Vänerleden is for anyone who wants time to take in the places along the way, with room for experiences and for winding down somewhere pleasant. We take a clockwise lap from Karlstad and pick out eight highlights on the way round.
Before you set off, it’s worth thinking the trip through. You can divide it up however you like, and many people base themselves in Karlstad or Vänersborg, two of the larger hubs on the lake, each shaped in its own way by Vänern.
“If you’re planning to cycle the whole of Vänerleden, it’s worth some preparation in advance. On some stretches it’s a fair way between places to stock up on food and water, and a few sections are more demanding, with gravel and some real climbs. If you’re riding in high season, it’s wise to book accommodation well ahead,” says Simon Jonsson, process manager at Vänersamarbetet, the Lake Vänern collaboration.
1. Karlstad – where the lap begins and ends
Karlstad lies where the Klarälven river spreads into its delta and meets Lake Vänern, a town with water on every side and a natural place to both start and finish. In the Inner Harbour (Inre hamn) the restaurants line the marina, with outdoor seating facing the water. On the Sandgrundsudden in the centre of town you’ll find Värmland Museum and Lars Lerin’s much-loved art gallery.
2. Hammarö – history and wood anemones on the point
Just south of Karlstad lies Hammars udde, a short detour straight into the past. Here stands a medieval shingle-clad wooden church, and just north of it Värmland’s second-largest Iron Age burial ground, with a ring of standing stones. A three-kilometre pilgrim path loops around the point, and the summer café at the archipelago museum is the place to try the local skärgårdsbulle (archipelago bun). In spring the ground is bright with wood anemones.
3. Kristinehamn archipelago – pedal out to a Picasso
On the north-eastern shore lies the Kristinehamn archipelago, where almost everything revolves around water: swimming, fishing, paddling and boat buses out to the islands. Barely six kilometres of waterside cycle path take you all the way to Pablo Picasso’s sculpture Jacqueline, fifteen metres tall and one of his largest works.
4. Mariestad – the lake town with a cathedral but no bishop
On the eastern shore lies Mariestad, often called the lake town. In its remarkably well-preserved old town you walk cobbled streets between old wooden houses, and the early-17th-century cathedral still stands with dignity, even though the bishop moved to Skara long ago. Down at the guest harbour there are restaurants and little huts selling food, coffee and ice cream.
5. Kinnekulle – the reward on the flowering mountain
Between Mariestad and Lidköping rises Kinnekulle, the flowering mountain, which Carl von Linnaeus called one of the most remarkable places in the realm. Its slopes hold rare orchids, ancient oaks and open limestone rock. Higher up wait a lookout tower and plenty of cafés. One of them, Österplana Agriturismo, sits in a converted church with a sweeping view, a coffee stop worth every pedal stroke up the hill.
6. Halle and Hunneberg Ecopark – cycling the moose mountains
At the southern tip of the lake, just outside Vänersborg, rise the twin table mountains of Halle and Hunneberg, known as the moose mountains. Moose roam freely here, and in summer guided moose safaris head out across the heights. Several hiking trails start at the Royal Hunt Museum (Kungajaktmuseet Älgens Berg), and in spring the deep ravines are scented with wild garlic. Royal hunts have been held here since 1351.
7. Fengersfors – a long coffee break in the old mill
On the western side, in Dalsland, the old works at Fengersfors has gone from industrial site to creative cultural cluster. Its raw industrial spaces now hold workshops, galleries, a shop and a café, among them the artist collective Not Quite. It’s a place to slow down and linger over a long lunch between stages.
8. Liljedal Beach Club – glassworks, ice cream and a swim
On the way back towards Karlstad, in Grums, lies Liljedal, a former glassworks village on a bay of Lake Vänern. The glassworks museum holds, among other things, the prototype of the famous Absolut bottle (book your visit ahead). By the harbour, Liljedal Beach Club stretches out over the water; you can rent a kayak or
SUP, and the little ice-cream café Glassbruket gives a nod to the village’s glassmaking past before you roll the last stretch home.
Fancy more cycling?
There are more national cycle routes to discover around Vänerleden. Read more and find your next ride at visitvarmland.com/tips-och-guider/leisure-cykling visitvarmland.com/tips-och-guider/leisure-cykling