Tourism & hospitality

Lake Vänern attracts visitors all year round, to the water and the inviting shoreline environments. Organisations around Vänern work together to create the most competitive and sustainable tourism & hospitality industry possible on and near lake Vänern.

Magnificent sights, picturesque small towns and lively cities combined with fantastic nature and wonderful taste sensations. The area around Vänern includes superb destinations such as the castle Läckö Slott on the tip of Kållandsö island, the Picasso sculpture in Kristinehamn, the treasure trove of art at the gallery Sandgrund Lars Lerin in Karlstad, the Göta Canal starting in Sjötorp, unique natural scenery such as the table mountains Halleberg, Hunneberg and Kinnekulle, and the narrow Hindens Rev peninsula. One of Sweden’s 30 national parks is the island of Djurö in the middle of Vänern. There are also walking trails and cycle routes and fantastic beaches where you can go swimming – Svalnäs and Vita Sandar are in a class of their own. The opportunity to taste Vänern’s vendace roe that comes directly from the inland sea heightens the experience even more.

The tourism & hospitality industry is important to the area. Several organisations collaborate with the companies and municipalities in order to develop new products and market the area to Swedish and international visitors. For the southern part of Vänern, this task is managed by West Sweden Tourist Board and for the southern part, Visit Värmland. On the west side of Vänern the work is coordinated by Dalslands Turist AB. The organisations collaborate with local companies and local tourism industry organisations to develop and market Värmland, Dalsland and west Sweden.

The Lake Vänern Local Authorities Cooperation is an economic association for collaboration comprising all 13 municipalities around Lake Vänern. The group has three main tasks: to coordinate and improve the efficiency of Vänern issues, to develop trade and industry and help the tourism industry to grow, and to market Vänern. The Lake Vänern Cooperation works alongside other actors within the Lake Vänern Grand Tour concept to develop Vänern as a sustainable tourism destination.