Discover Tanumshede: Cultural Heritage and Hiking Trails

Tanumshede is considered a natural starting point for visiting the rock carvings in the surrounding Tanum World Heritage Site. The town combines this focus with protected historic buildings, a place for culture and learning, and several hiking trails. The range of attractions extends from rock art and local history to landscapes and outdoor activities.

Rock Carvings in the Tanum World Heritage Site

The Tanum World Heritage Site stretches south and east of Tanumshede and includes at least 450 rock-carving sites. The rock carvings prepared for visitors throughout the wider area are accessible around the clock, all year round. This information about accessibility applies to the prepared rock carvings in the area, not specifically to Tanumshede.

Vitlycke Museum is located two kilometres south of Tanumshede on Road 914. Its exhibition covers Tanum in the Bronze Age and rock carvings. The rock face at Vitlyckehällen, which is more than 20 metres long, features over 500 carved images. At Litsleby stands Spjutguden, a figure 230 centimetres high that is described as the largest rock carving of a human in Scandinavia. In the Fossum visitor area, you can see two large and two smaller rock carvings.

Historic Buildings and Culture in Tanumshede

Tingshuset, with its stable, and Tanums Gestgiveri are listed historic buildings in Tanumshede. Tanums Gestgiveri was founded in 1663 and is believed to be Sweden’s oldest continuously operating inn. The two buildings represent different aspects of local history: one is described as a historic building with its stable, while the other dates back to the 17th century.

Kulturhuset Futura is a meeting place for culture and learning. The municipality’s main library is also located there. Futurateatern at the cultural centre has 140 seats and is suitable for lectures, meetings, and theatre and music events. The library, cultural centre, and theatre are thus among the town’s named cultural facilities; this information does not specify the events held or visiting hours.

Landscape and Hiking Trails

Tanumshede and Kungsvägen lie on the Berghemsmoränen, a glacial marginal formation deposited at the end of the last Ice Age. Vinbäcken flows across this moraine, between the present-day centre of Tanumshede and the “church village” of Vinbäck to the south. In addition to the rock carvings, the local landscape is therefore also shaped by its geological features and the course of the waterway.

The trails vary in length and destination: Aspeberget has seven rock carvings along a trail just under one kilometre long. The Tanumsleden is five kilometres long and passes Valbrets grav (Hällekistan), which connects to trails in the surrounding area. Vandring i Världsarv is six kilometres long and leads to three rock carvings. Tassemarksstigen is near Tanumshede and passes several Bronze Age burial mounds. If you are looking for a suitable trail length, the options include a short route described here, as well as trails of five and six kilometres; the longer routes also differ in their named destinations.

Suitable starting points for hiking in Tanumshede include the car park at Stall Heane (Tanums Ridklubb) and Höjden (Campus Futura). Information boards about the various trails are available at both locations. Sparvallen can also be rented for sports and physical activities. The facility has a full athletics track and a synthetic-turf football pitch.

Discover more destinations: Sannäs, Tänum, Hamburgsund, Havstenssund, Resö, Grebbestad, Kleva Västra, Rabbalshede.

For the main travel overview: Tanum.