Danish travellers are increasingly choosing Western Sweden for their holidays. Overnight stays by Danish visitors rose 14 percent in July alone, with growth of nearly 10 percent across the first seven months of the year. This autumn brings a wide range of experiences, from a light festival and fika to lobster fishing, archipelago life, hiking and spa breaks, several of them falling right in the middle of the Danish autumn school holiday in week 42.
Strong growth in Danish overnight stays
Sweden’s west coast and the areas around Gothenburg continue to draw growing numbers of Danish visitors. In July 2026, Danish guests accounted for 52,675 overnight stays at hotels, holiday villages and hostels across Western Sweden, up 14.1 percent on July the previous year. The longer term trend is equally positive, with 150,130 Danish overnight stays recorded from January to July, a 9.7 percent increase compared with the same period last year.
Marie Linde, director of the Western Sweden Tourist Board, says the strong growth in Danish overnight stays confirms that more Danes are choosing the region, something the board is naturally pleased about. She notes that while summer remains high season, autumn offers a different side of the region, combining nature, culture and plenty of activities for the whole family, with the short distance from Denmark making it an easy choice for an extended weekend or the autumn holiday.
Light festival and fika in Alingsås
From 2 October to 1 November, Alingsås once again hosts Lights in Alingsås, Sweden’s largest international light festival, transforming the town with light installations after dark. This year’s theme is Stories of Love. The festival runs right through the Danish autumn holiday in week 42, and the town’s strong fika tradition, with its abundance of cafés and bakeries, could well draw extra Danish visitors of its own. On Saturdays, visitors can even join a fika walking tour, learning about and sampling Sweden’s strong coffee and cake tradition. Alingsås sits close to Gothenburg, making it easy to combine with a longer autumn trip around the region.
Autumn means lobster season in Bohuslän
Autumn marks the start of one of the west coast’s most distinctive seasons. One of the more exclusive experiences can be found on the lighthouse island of Pater Noster, off Marstrand, where guests first head out to sea with local fishermen to haul up lobster pots and learn about life beneath the surface, before moving on to the island’s dining experience. The venue’s head chef, Johan Bengtsson, is also a marine biologist, adding knowledge of the marine environment and ecosystem to the experience. The lobster package runs from 21 September to 31 October and includes lobster fishing, accommodation, meals, transport to the island, sauna and hot baths.
Another option can be found on Hönö in the Gothenburg archipelago, where Havskatten offers a lobster safari, with guests helping haul up lobster pots on a three to four hour trip at sea. The tour is combined with a four course lobster dinner at Tullhuset, along with accommodation and breakfast, and can be booked throughout lobster season.
Lobster is part of a wider range of shellfish experiences in Bohuslän, where mussels, oysters and Norway lobster are also fished and gathered. Many of these experiences can be combined with accommodation, restaurant visits, spa or seaside sauna.
A new spa opens on Marstrand just before the autumn holiday
Autumn also brings a brand new spa experience to the west coast. On 9 October, just before the Danish autumn holiday, Marstrands Havshotell opens its new Kontrasternas Spa. The 1,200 square metre spa draws inspiration from the nature of Bohuslän and the changing seasons, built around the contrast between cold and warmth.
Experiences include a snow shower, a dedicated autumn room, warm stone resting areas, a bioluminescent pool, and a storm room that works with rain, wind, light and sound. Marstrand sits by the sea north of Gothenburg, making a spa stay easy to combine with coastal autumn trips and archipelago experiences.
Hiking, mountain biking and spa at Billingen
Inland, near Skövde, lies Billingen, where an autumn stay can combine hiking and mountain biking in the natural area around the mountain with spa and accommodation at Billingehus. The recreational area sits directly next to the hotel and includes hiking trails, running routes, mountain bike tracks, outdoor facilities and a playground, making it easy to combine active hours outdoors with spa, dinner and an overnight stay in the same place.
Gothenburg as a base for the autumn holiday
The city of Gothenburg can also serve as a base for exploring much of the region, offering access to both the archipelago and the natural areas outside the city centre, alongside seasonal experiences within the city itself.
For families with children, Halloween at Liseberg ranks among the season’s biggest events.
