Karlskrona Ferry

Karlskrona Ferry Port

There is no other city in Sweden with a character quite as distinctive as Karlskrona. Not only is it home to the nation’s one remaining naval base, it is also known to be the only Baroque style city in Sweden. Even its location is unique. The entirety of Karlskrona is strewn across the 30 islands of the Blekinge archipelago, a region shaped by a clutter of landmasses that pepper Sweden’s shattered southern shoreline.

The city was founded as a military port in 1680 by King Karl XI, the name Karlskrona (meaning Karl’s Crown) preserving his legacy as one of the nation’s greatest ever monarchs. Since then the city has flourished, thanks largely to its symbiotic relationship with the harbour that bustles with trade from across the Baltic Sea. Nowadays Karlskrona is home to a spirited community who are passionately proud of their city’s architectural individuality and coastal culture; both qualities flaunted during Lövmarknaden (The Leaf Fair) that, every year on the day before midsummer’s eve, attracts thousands of visitors to the city squares.

The port of Karlskrona is in the district of Toras found on an island to the east. It is a large facility formed of shipyards and warehouses that completely covers the south-western point of the roughly star-shaped landmass. The ferry terminal is located at the heart of the port. It is a modern building with a bright and airy interior spread over two floors. Amenities here include a check-in office bolstered by self-service ticket machines, customer toilets, vending machines selling both food and drink, a children’s play area, and a departure hall with plenty of seating. There is even a disco-ball (a vital addition to any 21st Century port), hanging from the ceiling.

Due to Karlskrona’s reputation as an important transit hub in the south of Sweden, the port is supported by a range of transport links. The extensive Österleden highway, which snakes north along the border of the Kalmar and Kronoberg counties, cuts through the city centre and terminates outside the local train station. Though this station is over 6-miles away from the ferry terminal, it serves as one of the major routes into the city; trains here chugging back and forth to destinations including Stockholm and Malmo and even the cosmopolitan capital of Copenhagen across the Danish frontier. Those looking to travel more locally can make use of the city’s well-oiled network of buses that run downtown and to the towns on the outskirts.

A single ferry route currently operates from the port in Karlskrona a number of times throughout the week. A service hosted by Stena Line sails south across a channel of the Baltic sea to the Polish port city of Gdynia on the opposite coast.