StockholmsUtflykter

Erstavik

Erstavik is a private estate with 2,100 hectares of land in Nacka, open for outdoor recreation under the Right of Public Access (allemansrätten). Erstavik as a whole is not a nature reserve, but at the lake Strålsjön there are nature reserves that lie partly within the Erstavik area, among them the Strålsjön-Erstavik nature reserve.

You get there on the Saltsjöbanan railway from several stations, among them Fisksätra, Erstaviksbadet and Solsidan, on bus 401 or 801 to the nature reserve at Strålsjön, or on foot from Hellasgården. Erstaviksbadet beach is about a 1.3 km walk from Erstaviksbadet station.

This page covers how to get there, what there is at the two beaches, which trails run through the area and the rules for tents, dogs and bikes. Travel times and departures are in SL's journey planner.

Checked against the sources in October 2026See the sources ↓

Erstavik manor house, a pale stone building with a black roof, behind an open paddock with a gazebo and bare trees on a sunny spring day

How to get to Erstavik

Erstavik is large and has many entrances. Nacka Municipality advises you to bring a map; the municipality has maps of Erstavik to print, and on naturkartan.se you can see the entrances, which have signs with a map. The roads in Erstavik are private and not open to cars, motorcycles or mopeds without the landowner's permission.

Train, bus, on foot and car

  • Saltsjöbanan

    From the stations Storängen, Saltsjö-Duvnäs, Östervik, Fisksätra, Tattby, Erstaviksbadet and Solsidan you can walk out into Erstavik.

  • Bus to Strålsjön

    Bus 401 from Slussen to the Ormbunksvägen stop, or bus 801 from Gullmarsplan to the Bäckalidsvägen stop, near Strålsjön.

  • From Hellasgården or Älta

    From Hellasgården in Nackareservatet and from Lovisedal in Älta you are quickly out in the Erstavik countryside.

  • Car

    To Strålsjön: drive via Ältavägen and turn off at Erstaviksvägen – the car park is about a kilometre after the turn. To Erstaviksbadet: parking on Erstaviksbadets väg, 1.2 km from the beach.

Erstaviksbadet beach

Erstaviksbadet is a seaside swimming area on the northern shore of the bay Erstaviken, just west of Solsidan in Saltsjöbaden. It is run by Nacka Municipality and is an EU bathing site, which means the water is tested more often in the swimming season than at the municipality's other swimming areas.

The sandy beach is a hundred metres long and shallow, with fine sand out to a depth of two metres and then a stony natural bottom. On both sides there are rocks to swim from, and behind the beach large lawns up towards the forest. There is a toilet from week 22 to week 35, and in good weather a café is open. Dogs are not allowed at the swimming area.

During long periods of calm weather there can be algal blooms – current test results are on the website of the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (Havs- och vattenmyndigheten).

A large lawn sloping down to the sandy beach at Erstaviksbadet, with Erstaviken and forested shores behind, framed by pine branches

Getting to Erstaviksbadet

  • Saltsjöbanan To Erstaviksbadet station, then about a 1.3 km walk. From Solsidan, follow the footpath and cycle path that starts where Erstaviks kvarnväg ends.

  • Parking On Erstaviksbadets väg, 1.2 km from the beach.

Strålsjöbadet and the Strålsjön-Erstavik nature reserve

The Strålsjön-Erstavik nature reserve lies on Erstavik's land, towards Älta. An esker runs through the reserve, and around Strålsjön there is open forest of tall, straight pines and pines on bare rock. The area is used for swimming, skiing and skating, walks and picking mushrooms and berries, and some paths continue into the neighbouring Älta mosse-Strålsjön nature reserve.

Strålsjöbadet is on the northern shore of the lake: a sandy beach surrounded by pine forest, with jetties and a bathing raft. There is a toilet from week 22 to week 35. According to Nacka Municipality and the County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen), the beach is not suitable for small children because visibility in the water is poor. Dogs are not allowed at the swimming area.

Getting to Strålsjöbadet

  • Bus 401 To the Klisätravägen stop. Then walk about 750 metres through the residential area to Gransångarvägen, where a forest path leads to the beach.

  • Parking Just after the three-way junction Strålsjövägen/Åsvägen/Erstaviksvägen, on the right if you are coming from Älta centrum. From there it is a short walk.

A sandy beach with jetties and a lifebuoy at Strålsjön, between two birches in autumn colours, with forest on the other side of the lake

Hiking in Erstavik

The first stages of Sörmlandsleden run through Erstavik, as do the Green, Blue and White Trails (Gröna, Blå och Vita spåret), which Nacka Municipality maintains. The Blue Trail turned a hundred in 2017. Along the trails and the old small roads there are, in some places, signs about the history and nature.

In the western parts you may come across trails around Hellasgården that the City of Stockholm maintains – it is worth bringing the trail map for Nackareservatet too. How long a hike takes depends on your pace.

Trails with a known length

  1. Sörmlandsleden stage 1: Björkhagen – Skogshyddan

    8.5 km

    From Björkhagen metro station through Nackareservatet and the Strålsjön-Erstavik nature reserve, past Strålsjöbadet. From Skogshyddan it is about a 15-minute walk along Erstaviksvägen to the Bäckalidsvägen bus stop.

  2. The Blue Trail: Hellasgården – Solsidan

    approx. 10 km

    One of Sweden's oldest hiking trails, with almost the same route since the 1920s, to Solsidan on northern Erstaviken.

Signpost to Saltsjö-Duvnäs, Erstaviksbadet, Fisksätra, Solsidan, Hellasgården and Älta by a gravel road lined with birches through open land in Erstavik
A signpost on one of the trails
A wide gravel trail through pine forest in the eastern part of the Strålsjön-Erstavik nature reserve on a sunny autumn day
A trail through the pine forest in Strålsjön-Erstavik

Can you camp in Erstavik?

Camping in a tent is not allowed in the Strålsjön-Erstavik nature reserve. The reserve's rules also say that dogs must be on a lead, that you may only light a fire in a barbecue you bring or at a designated spot, and that you may not cycle off constructed paths and roads.

On Erstavik's land the basic principles of the Right of Public Access apply: you must not cause significant damage or inconvenience to the landowner or to those who rent houses and lease land. In the nature reserves, each reserve's regulations apply as well. Organised activities, such as orienteering and dog training, require the landowner's permission. If you want to arrange outings for larger groups away from the main trails and beaches, contact the estate office first.

Faded meadow and a fence running down to Erstaviken, with the corner of a red outbuilding in the foreground on a clear spring day

Keep this in mind throughout Erstavik

  • Dogs Always keep full control of your dog. Dogs may not be on fields or pasture or at Erstaviksbadet and Strålsjöbadet. Between 1 March and 20 August the law requires you to keep an especially close watch on your dog in the countryside.

  • Bikes Only cycle on roads and on marked trails where the ground is not damaged – not in the forest off the trails or on farmland. In the Strålsjön-Erstavik nature reserve you may only cycle on constructed paths and roads. Take it easy when you meet riders.

  • Fields and paddocks You may only walk on farmland in winter, when the ground is frozen. Avoid paddocks with grazing animals unless you are on a trail with gates through the paddock.

  • Farms and crofts Erstavik is a home and a workplace. Do not go onto private residential plots or workplaces – the old crofts are lived in – and give way to tractors and timber lorries.

  • Litter Take all your litter out of Erstavik with you. At the two beaches there are bins in summer.

Frequently asked questions

1 question

01

Who owns Erstavik?

Since 1763 Erstavik has been an entailed estate (fideikommiss) within the af Petersens family, and the estate office manages the land. Besides the 2,100 hectares in Nacka, some fifteen islands in Tyresö belong to the estate. Nacka Municipality has agreements with the landowner on access to the trails, entrances and swimming areas; the latest ten-year agreement was signed in 2025.

Combine with

Sources

Details checked against these sources in October 2026.

The facts on this page are based on these sources. Under each one you can see which details we took from it. Opening times, prices and departures change – always check with the source before you go.

  1. Nacka Municipality: Erstavik nature area · in SwedishSaltsjöbanan stations, Hellasgården and Lovisedal, Erstavik as a whole not a nature reserve, nature reserves partly within the area at Strålsjön, 2,100 hectares, the Green, Blue and White Trails, motor vehicles, Erstaviksbadet west of Solsidan
  2. Nacka Municipality: The Right of Public Access in Erstavik · in Swedishdogs, cycling, farmland in winter, the crofts are lived in, litter, contacting the estate office for groups
  3. Nacka Municipality: Strålsjön-Erstavik nature reserve · in Swedishbuses 401 and 801, by car via Erstaviksvägen, rules: no tents, dogs on a lead, fires only in a barbecue you bring or at a designated spot, no off-road cycling
  4. County Administrative Board of Stockholm: Strålsjön-Erstavik · in SwedishStrålsjöbadet, not suitable for small children, link to Älta mosse-Strålsjön
  5. Nacka Municipality: Swimming areas in Saltsjöbaden and Fisksätra · in SwedishErstaviksbadet: toilet weeks 22–35, café, parking 1.2 km, 1.3 km from the station
  6. Nacka Municipality: Swimming areas in Älta · in SwedishStrålsjöbadet: jetties, bathing raft, toilet weeks 22–35, bus 401 to Klisätravägen, parking
  7. Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management: Erstaviksbadet · in SwedishEU bathing site, 100 m sandy beach, shallow to two metres, rocks, algal blooms
  8. Naturkartan: Erstavik and Erstaviksbadet · in Swedishentrances with map signs, footpath and cycle path from Solsidan
  9. Sörmlandsleden: Stage 1 Björkhagen – Skogshyddan · in Swedish8.5 km, the Strålsjön-Erstavik nature reserve, 15 minutes to Bäckalidsvägen
  10. Nacka Municipality: Nackareservatet · in Swedishthe Blue Trail Hellasgården – Solsidan, 10 km, since the 1920s
  11. Erstavik: Nature & wildlife, Visits & the Right of Public Access · in Swedishentailed estate since 1763, islands in Tyresö, organised activities need permission
  12. Nacka Municipality: New agreement with Erstavik · in Swedishten-year right-of-use agreement, 2025