Lidköping is a beautiful city on the shore of Vänern, Sweden’s biggest lake. It’s the perfect destination for a weekend away with friends, or a stop along a bigger trip around Sweden. The city is located close to the forests of Dalsland, with beautiful Kinnekulle on the other side.
We were lucky enough to visit Lidköping in the spring on a collaboration with West Sweden. We travelled there from Gothenburg with two friends and had the best time exploring the city, eating delicious food, and visiting some really interesting and inspiring places! If you like art, food and culture then this is the place for you!
Disclaimer: This post was written in paid partnership with Turistrådet Västsverige. However, all thoughts and opinions in this post are genuine.
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How to get to Lidköping
Driving to Lidköping
Lidköping is located on the South Coast of lake Vänern, Sweden’s biggest lake. If you are driving from Gothenburg, it’s around an hour and 35 minutes away, or alternatively 3 and a half hours from Oslo and 4 hours from Stockholm.
How to get to Lidköping via public transport
There is a direct train from Gothenburg to Lidköping that takes around 1 hour and 50 minutes. It continues on from Lidköping through Kinnekulle all the way up to Mariestad. In Lidköping you can take public buses to most destinations in the area.
You can search for train and bus times and buy tickets via the Västtrafik app.
When to visit Lidköping
We visited Lidköping in mid-spring (first weekend in May), and it was perfect! The off season means that everything was a bit quieter, but the atmosphere was still vibrant. The weather is warm but not too hot for hiking. It’s perfect for sitting outside for meals and maybe taking a dip in Lake Vänern.
Where to stay in Lidköping
We stayed at Kronocamping in Lidköping, a 5 star camping resort with the option to stay in your own camper van or hire a cabin. We hired a cabin big enough for four people and it was great! We had a terrace outside where we could eat breakfast, a cosy living area and kitchen, our own bathroom, and access to all of the camping’s facilities and activities. The cabin was really fresh and perfect for the weekend away.
The camping is located right by the lake and only a short walk into town. They have a nice restaurant (Sjökanten), mini golf, and a very lovely spa area that I can really recommend booking! It has a sauna, cold plunge pool, foot spa, warm pool and relaxation area. Find out more and book a cabin at Kronocamping on this page.
Find all your accommodation options in Lidköping.
The best things to do in Lidköping
Visit the Rörstrand Museum
If you are interested in porcelain, you can’t miss the Rörstrand Museum when you are in Lidköping. Located in the old factory, the museum celebrates 300 years of Rörstrand porcelain with newly built exhibitions showcasing different designs throughout the years, designer collaborations, and how everything was made. As a lover of porcelain, I had the Rörstrand museum on my list of places to visit for years so was ecstatic when we finally got to visit!
It’s a really interesting museum where you can both learn a lot and feel inspired. I also really recommend a visit to the cafe, they have delicious food (all served on Rörstrand plates of course).
You can find more information about the Rörstrand museum on this page.
Fika at Lilla Bageriet
Lilla Bageriet is a must if you are visiting Lidköping. It’s a really cosy cafe in a converted house, with beautiful decorations and a lovely garden. The cakes and pastries were to die for. We had the rhubarb crumble, lemon marangue kladdkaka, carrot cake and the kola snickers cake – all worth a try!
Find more information about their opening times here.
Läcko Castle
Läckö Castle, or Läckö Slott in Swedish, is an amazing stone castle located in Kållandsö, out on a peninsula looking out into the water. It’s a really special place, both because of it’s impressive architecture and the history it has lived through.
Visiting the castle, you can stroll around the grounds, take one of the hiking trails and explore the castle itself. We walked to Roparudden trail which is 4km and gives incredible views of Läckö castle. It’s also a nice way to see the surrounding nature.
I also recommend visiting the inside of the castle and taking a guided tour. The decor is incredible, with so many of the rooms painted with such small details, beautiful artworks, and even a recreation of the old tapestries that once hung on all the walls. We went around with a guide who was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the castle and those who have lived in it throughout the years. We learnt about the De La Gardie family who owned the castle in the 1600’s and onwards, how the use of the castle has developed over time, and why each room is decorated as ostentatiously as it is.
Read my full guide to Läckö Castle, and find more information about tours and opening times on this page.
Naturum Vänerskärgården – Victoriahuset
While you’re visiting Läckö Slott, you can walk down to Victoriahuset for lunch and look around Naturum Vänerskärgården. Naturum is a concept that exists all around Sweden. It’s a museum of sorts where you can learn about the local landscape and the plants and animals that live there. In Naturum Vänerskärgård they have really interesting information about Kållandsö (where Läckö is located) and the surrounding Platåbergens Geopark.
Here you will also find Läckö Värdshus, the perfect spot for lunch! We sat at a table by the window, looking out at the beautiful entryway to Läckö Castle, drinking local sodas and delicious food. On the lunch menu they have a fish, meat and a vegetarian option. All of the lunch options come with a salad and bread starter, and coffee and a small cake for dessert. We tried all three options on the menu that day and couldn’t decide which was best! All of the flavours were really well developed and delicious!
You can find more information on this page.
Svenstorp Art Center
Svenstorp Art Center is a must if you are visiting anywhere near Lidköping, Kinnekulle or Skara! The gallery is located in a redesigned barn and is the permanent home of the art of Erik Johansson. His style is surrealist photography – complex but playful re-imaginings of the way the world works. He does everything without used AI, piecing together the photos taken with his camera and it is incredible! I recommend giving yourself at least a few hours here, you will need it.
Open between the beginning of May and mid September, the gallery hosts much of Erik’s work, and that of a guest artist. When we visited the guest artist was the photographer Christopher Herwig and his incredible work photographing Soviet bus stops.
You can find more information on the Svenstorp Art Center on this page. I can also recommend taking a look at Erik Johansson’s YouTube channel for some really interesting videos depicting how he creates the pieces.
Dinner at Mellbygatans
Mellbygatans has a reputation outside of Lidköping… Before our trip, I’d been recommended to visit this lovely restaurant by several different colleagues and friends. So, when we sat down for dinner in what we had been told was “Lidköping’s cosiest courtyard”, right under a blossoming tree, I knew we were in for a special evening! Mellbygatan’s concept is that they serve high quality and sustainable food inspired by seasonal produce, and you could tell in every bite.
We had a delicious meal, starting off with beef tartar, a herby feta cream toast, and salmon sashimi, and another beef tartar (it was too good not to), a pork schnitzel and sirloin steak for the main course. Everything was so good that we couldn’t help but share it all between the four of us. Looking forward to heading back here when we are next driving past Lidköping to try the rest of the menu!
You can find more information about Mellbygatans on their website.
Stroll around Lidköping
Lidköping is a beautiful little city. We spent a few hours wondering around on a Saturday morning, enjoying the pretty streets with old wooden houses, the great shops selling unique things and antiques. In the town square, you won’t want to miss the old town house (Lidköpings rådhus). On Saturdays, they have a market here too selling clothes, fruits and vegetables and flowers. If you like antiques and local products, I can also recommend The Food & Vintage Corner (map) and Järnvägsgatan Lidköping (map).
Just outside of the city centre, you will find Framnäs Strandpark, a lovely sandy beach park by the harbour with space to swim and just hang out. We walked through the park on our way to and from Kronocamping and ended up stopping in both directions to enjoy the view over the water.
Skulpturpark Ouroboros and Smedja Therese
Skulpturpark Ouroboros and Smedje Therese is a lovely destination in the heart of Kinnekulle. Owned by Therese, Niclas, their daughter Ronja and Therese’s mother Margaretha, this smithy turned sculpture park/cafe/gallery is a really special place. Wandering around the garden and looking at all the art pieces showcasing really talented artists, you can already tell why they want to share this beautiful spot. Each year the sculpture park changes, with the same artists invited to display new pieces.
Walking further into the space, you enter the gallery. This is an exhibition of the beautiful art and designs created in the smithy, with everything from jewellery to extravagant sculptures. Next to the gallery is the smithy, a space where you can see Therese, Niclas and Ronja hard at work creating really interesting pieces. They are more than happy to talk to you about what they are doing, and even hold courses if you are interested in trying it yourself!
Lastly, you’ll find the cafe. This is run by Margaretha and is a really cosy space with a great variety of cakes, and even a shop and second hand. We sat outside in the terrace, enjoying the cosy atmosphere and were so happy we were able to visit this spot.
You can find more about Smedje Therese and Skulpturpark Ouroboros on their website.
Lunch at Skara Konsthotell
Lastly, a stop at Skara Konsthotell for lunch. You could tell this is a local favourite, as we entered at lunch time on a Sunday and the restaurant was full of smiling people enjoying a meal together. The concept here is that they have a fish, a meat and a vegetarian dish, and a salad buffet, coffee and dessert are included. The salad buffet in itself was amazing, with freshly baked bread, potato and pasta salads, and all sorts of fresh salads. We had a fish, a meat and a vegetarian dish and loved them all!
The hotel itself is also special, an “art hotel” with its own art gallery including the work of legendary Swedish artists Carl Larsson, Anders Zorn och Jenny Nyström. When you stop for lunch, I can really recommend stoping here for a visit. You can join a guided art walk, or download the brochure and read about it in your own time.
If you want to extend your stay and spend some time in Kinnekulle or beautiful Billingen and Hornborgasjön, you can always book a night at Skara Konsthotell.
Staying for longer in West Sweden? You might enjoy these places:
- West Sweden Map: Save all the best spots in Lidköping and West Sweden to your phone!
- 7 Day West Sweden road trip
- 10 day Scandinavia Itinerary
- Canoeing along the Dalsland Canal
- Similar places: Kinnekulle, Dalsland, Mariestad, Lund
- Best places to visit during the seasons in Sweden: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
