Getting around in Karlstad by waterbus

Karlstad is a delta city and it is where Sweden’s mightiest river the Klara, empties into one of Europe’s largest and we like to think, most beautiful lakes – Lake Vänern.

Taking a ‘båtbussen’ as locals call them, or a waterbus to you and me, to go shopping, to go sightseeing, or a trip out to one of the islands of the Lake Vänern archipelago, is like no other ‘bus trip’. Bus stops become piers and there are many of them beautifully located around the city. Taking a waterbus is the most fun and serene way to experience Karlstad and the nearby islands. You can take a waterbus from the centre of town to ‘Inre Hamn’ (marina) and stop off for something to eat at one of the bustling restaurants here. There is another waterbus that drops you off and picks you up at Mariebergsskogen, Karlstad’s finest park and one of Sweden’s foremost open-air museums. Mariebergsskogen also puts on concerts and the likes of the ‘Three Tenors’ have played there.

 

It is worth remembering when you take one of these waterbuses that up until fairly recently the Klara was very much a ‘working’ river. Timber logged in the forests of northern Värmland was driven downriver through Karlstad for export to the world.

So when you come to Karlstad, enjoy the fine city and nearby islands from the water by hopping on a waterbus.
 

Published date: 2010-03-03