Skara: Cathedral, Cultural Heritage and Trails

In Skara, traces of church history date back to the Middle Ages. Recent discoveries suggest that a church already stood on the site of the cathedral in the 11th century. The first known cathedral was consecrated around 1150; its well-preserved crypt dates from the 12th century.

Museums and Historic Sites

The Västergötlands museum presents more than 10,000 years of the region’s history. Its notable exhibits include well-preserved Bronze Age shields. The museum has its roots in the Västergötlands Fornminnesförening, founded in 1863. Right next door is Fornbyn: this open-air museum comprises around twenty 19th-century buildings. Together, the museum and the historic buildings offer different ways to explore the region’s past.

The Veterinärmuseet traces the development of the veterinary profession over 250 years. In Varnhem, the abbey church has a history spanning almost a thousand years. It is the final resting place of four Swedish medieval kings and Birger Jarl, the founder of Stockholm. Kata Gård preserves the ruins of a private farm church from the Viking Age; its crypt may be Sweden’s oldest surviving room. Varnhem and Valle are in the Platåbergens Geopark, Sweden’s first UNESCO Global Geopark.

Themed experiences also bring history to life: Skara offers ten walks through the thousand-year-old town. Bokäventyret is Sweden’s first interactive, educational exhibition on the history of books and writing. Its exhibits range from runestones and the printing press to children’s and young adult literature. Visitor arrangements may vary; check them before your visit.

Landscape and Trails

The Valle area lies at the foot of the western side of the Billingen plateau mountain, in the municipalities of Skara and Skövde. The last ice age left behind a distinctive, hilly kame landscape. The area has around 60 kilometres of marked, interconnected trails. For a shorter walk, try Klostersjön runt, a trail around the lake near Varnhem. The first half runs along a firm gravel path and is well suited to pushchairs, wheelchairs and walkers. Check the current conditions for this section of the trail before setting out.

Flämsjön runt is approximately nine kilometres long and follows paths as well as forest and gravel roads through varied scenery, with grazing animals in some places. Along the trail in the Eahagen-Öglunda ängar nature reserve, large oaks, hazel thickets and sparkling woodland lakes shape the landscape. Eahagen was designated in 1935 as the first nature reserve in Valle and one of the first nature reserves in the country.

Flämsjön has a large bathing beach and a nature trail; rowboats and canoes are also available to rent there. The Vingängen nature reserve, south of Axvall in Skara Municipality, offers a different landscape. Its pastures, grazed by livestock, are dotted with oaks and birches and include eight so-called giant oaks. The area has parking and information areas.

Cyclists also have several ways to find their bearings: Skara Municipality has 85 kilometres of cycle paths, and thirteen tours through the area around Skara are available. Route information may change; check the details before setting out.

Exhibitions and Seasonal Experiences

Skara Sommarland combines a large water park with an amusement park and a go-kart track. The attraction is seasonal; check the dates before your visit. The Skara-Lundsbrunn heritage railway also offers seasonal trips: the narrow-gauge railway runs with an old steam locomotive and carriages from the first half of the 20th century. Check the timetable before travelling.

An annual dahlia exhibition featuring around 60 different varieties is held in Varnhem; the varieties change from year to year. At the organic farm Alekärr outside Varnhem, you can pick your own fruit, visit a farm shop selling processed products such as apple cider, chutneys and beeswax candles, and enjoy an organic café.

Kulturvägen runs from Karleby through Varnhem and the Valle area to Tidan. Along the way, it passes prehistoric sites, abbey ruins and Lake Hornborgasjön, with its rich birdlife, among other places of interest. This route brings together different traces of cultural and landscape history.

Visitor Information and Trip Planning

Skara Contact Centre is a tourist information centre authorised by Visita. As this accreditation may change, check its status before your trip if you plan to rely on it. The InfoPoints in Skara offer brochures and maps of the surrounding area, as well as help from knowledgeable staff with basic visitor questions. Check their availability before your trip, too.

When choosing a hotel in Skara, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your stay: the cathedral and museums showcase the town’s history, while Varnhem, Valle, Flämsjön and Axvall offer other cultural and landscape experiences. Plan each destination to suit your interests and, for seasonal attractions, take the relevant visiting dates into account.

Discover more destinations: Skara, Axvall, Åmål, Vänersborg, Färgelanda, Lilla Edet, Herrljunga, Gullspång.

Return to the main travel overview: Västra Götaland.