Dalsland is a hidden gem, a forest paradise perfect for anyone wanting to explore the untouched nature of Sweden. Located between the iconic West coast and Sweden’s biggest lake (the Vänern), Dalsland’s beauty is often overlooked by Swedes. Lucky for us, this makes it all the more special to visit. Spending a weekend in Dalsland often means lots of hiking, cycling, paddling, and dinners out by the lakes making it the perfect summer trip. In this guide to spending a weekend in Dalsland, I’ll give you a 2 day itinerary perfect for experiencing what the region has to offer.
During our time in Dalsland, we were given a two night stay at Nordic Refuge. However, everything I have shared in this blog post is from my own experience and is in no way influenced by this. Additionally, this blog post includes affiliate links. This means that if you book a hotel or tour through this page I get a small income. This is of no extra cost to you, it just means that I can continue to create these detailed guides on Katiesaway!
Where to stay in Dalsland
During our weekend trip to Dalsland, we stayed at Nordic Refuge. Although this was a gifted trip, I truly think there is no better place to stay in Dalsland than here (and I am not saying this because of the collaboration, I promise!). It is such a lovely place with the kindest owners who gave us so many recommendations for hidden gems in the area. The location is perfect, with hikes, lakes, and cycling paths within walking distance. They also have bikes for rent.
The best thing about Nordic Refuge is that it’s really easy to reach by public transport with a bus at the end of the street. Once you are there, everything is within walking or cycling distance so this is a trip you can do without a car, unlike visiting other places in the region.
The hotel itself is inside an old converted school, recently renovated in a beautiful Scandinavian style. They try to be as sustainable as possible in everything they do; from the sustainability sourced furniture to the locally supplied bread on the breakfast table.
You can find out more and book Nordic Refuge here!
How to get to Dalsland
Dalsland is easy to reach by both car and public transport. If you are driving, you will most likely take the E45 from Gothenburg up towards the Vänern. Depending where you are heading in Dalsland, you will likely turn off the E45 at some point after Mellerud.
If you are traveling to Dalsland by public transport, you can take either the SJ or Västtraffik train to either Mellerud or Åmal. From these stations, there are regular buses which run to different points around Dalsland, including Fengersfors and Håverud.
Tips for a weekend in Dalsland
If you are visiting Dalsland in the summer, my number 1 tip is to pack mosquito repellent! With so many lakes and shady forests, the area is swarming with them when the wind dies down! Luckily they are not as vicious as the mosquitos you find in Northern Sweden, so when using mosquito repellent you have no problems!
A Weekend in Dalsland – 2 Day Itinerary
Below I will guide you through the 2 day itinerary we followed for our weekend trip to Dalsland. We stayed two nights (Friday to Sunday) so we were able to fit in two dinners and possibly more activities. If you only wish to stay one night in Dalsland then I would recommend leaving out dinner at Not Quite and instead taking dinner to the lake.
Day 1
Håverud
We started our trip to Dalsland with a stop in Håverud. This is one of the bigger towns in Dalsland, known for the iconic Dalsland Canal Aqueduct which was built here over 150 years ago. Today, the town is bustling, especially in the summer when the Dalsland Canal is in full usage with passenger boats, tour boats, and canoers passing through.
In Håverud you will find the Dalsland Centre, a newly built tourist office with guides, maps, and local products for sale. It is worth a stop here if you are passing by. Outside the tourist office is the restaurant Håfveruds Rökeri & Brasseri which we were tipped about, however, we didn’t eat here!
When visiting Håverud make sure to walk up alongside the aqueduct to the harbour on the other side. Here, you can see the locks in action if you visit during the day, letting boats up and down the canal. Make sure to also walk up to Cafe Haverud where there is a viewpoint looking back over the aqueduct. From here, you can walk across the bridge above and get an amazing view over the canal.
Check in to Nordic Refuge
After exploring Håverud we continued north to Fengersfors to check into the hotel. This was very quick and easy, and after taking out stuff into the room we set straight out to dinner.
Fröskogs Kyrka
On the way to dinner we stopped off at Fröskogs Kyrka which is located just across the road from Nordic Refuge. This is one of the oldest churches in Dalsland and has a really beautiful facade made up of individual wooden slats. Unfortunately, the church is only open to visitors on Mondays to Fridays from 12 – 17 so we didn’t get to see the inside. However, we have heard that it is beautiful, painted with motifs much like many other of the old wooden churches you see in Sweden.
Hiking the VIR (Vandra i Ronjaland)
If you haven’t already heard of it, the popular Astrid Lindgren novell turned film Ronja Röversdotter (Ronja the Robber’s Daughter) was partly filmed in this area of Dalsland. All around the area of Fengersfors you will find the Vandra i Ronjaland paths, taking you to different areas used in the filming. If you are like me, who still hasn’t seen the film, you will still enjoy these walking paths, believe me. They take you to some really beautiful places in the area that are kind of off-the-beaten track.
I’ll talk you through exactly which trails we took in the rest of this post. The Vandra i Ronjaland trails pass right by Fröskogs Kyrka (opposite Nordic Refuge) so it is very easy to start the hike from here.
We decided to walk to dinner as Not Quite is only a 20 minute walk from Fröskog. To do this walk, you need to follow the red and blue trail from Fröskogs Kyrka. It is a very simple walk that takes you first up past the church and across a beautiful field. From here, you cross the main road and wander through a small forest, before crossing back and taking the road to Not Quite.
Here’s the website of Vandra i Ronjaland if you want to explore more routes!
Dinner at Not Quite Cafe
Not Quite is an old industrial paper factory turned cultural center in Fengersfors. During the day, there is a big exhibition space and amazing bakery, however, in the evenings only the Not Quite cafe is open. The cafe is quite small but has a beautiful outdoor eating area. Inside, the decor reflects the history of the factory, with stone walls and beautiful art hanging.
The cafe is open until 20 and is one of the only places to eat dinner in the area. The dishes they serve change daily and they have a great arrangement of cakes for dessert! We had a chili with rice and a vegetarian pasta salad, followed by a slice of vegan banana cake which was all delicious!
After dinner, we took the hiking path back to Nordic Refuge.
Wild Swimming at sunset
To enjoy the last of the evening light, we head down to the lake for a swim. This was only a 5 minute walk from the hotel and was lovely at this time of night. While this swimming spot doesn’t have a name, it is located right next to Fröskog Stom bus stop which you can find on Google.
This swimming spot is actually really special, with an old loading dock by the water, it reflects the rich mining history of the area. There is a rope attached to the loading dock so you can climb up and get a good view, otherwise there is a picnic bench and a small, very picturesque bay for swimming in the lake.
Day 2
Breakfast at Nordic Refuge
Day 2 began with an amazing hotel breakfast at Nordic Refuge. We ate fresh bread from the local bakery Brukets Godaste (part of Not Quite), with homemade jam, yoghurt and berries, and drank amazing coffee from a local roaster. Sitting out on the terrace under the cool morning sun was the perfect way to start the day.
Hike in Sörknattens Naturreservat
After breakfast, we started our second day in Dalsland with a short hike. We chose to drive to Sörknattens Naturreservat, although it is possible to get here by bike. Sörknatten is a beautiful nature reserve, with amazing views over the lakes in Dalsland, and some of the iconic film locations from Ronja Röversdotter.
Depending how far you want to walk, there are a few different hiking trails you can take within Sörknatten. We began with the blue trail which takes you up to Predikstolen. The trail was quite easy to follow from the carpark with blue markers up to the top. The hike, however, was quite steep and could be difficult for some. When you arrive at the top, there’s an amazing viewpoint over the lakes. If you walk a little to the left when you arrive at Predikstolen, you will find one of the iconic filming locations from Ronja (Helvetesgapet).
Secondly, we chose to walk the first part of the orange hike. This trail is 6.5km on the way and is of quite rocky terrain so takes multiple hours to complete. Instead, we followed the orange path from the car park and continued to the viewpoint Husdalsbergen. From here, the view is incredible! You can see all the way across the landscape, over the Vänern towards the peninsula where Läckö Slott is located.
Another tip from Swedish culture is that this viewpoint is that which is painted in the iconic masterpiece Vårt Land by Otto Hesselbom. If you don’t know the painting, make sure to read the signs about Otto Hesselbom in the car park and at the viewpoint!
In total, both walks took us around 2 hours to complete, including time stopped at the viewpoints.
If you want to spend more time hiking in Sörknatten, there is also the yellow Baståsenleden Trail which is a 6km walk through the forest. It follows the Ärrsjön lake and is a much simpler hike, however, from here you do not get the views.
Wild Swimming in Ärrsjön
Following the hike in Sörknatten Naturreservat, we stopped for a wild swim in Ärrsjön. This wild swimming spot is a little hidden but you will easily find it if you park by the lake on your way down the road from Sorknatten. However, one of the best things about wild swimming in Dalsland (and Sweden) is that you don’t need to find a specific spot. You can instead just swim anywhere along the side of these lakes!
Cycle to Not Quite
Following the morning hike around Söknattens Naturreservat, we headed back to Nordic Refuge and hired bikes. They have them on site so it was really easy to just grab them and go. We cycled back to Not Quite for lunch and it only took around 10 minutes.
During the days, Not Quite is alive with different studio spaces, the art gallery, the cafe and the bakery. We had planned to have lunch at Brukets Godaste, however it turns out they only serve their delicious pizza from Monday to Friday and it needs to be booked several hours in advance! Instead, we went back to the Not Quite Cafe for lunch, and took a takeaway fika from Brukets Godaste. The cardamom and tosca buns were amazing so I definitely recommend doing this!
Hike the Ronjaleden
Following lunch, we cycled back to Nordic Refuge and left the bikes behind. We then spent the next few hours hiking another section of the Vandra i Ronjaland trail. This time, we chose to do the yellow loop trail which begins at Fröskogs Kyrka. From here, the path heads across the meadow and into the forest, towards the Quartz mine. The walk is relatively easy and quite beautiful as it winds through the forest. When you arrive at the Quartz mine, you will see a sign to Bläsen. This little loop takes you to the filming location of Ronja Röversdotter, and to an amazing back over the lake.
From the mine, you should head back down to the path and follow it towards the road. Here you will pass lots of “caves” or mine entrances that were once used. It is fascinating to follow the history of the regions and see so much of the old mining district.
Swim in a Kvartsbrott (Quartz mine)
Before heading back to the hotel, we took a little detour into the forest to find the Kvartsbrott (old quartz mine) which is now filled with water and looks like a wonderful lagoon. We were told you could swim here but were not 100% sure about the quality of the water. The spot itself is amazing though and I definitely recommend trying to find it!
I don’t want to share the exact location here as it seems like a real local hidden gem, but if you are staying at Nordic Refuge I am sure François will let you in on the secret!
Dinner in the Wild
As we were staying at Nordic Refuge, we decided to take one of their food packages which is a dinner in the wild. This is perfect when staying in Dalsland as we noticed that there were not many restaurants open nearby, and unless we wanted to drive 25 minutes back to Håverud, then we would have eaten at Not Quite two nights in a row.
We were recommended a beautiful spot with two wind shelters and a fire pit right by the Kjnarrbysjön, just north of Fengersfors. The lake was a bit of a drive but unfortunately there was a fire ban at the time so we could not eat at any of the beautiful places closer to the hotel.
In the wild cooking package we were given haloumi, chopped veggies and flatbread to cook over the fire with a delicious spice mix! It was so delicious, and as always, there is nothing better than eating dinner outside by the fire!
Two days in Dalsland – A Weekend Itinerary
Dalsland is the perfect place for a weekend away for anyone who loves nature, with so many possibilities for hiking, paddling, cycling, and wild swimming. In this two day itinerary, I have taken you through exactly what we did on our weekend trip to Dalsland and Nordic Refuge, however, there is obviously so much more to do if you are staying in Dalsland longer! Plus, if you’re anything like me, as soon as you leave Dalsland you will already be planning your next trip!
Have any questions or more tips? I would love it if you left them in the comments!
You might also be interested in these posts:
- West Sweden Road Trip
- The best hiking trails near Gothenburg
- Ultimate Guide to the Swedish West Coast
- Hiking the Gotaleden – From Gothenburg to Alingsås
Want more? Here you can see all my Sweden travel guides!
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