Astrid Lindgrens Värld — Attraction in Vimmerby kommun

I love this place. To me, it's one of the best places Sweden has to offer. I was there for two days in July in 2014 at the time of a kids' football cup when the place was very crowded. Yet the park is so big that it was only a slight problem at the theatre shows. It also gets quieter nearer closing time. We went again next summer when were were there for four days. It was the end of June, and while the weather was colder and rainier, it was nice to stroll around the park freely without the big masses. The Midsummer in the park was wonderful. I highly recommend. I'm definetely planning to visit the park again. My favourite things in the park are the theatre shows, the number of characters and that they stay in character between the shows also, all the cute houses, the nature, the cafés... I also appreciate that they serve local food.

Edit: We were there again for two days during autumn holiday in October-November 2018. Despite the cold weather and the darkness, the place was highly popular, even after sunset at 3-4 pm. I asked the staff and they said they had about as many visitors per day as in the high season in summer. Probably partly because the entrance fee was very guest-friendly and because they had a lot of shows and performers during the holiday.

I have to give credit to the service. I lost a pram hook (invaluable but very useful to me) in the park and asked the info if they had found it. They didn't have it but they took my contact information so that they could post it to me if they found it. Wow.

It was the first time I saw the new area of The Brothers Lionheart. There weren't any shows during the autumn, but the place was really special with all the cute houses with marvellous details, secret passages, caves and a waterfall, two valleys and Sofia's house. It was my third visit but not the last, as I have to see the Lionheart performances some...

Well, I really don't like leisure parks and mass gatherings of people, so my review might be somewhat biased. However my family does like this, so - after some persuading from my wife - we visited the park.

My summary is ambivalent. Yes, it's is nicely made in a very Swedish way, it represents the characters and locations of Astrid Lindgrens books pretty well and the short theater performances are very good. And yes, the theater performances are in Swedish - what would you expect when you are in Sweden? That's the positive side.

On the negative: admittance is extraordinarily expensive. Spending 1400 SEK (about 150 EUR) for 2 adults and 2 kids hurts. Prices in the park are just as you would expect for prices in a park - not cheap. However you can take your picknick with you and lend a handcart for 30 SEK to move or through the park. Carts can be left everywhere and nothing gets stolen - this is Sweden.

Then, in July it is extremely full. Be prepared for queues as well as loud and excited children everywhere, shops so full that you cannot move and queues at the toilets. You should be 20 minutes earlier for the 15-30 minutes long theater performances in order to watch them from a reasonable place. Some places were so full we didn't manage to see anything and even lifting the kids on the shoulders didn't help. After just 6 hours in the park I suffered from extreme headache. Fortunately it closed at 18:00, and I could take a deep breath and have a (light... :-/ ) Swedish beer.

When you want to see everything, one day is not enough. I suspect that even two will not suffice.

Further - we saw Astrid Lindgren's Näs and the extremely good exhibition there. I learned a lot about this interesting person that I only knew from Pipi Longstocking and Emil from Lönneberga before. I strongly doubt that such commercialization of her works would be...

It is a theme park featuring Astrid Lindgren's book characters in their small worlds. In the summer the park has a very busy program full of 30-minute theatrical/musical shows scattered on different stages. Most of the shows are scheduled twice a day, some only once. It is impossible to see them all in one day, since some run simultaneously. The program is subject to changes according to season, so check their website. Everything is in Swedish, but if you are a big fan of Lindgren's stories and know them by heart, it is not a problem at all. It is fun and the performances are very professional. The stage areas are miniature worlds from the books and really make you feel part of the stories. The shows include special effects and animals.

There are a lot of places and playgrounds to visit, streets to wander and corners to discover. We were there the whole day from the opening to closing time (and you should, too) and couldn't see it all, because the performances took most of the time. There are places to eat and buy special edition snacks, but you can bring in your own food and use one of many picnic areas. The prices are actually the same as everywhere else, some ice creams had normal supermarket prices. If you visit in the summer, then the park is full of visitors and you might not get a good seat to all the shows, especially the grande finale in the evening. A great friendly park for families...