One loop, fourteen nights, every leg measured. Below you’ll find the route day by day, a three-week version, where the service stops are, where fuel and LPG get scarce up north, and the one yellow ferry on the route you have to pay for.
When you need this
- You have a campervan or motorhome (husbil) and two or three weeks of summer in Sweden
- You want more than the south, but not the long run to Lapland
- You’re checking how far apart Siljan, Jämtland and the High Coast really are
- You need to know where LPG, fuel and emptying stops thin out on a northern route
This page puts the motorhome rules on a real map; it doesn’t repeat them. For licence, weight, speed and where you may sleep, start with Sweden by motorhome and motorhome rules.
The route at a glance
| Plan | Nights | Route | Distance (measured) | Pure driving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-week loop | 14 | Malmö – Halmstad – Gothenburg – Karlstad – Siljan – Östersund – High Coast – Gävle – Stockholm – Gränna – Malmö | about 2,500 km | about 34 h |
| Three-week version | 21 | The same loop plus Bohuslän, two nights at Åre and slower days at Siljan, the High Coast and Vättern | about 2,800 km | about 39 h |
We measured every leg with a route planner (OSRM, on OpenStreetMap data). The figures are pure driving at car speeds, with no stops, traffic or ferry queues. That matters for campers: a motorhome registered as a heavy truck is capped at 80 km/h (90 on motorways), and anything towing is capped at 80 km/h. A car-registered motorhome follows the posted limits at any weight. Check which one you have before trusting the times.
The loop has twelve driving days. Three legs run just over 300 km: Mora–Östersund, Docksta–Gävle and Gränna–Malmö.
The two-week loop
Shown anticlockwise from Malmö. From Trelleborg, add 34 km to day 1.
| Day | Leg | Distance | Pure driving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malmö → Helsingborg → Halmstad | 65 + 80 km | about 1 h 50 min |
| 2 | Halmstad → Varberg → Gothenburg | 71 + 75 km | about 1 h 55 min |
| 3 | Gothenburg, camper parked | — | — |
| 4 | Gothenburg → Karlstad | 248 km | about 3 h 40 min |
| 5 | Karlstad → Leksand | 219 km | about 3 h 35 min |
| 6 | Leksand → Rättvik → Mora | 21 + 38 km | under 1 h |
| 7 | Mora → Östersund (E45) | 319 km | about 4 h 50 min |
| 8 | Östersund; Åre optional | 98 km each way | about 1 h 30 min each way |
| 9 | Östersund → Kramfors | 190 km | about 2 h 55 min |
| 10 | High Coast: Kramfors → Docksta (Örnsköldsvik +39 km) | 48 km | about 50 min |
| 11 | Docksta → Gävle (E4) | 321 km | about 4 h 5 min |
| 12 | Gävle → Uppsala → Stockholm | 107 + 70 km | about 2 h 25 min |
| 13 | Stockholm, camper parked | — | — |
| 14 | Stockholm → Gränna | 292 km | about 3 h 30 min |
| 15 | Gränna → Malmö | 328 km | about 3 h 45 min |
Days 1–3: the west coast
The first two days are short hops up the Halland coast to Gothenburg. This is where Sweden’s stopover network is densest, and also where local overnight bans are most common, so pick the night’s spot before you arrive rather than on the kerb. In Gothenburg, stopovers sit on the city’s edge. Leave the camper there for day 3. Gothenburg’s congestion tax isn’t charged in July, at weekends or on public holidays, but on other days the cameras invoice foreign owners too.
Days 4–6: Värmland and Lake Siljan
Day 4 is a real transfer, 248 km to Karlstad, and day 5 another 219 km to Leksand at the south end of Lake Siljan. Then the pace drops. Leksand to Rättvik to Mora is under an hour of driving around the lake. Dalarna has the region in depth.
Days 7–9: the E45 and Jämtland
Mora to Östersund is the longest leg: 319 km, nearly five hours of pure driving on the E45 through sparse inland country. Fill up in Mora. In inland Jämtland the second-nearest fuel station can be a long way off, so don’t pass one with a low tank. Leave early, or split the day with a night on the way.
From Östersund, Åre and the mountains are 98 km west. North of here, reindeer on the road are owned herding animals, not wildlife, and a collision with one must be reported like any accident. See Jämtland in summer and wildlife collisions.
Days 9–11: the High Coast
Östersund to Kramfors is 190 km. The High Coast became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000 because no other place has seen as much land uplift since the last ice age: the highest shoreline is 286 m above today’s sea. Kramfors to Docksta is 48 km. The High Coast Trail is there if you want to walk it.
Day 11 runs 321 km down the E4 to Gävle and crosses the Sundsvall bridge. It is one of Sweden’s three fee bridges: a camera takes the fee, and foreign owners get the invoice through EPASS24. See bridge tolls.
Days 12–15: Uppland, Stockholm and home
Gävle to Stockholm via Uppsala is 177 km. Don’t take a heavy motorhome into central Stockholm. A class 1 environmental zone for heavy vehicles covers most of the inner city, diesel cars and light vans need Euro 6 on Hornsgatan, and congestion tax is charged by camera. Stay on the outskirts and ride in. Then it’s 292 km along Lake Vättern to Gränna and 328 km home to Malmö.
Joining from Gothenburg (Kiel ferry): start at day 3 and drive days 1–2 at the end, back up the coast.
The three-week version
Seven more nights turn the long days into comfortable ones:
- Bohuslän, 2 nights, instead of the direct day 4. Go Gothenburg → Uddevalla (83 km) → Lysekil (60 km by road) → Karlstad (221 km). The free Gullmarsleden ferry crosses the Gullmarsfjord in ten minutes between Finnsbo and Skår. The west coast road trip has the whole coast. This adds about 116 km.
- Åre and the Jämtland mountains, 2 nights. Östersund to Åre and back is 98 km each way.
- One more night each at Siljan, the High Coast and Vättern. Use the last one for Visingsö (see road ferries below).
Where you sleep and empty
A motorhome isn’t covered by allemansrätten, Sweden’s right of public access, and driving onto open ground is illegal. Every night on this route goes on a ställplats (a motorhome stopover), a campsite or legal parking. On municipal streets and roadside land, you can stay 24 hours in a row on weekdays. The rules are in overnight RV parking; here is where each type of stop fits on the route.
| Stop type | What it gives you on this route |
|---|---|
| Ställplats (signed husbilsplats when it takes only vehicles with living space) | Water and emptying usually within walking distance; payment at a machine is common. Many are seasonal, often April to September |
| Municipal emptying station (tömningsstation) | Grey water and cassette emptying, often with drinking water; some are free, one of them on the High Coast |
| Campsite | Showers and laundry; passing non-guests can often empty and fill for a fee |
| Rest area (rastplats) | About 270, all with toilets; breaks only, not overnight; cassettes only where a facility exists, grey water never |
Use an app or directory, not last year’s memory, because sites close, change hands and change rules. In July, arrive by early afternoon. Never empty grey water into nature, a storm drain or a rest-area toilet. That is how local overnight bans start. More in ställplatser and service stations.
Fuel and LPG up north
LPG is the real gap. Swedish exchange bottles fit Swedish regulators only, so a foreign camper relies on a refillable tank or tank bottle filled with motorgas. Energigas Sverige’s list of about 47 filling points (dated August 2023) has none in Karlstad, Mora, Östersund or on the High Coast. Along this loop they are around Gothenburg, the Stockholm–Uppsala area, Falun, Gävle and Sundsvall. Fill before you leave Gothenburg and call ahead, because not every seller can fill foreign cylinders. The adapter and exchange options are in LPG and gas bottles.
Never fill an LPG tank at a fordonsgas pump. Fordonsgas is compressed methane at up to 230 bar, against about 20 bar for an LPG tank, and Sweden has had at least four accidents, one fatal. When you refuel, turn off gas appliances, fridge included.
Fuel: fill whenever you pass a station on the E45 and in inland Jämtland. See fuel stations.
Road ferries
Trafikverket runs about 40 road-ferry routes, the yellow ferries. They’re free, except Ekeröleden and Visingsöleden, and Visingsöleden leaves from Gränna on this loop. It’s a paid 30-minute crossing to Visingsö, and you must book and buy the ticket before driving on, through Jönköping municipality. Many pages say all the yellow ferries are free; this one isn’t.
| Ferry | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Gullmarsleden | Bohuslän, Finnsbo–Skår, 10 min | Free |
| Ammeröleden | Jämtland, across Revsundssjön, 4 min | Free |
| Visingsöleden | Gränna–Visingsö, about 30 min | Paid, booked before boarding |
On board, motorhomes and other heavy vehicles go in the middle lanes and buses have priority. Drive right up to the gate or the vehicle ahead, then switch off the engine, set the handbrake and turn off all lights. Close the gas main valve before you drive on. Summer brings queues, and Trafikverket suggests travelling in the morning. Its app shows departures and can call the ferry. The system is explained in road ferries.
Seasons
- March–May: spring thaw can cap weight on weak roads at 12, 8 or even 4 tonnes. Check Trafikverket’s map before side roads; see motorhome in winter.
- Midsummer Eve (a Friday between 19 and 25 June): most ordinary shops shut, so stock up the day before.
- July (weeks 29–31): Swedish holiday peak. Arrive early at stopovers and expect ferry queues.
- Late August–September: quieter, but some sites cut service and water points start to close. Winter diesel goes on sale in the northern half from about 16 September.
Practical information
| Item | Where it stands (checked 25 September 2026) |
|---|---|
| Loop length (measured) | About 2,500 km, about 34 h of pure driving; three weeks about 2,800 km |
| Trafikverket road ferries | Free, except Ekeröleden and Visingsöleden |
| Visingsöleden | Paid; fares and booking through Jönköping municipality |
| Sundsvall bridge (E4) | By camera, invoiced via EPASS24 — amounts on bridge tolls |
| Congestion tax | Stockholm and Gothenburg by camera; Gothenburg free in July |
| Ställplats night | Free at some, a fee at most, often by machine |
| Emptying | Free at some municipal stations; campsites charge passing non-guests |
| LPG | Few filling points north of Gävle and Falun; prices vary by seller |
FAQ
How far is a two-week camper route around Sweden?
Our measured loop from Malmö via Gothenburg, Lake Siljan, Östersund, the High Coast, Stockholm and Gränna is about 2,500 km, roughly 34 hours of pure driving over twelve driving days. Three legs are just over 300 km. The times are at car speeds, so a truck-registered or towing motorhome, capped at 80 km/h, takes longer.
Where can I empty the toilet cassette on a road trip in Sweden?
At ställplatser, campsites and municipal emptying stations, some of which are free. Campsites often let passing non-guests empty for a fee. Rest-area facilities take loose cassettes only, and grey water may not be emptied at rest areas or into storm drains at all, so plan service stops before the long northern legs.
Can I get LPG for my camper in northern Sweden?
Only in a few places. Energigas Sverige’s list of about 47 filling points, dated 2023, has none in Karlstad, Mora, Östersund or on the High Coast; the nearest are around Falun, Gävle, Ljusdal and Sundsvall. Fill in the Gothenburg or Stockholm area, call ahead, and never use a fordonsgas pump, which sells compressed methane.
Are Sweden’s yellow road ferries free for motorhomes?
Almost all. Trafikverket’s road ferries are free except Ekeröleden and Visingsöleden. Visingsöleden, from Gränna on this route, is paid and must be booked before you drive on. Motorhomes load in the middle lanes. Close the gas main valve before boarding, and expect summer queues; Trafikverket suggests travelling in the morning.
Is two weeks enough for Jämtland and the High Coast by camper?
Yes, if you accept three days of 300-plus kilometres. The loop reaches Östersund on day 7 and the High Coast on day 10. Three weeks adds Bohuslän, two nights at Åre and slower days at Siljan, the High Coast and Vättern, for about 2,800 km in total. Fill fuel whenever you pass a station in inland Jämtland.
When is the best time for a camper trip in Sweden?
June to August, with the main season for seasonal ställplatser running from about April to September. July is the Swedish holiday peak, so arrive early at stopovers. Late August and September are quieter, but some sites cut service. In spring, thaw weight caps can close weak side roads to heavy motorhomes.
Related guides
- Sweden by motorhome — the licence, speed and overnight rules this route assumes
- LPG and gas bottles — adapters and exchange before you head north
- Motorhome service stations — emptying and water in depth
- West coast road trip — the Bohuslän days of the three-week version
- Germany to Sweden by car — a southern loop if two weeks up north is too much
Facts verified 25 September 2026. Sources: Trafikverket, Transportstyrelsen, Sveriges Riksdag, Naturvårdsverket, Polismyndigheten, Länsstyrelsen Västernorrland, Stockholms stad, Räddningstjänsten Jämtland and Energigas Sverige; distances measured with OSRM — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.