The World at Your Fingertips

Varberg, Sweden

Varberg, Sweden.

Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into the Bohuslän archipelago and as far as the North Cape. Varberg is a charming and popular summer resort and many people from inland cities such as Borås are either moving to Varberg or holidaying there.

Climate

Varberg has an oceanic climate that although moderate by Swedish standards, still retains quite large seasonal variation. Summers are in general cooler than both in Halmstad and Gothenburg, with highs being moderated by the marine airflow. Although this moderation occurs, some summer days can be very warm, and some winter nights see severe frosts.

Get in

There is no airport in Varberg except for a small landing strip on Getterön only used for recreational flying, nearest international airport is in Gothenburg which has flights from most airport hubs in Europe. Ground travel to Varberg by airport bus to Gothenburg and train. Copenhagen Airport is an option, connected to Varberg by train, 2½ hours travel time.

Coming by rail, Varberg is along the line between Gothenburg and Copenhagen via Malmö with plenty of departures, every hour during the day and more often during mornings and evenings, named Öresundståg. Travel time from Gothenburg is 40 minutes an three hours from Copenhagen. Tickets for Öresundståg trains can be bought with credit card in machines at the station. They are not sold on board, must be prebought. Connections is also available from Borås with six trains daily, see Hallandstrafiken. There are no direct trains from the capital Stockholm, a change of trains in Gothenburg is necessary, with tickets from SJ. Varberg station is a block north of the city centre.

Highway E6/E20 passes by just outside the city. From Stockholm use roads E4, 40 and 41.

A twice-daily passenger ferry by Stena Line' connects Varberg with Grenaa in Denmark. The ferry terminal is located on Hamnplan, close to the city centre.

Cycling is also a popular option with several bicycle paths passing through.

Get around

The city center is easily accessible by foot. Other options are bicycle and car. There is a bus network run by Hallandstrafiken.

What to See in Varberg

• Varberg Fortress (Varbergs fästning). An old castle close to the city center. Parts of the castle are open 24/7 while one needs to be in a guided tour to reach other parts.

Varberg Fortress.

• Hallands Kulturhistoriska Musueum (Cultural Museum of Halland), +46 340-828 30. Within the fortress contains, among other things the Bocksten Man, a mummified corpse from the 14th century.

Hallands Kulturhistoriska Musueum.

• Getterön. A former island (now connected to the mainland) 2 km northwest of Varberg with a bird station and several nice beaches. There is also a beautiful area in the west part.

• Radio Station Grimeton (10 km east of the city), +46 340-674190, e-mail: info@grimeton.org. The only remaining radio station of the 1920s long wave network is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. During summer months it is possible to visit the Varberg Radio Station at Grimeton, with the machine transmitter used for VLF transmissions on 17.2 kHz. It is the only workable machine transmitter in the world.

Radio Station Grimeton.

What to Do in Varberg

Get a spa at Apelviken or just walk around. Varberg also has some of the best wind surfing in Sweden, with a surf centre in Apelviken. The centre offers rental surf boards and it has a café that's open day time. Next to the center you find the restaurant "Majas vid Havet" [Majas by the Sea] which offers excellent food and wine. They're only open in July, and they put on concerts practically every night of the week.

• Varbergs Chess Club (Varberg Shack), Lärkvägen 57 B, +46 340-74001, e-mail: varbergschack@swipnet.se. At Varbergs Chess Club you can come as you are and enjoy a game of chess, either with your friends or with someone in the club.

• Kallbadhuset, Otto Torells gata 7, +46 340 17396, e-mail: varberg@kallbadhuset.se. A beautiful wooden bathhouse in the ocean (hence the kall prefix meaning cold) near the city center open all year round. Entrance 65 kr.

Kallbadhuset.

• Varbergs Kurort, Nils Kreugers väg 5, +46 340 629800, e-mail: bokning.varbergskurort@comwell.se. One of Sweden's most historic health institutions, established in 1902 as a sanatorium. Since the early 1970s Varbergs Kurort have been developed as a premier spa hotel winning several European awards.

Eat

Varberg has several different restaurants and bars serving food. It also has a fish shop in the harbour for those wanting to make their own meal. Apelviken, a short taxi ride south of the city, offers a wide range of food, with 4 popular restaurants spread out along the sand strip. "Solviken" attracts mostly customers from the nearby camping. "John's Place" is famous for it's fantastic location - on the beach - and it has a good but pricey Bar-B-Q. "Majas vid Havet" is well known for it's concerts with major Swedish pop groups, their good food and nice atmosphere. Be sure to order their tender ribs. The shooting star is "Olles", a small and very popular outdoor restaurant in the south part of the bay. They serve good food at great value.

• Tre Toppar, Storgatan 2, Träslövsläge, +46 340 671230, e-mail: info@tretoppar.se. Open daily from April to September. One of the biggest ice cream parlous in Sweden, serving up to 60 different varieties of ice cream.

Drink

Varberg has several bars and a good nightlife in the summer. Most bars are open to 02:00 on the weekends.

• Cafe Nyfiket, Kungsgatan 20, +46 340-14714. Cafe and sports bar. Watch soccer while having a kanelbulle and a cup of coffee. Offers a cake buffet in the afternoon.

Sleep

Hotels

• Varbergs Stadshotell & Asia Spa, Kungsgatan 24-26, +46 340-690100, fax: +46 340-690101, e-mail: info@varbergsstadshotell.com. Centrally located at the main square and probably the most high-end you can get in town. Rooms starts at 1195 kr per night.

• Hotell Gästis, Borgmästaregatan 1, +46 340-18050, e-mail: gastis@hotellgastis.se. A small family-run hotel located in the heart of Varberg, the basement houses the Lenin Baths, a spa establishment made as a replica of a bath in Saint Petersburg frequented by Lenin. From 995 kr per night.

• Hotell Havanna, Krabbes väg 4, +46 340-100 50, e-mail: info@hotellhavanna.se.

• Varbergs Kusthotell, Nils Kreugers väg 5, +46 340-629800, e-mail: info.varbergskurort@comwell.se. A very popular spa hotel right by the sea.

Camping

• Agrell´s stugor o camping, Ullebovägen 14, +46 340-12054, e-mail: info@agrellstugor.se. Camp site 2 km south of the city centre .

• Apelviken, Sanatorievägen 4, +46 340-64 13 00. Camp site between two beaches 1.5 km south of the city centre.

• Björkängs havsbad, Havsbadsvägen, +46 340-42134, e-mail: info@bjorkangshavsbad.se. Camp site 13 km south of the city centre.

• Espeviks camping, Västerängsvägen 7, +46 340 - 62 20 22. Camp site by the ocean 13 km north of the city centre.

• First Camp Kärradal Varberg, Nisebäcksvägen 1, +46 340 - 62 23 77, e-mail: karradal@firstcamp.se. Camp site 10 km north of the city centre.

• Getteröns camping, Valvikavägen 3, +46 340 - 62 20 22. Camp site on Getterön 2 km north west of the city centre.

• Läjets camping, Nygård 3, +46 340 - 20 54 80, e-mail: info@lajetscamping.se. Camp site 5 km south of the city centre.

• Stråvalla camping, Kärra 40, +46 340 - 65 73 73, e-mail: info@stravallacamping.se. Camp site 27 km north of the city centre.

Go next

From Varberg there are exelent bicycle paths as well as good road connections (E6/E20) and frequent trains both northbound and southbound along the coast connecting:

• Kungsbacka, 40 km north
• Göteborg, 80 km north
• Falkenberg, 40 km south

There is also a train connection as well as the road 40 connecting to Borås. Other notable places to go to is Ullared 33 km east along the road 153 in Falkenberg municipality with the massive shopping mall Gekås.

Moreover, you can take the ferry to Grenå in Denmark. There are two daily departures and the crossing takes about 4 hours. (Wikivoyage)