HÃ¥bo: Nature, Hiking and Culture

In Håbo, you can paddle on Lake Mälaren by canoe or kayak. Recommended launch points for paddling include Biskops-Arnö, Kalmarsand in Bålsta, Ekillabadet north of Bålsta and Skokloster slott.

Hiking

Biskops-Arnö has four signposted hiking loops ranging from 2 to 5 kilometres in length. The trails there pass through forest, parkland and meadows, and past fields. A Gothic hall from the period when a bishop’s castle was built in the 14th century has also been preserved.

Blå stigen Bålstaåsen is a 2.8-kilometre circular trail through the hilly forest near Bålsta railway station, which is well suited to walking. The Håbo section of the Upplandsleden is approximately 20 kilometres long and marked in orange. An approximately 5-kilometre section of the Upplandsleden from Bålsta to the Ekilla nature reserve offers a return journey on UL buses 803, 895 or 311 from Yttergrans kyrka to Bålsta.

Nature

Sandhagen is an old forest near the coast. Most of the trees are approximately 100 to 150 years old, while some were already standing there at the beginning of the 18th century. There are no prepared footpaths in the Sandhagen nature reserve. Visitors may roam freely through the forest and should disturb plants and animals as little as possible.

Hjälstaviken is suitable for seasonal birdwatching: thousands of migratory birds stop there in spring and autumn, while eagles and other birds can be observed in winter. At Hjälstaviken, a paved path approximately one kilometre long leads from the car park in Hårby to the birdwatching tower and is suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

Cycling

The short cycling tour Cykla på Skohalvön is 15 kilometres long and follows gravel roads through forest and farmland. The long cycling tour Cykla på Skohalvön is just under 24 kilometres long and follows an old country road through the cultivated landscape. A regional cycling route is 80 kilometres long and passes through the municipalities of Enköping and Håbo.

Culture

Skokloster slott is a museum with preserved interiors and collections of weapons, tools, books, furniture, textiles, art and handicrafts from the period 1550 to 1850. Skokloster slott is open seasonally and offers bookable guided tours for groups throughout the year.

The park at Skokloster slott has avenues of lime trees, some of which are as old as the castle itself. The park also includes a historic apple orchard with its own apple varieties. Skokloster’s medieval church was built in the 13th century and belonged to a Cistercian nunnery until the 16th century.

Varpsundsstenen commemorates men who died during Ingvar’s far-travelled Viking expedition. Skörby gravfält is an Iron Age burial ground with approximately 50 archaeological features, including five mounds and more than 40 round and rectangular stone settings. Sånka soldattorp is a museum in one of Skokloster’s oldest cottages; the building was constructed sometime in the second half of the 18th century.

Ã…bergs Museum can be reached from Stockholm Central Station by commuter train to BÃ¥lsta in approximately 40 minutes; from there, it is 1.5 kilometres on foot. It displays comic-inspired art and original comic drawings. The museum includes the three-storey Trazankoja with a slide, suspension bridge and Hemliga Arnes Laboratorium. Ã…bergs Museum also displays props, photographs and costumes from the films about Stig-Helmer.

The historic Parkleken Paradiset on the south side of Skokloster slott is accessible year-round. It offers history-themed play elements such as a pavilion, a horse-drawn tram, a balance course with tool motifs and raised planting boxes. Skokloster Kafferosteri & Café near Skokloster slott serves coffee from its own roastery, cakes, smørrebrød and simple lunch dishes.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Enköping, Älvkarleby, Tierp, Östhammar, Heby.

To the overview of the higher-level destination: Uppsala.