Things to do in Gävle – 13 attractions and experiences

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: September 2026 | We have been to Gävle many times because Peter's parents lived here. Come with us to old wooden houses and exciting museums – but also out to parks, fishing villages and the sea along the Gästrikland coast.

Things to do in Gävle – our experiences and best tips

We have had time to walk through the city, visit museums, return to the same places and discover more of the surroundings around Gävle. And it is actually outside the most central neighborhoods that some of our best Gävle memories are found.

1. Stroll through Old Gefle

Old Gefle is one of the places we think you should definitely visit when visiting Gävle. Here, just south of the Gavleån River, the city is changing as modern neighborhoods are replaced by cobblestone streets, low wooden houses and small farms. It was also this part of the city that escaped the great city fire of 1869, and today the area is perhaps the clearest place to get a sense of what old Gävle once looked like.

We have been to Gävle many times because Peter's mother and father lived here, but Gamla Gefle is still an area where we like to slow down and just walk around. Look at the houses, follow the small streets and don't miss Joe Hill farm, the childhood home of Swedish-American Joe Hill. He was born Joel Emmanuel Hägglund in Gävle in 1879, emigrated to the USA and later became both a trade union activist, singer and an international labor icon. His old parental home is now a museum.

2. Enter the cells at the Swedish Prison Museum

One of the museums that made the strongest impression on us in Gävle was the Swedish Prison Museum. It is also difficult to imagine a more suitable setting for a prison museum: the operations are located in two historic prison buildings, the Cell Prison and the Castle Prison, right next to Gävle Castle. Here, the visit is not only about old objects and years, but about the people who were actually imprisoned here and how the view of crime and punishment has changed.

We started in the Cell Prison and got to look into different cells where the lives of the prisoners and the history of the prison are told. Then we continued to the older Castle Prison, where people used to be locked up while awaiting trial. For us it became one of those museums that continues a bit outside the door – you start talking about how people were treated in the past, what was considered a crime and how different society was. Much more interesting than we had expected.

3. Discover Sweden's railway history at the Railway Museum

The Railway Museum is one of Gävle's major attractions and here you can follow how the railway has changed Sweden and our possibilities to travel. Here you can find locomotives, carriages and stories about both the people and the technology behind the railway. The museum has had a real fresh start after several years of renovation and is now open all year round.

The great thing is that you don't have to be someone who can tell different locomotive models apart from a hundred meters away to appreciate a railway museum. For those of us who travel so much, the story of how people began to be able to travel further and faster also becomes a story about travel itself. The journey is the destination we usually say – and here you can actually follow how our opportunities to travel through Sweden have changed over the generations.

4. Take a break in Boulogne Forest

After museums, cobblestone streets and city quarters, Boulognerskogen is a nice contrast. Despite the name, it is more of a large city park, with the Gavle River winding through the greenery. There are walking paths, bridges, lawns and plantings, and the park is connected to the City Garden. It is the kind of place that you might not travel to Gävle just to see, but it makes the city much more pleasant once you are here.

When we visited Boulognerskogen, it was also Sweden's National Day and anything but peaceful. There were people, activities and gimmicks everywhere and the park showed a completely different side to the calm green oasis you encounter on a normal day. The area also has Gävle Concert Hall with its characteristic blue facade, and on the other side of the Gavleån is Carl Mille's sculpture group Musicerande änglar. Instead of three separate attractions, we think this is best as a single, pleasant walk through a green part of Gävle.

5. Look for the Gävle goat – if you come at the right time

It is hardly possible to write about Gävle without mentioning the city's most famous resident, even if he only appears part of the year. The Gävle Goat is built for Christmas and has over the years become famous far beyond Sweden's borders. The fact that a giant straw goat can become an international attraction perhaps says something about Swedish Christmas tradition - but also about the somewhat special history surrounding all the attempts to destroy it.

If you come to Gävle in the middle of summer, you shouldn't spend half the day looking for a straw goat. There are much better things to do then. But if you are here during Advent and Christmas, the Gävle goat is of course worth seeing, not least because it has become so strongly associated with the city. How long it will remain standing has historically been another question, which is part of the reason why a fairly simple Christmas decoration has become so popular.

6. Discover Gävle's history at the Gävleborg County Museum

If you want to understand more of the city and the surrounding landscape, the Gävleborg County Museum is a good next stop. When we visited the museum, we encountered both art and historical objects, along with temporary exhibitions. It may not be the first attraction that makes someone book a trip to Gävle, but once you are already in the city, the museum provides context for much of what you see outside.

A good museum can help you understand a place instead of just photographing it. If you're short on time, we'd prioritize the Prison Museum, but if you're staying longer in Gävle and like local history and art, the County Museum is definitely worth a visit.

7. Stroll through central Gävle

You don't really need to hunt for attractions in central Gävle. Instead, take a walk and let several of them come your way. By the Gavleån is the Church of the Holy Trinity, and if you continue through the center, you will encounter, among other things, the Town Hall Plaza with plantings, fountains and sculptures. The Plaza was built after the great city fire of 1869 and also served as a wide fire escape – a reminder of how the fire affected the new city.

Gävle Castle is another natural stop on the walk. The first castle began to be built as early as the 16th century, while today's much more austere building took on its appearance after a fire in the 18th century. The castle is used as the residence of the county governor and is not a castle where you normally just walk in and buy an entrance ticket. For us, it is therefore enough as part of the walk – look at the building, continue towards the Prison Museum and let central Gävle become a whole instead of five small points on a checklist.

8. Go out to Bönan and meet the Gävle coast

One side of Gävle that is easy to miss if you just stick to the city center is its proximity to the sea. One of our favorite stops along the coast is Bönan, the old fishing village north of the city. Here you will find a lighthouse, small-scale buildings and that calm coastal feeling that is difficult to capture with a list of attractions. We like to come here, have a coffee or something from the fish smokehouse and just let the pace slow down.

If you want to do more than stroll around, you can continue along Norrlandet, where the sea and the old summer houses follow the road. There is also the Norrlandet coastal trail for those who want to experience the area on foot. Bönan is therefore not just another point outside Gävle but a good way to get a completely different picture of the destination: first the city, parks and museums – and a short while later piers, fish and sea.

9. Have a family day at Furuvik

Furuvik is located about ten kilometers from Gävle and combines a zoo with an amusement park and other activities. This is primarily a tip for families with children and for those who want to make a full day of the visit, rather than something we would try to squeeze in between Gamla Gefle and a museum. Go there for Furuvik – not to check off another attraction in two hours.

We were not at Furuvik during the trip when we collected the material for this guide, but we have been here before when we traveled with teenagers. Therefore, the park can remain among our tips, but we no longer think that it should guide a general two-day trip in Gävle. If you are traveling without children, there are many other things that we would prioritize ourselves. However, if you are traveling with the family, Furuvik could very well be one of the big activities of the trip.

10. Discover Mackmyra Mill

Mackmyra is of course associated with Swedish whisky, but we were also captivated by the mill environment itself. Here you will find the old ironworks environment and an English park with walking paths, chestnut avenue and gazebo. We stayed two nights with the camper and really enjoyed the peaceful environment.

We stayed two nights with our campervan at Mackmyra and really enjoyed it. These are the kind of stops we like when we travel – not necessarily a big attraction to be done, but a place where you stay longer than you originally intended. Mackmyra Whisky Village has also been an important part of the area and we have previously written about whisky tastings and the activities there, but that information needs to be updated before your visit as a lot has changed since our previous trip.

11. Treat yourself to a day or weekend at Högbo Bruk

Högbo Bruk is located at Sandviken, about a half-hour drive from Gävle, and was one of the positive surprises when we traveled around the area. We might have expected a mill with a few old buildings, but found a much larger area where you can easily spend a whole day – or stay overnight. Here, the mill environment is mixed with food, crafts, crops, activities and nature.

We also got the feeling that many businesses had local production and sustainability in focus. There has been a restaurant, café, chocolate making, crafts and various outdoor activities here, while you can make the visit a small weekend with a hotel and spa. Even those of us who come by motorhome have been able to stay in the area. Högbo is not in Gävle, but if you have a car and an extra day, we think it is a much better excursion than trying to fill the guide with another ten small attractions in the city.

12. Buy fish in Gåsholma

Gåsholma is a small fishing village along the coast north of Gävle and exactly the kind of place we like to look for when we travel. It's not about big sights or long lists of things to do. You come here for the sea, the small archipelago environment and to stop for a while when the café and fish shop are open during the summer.

While we were here, we naturally took the opportunity to buy fish. We ended up with both perch and smoked salmon, and sometimes a travel souvenir doesn't need to be any more remarkable than that – a small place by the sea and something really good to take home with you. If you then continue north along the coast, one of the places we ourselves like to return to awaits.

13. Finish by the sea at Axmar Brygga

Axmar Brygga is located about fifty kilometers north of Gävle and is actually far enough away that we could cross the place out of a guide to Gävle. But we don't intend to do that. We have been here several times and for us Axmar has become one of those places along the road that we like to return to. Havskrogen is right on the water and next to it is a popular parking lot for campers. 

The first time we had Axmarrøra, fried red sole and vanilla ice cream with warm cloudberry jam. When we returned we chose herring plate and cod loin instead – but apparently we couldn’t resist the ice cream with warm cloudberry jam this time either. That perhaps says more about why we like Axmar than a long description of the restaurant. Good food, the sea outside the window and the camper parked a few steps away – then it’s just a matter of going home and going to bed.

But Axmar is more than just dinner. Next door is the historic Axmar mill with the English Park, old mill environments and little oddities to discover. Among other things, we have tried to look for old shipwrecks from the beach and found Iron Britannia's hut, a work of art in the middle of the park where you can actually spend the night. And at the restaurant we discovered something that almost feels specially designed for FREEDOMtravel: a camper lounge, where campervan guests can settle down and socialise. 

This is therefore our suggestion if you want to end your Gävle trip with something more than just another attraction. Drive out to the coast, take a walk by the mill, have dinner with a view of the sea and stay overnight if you are traveling by motorhome. For us, Axmar Brygga is not just a point on the map but a place we have come back to – and that is perhaps the best recommendation we can give.

READ MORE: Fantastic dinner at Axmar Brygga (and nice parking spot!)

READ MORE: Axmar Brygga, restaurant, parking lot and mill

Where to stay in Gavle?

For most people who visit Gävle, downtown the easiest area to live in. Then you have restaurants, the Gavleån River and several of the city's attractions within walking distance. Old Gefle, the Swedish Prison Museum, the County Museum and Boulognerskogen can also be reached on foot, which means that the car can be left at home for much of the visit.

There are several hotels right in the city center and also accommodations near the central station. If you want to make the accommodation part of the experience, you can Högbo Brukshotell & Spa be an option for an extra night outside Gävle, with nature, restaurants and spas nearby.

Stay with a campervan in and around Gävle

If you are traveling by motorhome, there is Motorhome parking space Gavleån at Södra Skeppsbron, within walking distance of the city center. There is electricity and a service building next to the parking lot, and you can stay for a maximum of two days. The spaces cannot be reserved in advance.

If you prefer to stay outside the city, we have parked our camper at Mackmyra. If you continue north along the coast, Axmar Brygga is a personal favorite that we have returned to several times, where we like to combine an overnight stay with dinner by the sea.

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