Stockholm is one of the greenest capital in Europe. And, on top of this, there are a lot of possibilities to get out of the city and reconnect with nature. As we are trying to explore more of our surroundings, we are making an effort to explore some of the nicest parks and reserves around Stockholm. On last Sunday’s article, I took you on an adventure with us in Björnö. For this article, I want to show you that, hiking in Stockholm is possible. Here is all about the beautiful hike in the national park of Tyresta!
How to get to the national park?
Tyresta National Park is located about 25 km south of central Stockholm. It is easily reachable with public transport in less than one hour, and honestly, not much planning is required to get there. From the city center, you need to use the commuter train (43), all the way until the station ‘Handen’, and then hop on the bus 834 till the end of the line, station ‘Tyresta by’. The bus stop is at some 7-8 min walk from the train station.
The best part about it is that you can get there “for free” with your SL card. Saying it is free is quite fun as you still need to pay for your card, but if you have a monthly or weekly pass, you can also use it for such an opportunity.
Tyresta National Park
The Tyresta National Park is a really big one, and when you arrive there by bus, or in your car, you can go to the reception which also has a small museum. This building is built based on the shape of the country. It is very fun! There, I recommend you buy the map (30:- sek) which is very well done and helpful. The path is detailed and you get to choose where to go based on how much you want to walk or the place you want to reach. The guides there can help you to find the best path for you as well.
Our hike
We planned to spend the whole day there, and so we were ready to walk quite a lot. Our initial plan was to get the last bus back, at 16.30. The guide informed us that we could go to the lakes, and walk around one before reaching the next one. Overall, it would be a 14 km hike.
When starting the hike we thought we would have plenty of time to go through the path and all the way till the end. In fact, the path is quite easy at the beginning and also made to be accessible for all. Note that we are both used to walk and we also enjoy it a lot. But at some point, the path became harder to walk on and a little more “climbing” was needed. Either due to rocks, roots, or just trees that fell on the path. This was challenging (a bit), but mostly fun.
So, after a little while, we thought we need to have a faster pace in order to make it back on time for the bus. When we are on a hike or in nature in general, we try not to keep our phone with us just to disconnect and so both of our phones were in the backpacks. Basically, we had no idea how far on the trail we were. We stopped a couple of times, to have some snacks and later on for a picnic.
Of course, there are plenty of trails and hikes possible. But I can surely recommend the one we did ‘Tyresta by – Ärsjön – Stensjön – Tyresta by’. For this one, and at a good pace, we started around 11.00 and finished around 15.30 – including breaks.
Facilities & Eating
When we were about to reach the first lake – Ärsjön, we saw some signs to get to the camping area. It was really interesting as we were not expecting that! Everything was made for you to have a nice sleeping and resting area within the park. This includes space for tents between the trees, some shelters, a toilet, and barbecue areas. Due to the surrounding forest, grilling everywhere is not permitted and so there are dedicated areas for such. In these areas, you can even find chopped woods. Perfect isn’t it?!
While we stopped there for a little while, we continued to have a picnic break near the second lake – Stensjön. There, we only walked along for a short period but did not see any similar area. There is probably more as the map shows a number of camping and grilling areas available. You might need to explore it yourself!! For your information, there are no stores or possibilities to buy food on-site and so you should plan ahead. However, you will have the possibility to refill your bottle of water for free.
Why you should go there
There are a million reasons for me to tell you to get there! First, because it is a beautiful place. There are many things to see and a lot of landscapes to explore. Second, you should go because you will surely reconnect with nature. While being there, we really lost control and perception of time and honestly, it felt good! You don’t hear any “city” noises, the air is pure and the scenery makes you feel you are on another planet sometimes. Lastly, you should go to Tyresta, because it is accessible. It does not take much effort to go there and it is absolutely worth it. If you don’t want to be rushed on a day trip, just take a tent and enjoy an overnight stay!
⇒ I hope you enjoyed this little adventure! Of course, we are always looking for great outdoor activities and places to hike. If you have any ideas, please let me know in the comments!
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