Åstols Hamn

Åstol is one of Bohuslän's most photographed motifs — a small granite island where the white wooden houses stand packed tight against each other on bare rock, one nautical mile north of Marstrand. As you ease in from the west you understand why sailors have tied up here for generations: the surrounding skerries kill the swell, and inside the basin you lie still even when it's blowing hard outside.

The guest harbour sits in the middle of the village with room for up to about 75 visiting boats. Harbour depth is 4.5 metres, so even larger cruising yachts come in without drama. You moor either bow-to with a buoy along the wooden pier or with a mooring line at the concrete quay; larger boats are directed alongside out by the smokery. A handful of berths on the north side can be pre-booked through Dockspot — the rest are first-come, first-served.

The harbour fee includes wifi, toilets, showers (one a family shower), washing machine, tumble dryer, fresh water and BBQ areas. There are 75 electric hook-ups for a small surcharge. On the island, within a couple of minutes' walk from the quay, you'll find Åstols Handelsbod (the well-stocked grocery), Åstols Café and the celebrated Åstols Rökeri smokery, plus the local history museum, bathing rocks, a children's pool with water slide, a pétanque court and an outdoor gym.

Åstol is still a living fishing community with around 250 year-round residents — you feel it in the rhythm of the harbour and in the smell drifting from the smokery. People come here for the atmosphere: narrow alleys between the white cottages, rock dropping straight into the sea, and sunsets over the western ocean from Röda Stugan. Västtrafik line 361 runs from Rönnäng on Tjörn and crosses to Åstol in about fifteen minutes, so guests without their own boat can join you too.

In high season (15 June–30 August) the nightly rate is around 285 SEK for boats up to 10 metres, climbing through the size brackets for bigger hulls; wide boats and catamarans pay a small extra. The harbour holds Blue Flag certification. For many sailors, Åstol is the obvious stop on the way north through Bohuslän — it isn't big, but it's one of the finest examples of what this coast looks like when it's most itself.