What to do in Varberg - 13 tips for a lovely west coast town

What to see and do in Varberg? Varberg is a lovely west coast town with an exciting history, but also sun, swimming, nature and relaxation. Here are our top tips on what to see and do in Varberg!

Varberg

Varberg is known for its impressive fortress, but also for its beautiful cold bath house from the turn of the century. We've recently visited the town and share our top tips.

Varberg is located along the west coast of central Halland, roughly midway between Gothenburg in the north and Halmstad in the south.

What can you do in Varberg?

So what can you see and do in Varberg? As well as relaxing and enjoying the coastal environment, there's also plenty of other things to do. We have gathered our best tips here in a list.

1. Visit Varberg Fortress

Varberg Fortress was originally built at the end of the 13th century and has since been rebuilt several times. This site has been the scene of bloody battles between Swedes and Danes, and the castle has alternately belonged to either Sweden or Denmark, as is often the case in southern Sweden.

When the fortress could no longer be used for defence, it became a dreaded prison. Today you can stroll around inside the walls, eat at the restaurant Fästningsterrassen, stay at the fortress hostel or perhaps join a guided tour. Inside the fortress you will also find the Halland Museum of Cultural History.

2. take a look at the Halland Cultural History Museum

When you visit Varberg Fortress, you can also take the opportunity to visit the Halland Cultural History Museum. Here you can see several interesting exhibitions, both permanent and temporary.

One exhibition you won't want to miss is that of the Bockstensmannen, the world's only known piled-up moss corpse. Here you can see the skeleton and the well-preserved costume, and hear various exciting theories about the man's life and death. In the museum's café you can order an apple cake, made according to the original recipe from 1597. Yum!

3. check out - or swim at - Kallbadhuset

Built in an oriental style and standing on stilts in the sea, the cold bath house is almost a landmark for Varberg. This beautiful building dates back to 1903, and is the third cold bath house in succession.

In Varberg's cold bath house, nude bathing is the order of the day. There are separate saunas for men and women, both with lovely views of the Kattegat.

4. Sunbathing, swimming and surfing

If you like sunbathing and swimming in the sea, Varberg is just the place for you. In addition to the cold bathing centre, there is a long list of fine bathing places. Bathing naked seems to be a popular thing to do in Varberg, we can say. In addition to the cold bath house, there are three more nude baths, two for women and one for men. Here you will find some tips on sandy beaches and rock pools:

• The Anchor (Deep suit) is a rocky beach with two jetties.
• Apelviken offers a large and long sandy beach and several restaurants, such as Solviken Restaurant and John's Place.
• Children's beach is located right next to Kallbadhuset.
• Getterön offers several small beaches, in the form of First Bay, Second Bay, Third Bay, Fourth Bay and Fifth Bay. At the Fifth Bay there is an accessible beach.
• Good hope is a nude bath for men, with a jetty and rocks.
• The fortress baths is located on the Fortress Pier and features a swimming pier and a 3.75 metre high diving tower.
• Käringhålan is a nude bath for ladies, on a rocky beach.
• Kåsa (Lilla Apelviken) is a sandy beach next to Varberg's Kusthotell.
• Sharp north is another nude bath for ladies, with two bathing platforms.

Apelviken is also popular with surfers. If you stay at the campsite, Destination Apelviken, you also have access to the campsite's large swimming pool.

5. Walk along the seafront

Starting at Kallbadhuset, a nice promenade runs all the way to Apelviken. The promenade, which is about 2.5 kilometres long, runs along rocks and sandy beaches and all the way you have a wonderful view of the Kattegat.

Along the way you will pass Varberg Fortress, the Rantzau Cliff from which the Danes attacked the fortress in the 16th century, Kärleksparken, Varberg Coastal Hotel and Subbe Lighthouse.

If you take a short detour, you will also pass the Albert and Frida water towers. The two towers were built to supply water to the former coastal sanatorium (now including the coastal hotel), and were named after the chief physician couple.

6. Experience cosy Getterön and the Getterön Nature Centre.

Getterön is a peninsula and a nature reserve. It has a beautiful rocky coastline with bays and small sandy beaches where you can sunbathe and swim.

The nature reserve also offers wetlands that attract both birds and birdwatchers. There is also a nature centre with a café, exhibition and various activities.

7. Stroll around Varberg square

Varberg has one of Sweden's largest town squares, and the town's shops and cafés are within easy reach from the square. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, the square is filled with street trading, which can be particularly intense in the summer. At the square you can also see some more impressive buildings such as Varberg Stadshotell & Asia Spa, Varberg Savings Bank and Varberg Church.

8. Shopping for bread at Kustbageriet

Do you like good fresh bread or good pastries? Then you might want to stop by Kustbageriet, which is located at Skeppsgatan 10, near Varberg's inner harbour. If you have a motorhome in the car park, it is so close that you can run up to buy fresh bread for breakfast. It's not particularly cheap, but if you appreciate good bread, it's worth it!

9. Check out Societies Park and Societies Building

In the 19th century, Varberg was a popular health resort, and the finest and best-preserved social centre on the west coast dates back to that time. The beautiful building was completed in 1886, and brought together wealthy people who visited Varberg to relax.

It is also home to Societetsparken and just next door is the stately bathhouse. Today, the Societetshuset houses a café, restaurant and nightclub, and the outdoor stage outside offers live music in the summer.

10. go on a boat trip - fishing trip or trip to the island of Anholt

If you want to go out to sea, there are various exciting options. With MS Clipper you can go on day-long fishing trips to the fishing grounds of Fladen and Lilla Middelgrund. Here you can hope to catch mackerel, whiting, cod, ling and flatfish.

Another excursion that you can do in Varberg, and which seems fantastically exciting, is to take the Tunaclipper to the Danish island of Anholt. Here you will find Northern Europe's largest desert, with huge sand dunes spreading out in all directions. There are also restaurants, shops and bicycles for hire in the harbour.

11. Fascinated by Bexell's talking stones in Åkulla beech forests

Åkulla's beech forests offer fantastic natural beauty, but in addition to that you can also discover Bexell's "talking stones". The rocks don't speak literally, of course, but the inscriptions, which were carved over a hundred years ago, seem to speak to you.

At the end of the 19th century, Alfred Bexell (1831-1900), the lord of the manor and member of parliament, commissioned two stonemasons to inscribe large stones around his estate in Torstorp. It is not known exactly why he did this, but one theory is that he simply wanted to pass on his philosophy of life to future generations. Another theory is that he was keen to preserve the Swedish language.

The stones are located in Torstorpsskogen, about 20 kilometres east of Varberg. Around 160 engraved languages of thought and around 560 engraved names have been found here. There are probably even more that have not yet been found. Just go on a journey of discovery and see what the stones want to say to you!

12. see Gödestad church ruin

If you like church ruins you can check out the Gödestad church ruins, which are not far from the Grimeton radio station.

This medieval church was demolished when a new church was built in 1897, but the walls were so strong that they could not be completely demolished.

13. Take a trip to the Grimeton World Heritage Site.

The Grimeton radio station in Varberg municipality is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The background is the experiments made by the Swedish inventor Ernst Alexanderson on the other side of the Atlantic, around a hundred years ago.

New technology, which paved the way for the wireless society, was installed in several places around the world, including here in Grimeton. Thanks to these new developments, telegrams could be sent to the United States in 20 minutes, which was a sensation compared to previous methods of communication.

Today Grimeton Radio Station is a destination for the whole family. There are exhibitions, guided tours and a variety of clever activities for children. There is even the opportunity - for those who are not afraid of heights - to climb the 127 metre high antenna tower. We came here just after the high season, when opening hours were limited to weekends, so we had to content ourselves with looking around the area and testing the playground ...

More things to see and do in Varberg for culture and history lovers

There is of course even more to see and do in Varberg than our suggestions. Here are some more tips for those interested in culture and history.

• Art round you can go by following this round, past various works of art in the city.
• Kulturhuset Komedianten & Varberg Theatre offers not only theatre but also a city library, art gallery and art workshop. (Engelbrektsgatan 7)
• Marine Museum in Trönningenäs has the world's largest collection on the Swedish American Line (Uddarnas väg 19).

More to see and do in Varberg for nature lovers

Do you like nature best? Then you can find some more suggestions for things to do in Varberg here:

• English Park is a central park between Brunnsparken and Societetsparken built in the 19th century.
• Fishing can be done in many places in Varberg, such as the harbours, Lake Fävren and the river Viskan.
• Kärleksparken is a small park with a café.
• Snorkelling trail on Getterön is a 300 metre long snorkelling trail (first bay, Getterön).
• Åkulla hiking trail are 12 in total and can be found in Åkulla beech forests.

More to see and do in Varberg with children

Here are some more tips for things to do in Varberg with children or teenagers.

• BounceCamp trampoline park is for children and young people who want to jump and do tricks. (Smältugnsgatan 4)
• Penguin is a swimming pool with water slides (Simhallsgatan 1).
• Swimming stadium is a 50 metre long seawater pool with eight lanes, trampolines and a children's pool. (Strandgatan 23)
• Spööökitetsparken is a playground near Varberg Fortress. There are ghost houses, bats, a ghost forest and trampolines (Strandgatan 7).
• The beach train takes travellers back and forth from the Society in Varberg, along the promenade, to Apelviken.
• Varbergs Gokart is for children aged 7 and over, at least 130 cm tall. (Kardanvägen 23)
• Varberg skateboard arena is located next to the sports centre in Breared (Klapperstensgatan 3).
• Varberg Tropicarium shows exotic animals (Havsbadsvägen 2, Tvååker).

Where can you stay or park your motorhome?

There are of course many different hotels and other accommodation options in Varberg, such as Varberg coastal hotel, Clarion Collection Hotel Fregatten and Varbergs Stadshotell & Asia Spa. At several of these, you can of course take the opportunity to combine your stay with a spa!

If you are travelling by campervan, you can stay at the car park Guest harbour Varberg. The location is excellent and the service is ok, even if the price (370 SEK/day in high season) is a bit steep. (Tip to the municipality: If you pay for two days, it's great if the code for the service centre is valid for both days!) Some other options where you can spend the night with your motorhome:

• Destination Apelviken, large campsite, 3.8 km from the centre.
• Grimeton Radio Station, 10 locations without electricity, 10 kilometres from the centre.
• Getterön Marina, 21 sites with electricity, 5 km from the centre.
• Getterön Nature Centre, 24 sites with electricity, 2.5 km from the centre.
• Getteröns camping, camping 5.5 kilometres from the centre.
• Warberg's tomateria, pitches with and without electricity, 8 km from the centre.

Things to do in Varberg - more to see and do nearby

When you are in Halland, you should eat pizza at Little Napoli and you can of course take the opportunity to visit other nice towns in Halland such as Falkenberg, Halmstad, Gekås Ullared. If you're travelling north instead, you can get to beautiful Tjolöholm Castle or to Gothenburg.

More suggestions for things to do in Varberg?

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

Facts about Varberg

• Landscape: Halland
• County: Halland County
• Location: In central Halland, on the Kattegat, roughly between Gothenburg in the north and Halmstad in the south.
• District: Varberg District, Träslöv District, Lindberg District, Tvååker District.
• Population: Around 66 000 (2021)

History of Varberg

• 13th century: Archaeological investigations show that Getakärr probably began to be built in the second half of this century. Varberg Fortress was also built at the end of the century.

14th to 15th century

• 1343: The oldest evidence from the town is from a letter from this period, where the town is referred to as Getakärr.
• 15th century: At the beginning of this century, the name Varberg was adopted after the mountain where the fortress is located. New Varberg was located north of Getakärr, which came to be called Old Varberg.
• 1462-1497: A Carmelite monastery was founded in Ny Varberg.

16th to 17th century

• 1531-1532: With the Reformation, the Carmelite monastery was closed.
• 1565: New Varberg was destroyed by the Swedes during the Nordic Seven Years' War.
• 1578: Getakärr lost its city rights.
• 1611-1612: New Varberg was abandoned after being ravaged during the Kalmar War. The town was now moved to a location near the fortress.
• 1666: The town was burned down and moved to its current location.

18th to 19th century

• 18th century: Activities developed in brickworks, clothing manufacture and tobacco spinning.
• 1767: The city was hit by a major fire.
• Early 19th century: Sea bathing became more and more popular.
• 1864: The first cold bath house was built, but was destroyed in a storm a few years later.
• 1870s: Cobblestone was mined and exported.
• 1880s: Industrialisation began in earnest. The Varberg-Borås railway was opened, as was the West Coast railway. Fishing also developed.