Here you can find short day trips or longer overnight trips. Whichever tour you choose, encounters with nature, culture and history await along the way.
Culture and taste experiences in southern Dalsland
Köpmannebro - Fröskog
Through custom and baroque
After entering from Lake Vänern and passing Köpmannebro, turn into the Snäcke Canal towards Fröskog and Fengersfors. Not Quite awaits you here - the cultural center in the old mill with exhibitions, stone oven bakery and bistro. In Fröskog you will meet the chip-covered wooden church in genuine peasant baroque.
- Travel time: about 3 hours (recommended time: 1 day)
- Lock stations: 3 (Köpmannebro, Snäcke, Strömmen)
The snail's journey
A journey through the Snäcke Canal, from Lake Vänern to Fröskog. A quiet and scenic route for those who want to experience something new on the Dalsland Canal. The tour takes you, among other things, to Dalsland's largest cultural center Not Quite which is well worth a visit. A perfect trip for a weekend.
Recommended travel time: about 2-3 days.
Lock stations: 3 (Köpmannebro, Snäcke, Strömmen)
From one landscape to another
Upperud - Bengtsfors
Classic canal journey
The busiest stretch of the Dalsland Canal offers frequent highlights. Experience the aqueduct in Håverud and Dalslands Center with restaurants, exhibitions and cafés, and step on a tour boat if you want. A short walk away is Upperud and the Dalsland Art Museum. On the way north, the rock carvings in Högsbyn, Baldersnäs Manor and the frequently photographed Sluss 18E await you. At Långbron, many people stop for a rail bus, passenger boats and ice cream, and Dals Långed is close by. The journey ends in Bengtsfors with restaurants, shops and activities such as canoeing, cycling and dressage. The dressage track towards Årjäng starts here, and both Majberget and the candy factory are worth a stop.
- Travel time: about 6 hours (recommended time: 2-3 days)
- Lock stations: 10
Bengtsfors - Årjäng
Shopping, trotting and trolls
After passing Bengtsfors, you can choose to turn towards Gustavsfors, which offers a restaurant, grocery store and one of the world's smallest mill museums. Many dressage skiers take the opportunity to stop here. If you continue north you will come to Årjäng. The only town along the Dalsland Canal that attracts with shopping, trotting track and its 8 m high troll. You can also choose to lock through Krokfors and explore the beautiful lake Östra Silen.
- Travel time: about 4 hours (recommended time: 2 days)
- Lock stations: 1 (Gustavsfors)
Experience nature shaped by the ice age
After the majestic lock staircase in Lennartsfors, after an ice cream stop, you can choose to head south towards Dals Ed, where you drive along the Norwegian border through Stora Le. Make a stop in the charming harbor in Nössemark with a café and swimming area and continue towards the town, which offers everything from a motorcycle museum to a moose park. The nature in the area is rugged and majestic and you can see how the ice has shaped the landscape.
Recommended travel time: about 3-4 days.
Lock stations: 2 (Lennartsfors and Töcksfors)
Take an inner journey along the Pilgrim's Way
In the Middle Ages, pilgrims walked here on their way to Nidaros. Many came by boat from Västergötland to Sunnanå, before continuing north via Edsleskog. Today, the trail is a way to experience the same route at your own pace, in the middle of a nature that offers both tranquility and history.
Distance between Vänersborg and Edsleskog: About 100 km
Recommended travel time: 5-7 days
Discover Värmland
A trip through the northernmost parts of the Dalsland Canal in southern Värmland. Take your leisure boat on a trip with magnificent scenery and many nice stops along the way. Stop in the summer idyll Gustavsfors, eat ice cream at the majestic lock staircase in Lennartsfors and discover the cozy Töcksfors canal with opportunities for both shopping and swimming.
Recommended travel time: approximately 3-5 days.
Lock stations: 3 (Gustavsfors, Lennartsfors, Töcksfors)
Before the trip
Iia is here as your guide along the Dalsland Canal, with tips, inspiring suggestions and as a helping hand when you want to experience one of Europe's most beautiful waterways.
Discover more
Discover life along the Dalsland Canal with everything from tranquil nature experiences to charming mill environments, art, cafés and lock life.
