Skövde is widely associated with Volvo (Skövde’s largest single employer), The Skaraborg P4 regiment (one of the largest training units in the Swedish army) and perhaps more lately also the University of Skövde. These are all branches that play a key role in the municipality, but Skövde has so much more to offer.

A big city in miniature
Skövde is a big city in miniature. The city can offer a big variety of entertainment, shops, restaurants, fantastic surroundings, culture and sport- all within easy reach.

Things to do in Skövde
You never need to worry about having nothing to do in Skövde. The city is located at the foot of Mount Billingen, which has everything from a ski slope, cross-country ski tracks, jogging tracks and Europe's highest team tower to lakes ideal for fishing and bathing and forests rich in flora and fauna. If you are interested in history then you will almost certainly know that this area is the setting for Jan Guillou's tales about the Medieval knight Arn. Why not make a stirring journey in the footsteps of Arn? At the Skövde Municipal Museum you can see a copy of the Timboholm treasure (which dates from 375 – 550 AD), 7.1 kg of pure gold and Scandinavia’s largest gold treasure trove, found at Timboholm just outside Skövde in 1904. The area also has a whole range of beautiful churches that are well worth visiting. An excellent example is Forsby church, which is Sweden's oldest dated church. Another is St Lukas church at the edge of Billingen, regarded by many as the most beautiful in Sweden.

Culture and entertainment
Skövde Kulturhus, Skövde’s centrally located culture centre, houses an art gallery, an art museum, a theatre, a library, a lecture theatre and cinema, a cafeteria, a restaurant, a dance hall and meeting rooms. For several years, the theatre has, among other things, housed the Göteborg Opera’s visiting performances.

Boulogner Forest in central Skövde is a popular location for numerous activities, concerts and events. Located just outside the city centre are some of the region’s finest golf courses, including Skövde Golf Club, where the European golf elite have played, and Knistad Golf & Country Club, with an excellent reputation among Sweden’s golfers.

The city has a lively shopping scene combining major chains and small boutiques, as well as a wide range of gourmet restaurants, cosy cafés and outdoor eateries and bars. Shoes, clothes, leisurewear, health, beauty, home decoration… The list of what is available is long. The city centre offers a wide choice of major chain stores alongside small shops of every description. Are you a window-shopper or do you prefer to go home loaded down with bags and parcels? Whatever your taste, you will certainly enjoy yourself strolling around and discovering the shopping delights of Skövde.
The stores are not only located in the city centre. There are also large shopping centres at Norrmalm, Mariesjö and the Hallenberg roundabout.

Also worth seeing around the Skövde area
Skövde's central location makes it an excellent starting point for exploring the rest of Skaraborg. Within a radius of 50 km you will find many of the most important sights in West Sweden: Lake Hornborga, where over ten thousand cranes stop to rest in springtime, Sweden's largest aqua park Skara Sommarland, the baroque castle at Läckö, Göta Canal - the blue ribbon of Sweden, the fortress at Karlsborg, the idyllic, turn-of-the-century town of Hjo on Lake Vättern, the medieval town of Skara and the town of Falköping, brimming with culture and history.

Warmly welcome to Skövde!