See one of the world’s largest shell banks and one of Sweden’s most popular museums in the same place, enhanced by a charming seaside location.
Though Uddevalla’s history is marked more by warfare than by peace, today it is a vacation playground, full of museums and pleasant promenades. Passed between Sweden and Norway for centuries, and often besieged by Danish forces, it found new life in the 1800s. A Scottish businessman was so taken with its natural beauty that he settled here and revitalized the town it remains just as beautiful today. Visit Uddevalla for a mix of the stately grace of the old spa town and the natural beauty of its countryside.
Start along the seaside at Skalbankarna, a nature reserve with a shell bank built up over 10,000 years. In the summer, learn all about the geology of the phenomenon at the on-site Skalbankarna Museum.
Continue along the Strandpromenaden to Gustafsberg, the site of Sweden’s oldest spa resort, where regal forests and rocky coasts blend with elegant 18th-century architecture. Leave from Gustafsberg on foot down the Kuststigen. Take a ferry back into town.
Budget a few hours to properly appreciate the Bohusläns Museum. See more history at the Dragsmarks Kloster, the remains of a 13th-century abbey, once the intellectual and cultural heart of the area. Let kids explore the Tureborg, built by an eccentric 19th-century journalist. Learn more about the strange local character who built it at the Villa Elfkullen.
Located roughly halfway between Gothenburg and the Norwegian border, Uddevalla is relatively easy to access from either country. Take the train or drive from Gothenburg in about 1 hour. Oslo is a 3-hour train ride or 2.5-hour drive away. The closest airport is in nearby Trollhättan, a 30-minute drive away, which has air connections to Stockholm and several other destinations. Inter-city buses travel through town. A public transportation system operates around the town.
Bohuslän, Uddevalla’s region, is one of the most interesting areas of Sweden, so linger in the small towns on its seaside before rushing back to Gothenburg.
