Västra Götaland is a diverse giant that stretches from the salty granite islands of the west coast to the massive inland seas of the heartland. You can start your day among the white-painted fishing villages and smooth pink rocks of Bohuslän and end it in the deep magical forests of Tiveden. The region is home to Lake Vänern and Lake Vättern providing a sense of endless horizon even far from the ocean.
Maritime history is the lifeblood of this province. The city of Gothenburg serves as the bustling hub but the real magic is found in the smaller ports and the historic Göta Canal. You can watch boats climb the famous staircase of locks at Läckö or explore the ruins of medieval abbeys that once ruled the plains. This was the land of the Goths a place of ancient power and seafaring ambition that shaped the early days of the Swedish kingdom.
The driving routes here are incredibly varied. You can follow the coastal road for world-class seafood or head inland to see the grand Läckö Castle sitting like a fairytale on the water. The landscape shifts from rugged island chains to fertile farmland and deep wooded valleys. It is a province that offers a little bit of everything making it the ultimate destination for a long and curious road trip.
Västra Götaland highlights
- Läckö Castle Visit a fairytale white castle with red turrets sitting on a rocky point in the middle of Lake Vänern. The interior is filled with baroque art and the garden in the old moat is a hidden gem for plant lovers.
- The Rock Carvings of Tanum Explore a massive outdoor gallery of Bronze Age art featuring hundreds of carvings of ships and hunters on flat granite rocks. This site gives a fascinating look at the spiritual life of people three thousand years ago.
- Marstrand Island Park at the coast and hop on the ferry to a car free island dominated by a massive stone fortress. The narrow streets are lined with historic wooden houses and the trails around the rocks offer stunning sea views.
- Tiveden National Park Hike through a chaotic landscape of giant boulders and deep mossy valleys that legend says was the home of trolls. The forest is one of the most rugged in the south and features hidden white sand beaches on forest lakes.
- The Göta Canal Staircase Watch the spectacle at Sjörp or Trollhättan where boats are lifted through a series of massive locks. It is a masterpiece of early engineering and the surrounding parks are perfect for a picnic by the water.
- Smögen Boardwalk Walk the most famous wooden pier in Sweden lined with colorful fishing huts and seafood restaurants. The granite rocks behind the harbor are perfect for sunbathing and watching the busy summer boat life.
- Varnhem Abbey Step into a majestic stone church where medieval kings and queens are buried among the ruins of an old monastery. The site also features the grave of the founder of Stockholm and a new museum about the early Christians.
- Hornborgasjön Lake Visit in the spring to see thousands of cranes dancing in the fields as they return from the south. The area features modern bird hides and walking paths through the wetlands that are a paradise for nature lovers.
- The Weather Islands (Väderöarna) Take a boat trip to the most western islands in the country where the granite is rugged and the seals are common. It is a wild and salty escape with a small harbor and a historic pilot station for overnight stays.
- Gunnebo House and Gardens Explore one of the finest neoclassical estates in the North featuring a beautiful wooden manor and formal gardens. The organic cafe serves food grown on the property and the surrounding woods are great for a quiet drive.
The local Four
History of Västra Götaland
The history of Västra Götaland is a 3,000 year maritime epic. At Tanum, you find the world’s largest collection of Bronze Age rock carvings(1800 BC), showing that the people here were already expert shipbuilders and sun-worshippers millennia ago. In the Middle Ages, the province was the home of the Geats (Gutar), the legendary tribe from the poem Beowulf. This was the site of the first Swedish Christian baptism in Husaby in 1008, when King Olof Skötkonung officially turned the nation away from the Norse gods.
In the 1600s, the region became a strategic military zone. To protect the western trade routes, the city of Gothenburg was founded in 1621 with the help of Dutch engineers who built its famous canals. Out on the coast, the massive Carlsten Fortress was built on Marstrand to guard the Baltic entrance. The 1800s brought the crowning achievement of the era: the Göta Canal. This "Blue Ribbon," finished in 1832, used 58,000 soldiers to dig a waterway that finally connected the Atlantic to the Baltic, bypassing the Danish tolls.
A road trip here explores the contrast between the salty west coast and the inland seas of Vänern and Vättern. You can visit the ruins of Varnhem Abbey where 12th-century kings are buried or the fairytale Läckö Castle, which was gifted to a Swedish general in 1615. Västra Götaland is a map of Sweden's evolution, from the seafaring Bronze Age tribes and Viking Geats to the engineering geniuses who dug canals through the solid rock.