Fröå Gruva, a historic copper mine near Mount Åreskutan, now serves as an open-air museum, showcasing a unique blend of mines, stone heaps and pastures. Operational from 1744 to 1919, this site has been revitalised, featuring reconstructed buildings, a 19th-century water system, and big water wheel. Explore the old mine canals, enjoy guided tours in summer, or walk one one of the hiking trails. The area also includes a café, perfect for a fika break amidst the rich history and stunning mountain scenery.

In the Céramique district, you still feel the industrial past, even though you’re standing in the newest and most modern part of the city. It’s the kind of place where you look up and keep looking, to take in the impressive architecture, even as the ground around you buzzes with culture and activity. Céramique arose in the early 1990s on the site of ‘Société Céramique,’ a ceramics factory that operated from 1850 to 1985, best known for its tableware. When the factory was offered for sale to the municipality in the late 1980s, the idea to redevelop the area as a quality residential and commercial district quickly emerged, and Government Architect Jo Coenen was engaged to develop a master plan. One of his fundamental premises was to bring something of a Mediterranean feel to this part of the city. To achieve this, he brought in luminary architects from southern Europe for the design of the various residential and business complexes. The result is a total package of architectural high point after high point, like Mario Botta’s ‘La Fortezza,’ Alvaro Siza’s ‘Tower of Siza,’ and perhaps the crowning glory, Aldo Rossi’s Bonnefanten Museum. But despite all the forward-looking architecture, the connection to the past remains, in the street names, remnants of older buildings and tableware that turn up unexpectedly, and the exhibitions in the Bonnefanten Museum and Centre Céramique. Each and every one is a golden thread of history interwoven into the fabric of today.

Spanning 1,200 acres, The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is home to a fascinating array of wild animal species from the deserts of North America and Africa. More than just a zoo, its mission is to preserve desert ecosystems and educate visitors about the importance of these unique environments and the species that thrive in them. Explore the expansive desert habitats, where you’ll encounter everything from majestic giraffes to desert tortoises, and discover the incredible adaptations that help these animals survive in some of the harshest climates on Earth.

Beautifully located at the foot of the mountain Billingen, Lake Hornborga is one of the most important bird lakes in Europe, attracting large quantities of visitors, both birds and humans, every year. In the spring, you can see the famous crane dance, and during the rest of the year, there are a lot of other unique bird species to watch.