Uddevalla - urban area in Uddevalla Municipality, Sweden

Image taken at the heart of Uddevalla, with the tourist information house at left, and Bohusläns museum at right.

Uddevalla is a city of 35,000 people (2015), with a total of 57,000 in Uddevalla Municipality (2021), in Bohuslän, on the west coast of Sweden.

Uddevalla is a nice little town, with a river cutting through the city center. The town burnt down more than a few times in the 18th and 19th centuries, so there are but a few old wooden buildings left. Most older buildings date from the beginning of the 20th century.

Understand

Tourist office

• Uddevalla Turistcenter, Södra Hamnen 2, 58.348427°, 11.929884°, +46 522-69 84 84. Off season: 10:00-15:00, Jun: 10:00-17:00, Jul to mid-Aug: 08:00-19:00. 2017-10-07

Get in

By car

The E6 highway follows the western coast of the Scandinavian peninsula, connecting Uddevalla to Oslo in the north and Gothenburg in the south.

By bus

Express buses stop at Torp bus station, 7 km west of the city centre. Säfflebussen which runs between Berlin and Oslo and E6-expressen between Gothenburg and Oslo stops here.

By train

There are frequent train connections to Strömstad in the north, Trollhättan (Öxnered) in the east, and Göteborg due south (where you usually want to get off at "Uddevalla centralstation" rather than "Uddevalla östra").

• Uddevalla central station (Uddevalla centralstation), Södra Järnvägsgatan. 2021-05-20

By plane

The closest airport Trollhättan IATA: THN, about 30 minutes away by car, has flights to Stockholm. Landvetter Airport IATA: GOT outside of Gothenburg, about 100 km south of Uddevalla serves domestic and international flights.

Get around

By bus

• (Västtrafik) handles the local traffic throughout the city.

By boat

During the summer, a regular boat line goes through the fjord, visiting various places. See details in Do.

By taxi

Uddevalla Taxi (dead link: December 2020), the city's oldest taxi company. Reservations can be made by phone: +46 (0)522-144 00. The company is affiliated and co-owner of Taxi Väst AB (dead link: March 2023), +46 (0)522-459 000.

See

• Bohusläns museum, Museigatan 1 (Very close to the main bus station Kampenhof.), 58.349399°, 11.928144°, +46 522 - 65 65 00, info@bohuslansmuseum.se. M 10:00-16:00, Tu-Th 10:00-20:00, F-Su 10:00- 16:00. One of Sweden's most visited museums, exhibits feature Bohuslän’s changing history and the living conditions of its inhabitants. Free 2017-06-17
• The Shell Bank Museum (Skalbanksmuseet), Kurödsvägen 1, 58.356416°, 11.967307°, +460522-13891, info@bohuslansmuseum.se. Jun-Aug: Tu-Su 11:00 to 17:00. An area of shell banks and a museum dedicated to them. The shell banks were formed around 10,000 to 11,000 years ago, by deposits of shells from millions of shellfish. In some places the layer is up to 20 m thick. The shell banks are the perfect environment for a variety of lime-loving plants. Free 2017-06-17
• Tureborg, 58.340557°, 11.952894°. The ruins of a medieval-styled castle, built 1899-1912 by Ture Malmgren, founder of Bohusläningen, a local newspaper. It was ravaged by fire in 1950, but the ruins still stand. The castle was filled with secret tunnels, which later were sealed. 2017-10-07
  • Villa Elfkullen A large building with a very peculiar design, also built by Ture Malmgren. Open to the public on Sundays July - September. Like the castle, the building is filled with secret compartments.

Do

• Landbadet, 58.329578°, 11.908899°. Summertime: M-F 09:00-20:00, Sa Su 09:00-18:00. A 50-m long outdoor pool, and fields for soccer and beach volley. Free 2017-06-16
• Skärgårdsbåtarna (The archipelago boats), Södra Hamnen 2, 45142 (Stops for example by the tourist information center, with multiple stops along the coast), +460522-698480, skargardsbatarna@uddevalla.com. Almost hourly 10:00 - 19:00 during summer. Example price: 40 kr to/from tourist information and Gustafsberg or Lindesnäs 2017-07-22
• Strandpromenaden (The Boardwalk), Oljehamnsvägen, 451 43, 58.34097°, 11.908126°. 24 hours. A scenic walkway by the south scores of the fjord Byfjorden. You may start by the tourist information centre at Södra Hamnen 2. The main route begins 2 km away, at the end of Oljehamnsvägen. The walkway reaches Landbadet (see below) after about 1.5 km, and STF Vandrarhem Gustafsberg (see Sleep). It reaches the Lindesnäs beach after further 1.5 km. Free 2017-06-16

Buy

• Kungsgatan, 45130. The main shopping street in the town centre. 2017-07-22
• Torp Köpcentrum, Herrestads Torp 212, 45176 (7 km (4 miles) west from the town center), 58.353654°, 11.808435°, +46 522 65 77 50, torp.info@olavthon.se. Generally M-F 10:00-20:00, Sa Su 10:00-18:00. Detailed times at http://www.torp.se/oppettider/. A mall with about 70 stores. 2017-07-22

Eat

• Café Snäckan, Gustafsberg 475, 45191 (In Gustafsberg), 58.329612°, 11.902355°, +46522-38080, robin@kanelsnackan.se. Summertime 11:00 - 22:00. 2017-07-22
• Gustafsbergs Badrestaurang, Gustavsberg 465, 58.328965°, 11.903376°, +46 522-320 60. Only open during summer and Christmas. 2017-10-07
• Harrys Pub & Restaurang, Kålgårdsbergsgatan 8, 58.349896°, 11.936266°, +46 522-395 99. 2017-10-07
• Kerstin på torget, Kungstorget 1, 58.349385°, 11.938048°, +46 522-107 00. A family-owned restaurant with a large terrace. 2017-10-07
• Villa Lindesnäs, Lindesnäs 745, 45191 (Along Strandpromenaden (see Do)), 58.330207°, 11.883623°, +46522 - 300 58, info@villalindesnas.se. M-F 12:00-16:00 and 17:00-late, Sa 12:00-late, Su 12:00-19:00. Pretty expensive restaurant 2017-07-22

Drink

Sleep

• Unda camping, 45194, 58.330694°, 11.822737°, +46 522-863 47. 400 spots, 6 cabins. Good beaches, a nearby nature reserve, several activities during the summer. Open the entire year.
• Gustafsbergs Badhotell och Vandrarhem, Gustavsberg 467, 58.330150°, 11.903048°, +46 522-152 00. Hostel by the sea in Gustafsberg. Formerly the greater temperated bath house. Located 6 km along the boardwalk.
• Bohusgården Hotell & Konferens, Nordens väg 6, 451 43 (above the boardwalk), 58.338104°, 11.907638°, +46 522-364 20, info@bohusgarden.se. Check-in: 16:00-21:00, check-out: 07:00-10:00. This hotel has a restaurant, gym, a swimming pool, a sauna and an outdoor heated tub. From 995 kr 2019-03-11

Connect

Go next

• Göteborg, the second largest city in Sweden, is not far.
• Tanum in northern Bohuslän is renowned for their UNESCO World Heritage-rock carvings.