Fun things to do in Västmanlands Län

A must see in the area of Västerås is Tidö Slott. The slott is not only a castle, it also houses a toy museum. Tidö Slott is on this same road from Rytterne to Västerås. When you drive on this road you will see signs to a sideroad that leads to Tidö Castle. Don't take the exit to Tidö-Lindö though! As this road brings you to the village on the other side of the water and not to Tidö Slott itself. The total distance from Västerås to Tidö Slott is around 14 kilometres.

Opening hours :
May: only during the weekends 12.00 - 17.00
1 June - 15 August: Every day (except Mondays) 12.00 - 17.00
15 August - 15 September:Only during the weekends 12.00 - 17.00
Guided tour through the castle at 2 p.m.



You can read much more aboutTidö Slott on my Västerås page

Lilla Rytterne Church in now nothing more than a ruin. The ruins of this church is 800 years old. But this place is much older than that though. They found runic stones here from around the year 1000.

The nice thing about this church ruin is that it is not out of use. During the summer there are 'open air' church services held here.

If you want to know more about Lilla Rytterne Church this might be an interesting website for you : http://www.werbeka.com/vasteras/kyrkruin.htm Unfortunately the website is only available in Swedish.



You can read much more about this little church on my Västerås page

Sorby Fornborg is an ancient fortification 1,6 kilometres of Rytterne Church on the old country road towards Västerås. This is the same road as Fiholm Castle is on.

The fortification is big, measuring 100x90 metres. But you need some imagination to see an old fort in it! It is more that you have to feel the history here than actually seeing anything. Sorby Fornborg is nothing more than a hill with a lot of big boulders. Some parts do look like a little wall, but others are just boulders spread around on the hill. It's a nice stop when you are driving this road, but not a place to make a big detour for.



You can read much more about this area on my Västerås page

Fiholm is not an easy spot to find, you almost have to know where it is to find it. Luckily I had a good guide with me, so I had no problems at all. Fiholm is located just north-east of Kvicksund, on a side road of road 53. When you drive on little road through the beautiful countryside you will find the sign pointing you in the direction of Fiholm. The only big problem is that this last little road is not accessible for cars :-( So you either walk, hahaha, or take the car anyway :-) And that's what we did, without having any problems at all.

Fiholm is a private residence and is not open for the public. So I only took a quick look from the entrance of the castle. Although it is not very 'castle like' it is a lovely place to see.

Fiholm was the seat for the local bishops as early as the 1300's. The estate that you see now was built in 1772 in neo-classic style by Councillor Carl Johan Ridderstolpe.



You can read much more about Fiholm Castle on my Västerås page

Just outside Västerås, on the eastside of the city, is one of Sweden’s most remarkable ancient monuments: Anundshög. Anundshög is a royal tomb from the 6th century, the largest of its kind in Sweden. It's a fantastic place to visit, hahaha if you are into these kinds of places that is. Some of you might describe it as dull, but I found this place so fascinating! You will get close to part of the life of the Vikings.

Nearby to the burial-mound of Anundshög there are a number of large grave mounds which indicates that this was an important meeting place for several centuries. There are also two very large stone-ships, graves in the shape of a Viking long ship. And last, but not least, there is also a runic stone from the middle of the 11th century.


You can real all about Anundshög in the 'off the beaten path tips' on my Västerås page

Last, but absolutely not least, lets have a look at the cathedral in Västerås. If you visit Västerås you have to take a look at the cathedral! The oldest parts of the cathedral are from the 1200's and it houses important artistic treasures as early as from the 8th century.

In the picture you can see the tower of the Cathedral. The tower has an almost Baltic style and is from the early half of the 1400's. Not really visible in this picture is the gilded spire from 1693, which carries a crown. The crown on the spire indicates that the church is used for royal burials. The church is the resting place for Gustav Vasa's son King Erik XIV.



You can read much more about this city on my Västerås page