Home to Volvo, the Swedish military, a regional hospital and a university, this is a very industrious city, although many visitors find it quite laid-back.
Skövde, nestled between Sweden's two largest lakes, is a major town in the southwest of Sweden. While less cosmopolitan and cultural than many other Swedish cities, the city has a lively bar scene, pleasant gardens, some nice family attractions and eventful cultural centre.
Once a picturesque medieval town, most of Skövde was destroyed by a devastating fire in 1759. The one exception is a row of houses in Helensgården, just behind the central square. One of these has been turned into a café and the adjacent park is a pleasant place to enjoy a picnic if you brought your own lunch.
Meet locals in the Rådhuset Café in the central square and admire the artworks on display. The nearby Bishops Arms Pub is popular at night. For much livelier nightlife, try the bars around Hertig Johans Gata and St. Sigfrids Gata.
The city's Culture House houses the Museum of Art, the library, the cinema, a theatre and some art galleries. There is also an on-site restaurant.
If you’re visiting with kids, don’t miss the Skövde Arena, which has a spa and swimming pool with waterslides.
The area around the University of Skövde (Högskolan) is pleasant to explore as well. Its parklands have green lawns around the central clock tower and you can find nice lunch cafés and small shops in the surrounding streets.
If you’d like to spend the night in Skövde, find a cosy hotel room in the centre of town or go camping on the town’s edge in summer. For fishing, boating and kayaking, you can take your pick between the lakes of Vänern and Vättern.
When you visit Skövde, make use of the good public transportation connections to travel around more of the vast Västra Götaland County. Trains and buses leave from the station in the town centre of Skövde. Gothenburg is some 93 miles (150 kilometres) to the southwest and takes about an hour hour to get to by train. The train journey to Stockholm takes about twice as long.
