kattegattleden, award-winning cycling route in Halland
- FAQs about Prince Bertil’s Trail near Halmstad
- Other topics you may be interested in
Prince Bertil, namesake of Prince Bertil’s Trail
The Prince Bertil’s Trail, or Prins Bertils Stig in Swedish, owes its name to Prince Bertil. The Duke of the Halland region and his wife had a summer residence nearby. They enjoyed walking in the beautiful nature. Year after year, they took one walk after another in the area. As a tribute to the Duke, Prince Bertil’s Trail was created.
Halmstad, starting point of Prince Bertil’s Trail
Prince Bertil’s Trail is not a circular walk. Officially, the journey starts in the centre of Halmstad. This is a fairly large city, situated along the Nissan River. Halmstad is also the capital of Halland province. One of the attractions is the 17th-century city castle. Additionally, Halmstad is a paradise for nature lovers. There are many walking and cycling paths that wind through the varied landscape of forests, hills, and coastline.
We don’t start the route at the beginning, but pick it up at the point where the Nissan flows into the sea. Therefore, we skip the part from the castle along the river. That section seemed less natural to us and mainly urban with a view of the industry on the other side of the river. Less attractive than the beaches and forests that come later on the route.
Our route of Prince Bertil’s Trail
Our walk begins in the forests of Halmstad. Along the way, we encounter the following attractions:
Alets Nature Reserve
Alets Nature Reserve is Halmstad’s first municipal nature reserve. It’s an area where locals like to come. Not surprising, as it’s beautiful and within walking distance of the centre. We immediately experience the varied dune landscape. Hidden in the forests are various red holiday cottages. These stugas are now deserted, as the summer holidays have ended for most Swedes. The rowboats lie upside down next to the cottages. On a sunny weekend, they will undoubtedly be used again.
In the distance, the ferry from Halmstad to Grenaa in Denmark sails. The Kattegat strait separates both countries. On the map, it looks like a small stretch, but the ferry service takes almost five hours to reach Jutland.
Along the route are various information boards. Although the text is only in Swedish, we can figure out quite well what it says. For example, we read about the Battle of Nissan. In the mouth of that river, a huge naval battle took place in 1062. Danish Vikings engaged in battle with their Norwegian rivals. About 450 ships were in combat with each other. Eventually, the Norwegian Vikings won.
Deserted beaches
We enjoy the alternation between bits of forest and beach. We come across some dog owners walking their four-legged friends, but otherwise, it’s very quiet. Especially on the beaches. They are completely deserted, despite the nice weather. Because it’s a warm day by Swedish standards today with plenty of sun, we take a refreshing dip at some of those beaches.
We pass a few small and deserted harbours. The boats bob aimlessly around. On the sea, we do notice some sailboats. From the pier of one of the harbours, we have a nice view of one of those ships. Our walking route continues over sections with large stones scattered along the coast. A nice change from a forest path or strolling on the sand. They’ve probably been there for thousands of years.
Beautiful heathland
A bit later, we walk through a beautiful heathland. We missed the blooming heather in our own country this year due to our road trip through Sweden. That’s why we can really appreciate this section during Prince Bertil’s Trail.
A little further on, a camper van is parked directly on the coast. The family has a beautiful view of the bay. On the other side, they look out over the heathland. A lovely place to bivouac. In Sweden, wild camping is allowed in most places thanks to the “Right of Public Access“. As long as you leave the place clean and don’t stay longer than 24 hours, you can camp in nature. This family has certainly found a great location.
Grötvik
We encounter the first “lively” place on Prince Bertil’s Trail at the harbour and beach of Grötvik. Sailors sail in or depart for the Kattegat. Various people sit or lie in the sun by the pier and on the beach. Two elderly ladies run a small kiosk, where we can order some food and drinks.
The lack of cash seems to throw a spanner in the works, however. Sweden is at the forefront when it comes to contactless payments, but these ladies still swear by real money. We manage to collect some krona, but we’re short by a small amount. The ladies find it so nice that we, as foreign tourists, are buying something from them, that they don’t make a fuss about it. So we can still enjoy our Fika moment on the coast. On a bench in the sun, we savour our coffee and cinnamon bun.
Tylösand
Our route continues along deserted beaches and forest paths through nature. After the “bustle” of Grötvik, we now walk again in complete solitude. Occasionally, we pass a deserted holiday cottage. A bit further inland, there are some holiday parks according to the map. But the holidaymakers don’t show themselves today, or have already returned home.
As we round the westernmost point of Halland province, we spot a small island in the distance. This is Tylön, the only island in the south of this region. We can clearly distinguish the lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper’s cottage. The island seems completely deserted, except for the many birds. The island is a large nature reserve where many seabirds breed. That’s why boats are not allowed to moor at Tylön during the breeding season.
A little later, we arrive at a large beach. This is Tylösand. According to the locals, it’s the most beautiful beach in the country, with a length of over four kilometres. The eye-catcher is the lifeguard tower, with its typical shape. Now that the holiday season is over, the lifeguard members are apparently off duty: the tower is unmanned. There are some bathers on the beach and in the sea, but not many. It’s quite different during the summer season. Then it’s busy, and there are also big beach parties with performances by artists. We find the atmosphere much better now. Nice and quiet with plenty of space to lie on the beach. Of course, we take a dip and then doze off on our towel.
Möllegård
After an hour, we continue walking. We walk barefoot on the beach for a bit longer. The further north we go, the quieter the beach becomes. Then we head back into the woods. We soon reach the grounds of the Halmstad Golf Club. The courses are pleasantly busy. We walk along the footpaths and cross part of the grounds. Not a bad location for golfing, we think.
Our walk on Prince Bertil’s Trail ends in the Möllegård nature reserve. It’s an area with forests and meadows. The alder swamp forest is particularly special. Thanks to the limited light that can penetrate through the trees, rare lichens grow here. In the meadows and grasslands, the pasque flower is common. The pasque flower looks particularly beautiful during its flowering period in April. Now, there’s no bloom to be seen. Several short walking routes run through the nature reserve.
Our Prince Bertil’s Trail ends in Möllegård. All in all, it’s a lovely walking route for someone who enjoys walking along the coast and on the beach. And we do enjoy that, so for us, it was a beautiful walk through the stunning nature of Southwest Sweden.
More attractions near Prince Bertil’s Trail
If you want to walk the route as well, you can find more information on the Prince Bertil’s Trail website. This includes information about attractions not far from the route, such as St. Olof’s Chapel near Tylösand. We only discovered this website afterwards, so we didn’t visit these attractions.
Kattegattleden, award-winning cycling route in Halland
If you enjoy cycling as well as walking, then the Kattegattleden is perfect for you. This is Sweden’s first national cycling route. A few years ago, this tour was named European Cycle Route of the Year. The 390-kilometre route runs from Helsingborg in the south to Gothenburg in the north. Along the way, a diverse landscape of pristine beaches, picturesque fishing villages, lush forests and rolling hills unfolds.
What makes the Kattegattleden truly unique is its proximity to the sea. The coast is within reach for almost the entire route. With many rest areas and accommodations along the route, it’s easy to plan the journey in stages. This allows you to leisurely enjoy everything that Halland province has to offer.
FAQs about Prince Bertil’s Trail near Halmstad
The total route is 18 kilometres long. The walk is mainly on forest paths and beaches. If you start in Halmstad, you first have a stretch of paved road along the Nissan River.
The walk is not a circular route. You can start the route in Halmstad and end in Möllegård nature reserve. The reverse is also possible.
Yes, you can follow this walk by following the posts with blue tops and a blue-white shield with two walkers on them.
You can return to the starting point of Prince Bertil's Trail by bus. Take bus line 350 and then 330 (or vice versa, depending on your endpoint). These run frequently during the summer season. Outside the summer holidays, they usually run once an hour. You can find the timetable on this website.
In the centre of Halmstad, there are plenty of nice places, many with terraces. Along the way (outside the season), we only encountered an opportunity to have something at the harbour of Grötvik. In the summer months, there's more choice, for example at Tylösand beach.
In the Möllegård nature reserve, there's a café where you can sit comfortably. Do enjoy the delicious Italian ice cream!
Halmstad is a city in southwestern Sweden, in Halland province. It's about an hour and a half drive from Gothenburg. The train is slightly faster.
Halland province is ideal to explore with your own car or camper van. When travelling to Sweden, you can easily take the Scandlines ferry. This departs from Puttgarden in Northern Germany. You arrive in Rødby, Denmark. From there, you can easily drive via Copenhagen and the Öresund Bridge to Malmö in Sweden.
Halland has all sorts of accommodations, ranging from simple beach cottages to luxury spa hotels. Such as the Varberg Stadshotell with a beautiful large spa on the top floor. This offers a fantastic view of the sea and the surroundings. Ästad Vineyard with spa is also special. It has Sweden's only underwater sauna. Campers will find a great spot at Apelvikens Camping in Varberg. This is 5-star level camping. You can also rent a well-equipped stuga there.
