Västerås: Discover culture, water and trails

Västerås combines an impressive urban history with waterside trails, nature experiences and a diverse cultural offering. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Västerås, you can choose the focus of your trip between the city centre, Lake Mälaren, walking trails and excursions into the surrounding area. This combination is particularly appealing for families, as it brings together cultural discoveries, active days and more relaxing activities.

History and culture in Västerås

A good starting point for exploring the city’s history is Vallby Open-Air Museum. It reconstructs and presents the living and working environments in which people lived and worked from the 17th to the late 20th century. The museum includes around 50 preserved buildings that were relocated there from all over Västmanland. Swedish heritage breeds are also kept on the grounds, including Jämtland goats, Gestrike sheep and Fjäll cattle. This makes a visit to the museum an engaging encounter with regional history and rural traditions.

Västerås Cathedral also reaches far back into the past: Västerås has had a cathedral since around 1100, when the city was still called Västra Aros. The cathedral contains the tomb of King Erik XIV; the treasury displays ecclesiastical treasures from Västerås and the churches of the diocese. Another historic site is the old power station, which now houses Kokpunkten. The building was listed as a protected historic site in 1999.

Västerås offers further options for a range of cultural interests. Västmanlands Teater stages around 250 performances a year, about half of them aimed at children and young people. The programme at Västerås Concert Hall includes folk and world music, pop and rock, songs, schlager, jazz, chamber music and symphony concerts. Recurring events provide additional highlights: Västerås City Festival has been held in the city centre since 2009, from Thursday to Saturday in calendar week 26, the week after Midsummer. Västerås Culture Night is held every year on a Saturday at the end of September in the city centre.

Waterways, walks and longer trails

For a trip planned around outdoor activity, Västerås offers different levels of distance. Mälarpromenaden is a 4-kilometre marked walking and cycling path along the water between Lögastrand and Lasse Färnlöfs plats. Those wishing to plan longer distances can consider the 250-kilometre Bruksleden trail. It passes through historic industrial sites in Västmanland and connects to the Bergslagsleden in southern Dalarna. Near Västerås, there are access points at Erikslund, Rocklunda and in Skultuna.

The Björnön nature reserve is ideal for leisure activities in a scenic landscape. The free Västeråsguide app also offers audio tours of Kopparlunden, Djäkneberget and Öster Mälarstrand; it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play. For experiences on the water, Västerås has two unmanned kayak stations, one at Notuddskajen and one at First Camp Mälaren in Johannisberg. RIB tours, day trips and evening cruises on Lake Mälaren are also offered from Västerås. The Elbafärjan is the city’s hop-on hop-off boat and takes passengers on a one-hour sightseeing cruise.

Which location suits your trip

If culture is the main focus, it is worth including the city centre and its events in your daily plans when looking for a holiday apartment. For active days, Mälarpromenaden, Björnön and Bruksleden offer different trail lengths and landscape experiences. Families can combine cultural activities with Vallby Open-Air Museum, the animals on the museum grounds or a performance; the choice remains flexible and depends on the itinerary for the trip.

Culinary discoveries are also part of the cityscape. Depending on the season, Bondens egen Marknad is held at Bondtorget. Many producers from the surrounding area sell their goods directly to customers there. Those looking for accommodation can therefore choose Västerås according to their preferred pace: with culture in the city, walks along the water, longer trails or boat excursions. You can find more places on the portal at Harkie and Skultuna.

For the overarching travel overview: Västerås.