Surfing in Sweden - Chase Cold Water Waves in Scandinavia

Surfing in Sweden is for the dedicated wave hunters who don’t mind driving 10+ hours to be skunked. If you nail it, you can be alone, riding Baltic slabs under the gaze of snow-dusted forests.

An introduction to surfing in Sweden

Sweden is known as the land of forests and lakes. It sweeps down from the Arctic in a montage of wild fir woods and fells, glistening waters and wildflower meadows that come to life with the long summer days.

The coastline is verrrry long – 3,218km long, in fact. And there are over 260,000 islands and islets fragmenting from the shores of this great nation. That’s the second highest amount on planet Earth.

Sadly, Sweden is the wrong side of Scandinavia for swell. While Norway and even Denmark get hits of groundswell running off the high Atlantic, the home of fika and bum-shaking ABBA hits relies 100% on windswell systems moving through the Baltic Sea; the fickle, semi-brackish Baltic.

It’s not ideal for surfers and you’ll often go months and months without a hint of swell or action. On the upside, the Swedish coast is ridiculously varied. From the High Coast and its soaring cliffs and boulderscapes down to the wide fjords of the west, there are all sorts of bends and turns and geographical features able to create waves of different shapes and sizes.

Winter is key. Summer turns the Baltic to a Swedish pancake of flatness. You really need a big low-pressure storms to whip up wind, or an Arctic system to push across the Barents Sea and bring northerlies.

That means braving the infamous Swedish cold weather. Bring rubber and lots of it. Seven mils are minimum, plus thick gloves, boots, and a hood, not a single rip or tear in any of it either.

Oh yea, and prepare to do LOTS of driving. Sweden is not small and most of the gateways – Stockholm, Gothenburg – are located far from the surf spots. It’s common to do long roadies to chase a single swell that might only last an hour or so.

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This is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in Europe

What’s in this guide to surfing in Sweden

Sweden surfing at a glance

The good:

Great vibes – everyone here is super happy to be surfing
Empty, remote breaks where you can be totally alone
Stunning drives and nature adventures to reach hidden waves

The bad:

Cold, cold water
Many good spots are very hard to access

Where to surf in Sweden?

The thing to know about Sweden is that most of the coast remains totally unexplored. Or, at least, if it has been explored, it’s been kept secret.

That’s pretty much the vibe here – check the wind, learn the charts, and plan an adventure. There’s never a guarantee you’ll catch a wave that’s working but it’s the chase that’s the joy.

There are some well known surf hubs, however. They dot the west coast and string up the Baltic eastern side of the country.

Here’s a look at em all…

Stockholm

You won’t want to miss out on Stockholm. The gateway to Sweden, it’s a very, very cool city. Come for the ABBA museum and the VASA museum. Come for the cozy cafes in the Gamla Stan and the tempting food halls.

When the forecast says there might be waves around, look to the greater Stockholm Archipelago, which spreads eastwards to meet the Baltic. The best exposed beaches are always your best bet.

Torö Stenstrand is one of the farthest but probably the most reliable. But you can also ferry to spots like Gotland (takes around 3 hours) or even charming little Sandhamm, which is a real roll of the dice but can get some waves when the biggest low-pressure systems hit.

We have a complete guide to Stockholm’s surf scene right here (coming soon)

Torö Stenstrand

Around an hour from the heart of Stockholm, the Torö Stenstrand is now almost certainly the most-surfed spot in the country. It used to be a secret but no longer. A few publications and some wise reading of the map means that the long pebbly beach facing south into the Baltic is a firm favorite for both city-based crews and international traveling surfers.

Winter storms with easterly or southerly winds are the best. They’ll whip up some half-decent A-frames all along this spacious beachfront. They can be surprisingly good fun, with the best exposure towards the western edge of the bay and the potential for left-hand walls off the rocks towards the eastern end.

Usually a crowd but there’s plenty of space for everyone and Swedish surfers are famously uber-polite.

Gotland

The island of Gotland is about 50 miles off the shores of eastern Sweden right in the heart of the Baltic Sea. It’s usually reached by ferry from Stockholm, which takes about three hours in all.

There’s actually a small surf camp here that’s aimed squarely at small-wave enthusiasts. It’s on the less-active east coast, where a shallow-water bay usually offers some nice ankle slappers that demand lots of volume and foam.

The more reliable locations are on the east side of the island or on neighbouring Faro island, which is reached by the same ferry (and then with a car) – check out the long Sudersand Strand and the beautiful white-sand beaches of Norsta Aurer there, which can have totally empty beach breaks on some half-decent sandbars.

Mölle

Mölle is one of the main spots to know about on the southwestern side of Sweden. There can be decent fetch on the windswell that moves north to south in the winter across the Kattegat strait between Sweden and Denmark, sending short-period storm pulses around the Kullaberg headland and into the cobblestone bays of the town.

The main spot and the most often surfed location is the main harbor. You can jump right off the wall to find what’s usually messy lefts and rights aplenty. Does best with an element of E-SE in the wind chart but is usually mushed out completely. Good vibes all round though.

Knäbäckshusen

A mighty seven hours south of Stockholm but just one hour or so across from Copenhagen, the big long strand at Knäbäckshusen is decent spot with reliable waves throughout the winter and even some longboard days in the summer.

It’s basically a long sandy beach with a shallow shelf so the Baltic pushes in some little knee-high kickers most days that are rarely powerful but do have the shape for good rides if you bring lots of volume. It’s a pretty part of the coast, too, famed for its charming thatched-roof houses and log cabins.

Varberg

If we had to pick a town in Sweden to call the surf capital it would be Varberg, though the scene is still small and growing. It ain’t Peniche just about yet. That said, this is the home of the pretty cool Varberg Longboard Open, which has nailed it on the branding front and is a fun day out if you’re around then.

It’s a similar story on the wave front: Mush and a reliance on windswell pushing across the Kattegat. The open bays here can hoover it up nicely and offer some longer, more peeling rides on occasion. Good for extra volume and logging.

There are three main spots within town limits, all of them beach breaks, mostly for longboarding. One – Kåsa – is better for shortboarding. It’s a steeper wedge of a wave that can be semi-hollow and quite fast when there’s loads of windswell about.

We have a complete guide to Varberg and its surf (coming soon)

Some great stays (for surfers) in Sweden

We’d say prep to camp off grid when surfing in Sweden because most of the spots are hidden and take a bit of effort to get to.

You can find some nice accommodation options close to the surf spots that are on the map, though…

Varbergs Kusthotell – Right on the best wave in Varberg, this spa hotel is verrry cool indeed. It’s got an almost Wes Anderson appeal, with noir lounges and a seriously lovely swimming pool and wellness facility on site.
Surflogiet Gotland – A very cool escape to nature on the isle of Gotland in the middle of the Baltic. It’s a glamping retreat with exceptionally well-appointed belltents (they even have minibars and double beds), all set right on the beach, literally steps from some decent longboard breaks (and it’s probably longboard only). Still not sold? How about an on-site sauna and bike rental to explore ethe island?
Holiday home NYNÄSHAMN – This gets you real close to the relatively reliable beach breaks of Torö Stenstrand but also offers a taste of a proper Swedish cabin escape with a deck, forest location, cool interiors, and access to some lovely Baltic swimming coves. It’s also not as expensive as you might expect!

When to surf in Sweden?

The only reliable time to surf in Sweden is the late autumn through to early spring.

Windswell is the key to every single spot here, and that means you need those bigger low pressure storms that cross the Baltic. Others will come down from the Arctic and kick up fun northerly windswell pushes and they’re also way more likely in the months between December and March.

We’ve already said this but it bears repeating: Bring the right gear.

A super, super thick winter wetsuit plus all the trimmings – gloves, hood, booties – is required. Go above 7mil at least because the water and the wind combo here is mind-numbingly cold. We’d also recommend some decent camping gear, like a thick changing robe, a good winter tent, stuff to cook and a fire, just because many of the top spots in Sweden (especially the hidden ones) demand long hikes through coastal woods and whatnot to reach.

The summer is basically not doable. We have seen days when there are 2-3 foot bumps rolling into some known spots in July and August but it’s never reliable enough to plan a surf trip around. The chances are it’s a freak summertime storm that passes over in just an hour or so. By the time you’ve waxed up it can be flat again.