The Swedish Hurtigrutten - Nyköping to Söderköping

Product description

M/S Svea Lejon departs at 10:00 a.m. from Nyköping. We cruise out through the Nyköping fjärds, passing the Nyköping Canoe Stadium with the world’s longest floating pier –1,500 metres long. This is where Sweden’s talented canoeists train and compete for golden medals. Who doesn’t remember the great giant of the sport –Gert Fredriksson from Nyköping?

After passing the smaller fjärds and the Skanssundet strait, we enter Örsbaken, a beautiful sea bay. We listen to the captain расскаnting the story of the former lighthouse station Ledskär, where the Sjögren lighthouse keeper family lived for 24 years. The cruise continues through Old Oxelösund, known for its charming wooden houses. Here you will find the historic archipelago inn, famous for its excellent food and magnificent sea views.

We pass the Femöre lighthouse station, and at the very edge of the open sea we soon see Hävringe with its well-known lighthouses. Hävringe was also formerly a pilot station with a lookout post. Today, all pilotage operations are handled via Oxelösund. The cruise continues through the Bråviken archipelago, passing well-known islands such as Marö, Gränsö and Arkö. After passing Arkösund – often called Vikbolandet’s answer to Sandhamn– we enter one of Sweden’s most beautiful archipelagos: the Saint Anna Archipelago.

The cruise continues past the spring beacon at Lönshuvud Kåreholm Castle, heading further south towards Capella Ecumenica. Here we spend about 30 minutes experiencing Hilding Bielkhammar’s life’s work – the creation of an ecumenical church in the heart of the archipelago, inspired by the old Saint Anna Church.

The journey continues towards Ettersundet, passing close to the Stegeborg Castle ruins from the 15th century. We approach Slätbaken, a long Baltic Sea inlet whose shores are lined with castles and manor houses.

We now reach the Göta Canal, this magnificent engineering masterpiece, and pass through two locks –Mem and Tegelbruket– before approaching our destination,Söderköping. The Göta Canal, Sweden’s construction project of the millennium, is one of the country’s most famous and most visited tourist attractions, welcoming over 4 million visitors. The canal was built between 1810 and 1832, with a total of 58,000 enlisted soldiers taking part in the construction. The initiator and chief engineer was Baltzar von Platen. The official inauguration took place on 26 September 1832 in Mem, led by King Charles XIV John.

The price includes:

A guided cruise, morning coffee with a baguette, lunch with soft drink or low-alcohol beer, and coffee after the meal. Return bus transport back to the point of departure.