Sydkoster and Nordkoster sit off Strömstad at the northern end of Bohuslän, ringed by a marine national park. This page covers the boat, what stays on the mainland, the two sets of rules that apply, and what’s open outside summer.
When you need this
- You’re deciding whether the Koster Islands are worth a day or a night from Strömstad
- You want to know whether you can bring the car, a bike or the dog
- You want to camp, kayak or anchor and need the actual rules
- You want naturum’s opening hours or are going outside summer
- You need step-free access information for the boats and naturum
Getting there: the Koster boats from Strömstad
The Kosteröarna are two main islands about ten kilometres off Strömstad, at the northern end of Bohuslän. The way over is Västtrafik’s Kosterbåtarna, line 899, which run from Strömstad all year. The national park gives the trip as about 45 minutes; the municipality says 30–60.
You pay in one of three ways:
- a ticket in the Västtrafik To Go app
- a ticket from the deckhand on board
- account top-up paid on board
Västtrafik’s travel planner shows the price for your journey. Koster has its own fare range today, and from January 2027 the islands move into Västtrafik’s zone C. Check the planner rather than an older price you’ve seen quoted.
Driving up from Gothenburg? The E6 leg and the rest of the coast are in our west coast road trip.
Getting around: leave the car in Strömstad
The Koster boats are passenger boats. Visitors don’t bring cars, and the islanders get about on foot, by bike and on flakmoped (flatbed mopeds). Even motor vehicles on the islands may need a permit under the local traffic ordinance.
If you’re staying several days, Strömstad municipality points you to its car parks:
| Stay | Nearest municipal car park to the boats |
|---|---|
| Up to 24 hours | Skeppsbroplatsen (Södra Hamngatan) |
| Up to 7 days | Canning (Västra Hamngatan) |
| Longer | Long-stay car parks, about 20 minutes’ walk from the centre |
From 15 June to 15 August a free municipal parking bus runs between the long-stay car parks and the centre.
Bikes go on the Koster boats if there’s room. Unlike Västtrafik’s other boats, the Koster boats charge a bike fee, which you pay to the deckhand. How bikes work on the rest of Västtrafik is in bikes on trains and buses. A linfärja (cable ferry) links Sydkoster and Nordkoster in a couple of minutes and runs around the clock. On the islands you may cycle only on the designated roads.
About 300 people live on the islands year-round, 240 of them on Sydkoster, which is green with woodland, farmland, rocks and sandy beaches. Nordkoster is barer and wilder; from the hill Högen you can see Norway on a clear day. The islands’ lime-rich, sandy soils hold more than 600 species of vascular plants, including orchids and martorn (sea holly, the “Koster thistle”).
Two layers of rules: nature reserve and national park
This is where visitors trip up. Two protected areas meet here, both managed by Länsstyrelsen Västra Götaland (the county board):
| Layer | What it covers | Its rules come from |
|---|---|---|
| Kosteröarnas naturreservat | The islands’ land and nearby water | County board decision, amended 3 April 2023 |
| Kosterhavets nationalpark | The sea and skerries around them | Naturvårdsverket’s regulation NFS 2024:4 |
The national park was formed in 2009 as Sweden’s first marine national park. It’s one of the country’s 31 (see Swedish national parks) and covers nearly 400 km², mostly sea, in Strömstad and Tanum municipalities. The nature reserve on the islands dates from 2010. Both sets of rules are binding föreskrifter (regulations), and they overlap on the things visitors most often get wrong:
| Can I… | On the islands (reserve) | In the park (sea and skerries) |
|---|---|---|
| Walk the dog? | Leashed only | Leashed only |
| Fly a drone? | No take-off or landing | No take-off or landing, drones named |
| Light a fire? | Only at prepared fireplaces; no disposable barbecues; own barbecue or stove allowed | Only at designated sites |
| Cycle? | Only on designated roads | Only on roads |
| Build a cairn? | No moving or stacking stones | No moving or stacking stones |
| Pick oysters? | — | No |
The fire rules are the ones that changed most recently. Since 2023 the reserve allows a barbecue or a gas or spirit stove you bring, but bans disposable barbecues outside the prepared fireplaces. The county board’s reason is that they’re set on rock slabs, which risk cracking. When the county board or municipality issues a fire ban, no fire is allowed anywhere in the national park. The general fire rules are in campfire rules, drone rules in drone rules in Sweden, and the national leash rule in dogs in nature.
Camping and staying overnight
Allemansrätten (the right of public access) doesn’t cover a tent on the islands. The reserve’s rules ban overnighting on land of any kind, in a tent, hammock or otherwise, except at a designated commercial tent site. Today that means one tent site, on Nordkoster, which you must book in advance. The 2023 decision also names a planned second site on Sydkoster. Why the general right doesn’t reach protected areas is in wild camping in Sweden.
Out in the national park the default is looser. You may overnight for at most two days in a row in one place, on land or at anchor, with two exceptions:
- Sydkoster and Nordkoster themselves: tent site only, as above.
- Tenholmarna, Burholmen, Bockholmen and Store Bror: no tent up between 10:00 and 18:00 from 1 July to 15 August.
The county board also rents out four houses on Ursholmen, in the park, with 4–6 beds each. The neighbouring reserves have their own rules; in Saltö and Västra Rossö, for example, you may stay on a boat for up to two days in one place.
By boat or kayak
Most of the rules at sea are about anchoring, beaches and wildlife:
- Anchoring: moor or anchor at most two days in a row in one place, and never in the marked bottom-protection zones.
- Sandy beaches, 15 May – 31 August: don’t haul up or moor boats on them, and don’t anchor within 50 m. Canoes and kayaks may be pulled up if they don’t block the beach.
- Sanctuaries: keep 100 m from bird sanctuaries 1 March – 31 August and seal sanctuaries 15 May – 15 July.
- Speed and engines: a five-knot limit applies in parts of the park from 15 May to 31 August. Jet skis are banned in one zone, and idling engines and motor-driven chargers everywhere.
General boating rules are in boating in Sweden.
Fishing. All fishing is banned in ten small areas of the Koster and Väderö fjords, introduced in October 2021 to protect bottom life such as deep-sea corals. Lobster season opened on 21 September 2026 at 07:00 and runs to 30 November, but only Swedish citizens and permanent residents may fish lobster. Foreign citizens may fish only with hand tackle. More in fishing rules in Sweden.
Naturum Kosterhavet at Ekenäs
The national park’s main entrance is naturum Kosterhavet (a naturum is a staffed nature visitor centre), at Ekenäs pier on Sydkoster. It has exhibitions, films, a touch aquarium, guided walks and talks. Entry and all activities are free.
Its 2026 hours, as the park lists them:
| Period (2026) | Hours |
|---|---|
| 23 February – 26 April | Thu–Fri 10–17, Sat 9:30–17, Sun 11–17 |
| 27 April – 12 May | Mon–Fri 10–17, Sat 9:30–17, Sun 11–17 (closed 7 May) |
| 13 May – 25 June | Mon–Sat 9:30–17, Sun 11:15–17 (closed Midsummer Eve, 19 June) |
| 26 June – 2 August | Daily 10–19 |
| 3 – 16 August | Mon–Sat 9:30–19, Sun 11:15–19 |
| 17 – 30 August | Mon–Sat 9:30–17, Sun 11:15–17 |
| 31 August – 27 September | Mon–Fri 10–17, Sat 9:30–17, Sun 11–17 |
| 28 September – 4 October | Mon–Fri 9:30–17, Sat–Sun 11–17 |
| 5 – 25 October | Thu–Fri 9:30–17, Sat–Sun 11–17 |
| 26 October – 1 November (autumn half-term) | Mon–Fri 9:30–17, Sat–Sun 11–17 |
No hours are listed after 1 November. The boats and the cable ferry keep running all winter, but unless new hours are posted, plan a November visit without naturum.
Access
The Koster boats are adapted for passengers with reduced mobility. From Ekenäs pier it’s 200 m on an asphalt road to naturum, which is wheelchair-accessible and has two wheelchair places in its auditorium. Audio guides include Swedish, English and German, and exhibition texts are in simple Swedish and English. The park’s other entrances, at Strömstad, Saltö, Resö and Rossö, can all be reached by car; only naturum needs the boat.
Seasons
- Spring: eiders gather in bays and sounds, and wood anemones flower; bird-sanctuary distances apply from 1 March.
- Summer: swimming and snorkelling; naturum’s longest hours; beach mooring limits and the five-knot zone; the free parking bus in Strömstad.
- Autumn: kayaking in still-warm water, with a chance of porpoises; lobster season for residents.
- Winter: white-tailed eagles and storm-driven seabirds. The boats run, naturum’s listed hours have ended.
For the season across the country, see Sweden in summer.
Practical information
| Item | What to know (checked 25 September 2026) |
|---|---|
| Koster boats (line 899) | From Strömstad, year-round, about 45 minutes; price per journey in Västtrafik’s planner; zone C from January 2027 |
| Tickets | Västtrafik To Go app, the deckhand on board, or account top-up on board |
| Bike on the boat | If there’s room; fee paid to the deckhand |
| Naturum Kosterhavet | Free entry and activities; 2026 hours in the table above |
| Nordkoster tent site | Only tent site on the islands; book in advance |
| Parking in Strömstad | Municipal car parks; free parking bus 15 June – 15 August |
FAQ
How do I get to the Koster Islands?
Take Västtrafik’s Koster boats, line 899, from Strömstad. They run all year and the crossing takes about 45 minutes. Buy a ticket in the Västtrafik To Go app, from the deckhand on board, or pay by account top-up on board; the travel planner shows your fare. A cable ferry links Sydkoster and Nordkoster around the clock, crossing in a couple of minutes.
Can I take my car to Koster?
In practice, no. The Koster boats are Västtrafik passenger boats that carry bikes if there is room, and the islands are walked, cycled or driven by flatbed moped. Strömstad municipality points visitors staying several days to its car parks: Skeppsbroplatsen is the nearest 24-hour one, Canning the nearest seven-day one, with long-stay parks further out.
Can I camp on the Koster Islands?
Only at the designated tent site on Nordkoster, which must be booked in advance. The islands are a nature reserve whose 2023 rules ban overnighting on land in a tent, hammock or any other way outside designated commercial sites. In the surrounding national park you may overnight for two days in one place, except on Nordkoster and Sydkoster and on four islets in summer daytime.
Can I bring my dog to Koster?
Yes, on a leash. Unleashed dogs are banned on the islands, which are a nature reserve, and in Kosterhavet National Park around them, all year. The national rule that dogs must be kept from running loose where there is wildlife applies from 1 March to 20 August.
When is naturum Kosterhavet open?
Naturum at Ekenäs pier on Sydkoster opened for 2026 on 23 February. Summer hours were daily 10:00–19:00 from 26 June to 2 August; from 31 August to 27 September it opens 10:00–17:00 on weekdays. The listed 2026 hours end with the half-term week, 26 October to 1 November. Entry and all activities are free.
Can I fly a drone on the Koster Islands?
No. Kosteröarnas nature reserve bans taking off or landing with any aircraft on the islands, and the Kosterhavet National Park regulation bans taking off or landing with manned or unmanned aircraft, drones included, across the park. That covers the islands, the sea and the skerries around them. Leave the drone at home or fly it outside the protected areas.
Can I anchor or kayak in Kosterhavet?
Yes, with limits. You may anchor or moor for at most two days in a row in one place, and not in bottom-protection zones. From 15 May to 31 August keep boats off the marked sandy beaches and anchor no closer than 50 metres; kayaks may be pulled up if they do not block the beach. Keep 100 metres from bird and seal sanctuaries in season.
Related guides
- Bohuslän and the West Coast: the region around Koster, from Marstrand to Strömstad
- West coast road trip: the drive to Strömstad, leg by leg
- Swedish national parks: Kosterhavet among the country’s 31 parks
- Öland, the Stockholm archipelago and Ven: other Swedish island trips
- Drone rules in Sweden: why a protected area can ground your drone
Facts verified 25 September 2026. Sources: Länsstyrelsen Västra Götaland, Naturvårdsverket (Sweden’s National Parks, NFS 2024:4), Västtrafik, Strömstads kommun, Havs- och vattenmyndigheten and Sveriges Riksdag. Full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.