Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [176]
Hotell 46:an (/fax 71 15 61; Kyrkogatan 46; s/d Skr595/750) This small, family-run place, on a quiet residential street near Skräcklen park, offers seven bright and homey rooms. Reception service is limited, so phone ahead.
Ronnums Herrgård (26 00 00; www.ronnums.se; Vargön; s/d/ste Skr1250/1450/1995, summer & weekends Skr1050/1285/1995; ) Good enough for Nicole Kidman, this luxe mansion is set in gorgeous grounds, out towards Hunneberg. Rooms are seriously elegant, and the oak-floored suites are particularly special. The hotel frequently has special rates and packages: contact them for details. If you feel like a gastronomic treat, the restaurant is one of the region’s best.
Ristorante Italia (612 20; Edsgatan 7; lunch Skr70, mains Skr85-110; 11.30am-10pm Mon-Thu, 11.30am-11pm Fri, noon-11pm Sat, noon-9pm Sun) Back in town, this is one of your best bests for a decent feed. Reasonably priced Med favourites like pasta and pizza share the menu with home-grown staples, and there’s outdoor seating for fine-weather munching.
Getting There & Away
Trollhättan-Vänersborgs airport (825 00; info@fyrstadsflyget.se) lies midway between the two towns of Trollhättan and Vänersborgs. There are around five to seven direct flights Monday to Friday (one to two Sunday) to/from Stockholm. Taxis are the only way to access the airport: Taxi Trollhättan (820 00) charges around Skr150 for the trip from Trollhättan, and Skr200 from Vänersborg. Taxi Vänersborg (666 00) now charges Skr300 (day) and Skr350 (night) for the trip between the airport and Vänersborg.
Local buses run from Torget, while long-distance services stop at the train station. Local bus 61, 62 and 65 run roughly half-hourly between Vänersborg and Trollhättan. Express bus 600 runs several times daily to Trollhättan, continuing to Göteborg.
Säfflebussen (0771-15 15 15; www.safflebussen.se) has a Göteborg–Trollhättan–Vänersborg–Stockholm service that stops three times daily in Vänersborg. Swebus Express (0771-21 82 18; www.swebusexpress.com) runs once daily (except Saturday) to Göteborg (Skr98, 1½ hours) via Trollhättan, and also north to Karlstad (Skr192, 2½ hours).
SJ trains to Göteborg (Skr82, 1½ hours) run about every hour (some require a change at Oxnered).
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TROLLHÄTTAN
0520 / pop 54,300
‘Trollywood’, as it’s colloquially known, is home to Sweden’s film industry. A number of local and foreign flicks have been shot in and around the town, including Lebanese-Swedish director Josef Fares’ Oscar-nominated Jalla! Jalla! (2000) and Danish director Lars von Trier’s Dancer in the Dark (1999), Dogville (2002) and Manderlay (2005). Trollhättan itself has the air of a surreal film set: looming warehouses, foggy canals, crashing waterfalls and a futuristic cable car all give it a bizarre and thrilling edge. The town has made the most of its industrial heritage, with red-brick warehouses housing everything from crowd-pleasing museums to the odd art installation. The pièce de résistance is Waterfall Days (www.fallensdagar.se), a thumping three-day celebration held in mid-July with live bands, fireworks and some impressive waterworks.
Information
The tourist office (135 09; www.visittrollhattanvasterborg.se; Åkerssjövägen 10; 10am-6pm mid-Jun–mid-Aug, 10am-4pm Mon-Fri mid-Aug–mid-Jun) is about 1.5km south of the town centre, near the Innovatum. If you want to visit all the attractions, ask for the two-day Sommarkortet (1/2 people Skr130/200, under 19yr free on adult ticket), available from late June to late August, which includes cable-car trips and museum admissions. The tourist office also sells a handy Guidebook to Trollhättan’s Falls & Locks, which details walking routes in the mazelike industrial areas.
For internet access, visit the library (49 76 50; Kungsgatan 25; 10am-7pm Mon-Thu, 10am-6pm Fri, 10am-3pm Sat).
Sights & Activities
Saab Bilmuseum (843 44; www.saab.com;