Waterways and cultural history take center stage in Bengtsfors: Lelång offers a waterfront promenade, swimming spots and fishing opportunities. Exhibitions and buildings showcase, among other things, straw crafts, industrial history and architecture. You can choose whether to focus your stay on activities by the water or on culture in town.
Waterways, swimming spots and routes
Lake Lelång stretches from the south of Bengtsfors to Lennartsfors in the north. Bengtsfors lock station leads from Lake Bengtsbrohöljen into Lake Lelången. Both bodies of water are therefore key names to know when finding your way around Bengtsfors’s waterfront.
The Bengtsfors Strandpromenad runs for six kilometers along Lelång, Bengtsbrohöljen and the banks of the Dalsland Canal. It begins at Sågudden and passes through EKA-Miljörum. For route planning, it can be compared with the 28-kilometer Nordleden: one is a shorter waterfront promenade, the other a considerably longer hiking trail.
Centrally located at Sågudden, Badplats Sågudden has a sandy beach. It has a wheelchair ramp, and a paved path leads almost all the way to the ramp. Lelång in Bengtsfors also has swimming spots, a guest harbor and moorings for rent. The guest harbor is right in the town center. This means visitors can enjoy both a day at the beach and views of the harbor and moorings, offering different ways to experience the town’s waterfront.
Specific route information is also available for canoe trips: a canoe trip on Lake Lelång begins and ends at the boathouse in Bengtsfors. A 25-kilometer canoe trip on Lelång is also suggested as a day trip. Pike and perch fishing is particularly good. Trout are also found here, and their population has improved following fisheries management projects.
Straw crafts, industrial history and architecture
Halmens Hus is located on Majberget, a recreation area on the hill above Bengtsfors. Its permanent exhibition, open year-round, explores the importance of straw in Dalsland. Halmens Hus also offers introductory training in straw crafts. The exhibition and training give visitors a clear focus on the region’s traditional crafts.
EKA-Miljörum is located by Lake Bengtsbrohöljen in the center of Bengtsfors. Its exhibitions cover both the industrial history of the EKA area and the remediation project that transformed the previously contaminated site into today’s park. A stone labyrinth where children can play adds another activity. The site thus combines exhibits about the area’s history with a distinctive feature of the present-day park.
The Friluftsmuseet Gammelgården comprises more than 20 buildings. Bengtsfors kyrka offers a different perspective on architectural history: it was inaugurated in 1926 and displays clear stylistic features of 1920s Classicism. Its inauguration year and architectural style offer two specific points of reference for visitors interested in the town’s built heritage.
Discover more destinations: Ödskölt, Bäckefors, Billingsfors, Dals Långed, Gustavsfors.
Return to the main travel overview: Bengtsfors.
