Varberg Travel Guide

Entry from August 7, 2010:

I went to Valberg today for two reasons:  It was raining in Göteberg, and I was curious what a small town near Göteberg would look like.  I asked a native in Göteberg about it and they said it was "very nice and that I could swim there,"  so I went (I'm a swimmer) on a train and it only took one hour, but don't read on the train, else you get nauseous.  By the way, it was sunny in Valberg today.

I found the train ride there to be uneventful, with scenery that could have easily been the USA, though nice and it was quiet, away from the bustle of Göteberg.  However, if you are an American, I honestly do not recommend spending any time going to Valberg.  It was a total bore.  Trust me, I usually like little quaint places off the beaten path! At best, on a trip to Valberg, you get to see Swedes coming and going from work on a train, but it's not a happy picture. The passengers on the train all looked worn out and vaguely unhappy.

I got there and instantly regretted having gone.  The train station itself seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere and there were no signs at all written in English anymore, and moreover it was Saturday and no one was working at the station to ask any questions to.  I quickly decided that I had no business being there all by myself, so I made an about face and marched right back on to the platform, Spºar 4, with the intention of going directly back to Göteberg asap, so that I'd not have a totally wasted day.

However, what happened is that just as I was sinking into my little wooden bench to wait for the train, a tall Swedish woman approached me and asked if she had arrived at the right platform for Göteberg.  We got into a conversation and she voiced that she was horrified that I'd not stay to get to know her beautiful Valberg. She convinced me to stay, said that I'd regret it if I didn't stay....but I regretted it.

She told me that Valberg had a resort atmostphere, that she had just spent the most beautiful few days of her life by the ocean there,  that she stayed at a spa, that I could be having wonderful massages there, that the swim in the ocean there is unforgettably perfect, and that I most certainly would not want to miss visiting Valberg and should stay past sunset, to watch the sun set into the ocean!  Hearing her talk, you'd think Valberg were heaven.  She made me anticipate an interesting boardwalk and walk along the ocean, but it turned out that there was no commercial boardwalk in Valberg, and that the coastline was rocky and barren.

Well!!!!!  What a mistake to have listened to her!  She gave me the name of the resort she went to, Cromwell Valberg Kurort, and I got into a taxi to take me there for ten dollars.  When I got there, no one spoke English.  It was just a slightly quaint place, mainly for Swedes only, as I saw no tourists at all, with a rocky shoreline and some quaintly beautiful bicycle paths. Everything was closed about this resort, being Saturday. I just saw some Swedes jogging about and bicycling, as clearly this is their way to vacation, but WHAT A BORE!!!!!!  

I walked about and grew very very bored.  It was an interesting experience to see what the Swedes consider "heaven" and a "perfect vacation," and to watch them bicycle and jog around this kurort area, but I found the sea to be smelly like fish, and there was nothing there that I could not see and experience much much better back home in the USA.  

Anyway, Valberg is just a small town, not a tourist attraction of any sort. I'd not go if I were you. It's a waste of money.