Strömstad Travel Guide

Strömstad

The City

The proximity of Norway is tangible in Strömstad. Norwegian is heard on streets and squares. "Dejligt", "grejt" and "há det"! The lively cross-border trade has created excellent conditions for positive development and an entrepreneurial spirit. Today Strömstad is Sweden’s fourth largest commercial town, which means that the town is able to offer a lot of everything all year round. The sea front winds around the pictoresque harbour. With its pinnacles and turrets the entertainments temple Skagerack has become a familiar feature of the festive atmosphere around about. We would hazard to suggest that prawns don’t taste as good anywhere else. Sit down with a bag of fresh prawns on the quayside or eat something in one of the many pleasant cafés that ring the harbour. From central Strömstad you can visit nine islands using the regular boat services. One of the main locations for a tourist pilgrimage are the Koster Islands, which with their special atmosphere and fauna are an experience on their own. Proximity to the sea and the fresh spring (Lejonkällan) have created Strömstad’s long tradition as a top class spa and seaside resort. Sea-bathing and seaweed attracted wealthy city dwellers as early as the 19th century. A tradition that survives and that has received a new lease of life in recent years. In spring 2007 one of Scandinavia’s most modern spa hotels will open at Nötholmen. Strömstad’s history started in the 1670s when the small fishing village of Strömmen started to grow into a town. Thanks to the good fishing grounds and the rich quarrying in Krokstrand the town continued to develop. Today it is tourism and commerce that is generating the great optimism for the future.