The best walks and hikes in Gotska Sandön Nationalpark

The Höga Åsen roundtrip takes you through the wester part of Gotska Sandön National Park. You hike through typical nordic forest, heath, and stunning sanddunes for which the island is known for.

Built in 1894, the original chapel was completely destroyed by fire in 1934, with the nearby oaks still bearing traces of the fire today. After the chapel was rebuilt, a new bell tower was erected at the western end of the chapel and inaugurated in 2000. Among the noteworthy pieces of inventory are a Spanish Madonna from the 18th century, a cross made of oak soaked in sea water, and an organ that was damaged during transport to the island and repaired with unconventional means.

If you want to spend more time on Gotska Sandön, you can pitch your tent at the Gotska Sandön Campground. There are picnic benches and restrooms. You can also rent a tent with bed, pillow and quilt or a cozy cottages.

The beach around the cape of Gotska Sandön is a wonderful place to relax and unwind. If you like, take off your shoes and let the sand flow around your toes while you enjoy the view of the sea.

This beautiful lighthouse was built in 1859 and is still operating up until today! You can take a guided tour and ascent the lighthouse to enjoy a breathtaking view from the balcony. The northern part of the island is clearly visible as well as the sea beyond.

The chapel was built in 1894 and at that time had the bell tower at the eastern end. On January 22, 1934, the chapel was devastated by fire and completely destroyed. The oak trees closest to the chapel still bear traces of the heat of the fire in their bark and branches. The chapel's bell, which survived the fire, was placed in a bell tower on the side of the chapel. Over time, the bell tower deteriorated greatly and had to be demolished in the late 1990s. However, just in time for the chapel's 50th anniversary on August 29, 2000, the new bell tower, which now stands at the western end of the chapel, was completed and consecrated by Bishop Björn Fjärstedt. The chapel's most outstanding inventory is an 18th-century Spanish Madonna, donated by the then governor couple Nylander when it reopened in 1950. The Madonna was recently restored and returned to its place on the altar in connection with the Music Mass on Monday, 20 June 2011. The chapel contains a cross made of sea-soaked oak, salvaged from a wreck in St. Anna on the south side of the island. The object was donated by the island's lighthouse keeper (1938–1968), Gunnar Hörlin, and carved by Arvid Larsson. The cross was dedicated to the chapel in 1977 in the hope that "God's peace may always reign in the chapel of Gotska Sandön". The organ, which the incumbent cantor is allowed to step on, fell so violently during the journey in the bumpy sea to the island that part of the organ and the facade were damaged. The keen eye will notice that the colour of the fabric in the lower part of the facade differs from the upper fabric. Fabric was in short supply on the island, so the overseer who repaired the organ simply took what was available, and in this case it was a mailbag. From the summer of 2016, the pedal organ was supplemented by an electric piano, which was purchased thanks to the fundraising on the initiative of Anders Lagbo. The altar cloth preserved today is made of driftwood from the shores of Sandön and was put up by the summer priests in 2013. Together with the ocean blue tones of the carpet, the altar cloth brings Sandön's shores into the chapel. https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/norragotland/gotska-sandons-kapell