Vitlycke Museum — Attraction in Tanums kommun

After visiting the beautiful Elgåfossen waterfall, we continued our journey with a 30 km drive and stopped for lunch at the Tanum shopping area. From there, it was just another 5 km to reach one of Sweden’s true historical gems: the Tanum World Heritage Site and Vitlycke Museum.

Unfortunately, we arrived just after the museum had closed for the day at 4 PM, so we couldn’t go inside. But luckily, several of the ancient rock carving sites are located outdoors, on the hillside overlooking the museum. We followed short trails through the forest, each just a few minutes’ walk apart, and visited six fascinating sites.

These rock carvings are incredibly interesting and date back to the Bronze Age, around 3,000 years ago. They include depictions of people, animals, rituals, and boats. In fact, while looking at one of the carvings, I suddenly realized where the design on the Swedish 50kronor banknote comes from , it’s taken directly from one of these ancient boat carvings! That little discovery added a whole new layer of connection to the place.

It’s easy to imagine that thousands of years ago, when the landscape was more open and less covered in vegetation, these carvings were more visible and widespread. Today, many may still be hidden beneath soil, moss, or lichen. Overall, visiting this mysterious and ancient place left a deep impression, a strange and powerful feeling, as if walking through whispers from the past. A must-visit for anyone who loves history, nature, or simply discovering...

Make sure to check the tour and activity schedule before your visit.

We visited this UNESCO site a few years ago and had a very memorable experience. At the time, the museum was under renovation, but we joined a guided tour to the large rock carvings, which was fascinating. The activities at the Bronze Age garden were also engaging and enjoyable — great for both adults and kids.

This summer, we returned with visiting friends, hoping to share that same great experience. Unfortunately, we arrived a bit too late and missed the last guided tour and all the activities in the Bronze Age garden had already ended for the day.

We ended up only visiting the museum exhibition, which was a disappointment. The exhibition alone does not justify the ticket price — there’s very little to see beyond a few artifacts and mostly text-heavy information boards. Unless you’re a hardcore Viking enthusiast, I wouldn’t recommend visiting just the exhibition...

The guided tour of the rock art panel was incredible. The guide was very friendly, very enthousiastic and clearly incredibly knowledgable about the topic. It's unbelievable that it was free!

The museum itself is in a beautiful building. There is a little exhibition about bronze age society inside, but it's not the highlight of the visit. The bronze age farm that is built outside behind the museum gives a more immersive experience and of course the rock carvings are a must-see!

The shop has many beautiful items that you can purchase to support the museum.

The museum is not equipped to handle a lot of people, however. The cafeteria and the parking lot are on the small side. On a rainy day it feels very crowded...