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Tallevika
Swedentravels in Värmland

News & Blog

Winter in Tallevika

3. December 2023

Winter in Tallevika

The time before Christmas is fantastic in Sweden. There are lots of Christmas activities, and, above all, the delicious Christmas buffet with all the Swedish dishes. All the restaurants we like offer the Christmas buffet throughout December, and it's fully booked. Unfortunately, we are not there as one of our dogs is expecting puppies. The winter in the Alps and in Emmental, where we live, is also perfectly fine. We from Tallevika wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with some winter pictures from Tallevika.

A summer evening by Lake Vänern, Kristinehamn

23. July 2023

A summer evening by Lake Vänern, Kristinehamn

It can't get any better. A boat ride, some wake surfing, a bit of fishing, and midnight around the campfire. It needs to be lived live but here is the video showing sections of it.

Grand Opening Gattet Restaurant & Marina Kristinehamn

1. July 2023

Grand Opening Gattet Restaurant & Marina Kristinehamn

On July 1st, the long-awaited restaurant and guest harbor, Gattet, opens in Vålösundet. Tallevika was naturally present on the opening day with vacationing guests from Switzerland. The location is perfect, the harbor sheltered, and the food at the highest level. There are two owners, one of whom is a well-known event organizer and artist agent, the other is an accomplished sailor and also the owner of the M22 world cup tour for several years. This means that these impressive catamarans will sail and compete here in 2024. How was the grand opening then? You can see it here.

Winter visit 2023

7. February 2023

Winter visit 2023

We spent January at Tallevika and we found several ongoing changes. A new lake view restaurant with their own boat harbor is under construction. The existing restaurants we like have new owners or plan to rebuild. Hotels are restored and the boat traffic for tourists will change. These important changes influence our quality and program and therefore we decide not to offer a group travel summer 2023. Click on the picture for more info.

Food festival "A taste of Värmland"

26. September 2022

Food festival "A taste of Värmland"

On the weekend of September 24th to 25th we visited the Food Festival that takes place all over Värmland. The main venue is Kristinehamns city park, where there was an exhibition and several cooking shows on stage. We started at Retrovågen, a great antique and food delicacy shop in old Kristinehamn. We had lunch at Hygn, the famous venison producer south of Kristinehamn with his large shop where we bought elk, venison and venison sausages. Nothing for vegetarians although they offer veggie alternatives. Click on the picture for more.

Impressions from the ferry from Oslo to Kiel

2. August 2022

Impressions from the ferry from Oslo to Kiel

We tested the ferry from Oslo to Kiel when we went back to Switzerland after our short Kristinehamn visit in July. Oslo is only 3 hours’ drive from Kristinehamn, the same distance as Göteborg but with less traffic. The Colorline Ferries are more like cruise ships than ferries. A lot to do, eat and drink onboard. Good quality offers compared to all otherer ferries but bad if you bring animals. No animal cabins and animals only allowed in special boxes on car deck. Max three visits to your animal during 24 hours for an awful walk on car deck so very few dogs onboard. Here are some impressions: Check also the links to the alternatives in How to go to Sweden. Click on the picture for more.

An exciting kayak tour in the wild archipelago of Lake Vänern

19. July 2022 (morning)

An exciting kayak tour in the wild archipelago of Lake Vänern

When the big lake Vänern is calm and the weather forecast is good, this is an exciting tour that includes everything. Open water, large and small islands, narrow straits and shallow water in sea reeds. You'll see big pikes in the shallows and osprays circling above the water ready to catch them. If you are unlucky you might even meet a moose playing in the reeds. This tour reminds me of the 1972 film called Deliverance. Four men go kayaking...Click on the picture...

M32 catamaran racing on lake Vänern

17. September 2023

M32 catamaran racing on lake Vänern

Arrived in Kristinehamn and Tallevika 2 days ago, and already yesterday I had the chance to sail Håkan Svensson's M32a. A fantastic 32-foot racing catamaran that reaches speeds of 20 knots in fairly light winds. We started at Gattet and reached out onto Lake Vänern. We turned when we couldn't see land anymore and tacked back. And the best part is, Håkan is bringing the M32 World Tour here next year. It's happening right in the middle of July 2024. A number of M32s will be racing in front of the Picasso sculpture, and Kristinehamn will be added to the M32-sailing paradises like Newport, Lake Garda, and Miami. Contact us now to plan your visit.

Hiking on Sibberön island

15. July 2023

Hiking on Sibberön island

Take the boat across the strait to Vålön or Kalvön. Hike in the wonderful nature. One of our Swiss gues families encountered two moose here. Fishing lights and sea eagles nest here, leaving dry fish skeletons behind. The pines on the island are wind-battered and among my favorites. There's an overnight cabin, but camping by a campfire right on the beach is probably even better. One of Kristinehamn's absolute gems. During the summer, the boat "Stöten" operates constantly, and there are small motorboats and kayaks available for rent. Unlock with an app. So, there's no excuse to stay at home.

Midsummer in Kristinehamn

23. June 2023

Midsummer in Kristinehamn

Midsummer is the big celebration in Sweden. In every small village, it is celebrated in the same way with folk music, raising the maypole, and dancing. What happens afterwards, I'll leave unsaid. We went with bicycles to the official celebration in Kristinehamn at the Heritage Center. Here is a video showing how, where and...

Season's Greetings from Tallevika

23. December 2022

Season's Greetings from Tallevika

Please enjoy some winter photos from last winter. We hope to come back after New Year's Eve with some new impressions. In the meantime, get out into nature and enjoy all the beautiful things out there. And of course, a little more attention to the very special pine trees in the Tallevika bay. Click on the picture for more.

Lingonberry Harvest

15. September 2022

Lingonberry Harvest

September is the time of the lingongberries in the Swedish forest. This time we just followed the iron trail north of Kristinehamn. We took our dogs except our puppy who is too small to walk that far and wow, this year was exceptional! We filled the buckets in just 2 hours and had to turn back too soon. Even the clearing was easy sine the berries war large. 10 kg in the freezer and 1 kg as jam. Perfect to wild meat or in the yogurt. Here a short video of the event. Click on the picture.

Enjoy lake Vänern more

25. July 2022

Enjoy lake Vänern more

The summer is short in Sweden, so we take the same way again but now with a bowrider on water. Vålösund is the strait between the island Vålön and the street Vålösundsvägen. Here we see many old manors as well as new houses. Its max 10km/h but it allows us to enjoy all summer activities on the boats and in the gardens. We pass the big “small boats harbor”, the famous Herrgårdscamping (Manor camping) and there we turn back and pass the Picasso sculpture on the way to open sea. Back in Jutviken we try some wakeboarding and banana surfing in the sunset. Click on the picture for more.

Chanterelle party in the forest

15. July 2022

Chanterelle party in the forest

Oops! Chanterelle party in the forest. Despite the hot and dry summer in Värmland, we have never found so many chanterelles in one place. For us, it's forest gold that can be hard to find. The reward is the irresistible smell of freshly roasted chanterelles. Make a béchamel sauce, add some white pepper and cognac and put it on fried toast. It is delicious. Click on the picture.

Lake Vänern versus Lake Biel

18. August 2023

Lake Vänern versus Lake Biel

We have left Sweden and Kristinehamn for a short break and returned to Switzerland after eight weeks. It is hard not to compare the two countries. Switzerland also has beautiful lake landscapes as you can see in our video but in mid-September we will head back to Tallevika again. The Swedish forests in September are fantastic.

Rock at the Fjord

8. July 2023

Rock at the Fjord

In recent years, a group of islanders has organized a rock concert on a raft or island off the coast of Kristinehamn. Only boats can participate, and a private invitation is required. Tallevika was part of it again this year, and it exceeded all expectations once more. On a sauna raft in a sandy cove outside Vålösund, two bands performed for a bathing and grooving audience. Absolutely fantastic.
Rock am Fjord.

Our second spring in May

12. May 2023

Our second spring in May

May in Sweden is usually similar to March-April in Switzerland. However, this year was different. Summer arrived suddenly in early May. The warm and calm weather made activities like kayaking, sailing, and enjoying long evenings on the beach into everyday activities. The new lake restaurant, Gattet, is soon ready, the camping site is ready to welcome Swiss visitors (and others) and the new team at Ölme Värdshus, the region's finest restaurant, exceeded our expectations. We will be spending June in Switzerland, but we are eagerly looking forward to July and August in Sweden again, with several Swiss families visiting the region.

Autumn Farewell

8. October 2022

Autumn Farewell

Our last day in Sweden ends at Picassos terrace (Picassos Veranda). This bistro has developed to a real meeting point for the neighbours around the Picasso statue. This Friday evening Petra organised a great music quiz to light up the October evening darkness. Thanks, the team at the terrace for having open every day and adding weekend brunches, Octoberfest and other happenings to this. Keep on rockin’ - we’ll be back soon. Click on the picture to get an impression.

Drive direct to Sweden in 20 hours

24. August 2022

Drive direct to Sweden in 20 hours

With all puppies happily installed in their new homes, we took our dogs and drove all the way to Sweden without ferries. It was an easy and beautiful 1900 km drive taking 20 hours all in all. We left in the afternoon and got a nice sundown between Frankfurt and Hannover. We passed northern Germany and Denmark during the night and enjoyed a wonderful sunrise in Sweden just after the Öresund bridge. During the last part we had a nice deviation on very small roads along Göta canal until we reached our target, Kristinehamn and Tallevika. Couldn’t resist to make another short movie. Click on the picture.

Inline skating to Kristinehamn city

19. July 2022 (evening)

Inline skating to Kristinehamn city

With in-line skates and bikes we set off on an 8 km route along the water to the center of Kristinehamn. At the music restaurant Mastmagasinet we stop to enjoy a drink in the evening sun. Old Kristinehamn with its cobblestone streets isn't made for in-line skating, but the boardwalks along the Värnan stream are perfect for skating. If you fall, you just land in the water. On the way back we pass the city's guest harbor, the sports arena and the main harbor for small boats in Vålösund. Finally, after 15 km we reach the Picasso Park and then we are almost at Tallevika. Click on the picture.

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