Sweden has hundreds of guest harbors, and they don’t all work the same way. Mooring style, payment and opening season vary from one harbor to the next. What doesn’t vary is the toilet-waste ban, and two things about it changed in 2023 that older guides still get wrong.
When you need this
You’re sailing or motorboating along the Swedish coast or lakes, maybe on a charter or a rented boat, and planning to stay overnight in harbors. Or you’ve arrived somewhere with nobody on duty and no obvious way to pay. Or your holding tank is full.
What a gästhamn is
A gästhamn (guest harbor) is a harbor, or the visitor section of one, that rents berths to passing boats by the night. The harbor association describes it as a place to stay with services for most needs.
Most are run by municipalities, private operators or boat clubs. The industry body is Riksföreningen Gästhamnar Sverige (RGS). In 2019 it covered 420 classified harbors, about four in five of Sweden’s guest harbors. RGS runs the national guide Gästhamnsguiden, which lists just over 400 classified harbors. The printed guide is free in member harbors, and there is a web version too.
Look for the golden anchor on a flag or sign. It marks an RGS member harbor.
One thing to watch out for: a website called “Svenska Gästhamnar” lists harbors, but it is not the harbor association.
It’s a popular way to travel. Guest nights in the guide’s harbors rose from 900,000 in 2001 to 1.7 million a year.
What you get
Service levels range from a full marina to a jetty with a toilet. Here is what a typical municipal harbor lists, compared with a small volunteer-run one:
| Facility | Typical municipal guest harbor | Small association harbor |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | Yes | Usually |
| Showers | Yes | Not always |
| Fresh water, electricity | Yes | Varies |
| Laundry, wifi | Often | Rarely |
| Waste disposal | Yes | Varies |
| Fuel, crane | At some | Rarely |
Always check the individual harbor’s page or its entry in the harbor guide before you rely on a facility.
How mooring works
Mooring alongside isn’t the default everywhere. Swedish guest harbors use four main setups, and one harbor often has more than one:
- Buoy (boj): the stern is tied to a buoy and the bow goes to the jetty.
- Boom (bom, Y-bom): a floating finger or Y-shaped boom holds the boat in its slot.
- Stern anchor (akterankare): you drop your own anchor astern and take the bow to the jetty.
- Alongside (långsides): the boat lies side-on to the jetty.
The one that catches visitors out is the stern anchor. If you moor bow-first without a buoy or boom, you need your own anchor to hold the stern, as the sea rescue society puts it. Inspect the bottom so the anchor holds, and give enough scope. That means about four times the depth on all-chain, six times on long chain plus line, and ten times on short chain plus long line.
Whatever the setup, run the bow and stern lines in different directions from the boat, and have enough fenders out when you lie alongside.
Paying the harbor fee
Fees and payment methods are set by each harbor. There is no national tariff.
What decides how you pay is whether anyone is on duty. Most guest harbors are fully staffed only in high summer. Two municipal harbors on the west coast, for example, staff their office daily in weeks 25–33, roughly mid-June to mid-August. Outside those weeks, and in harbors without staff:
- Online, through the harbor’s own booking or payment page
- At a machine by the harbor office
- By envelope, at small association harbors: cash in an envelope from a box, dropped in a letterbox
Some small harbors offer Swish as the unstaffed alternative to cash. Swish needs a Swedish bank account and Swedish e-ID, so most visitors can’t use it. Carry a card and some cash.
As of late September 2026, most guest harbors are past their staffed season, and some showers and toilets may already be closed for winter.
Toilet waste and pump-out
This is the one hard rule, and it applies to you whatever flag you sail under.
Since 1 April 2015 no leisure boat may discharge toilet waste anywhere in Swedish waters. That includes the sea, lakes and inland waterways. The ban covers boats of any age or size, including foreign boats. The only exemption is K-marked historic boats built before 1965. The binding text is Transportstyrelsen’s regulation TSFS 2010:96, chapter 11. Its only other exceptions are discharges needed to save the vessel or a life, or caused by damage despite reasonable precautions.
Harbors have duties too. Every leisure harbor must let the boats that normally call there leave their toilet waste. Stations must work, have enough capacity and be repaired without delay. Harbors with 25 or more berths must receive toilet waste under TSFS 2023:12, which took effect on 1 May 2023.
Two things changed in 2023, and older guides haven’t caught up:
- The official map is gone. Municipalities took over supervision of harbor waste on 1 May 2023, and Transportstyrelsen’s pump-out map is no longer updated. Use the harbor guide, the harbor’s own page, or the volunteer station map that Håll Sverige Rent’s boating site points to.
- Pump-out may cost money. A harbor may now cover the cost through its fees or charge a direct fee for receiving toilet waste.
At the station, put toilet waste only in the pump, never bilge water, oil or fuel. If a station is broken, report it to the harbor or municipality.
Rubbish and recycling
Harbors with 25 or more berths must also take sorted household-type waste, hazardous waste and oily waste. The easiest approach is to sort on board as you go:
| Waste | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Packaging (plastic, paper, glass, metal) | Harbor sorting points |
| Food waste | Harbor sorting points, where provided |
| Spill oil, glycol, paint, solvents, lead batteries | Hazardous-waste point, or a municipal recycling center |
| Deposit cans and bottles | A supermarket return machine |
Never put hazardous waste in the ordinary bin. The same sorting logic applies ashore; see recycling in Sweden.
Step by step
- Check the harbor before you leave: mooring type, facilities and how to pay.
- Prepare lines, fenders and a stern anchor if the harbor uses bow-to mooring without buoys.
- Find a free guest berth. Where staff are on duty, they may assign one.
- Moor to suit the berth. Hold the stern with the buoy, boom or anchor, and run lines in different directions.
- Pay within the harbor’s rules: office, online, machine or envelope.
- Check what the fee covers. Ask the office or read the harbor page for how to use the facilities.
- Empty the holding tank at a pump-out station, toilet waste only.
- Sort your rubbish ashore and keep hazardous waste separate.
- Report problems before you leave, such as a broken pump-out station.
Practical information
| Item | What to know |
|---|---|
| Berth fee | Set by each harbor; some have lower off-season rates. Not published here |
| Showers, electricity | Listed per harbor; what the fee includes varies |
| Pump-out | May be included in fees or charged directly since 2023 |
| Sorted rubbish | Usually covered by the berth or guest fee |
| Staffed season | Many municipal harbors: about weeks 25–33 daily |
| Harbor guide | Gästhamnsguiden, free in member harbors |
| Toilet-waste ban | All Swedish waters, all leisure boats except K-marked |
FAQ
What is a gästhamn in Sweden?
A gästhamn is a guest harbor, or the visitor section of a harbor, where passing boats rent a berth by the night. Most offer toilets, showers, fresh water, electricity and waste disposal, and many add laundry, wifi or fuel. They are run by municipalities, private operators and boat clubs, and service levels range from full marinas to a simple jetty.
How do you moor in a Swedish guest harbor?
It depends on the harbor. Many use a buoy or boom for the stern with the bow to the jetty, some use berths alongside, and some expect you to drop your own stern anchor. If you moor bow-in without a buoy or boom, you need an anchor as the stern fastening. Check the harbor guide before you arrive.
How do you pay the harbor fee when nobody is there?
Staff are usually on duty daily only in high summer, about mid-June to mid-August at many municipal harbors. Outside that period you pay online, at a machine by the harbor office, or at small association harbors by Swish or cash in an envelope. Swish needs a Swedish bank account, so visitors should carry a card and some cash.
Can I empty my boat toilet into the sea in Sweden?
No. Since 1 April 2015 it has been prohibited to discharge toilet waste from leisure boats anywhere in Swedish waters. That includes the sea, lakes and inland waterways. The ban applies to foreign boats of any age or size; only K-marked historic boats built before 1965 are exempt. Use a pump-out station in a harbor instead.
Where do I find a pump-out station?
Every leisure harbor must let visiting boats leave their toilet waste, and harbors with 25 or more berths must have reception facilities. Transportstyrelsen’s official map is no longer updated since municipalities took over supervision in 2023. Check the harbor guide, the harbor’s own page, or the volunteer map that Håll Sverige Rent’s boating site points to.
Is pump-out free in Swedish harbors?
Not necessarily. Since new rules took effect on 1 May 2023, a harbor may cover the cost through its berth or guest fees or charge a direct fee for receiving toilet waste. Older guides saying pump-out is always free are out of date. Only toilet waste goes in the station, never bilge water, oil or fuel.
What do I do with rubbish and used oil from the boat?
Sort it. Leisure harbors with 25 or more berths must receive sorted household-type waste, hazardous waste and oily waste. Put packaging and food waste in the harbor’s sorting points. Keep spill oil, glycol, paint and lead batteries separate for the hazardous-waste point or a municipal recycling center. Return deposit cans and bottles at a supermarket.
Related guides
- Boating in Sweden: licences, rules at sea, life jackets and alcohol limits before you set out
- Renting a boat in Sweden: what you need to hire a boat for a harbor-hopping trip
- Sailing the Stockholm archipelago: where many guest-harbor nights happen
- Allemansrätten: mooring and anchoring in nature outside harbors
- Recycling in Sweden: the sorting system behind the harbor bins
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Transportstyrelsen, Havs- och vattenmyndigheten, Håll Sverige Rent (Båtmiljö), Riksföreningen Gästhamnar Sverige, Sjöräddningssällskapet, Naturvårdsverket and municipal harbor operators. The full register is in this topic’s source file. No berth prices or pump-out fees are published here, as they vary by harbor and season. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.