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Värmland is the magical place where blooming meadows meet deep forests, fresh rivers, serene forest lakes, artistic craftsmanship, friendliness, greeting nods, and a caring drive. Here, people cherish what they have around the corner – now and for the future. Sensibility!

Here, you can still find undiscovered flea markets (a bargain opportunity!), the beautiful, old buildings of industrial towns, and a widely renowned friendliness. People are simply pleasant and cheerful. The residence city Karlstad rises like a majestic backdrop along the shores of Klarälven, boasting being one of Sweden’s best cycling cities and leading in bold transition initiatives. What’s not to like?

In Värmland, I grew up, and this is where I returned after half a life in Stockholm and a few years with a cottage on Gotland. It’s like the Värmland song says “To Värmland I still return,” because you realize that nothing beats Värmland, being met with a smile, care, and warmth. And I, who travel around and lecture about climate, transition, and the future, want to live where things are happening. In a region that takes the situation seriously but also dares to invest, try, and create hope for the future. And of course, makes it easy for both citizens and tourists to live and stay here without straining resources too much. It’s ultimately about caring for what you love: Värmland.

As a transition-enthusiastic returnee, I am constantly looking for the future: circular, resource-smart, locally produced, organic, and artisanal. Things that show it’s possible, create hope for the future, and pave the way for more to dare. Destinations that support the transition, are tagged with a smarter way of thinking, care for the local community, and combine the most ingenious aspects of the future with what has worked historically.

These are my absolute favorites of 2023 – with the hope that the list will grow substantially every year.

And a ps. Check the opening hours! Some of the places I recommend are only open on certain days or during the summer season.

Accommodation

Happie Camp

During the spring, summer, and autumn seasons, I think you should enjoy Karlstad’s skyline – seen from Vänern. Or why not take an evening dip in a quiet forest lake? Happie Camp offers fantastic accommodation in several places in Värmland, and it is magical! Book your stay, and take the opportunity to order their delicious vegan menu. Fresh air included. The best part? When you stay at Happie Camp, you not only get closer to nature, but you also benefit the forest. This way, forest owners can earn money by letting the forest remain standing.

Instagram: @happiecamp
Web: www.happiecamp.com

Naturbyn

By being in nature – we understand how to take care of it, they say. Nothing is truer. Rolling out a piece of Värmland’s mythical nature before your eyes makes Netflix feel flat and mainstream. Naturbyn serves Värmland’s nature through treehouses, custom-built cabins, and houseboats. Here, no heavy machinery has been allowed, and they have “absolutely no wifi”. Instead, they present “reel life” ™. Here you can swim in the lake, paddle a canoe, fish, cook over an open fire, and enjoy the moment. This is a place to relax, disconnect, and unplug for a while. Naturbyn in Långserud is at the top of my bucket list right now.

Address: Lindbäck, 661 96 Långserud
Instagram: @naturbyherden
Web: www.naturbyn.se

Vildmark i Värmland

There are few memories that have touched me and stuck as strongly as when I first paddled down Klarälven with my dad. I, who at the time was a moody teenager (quite far from wanting to paddle), unexpectedly fell in love with it. To quietly and easily glide along, face challenges, solve problems, and see magnificent nature perform along the riverbanks was (at the risk of the word feeling weak in the context) … beneficial. It is scientifically proven that nature has a healing effect, reduces stress levels, and improves our mental health. But that it also cures teenage chaos was something new. Since the paddle tour, I have dreamed of one thing. To experience Klarälven from a timber raft. Vildmark i Värmland offers just that. And not only that, you get to build the raft yourself and stay overnight in an adjacent cabin or tent. Doesn’t it sound like you get a swimming badge in self-confidence afterward?

Address: Klarälvens Camping, Ytnäsängen, 680 50 Stöllet
Instagram: @vildmarkivarmland
Web: www.vildmark.se

Food/Fika

Zest

Inside the blooming entrance, you will find the organic food bar Zest which serves food with a low climate impact. Ingredients that are in season, game, eco-labeled fish, and locally produced as much as possible. A stone’s throw away you will find the cozy museum park, Värmlands museum, Lars Lerin’s art gallery, and the library that I love (don’t miss the water art).

Address: Norra Strandgatan 17, 652 24 Karlstad
Instagram: @zestkarlstad
Web: www.zest-karlstad.se

Bakgården

If Zest has my heart during the daytime, you will surely find me at Bakgården in the evening. If I get to choose a dinner place in Karlstad, it’s Bakgården – every day of the week. In a backyard at the old, magnificent regiment in Karlstad lies this big favorite that serves plant-based and wild-picked in pizza form! Yes, please give me that! Have a beer, listen to jazz on the cozy outdoor patio, and enjoy heavenly good vegan pizzas. Ps. Try the mushroom pizza!

Address: Kasernhöjden 6B, Karlstad
Instagram: @bakgardenpizza
Web: www.bakgardenpizza.se

Elins Bakgård

A must-visit when you are in Värmland is the artisanal town of Arvika! I always have a minor life crisis when I am in Arvika, wondering why I never lived here? Anyway, take a stroll through Arvika, look at all the beautiful old houses, and stop by Elins Bakgård – a genuine café that exudes building conservation, locally produced, seasonal, and craftsmanship. Extra lovely is the cute backyard on a beautiful autumn day, with a blanket on your lap and soup in a deep bowl. Arvika is easily accessible by train, and if you come by electric car, Arvika offers many chargers!

Address: Magasinsgatan 4, 671 31 Arvika
Instagram: @elinsbakgard
Web: www.elinsbakgard.se

Artisan Bread

The artisanal bakery Artisan Bread in Karlstad boasts too little about baking organically. For people like me – who look for organic options high and low – they could have an organic sign on every baked bread. Because you want organic! Artisan is not only my favorite, but Karlstad residents also flock here to buy freshly baked bread, sweet bread, goodies, and to drink coffee on the lovely outdoor patio. This fantastic bakery – where everything is baked from scratch – is also a neighbor to Bakgården.

Address: Kasernhöjden 4, 653 39 Karlstad
Instagram: @artisan_bread_karlstad
Web: www.artisanbread.se

Swenströmskas Stone Oven Bakery

Near Stora torget (everything is close in Karlstad), you will find Swenströmska which bakes bread with organic and locally grown ingredients. A perfect place for a fika, and a given choice if you want to support unsprayed, locally produced, and biological diversity. And you want to – every day of the week.

Address: Östra Torggatan 16, 652 24 Karlstad
Instagram: @swenstromskas
Web: www.swenstromskas.se

Experience

Alma Löv Museum of Unexp. Art

Closed summer 2025

A must-visit in Värmland is Alma Löv Museum of Unexp. Art in Östra Ämtervik. Below a blooming meadow, you will find a magnificent barn – adorned with recycled windows, doors, and furniture – housing a café and art gallery. And yes, damn it, a whole lot of joy too. Here – and in the adjacent grove – you will encounter quirky buildings, art, and concerts enjoyed by both children and adults. The café serves vegetarian and vegan food, as it should. My favorite since age 14? The house with a carillon of glass bottles that start to play when you cycle around on a bike.

Address: Smedsby 108, 686 96 Östra Ämtervik
Instagram: @stellabroos_almalovmuseum
Web: www.almalov.se

Vänern

In addition to Värmland having plenty of magical forest lakes, there is also an impressive Vänern archipelago that many are unaware of. To be honest, I didn’t know there was an archipelago in Vänern until recently, thinking the word archipelago was synonymous with Saltkråkan, the west coast, and the sea. But Vänern – Sweden’s largest lake – can flaunt just that: an archipelago!

Mariebergsskogen and Naturum

Mariebergsskogen is a bit like a mini-Skansen with animals and old buildings. A real children’s favorite! Here, the chickens roam freely, as do the children (car-free), there is a large playground, a theater stage, and even a bit of a history lesson in the old houses that can be visited. In the autumn and winter, families gather around the grills near the playground, in winter there is an ice rink, and all year round you can, of course, visit (and have a fika at) Naturum, where you can learn more about animals and nature.

Address: Treffenbergsvägen, 652 29 Karlstad
Instagram: @mariebergsskogen
Web: www.mariebergsskogen.se

Värmlands Museum

Next to a beautiful, child-friendly park – a stone’s throw from Stora torget – is Värmlands Museum, which houses exhibitions, a creative workshop, a fairy tale world signed by Inger and Lasse Sandberg (you know, Little Ghost Laban, Little Anna and the Tall Uncle, Thumb). There is also a cozy café and a very beautiful library.

Address: Sandgrundsudden, 651 08 Karlstad
Instagram: @varmlandsmuseum
Web: www.varmlandsmuseum.se

Klarälvsbanan by bike!

Karlstad is one of Sweden’s best cycling cities! So bring your bike (and helmet)! Besides Karlstad boasting its rolling finesse, Klarälvsbanan – an old railway embankment (read: straight, flat, super-bike-friendly) – runs all the way from Karlstad to Uddeholm. 90 kilometers of car-free bike path through agricultural landscapes, small communities, and forests. Ps. If you don’t want to lug your own bike, you can rent one via varmlandbybike.se. And if you don’t want to cycle the entire Klarälvsbanan, there is an option during the summer to bring your bike on the bus – read more about it on www.varmlandstrafik.se.

Gammelvala

A transformed world means taking the best technical solutions and innovations and combining them with smart ideas that worked in the past. Maybe it’s time to ask if we should buy cheap stuff from China (where the producer can barely live on their salary) and tomatoes from Spain, and then grumble about local job opportunities disappearing? It is high time to turn the world right, celebrate local craftsmanship, support local job opportunities, and above all: take advantage of knowledge from previous generations. Gammelvala means “the old world,” and is an annual event that celebrates craftsmanship, cultivation, and self-sufficiency. We have a lot to learn on that front …

Address: Skutboudden, 671 94 Brunskog
Web: www.gammelvala.se

Rent an Electric Boat with Bowter

Experience a dose of Värmland’s innovative spirit! With Bowter, you can rent an electric boat (including life jackets) – for an hour or more. Bowter has bookable electric boats in several places around Värmland, including Karlstad, Kristinehamn, Kil, and Arvika. And it doesn’t hurt that the electric boats are stunningly stylish.

Instagram: @bowterab
Web: www.bowter.com

Klarälven – Rent a Kayak via Kayakomat

A visit to Värmland is not complete without a trip on Klarälven. In the Theater Park in Karlstad, next to Wermland Opera, there is a Kayakomat where you can easily rent a kayak! You decide how many hours you want to rent the kayak (life vest and paddle included) and you can actually paddle around the whole town.

Address: Theater Park, 653 40 Karlstad
Web: www.kayakomat.com

Green Oases

Children’s Kitchen Garden (Mariebergsskogen)

In Mariebergsskogen you will find the Children’s Kitchen Garden, which is an educational garden for and by the youngest. Yep, here preschool children sow, grow, and harvest. The idea of the garden is to create an understanding of the food we eat and inspire cultivation. Anything negative? It would be that I wish the garden was ten times bigger and that there were infinitely many more examples like it – all over Sweden…

Address: Treffenbergsvägen, 652 29 Karlstad
Web: www.mariebergsskogen.se

Rottneros Park

Buzzing blooms, organic cultivation, flowers, and sculptures galore. Rottneros Park in Sunne is a must-visit, especially for garden enthusiasts with children. Because here, alongside a gigantic, blooming park, there is also a large playground. Pack a picnic basket with organic and locally produced food and head into the park, discover Rottneros’s various sections, and do not miss the part with Carl Eldh’s sculptures. The beautiful sculptures are surrounded by magnificent flower arrangements and majestic buildings. Here, it feels like being in Italy for a moment, and this area is, according to me, the perfect spot for a fika. Sit down and enjoy!

Address: Rottneros Park, 686 94 Rottneros
Instagram: @rottnerospark
Web: www.rottnerospark.se

Rosenborgslannet

Dreaming of a lush villa garden? And want to be inspired? Rosenborgslannet is a visitor garden with a small self-service shop where you can buy vegetables, plants, and flowers. The best part? It’s pesticide-free!

Address: Rosenborgsvägen 2, 663 40 Hammarö
Instagram: @rosenborgslannet

Stolpen Garden Center

If you like garden centers with the right feel (without the junk), you should not miss Stolpen! Outside Kristinehamn (along E18 on the way to Karlstad), you will find this top-notch garden center that inspires, sells everything from fruit trees, roses, magnolia trees to perennials, selected pots, and also has its own production (from seed, cuttings, division). And everything that is locally produced is a winner in my book. Plus, such genuine garden centers are worth supporting!

Address: Stolpen, 681 94 Kristinehamn
Instagram: @stolpens_tradgard
Web: www.stolpenstradgard.se

Circular and Building Conservation

Rekoroben

A stone’s throw from Stora torget in Karlstad (and on the way to Zest/Sandgrundsudden/Värmlands Museum), you will find the exciting, bubbling Rekoroben, a secondhand shop with selected treasures. Here you can also rent clothes if you only want to use them once and enjoy everything from lectures to workshops. You just love driven people with the circular heart in the right place, right?

Address: Herrgårdsgatan 13, 652 24 Karlstad
Instagram: @rekoroben
Web: www.rekoroben.se

Fyndboa

A must-stop if you visit Kristinehamn is Fyndboa, which prides itself on being Värmland’s largest flea market. This is many people’s secret treasure spot, but everything circular should, in my opinion, be showcased for public viewing. At Fyndboa, you can find everything from clothes, porcelain, old zinc bathtubs, wooden boxes, cabinets, vases, and sometimes even deadstock products. If you have an electric car, let it charge across the road (at McDonald’s) and explore Fyndboa while you wait.

Address: Bodalsvägen 5, 681 43 Kristinehamn
Instagram: @fyndboa
Web: www.fyndboa.se

Forshaga Flea Market & Curiosities

In Forshaga – located next to Klarälven and always ranking high on Aktuell Hållbarhet’s municipal ranking – you will find Forshaga Flea Market & Curiosities! A favorite place that often offers exciting furniture and items. All pre-loved, of course. While you are in Forshaga, don’t miss the Red Cross, which is housed in an old chapel.

Address: Geijersgatan 2, 667 30 Forshaga
Facebook: www.facebook.com/forshagaloppisochkuriosakilsauktioner

VLT Building & Reuse

Do you like to immerse yourself in old windows, doors, fittings, and knobs? At VLT in Arvika, you can find EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING, but you need to know exactly where to go. VLT has a smaller store at the entrance to Arvika, but also several large barns that you can visit by appointment. So book a time and find pre-loved treasures.

Address (store): Ingesundsvägen 3, 671 33 Arvika
Web: www.byggnadskultur.se

Kuskhuset Building Conservation

For all of us who love building conservation (taking care of and renovating to extend durability), yes, then Kuskhuset is a must. Here you can indulge in fittings, linseed oil paint, handcrafted soaps, and brushes. Moreover, there are also selected pre-loved items.

Address: Kungsgatan 2B, 652 24 Karlstad
Instagram: @kuskhuset_karlstad
Web: www.kuskhuset.se

Kronbacken

The best flea market? If I really have to choose one? Well, then I say Kronbacken, which is located outside Kil. If you want to be amazed by reuse and ingenuity, yes, then this is definitely a destination you will appreciate. Besides having a well-sorted and absolutely wonderful flea market, a small café, and possibly Värmland’s finest (?) treehouse, the adjacent garden and buildings are created with the help of reuse. The fact that they have a whole bunch of cats nearby is not a minus.

Address: Kronbacken 1, 665 91 Kil
Instagram: @kronbackenochlivet