Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- The Gothenburg Airport lies 200km (124 miles) south of Mariestad. Passengers bound for Mariestad take the airport bus from the Gothenburg airport to the center of Gothenburg, then board a train for the ongoing route into Mariestad.

By Train -- There's about one train per hour arriving in Mariestad from Stockholm, usually with a change in Töreboda Skövde en route. Depending on the train, transit takes from 2 1/2 to 3 hours. There also are two or three trains per day between Mariestad and Lidköping, a trip of about an hour, on a not particularly busy rail line that runs perpendicular to the busier main east-to-west rail routes. For information, call tel. 771/75-75-75.

By Bus -- Bus travel to Mariestad from Stockholm is less convenient than equivalent transit by train. There are two buses per day from Stockholm, each requiring between 3 1/2 and 4 hours for the trip, and one or two from Lidköping, taking less than an hour. Both the bus and the train stations lie in the center of town.

For information, call tel. 0200/21-82-18.

By Car -- From Lidköping (discussed earlier in this chapter), continue northeast along Route 44 until you come to the junction with the express highway, E3, which will carry you into Mariestad.

Visitor Information

The Mariestad Turistbyrå, Hamnplan (tel. 0501/75-58-50; www.mariestad.se), is open June to August Monday to Friday 8:30am to 7pm, Saturday 8:30am to 1pm and 2 to 5pm, and Sunday 9:30am to 1pm and 2 to 5pm. From September to May, hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4pm.