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What to do in Vadstena - 10 tips for a historic town

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What to see and do in Vadstena? Vadstena is a small town beautifully situated on the banks of Lake Vättern. Here the houses are low, while the castle and abbey church rise high above all other buildings, just as they did in the Middle Ages. In Vadstena you can feel the history everywhere, in the walls and in the old houses.

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Vadstena

Vadstena is not only history, but also a promenade, boating, cosy cafés and delicacies. But there's no getting away from it. History plays a very big role here, and you don't want to come to Vadstena without seeing the monastery area and the castle.

Att göra i Vadstena - lär om Heliga Birgitta

Vadstena is located on the eastern shore of Lake Vättern, 16 kilometres southwest of Motala.

What can you do in Vadstena?

So, what can you see and do in Vadstena? This lovely town offers both beautiful surroundings and lots of history. Here are our top tips on what to see and do in Vadstena.

1. learn about St Birgitta

St Birgitta is perhaps one of the most important people in the history of Vadstena. Birgitta was born around 1303 as Birgitta Birgersdotter. Even as a child she had visions, but it was only after her husband passed away that she had visions of a monastery. In 1349, she travelled to Rome to get permission from the Pope to found a new monastic order.

Att göra i Vadstena - lär om heliga Birgitta

2. Discover the Vadstena monastery area

The Vadstena Abbey area includes a variety of historic buildings. These include the monastery church, the nunnery, the ruin park with walls from the monastery's parlour, the monastery garden and the old water tower. Here you can stroll around and feel like you are surrounded by history from all sides.

Att göra i Vadstena - klosterområdet

3. Stroll in the ruin park

The ruin park contains the foundations of the monastery's speech centre. The monks and nuns were clearly separated, but here they could talk to each other through grilles. In addition, curtains were hung in front of the bars so that there could certainly be no physical or visual contact between the sexes.

4. Visit the Sancta Birgitta Monastery Museum

In the monastery area you will also find the Sancta Birgitta Monastery Museum. Here you can learn more about the life of the nuns in general and Birgitta's life in particular. For example, did you know that Birgitta made several long pilgrimages in Europe?

At the age of 68, Birgitta began her dream of making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the Holy Land. She fell ill during the journey and died a year later in Rome. Work then began on bringing her remains back to Sweden and Vadstena. The coffin used for this is now in the museum.

5. Admire Vadstena Abbey Church

Vadstena Abbey Church was built according to Birgitta's precise instructions. It took almost 60 years to build the church, which was consecrated in 1430. Since then, people have flocked to the church, making it one of Europe's most important pilgrimage destinations.

6. Coffee at the Monastery Café

After the visit to the monastery area, we needed a break and some energy. We each had a meatball sandwich at the Monastery Café, and then we were ready for more history.

Klosterkaféet

6. Take a tour of Vadstena Castle

We continued to Vadstena Castle, which is possibly even more magnificent than the monastery area. The castle was built as a defence facility by King Gustav Vasa in the 16th century. During the reign of Johan III, the castle was transformed from a defensive fortress to a continental Renaissance palace.

The castle is truly magnificent, and walking around it, you're constantly seeing it from new and fascinating angles. The sturdy towers are reflected in the waters of the moat and small leisure boats chug around carefree.

You can also, for a fee, visit the interior of the castle and this is recommended. Each room is more splendid than the next and there are a number of interesting details. For example, you can check out the wedding hall, the bedchamber and the castle church. Children can try to solve the "Gustav Vasa riddle".

7. Enjoy the seafront

When you have had enough of history and culture, and if the weather is nice, you can enjoy the promenade. It's really nice on the shores of Lake Vättern!

Strandpromenad vid Vättern

8. Walk in cosy neighbourhoods

We also went for a walk through all of Vadstena's cosy neighbourhoods. The houses are low and characterised by old-fashioned charm. Many people sat on the outdoor seating on the square or walked among the shops on Storgatan.

9. Shopping at Ladugård 206

On the way from Vadstena, we took the opportunity to turn into Ladugård 206, which is located a few minutes outside of town. There is a restaurant and a shop with charcuterie and delicacies. Nice!

10. Eat Vättern crayfish

We then rolled south towards new adventures, and what did we see? A sign with "Vadstena crayfish". Of course, we couldn't resist! Two buckets of fresh Vättern crayfish followed in the motorhome.

Vätternkräftor

Where can you stay or park your motorhome?

Det finns förstås flera olika hotell att välja på i Vadstena, såsom Vadstena klosterhotell, och dessutom finns Vadstena camping. Om du reser med husbil kan du parkera över natten på ställplatsen i Lilla hamnen, inte långt från slottet. Som vanligt kom vi försent för att hitta en ledig plats, så vi fick rulla vidare ut ur stan.

Ställplats för husbilar i Vadstena

More to see and do in Vadstena

We really liked Vadstena. What a wonderfully cosy little town, which also has an incredible amount of history to offer. We were very happy with our day. If you want even more ideas for things to see and do, here are some more tips we got from the local tourist office:

  • The Toy Museum at Slottsgården
  • Guided city tours and garden tours
  • The King's Train - the "Little Train" that takes you around the city with a guide.
  • Galleries and studios
  • Home-made coffee at the Pilgrimage Centre
  • Restaurant Hörnet, featured in the White Guide
  • Cycling dressin
  • Adolfsnäs Commercial Garden
Att göra i Vadstena -

More to see in the neighbourhood

Just north of Vadstena you will find Motala, with locks on the Göta Canal, the Motor Museum and the long sandy beach of Varamon. Nearby you will also find charming Borensberg. If you are travelling south instead, you can visit Alvastra monastery ruins and charming Gränna.

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More tips for things to do in Vadstena?

Have you been to Vadstena? How was your experience? Do you have any other tips on what to see and do in Vadstena?

Facts about Vadstena

  • Municipality: Vadstena municipality
  • County: County of Östergötland
  • Population: About 7400 (2020)
  • Attractions: Monastery area with monastery church, monastery ruins and castle.
  • Activities: Toy museum, city tours, the 'King's Train' and more.
  • Parking spaces: Berth in the small harbour
  • Camping: Vadstena camping (Hofslagaregatan 11)

Facts about Vadstena Castle

  • Opening hours: In summer 2020 (22 June - 9 August) the Castle Museum is open Mon-Sun 10:00 - 17:00. For other opening hours see the castle's website.
  • Prices: Adults 90 kr, pensioners/students 80 kr, children/young people 70 kr and children 0-7 years free (2020). The cultural heritage card gives half the price of admission.
  • Guidance: Several different guided tours are offered, including a Renaissance walk and a children's walk. See the castle's website for the calendar.
  • Read more: You can find more information at the castle's website.

History of Vadstena

  • The Iron Age: There are traces of human settlement from this time.
  • 12th century: A Romanesque church existed on the site of the Red Tower (St Peter's Church) today. Vadstena was a stop on the pilgrimage to Trondheim and there was a cult of St Olav, that is, in relation to St Olav.
  • 13th century: Valdemar Birgersson built the Bjälbo Palace.

14th to 16th century

  • 1346: King Magnus Eriksson donated the Bjälbo Palace to St Birgitta, who founded Vadstena Abbey.
  • 1400: Vadstena was granted town privileges and became Sweden's largest pilgrimage centre.
  • 1550: Gistav Vasa confiscated the monastery's property and closed the monastery.
  • 1595: The nuns were forced to leave the convent.

17th to 18th century

  • 1637: The monastery began to be used as a home for disabled soldiers. The residents earned extra money from lace making, which led to Vadstena's lace rukte.
  • 1753: The monastery premises began to be used as a prison, and the castle was used as a storehouse.

19th to 20th century

  • 1829: The monastery began to be used by Vadstena Hospital.
  • 1848-1853: The harbour was expanded after the construction of the Göta Canal and the increase in population.
  • 1874: The Wadstena Fogelsta railway was opened.
  • 1945: Vadstena Folk High School was established in the former monastery.
  • 1954: The Birgitta Foundation was given the right to dispose of the monastery area except for the monastery church.

Facts about the Sancta Birgitta Monastery Museum

  • Opening hours: Summer 2020 (1 June - 16 Aug), daily 11:00 - 17:00.
  • Prices: Adults 80 kr, children/youth 4o kr and children 0-7 years free. The cultural heritage card gives half the price of admission.
  • Guidance: There are daily themed tours. See the museum's website for times.
  • Read more: You can find more information at Monastery Museum website.

Finding Vadstena

  • Car: If you are coming from Jönköping, take the E4 motorway north and turn off towards Vadstena in Ödeshög. If you come from Motala, drive south on road 50 and turn off towards Vadstena at Trafikplats Södra Freberga.
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