Västerås

Västerås (pronounced roughly Vester-ohs) is in the southern part of central Sweden. The city is not very touristy, which could be considered a good thing if you want to see a more "real" picture of Sweden.

Understand

The skyscraper Skrapan.

Västerås is by Swedish standards a quite large city, with 107,000 inhabitants in the city proper, which makes it Sweden's fifth largest, and a total of about 134,000 inhabitants in the municipality as a whole. Once in Västerås, almost every attraction is well within walking distance or can be reached in no time by public transportation. This is one of the larger industrial cities in provincial Sweden, 110 km to the west of the capital. Västerås is also one of Sweden's oldest cities, having been established in the year 990.

The city name is derived from Västra (west) Aros (old Swedish name for river mouth), which relates to the estuary of the small river (creek) "Svartån" (Black River) crossing the city towards Lake Mälaren.

Västerås is known in Sweden as Gurkstaden, i.e., "cucumber city". From the 18th century and during the 19th century, cucumbers were cultivated in large quantities in Västerås area. It was a type that was well suited for pickling, and it also got the trivial name "Västeråsgurka". According to tradition cucumbers in large quantities were cultivated in the open areas and soil after a great fire in 1741, establishing the nickname and produce.

Bishop Johannes Rudbeckius founded Sweden's first high school (gymnasium) here in 1623.

Västerås has preserved a selection of older buildings, both by the creek and around (and north of) the city's small cathedral. They all give the town a bit of a small town atmosphere. Hundreds of old houses were demolished, roughly between 1950 and 1975, during one of the country's most thorough city modernization projects. There are however several modern buildings of some architectural interest. The downtown area is generally considered to have an "urban" feel, especially around Stora Gatan, mainly because of the skyscraper (nicknamed "Skrapan") with surrounding business, commerce and residential buildings.

Västerås is known for the Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) electrical industries (formerly ASEA).

Tourist office

• 1 Västerås Tourist Center, Kopparbergsvägen 1 (150 m north of the Central station), ☏ +46 21 39 01 00, visit@vasteras.se. M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa 10:00–14:00. 
• Västerås City Council website

Get in

By plane

• 1 Stockholm Västerås Airport (VST  ^IATA) (just 6 km from the centre of Västerås). Using Ryanair from London Stansted. A town bus (941) connects with Ryanair flights.  
• Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN ^IATA) between Stockholm and Uppsala. Nettbuss has direct buses from Arlanda to Västerås although not that frequent, so travelling via Uppsala or Stockholm can be an alternative to the direct bus.
• Skavsta Airport (NYO ^IATA) in Nyköping using Ryanair.

By train

2 Västerås Central Station is in city centre. The rail operator is SJ.

By bus

Bus station in city centre, next to train station. The main bus operator is Swebus Express.

By car

Main road E18 from Stockholm.

Get around

• Västerås' city center is really small, so it is quite easy to walk.
• The suburbs by VL bus or car.
• By bicycle. Västerås is famous for its cycle paths, 340 km of asphalt only for bicycling.
• You can rent an electric scooter from several companies (the most popular being Voi, Qick, and Bolt) by-the-minute or get a pass for a specified period of time. Easy to use on the aforementioned bike paths.

By taxi

• For 100 kr, you cover the town. (Taxi Exact +46 21 170000)
• TaxiKurir Västerås, ☏ +46 21 12 22 22. Smart phone app offers address based routing and calculates price according to them. (updated Aug 2020)
• Bolt Västerås. Smart phone app offers address based routing and calculates price according to them. (updated Jul 2020)
• Uber

See

• 1 Anundshög (lies a few kilometers east of Västerås; take bus 40 towards Tortuna or go by car). A nice place for a picnic during the summer. Anundshög is an ancient burial mound, 14 m (46 ft) high and 60 m (200 ft) across, making it the largest in Sweden. Next to the mound there are two big stone ships.  
• 2 The Turbine House (Turbinhuset), Slottsgatan 2, ☏ +46 21-39 01 00. One of Sweden's first power plants, constructed in 1890 by ASEA. Has a museum which is shown to visitors by appointment.  
• 3 Vallby Open Air Museum (Vallby Friluftsmuseum) (2 km north of Västerås), ☏ +46 21 39 80 70. 10:00-17:00 daily. An open-air museum which displays the cultural heritage of Västmanland; see Nordic folk culture. Free. (updated May 2017)
• 4 Västerås Castle (Västerås slott), ☏ +46 21-480 04 67. Famous for the Parliamentary decision of 1527 when King Gustav Wasa abolished Catholicism in Sweden, making Sweden a protestant country; see Protestant Reformation. The Västerås castle was erected around 1200, but what is seen of the castle today was built by Gustav Vasa mid-1500. The castle is a rather ugly building clearly meant for defence and not to impress by look. Nowadays it contains a conference hall, restaurant and a minor exhibition.  
• 5 Västerås Cathedral (Västerås Domkyrka), Västra Kyrkogatan 6, ☏ +46 21-81 46 11. The oldest parts of the cathedral were built around 1200. The oldest son of Gustav Vasa, Erik XIV, is buried in the church. Erik XIV is mostly famous because he was killed by poisoned pea soup. Summertime appointments for guided tours can be made between 11:00 and 13:00 at the tourist office.  
• 6 Västmanland County Museum & Västerås Museum of Art (Västmanlands läns museum & Västerås konstmuseum), Karlsgatan 2, ☏ +46 21 - 39 32 22. Tu Th F 10:00-17:00; W 10:00-20:00; Sa Su 12:00-16:00. Two museums which share an address. Free. 

Do

• Djäkneberget close to the Cathedral has a nice park featuring hundreds of stones with inscriptions (quotes and names of people) from the enigmatic Sam Lidman that founded the park in the 19th century.
• 1 Kristiansborgsbadet, Vallgatan 8, ☏ +46 21 - 39 19 09. A bathing facility with a traditional 25-m pool and a separate section with moist and dry sauna, and cold bath (Romerskt bad). 
• 2 Lögarängsbadet, Sjöhagsvägen 1, ☏ +46 21 - 39 19 05. Another bathing facility. Located a couple of kilometers west of Västerås. Good for children. 
• 3 Prison Island, Kopparbergsvägen 13, ☏ +46-21-351350, vasteras@prisonisland.se. Su-Th 10:00-19:00; F Sa 10:00-21:00. An indoor adventure facility challenging creativity and cooperation in group exercises. 
• 4 Västerås Concert hall (Västerås konserthus), Kopparbergsvägen 1, ☏ +46-21-40 36 00. Houses some 200 events annually. 

Annual events

• Västerås Summer Meet. First weekend in July. A major show for classic American cars. (updated Jun 2015)

Buy

• 1 Krukmakeriet, Vattugränd (It's located close to the cathedral just next to Black River. Take a walk from Stora Torget, head north on the left hand side of Elite Stadshotell, cross the road after 100 m, turn left til you get to the river and then turn right. You will see the "Krukmakeriet" on the right hand side after a couple of hundred meters), ☏ +46 70-246 24 03. F 12:00-18:00, Sa 12:00-15:00. If you're interested in crafts, there's a beautiful pottery along Black River called "Krukmakeriet". It's open on Fridays and Saturdays and you will probably buy from the potter herself. She makes everything by hand and uses techniques like stoneware and raku. You will find everything from small candleholders to pieces of art. 

Eat

Västerås Cathedral reflected in Svartån.

If you have a tight travel budget and also want to avoid famous hamburger chains, try to grab a Kebab on a plate at either Hemdals or Sippan. Otherwise choose the vegetarian lasagna at Cafe Gränden, Sturegatan in the city centre.

Some of the city's most classic and oldest restaurants are restaurant Stadskällaren at the Stora Torget square and Piazza di Spagna on Vasagatan. The latter is worth a visit just to meet the always friendly staff.

• 1 Choy's garden, Smedjegatan 2, ☏ +46 21-13 62 68. A nice place with friendly staff and Thai-Chinese food, but they have sushi too. The curry beef is worth a try. At the end of the meal they present you with a fortune cookie. Mains 100-250 kr. 
• 2 Gideonsbergsgrillen, Gideonsbergsgatan 3, ☏ +46 21-14 64 67. It's actually just a hamburger stand, but it is cheap and delivers awesome burgers for the price. For 75 kr you get a 200-gram burger with fries and lots of toppings. 
• 3 Café Gränden, Sturegatan 13, ☏ +46 21-18 98 27. An Italian style café and restaurant; free salad accompanies the sizeable portion of food. Lunch menu 70 kr. 
• 4 Kalle på spången, Kungsgatan 2, ☏ +46 21-12 91 29. A nice cafe/restaurant with light food. Around 75 kr for a salad (as a main dish). 
• 5 Soya sushi, Sturegatan 20B, ☏ +46 21-18 19 28. Average sushi place, with quite cheap sushi plates. It's small, but you can sit down and stare at the busy street or take it away. Quite popular lunch place. Sushi plates 80-150 kr. 
• 6 Spicy Hot, Sturegatan 20A, ☏ +46 21-18 17 40. Quite good Thai food with low prices. Lunch menu around 120 kr and mains between 140 and 180 kr. 

Drink

• 1 Bishops Arms Pub, Stora Torget 2, ☏ +46 21-10 28 50. Has numerous draft beers and hundreds of different whiskeys. 
• 2 The Circus, Stora Torget 3, ☏ +46 21-13 65 00. A pub in a genuine old French style. 
• 3 Pitcher's, Torggatan 4, ☏ +46 21-13 10 20. A nice sport pub. 
• 4 Sky Bar, Kopparbergsvägen 10 (Inside "Hotel Plaza"), ☏ +46 21-10 10 10. Sweden's highest-altitude pub bar with great views of the city and Mälaren. (updated Jan 2024)

Sleep

If you are planning on staying the night and want to experience something slightly different, one of the special hotels by the artist Mikael Genberg is recommended: The Hotel Woodpecker is a single room tree house in the middle of the Wasa Park. The cost per night is around 1000 kr. The same artist is also responsible for a unique one-room hotel in the lake! The bedroom is underwater.

• 1 Hotell Arkad, Östermalmsgatan 25, ☏ +46 21-12 04 80. 
• 2 Elite Stadshotellet, Stora Torget, ☏ +46 21-10 28 00. 
• 3 First Hotel Plaza, Karlsgatan 9 (350 m from Central Station), ☏ +46 211 010 10. Modern hotel in the city's tallest building. Rooms are generic but spacious, and it's easy to find your way back to the hotel from anywhere in town. South-facing rooms have a view of Lake Mälaren. 
• 4 Valsaren, Metallverksgatan 2, ☏ +46 21-18 45 30. A small but cozy 3-star hotel, 15-20 minutes walk from the center, in the Science park of Västerås. Average prices, but breakfast and afternoon snacks are included. 650 - 900 kr/night. 

Connect

As of Sept 2021, Västerås has 5G from 3 Tre, and 4G from TeliaSonera and Net4Mobility / Tele2.

Go next

If you walk along the river down to the lake you will find a little ferry port on your left side. Boats take you to some of the islands in the lake such as Elba or Ridö. It's a nice way to spend a day or a half.

Björnö is the city's main island. It's easy to find, as there are signs everywhere. It's connected to the main land with a little bridge. There is a nice beach, walking tracks and the possibility to hire kayaks and other boats at Björnögården. In the winter you can rent skies and skates.

Another really nice island is Ängsö, 15 km out of town. Take E18 West, towards Stockholm till the Airport Exit, from the roundabout just follow the signs saying "Ängsö". It's a beautiful island with a little castle, a church, a small cafe where you sit right by the water, and lots of hiking and bike tracks through the beautiful landscape. There's tons of space to relax on the cliffs by the water all by yourself, have a barbecue or swim. A must, when you're in town!

If you have half a day or so and transportation is arranged, you can visit the silver mine in Sala about 32 km to the north on 67. Just follow the signs to Sala and the "Silvergruvan" is on the left. They give tours each day down into the mine. It's quite an experience for adults and kids.

Eskilstuna is not too far away, with several trains a day leaving from Västerås Centralstation.

Routes through Västerås

Karlstad ← Hallstahammar ←

W  E

→ Enköping → Stockholm