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City in Västmanland, Sweden
Photo: Brorsson, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Västerås (pronounced roughly Vester-ohs) is in the southern part of central Sweden. The city is not very touristy, which could be considered a good thing if you want to see a more "real" picture of Sweden.
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A nice place for a picnic during the summer. Anundshög is an ancient burial mound, 14 m high and 60 m across, making it the largest in Sweden. Next to the mound there are two big stone ships.
Turbinhuset
One of Sweden's first power plants, constructed in 1890 by ASEA. Has a museum which is shown to visitors by appointment.
Vallby Friluftsmuseum
An open-air museum which displays the cultural heritage of Västmanland; see Nordic folk culture.
Västerås slott
Famous for the Parliamentary decision of 1527 when King Gustav Wasa abolished Catholicism in Sweden, making Sweden a Protestant country; see Protestant Reformation. The Västerås castle was erected around 1200, but what is seen of the castle today was built by Gustav Vasa mid-1500. The castle is a rather ugly building clearly meant for defence and not to impress by look. Nowadays it contains a conference hall, restaurant and a minor exhibition.
Västerås Domkyrka
The oldest parts of the cathedral were built around 1200. The oldest son of Gustav Vasa, Erik XIV, is buried in the church. Erik XIV is mostly famous because he was killed by poisoned pea soup. Summertime appointments for guided tours can be made between 11:00 and 13:00 at the tourist office.
Västmanlands läns museum & Västerås konstmuseum
Two museums which share an address.
A bathing facility with a traditional 25-m pool and a separate section with moist and dry sauna, and cold bath (Romerskt bad).
Another bathing facility. Located a couple of kilometers west of Västerås. Good for children.
A nice place with friendly staff and Thai-Chinese food, but they have sushi too. The curry beef is worth a try. At the end of the meal they present you with a fortune cookie.
It's actually just a hamburger stand, but it is cheap and delivers awesome burgers for the price.
An Italian style café and restaurant; free salad accompanies the sizeable portion of food.
A nice cafe/restaurant with light food.
Average sushi place, with quite cheap sushi plates. It's small, but you can sit down and stare at the busy street or take it away. Quite popular lunch place.
Quite good Thai food with low prices.
Has numerous draft beers and hundreds of different whiskeys.
A pub in a genuine old French style.
A nice sport pub.
Sweden's highest-altitude pub bar with great views of the city and Mälaren.
Modern hotel in the city's tallest building. Rooms are generic but spacious, and it's easy to find your way back to the hotel from anywhere in town. South-facing rooms have a view of Lake Mälaren.
A small but cozy 3-star hotel, 15-20 minutes walk from the center, in the Science park of Västerås. Average prices, but breakfast and afternoon snacks are included.
If you're interested in crafts, there's a beautiful pottery along Black River called "Krukmakeriet". It's open on Fridays and Saturdays and you will probably buy from the potter herself. She makes everything by hand and uses techniques like stoneware and raku. You will find everything from small candleholders to pieces of art.
By train
Västerås Central Station is in city centre. The rail operator is SJ.
By bus
Bus station in city centre, next to train station. The main bus operator is Swebus Express.
By car
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Stockholm / Västerås · International · VST
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