Älta – Lakes, Nature Reserves and Culture

Älta combines lakes and nature reserves with cultural and leisure activities. If you’re looking for a hotel in Älta, you can start by considering whether you’d like to spend most of your time by the water, on walking and hiking trails, or enjoying culture and sports. The different places and activities offer practical pointers for planning your trip.

Ältasjön and the swimming spots

Ältasjön is a popular swimming lake and also a lake for fishing. It is also interesting for birdwatching: numerous bird species breed here, and migratory birds stop over during migration season. A canoe route runs from Dammtorpsjön through Ältasjön and on via Drevviken to the sea. This means that both wildlife watching by the lake and a route on the water are possible themes for planning your trip.

Älta has six municipal swimming areas. Ältabadet is a gently sloping, accessible beach with a permanent ramp and sandy shore. Take buses 401, 821 or 840 to Älta Gård; from there, it’s about a 400-metre walk. Strålsjöbadet is a developed, popular swimming area in the northern part of Strålsjön. These two named spots provide distinct, practical reference points for a stay by the water.

Nature reserves and landscape

The western part of Ältasjön and its surroundings belong to Flaten Nature Reserve. Thanks to its varied vegetation, Nackareservatet has the highest biological diversity of all the nature reserves in Nacka. Älta mosse-Strålsjön Nature Reserve contains a bog, a lake, deciduous swamp forest, deciduous forest, spruce forest and a stately pine forest on rocky ground. The nature reserve also has walking trails.

Walking and hiking trails

The Sörmlandsleden trail passes through Nackareservatet, through the forests south of Söderbysjön and through the area around Ulvsjön. On the eastern side of Strålsjön, the trail passes Strålsjön-Erstavik Nature Reserve. Settlement sites from the Stone Age lie along the ridge of a sandy and gravelly glacial esker. The route thus connects several named landscapes with a tangible cultural and historical connection.

Culture in Älta

The cultural history walk in Älta shares information about Älta gård, the crofts in Älta, glacial potholes and Gula Faran. The Älta art promenade offers a different perspective and invites visitors to experience art. In Älta kyrka, a bay window with a stained-glass work by Lars Abrahamsson is located behind the altar. The history of the landscape is also tangible: peat was extracted at Älta mosse and dried near Torps Lovisedal.

Kulturhuset Älta offers courses for children, young people and adults. Various activities are organised there by non-profit associations, private individuals and professional operators. Reception is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 19:00 and Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00; it is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Sport and exercise

Ältadalen activity park has large lawns for play and sports activities, as well as a multi-use court for football and floorball. Älta idrottsplats has a parkour area and a motor skills course. Älta IP has one football pitch for eleven-a-side games and one for seven-a-side games.

The outdoor fitness facilities also differ in what they offer: Hedvigslund outdoor gym is located in a park setting. The outdoor gym at Älta IP is a fitness trail made of wooden logs, with fixed weights and an obstacle course on a sports field. Together with the trails and swimming spots, these places offer different options for planning your day. You can use your preferred pace for your stay as a starting point when searching for a hotel in Älta.

Discover more destinations: Nacka, Saltsjöbaden.

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