Bohuslän municipality on Sweden’s west coast, famous for Bronze Age rock carvings at Vitlycke.
Tanum is a municipality in the province of Bohuslän on the northern part of the Swedish west coast. It is best known for its extraordinary concentration of Bronze Age rock carvings — hundreds of panels scattered across the landscape depicting humans, animals, boats, and ritual scenes. These carvings, mostly around 3,000 years old, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
The main site at Vitlycke is the most accessible, with a museum and walkways between the rock faces. Other carved rocks at Fossum, Litsleby, and Aspeberget are within easy cycling distance. The surrounding Bohuslän coast offers granite skerries, fishing villages, and excellent sea kayaking, with Grebbestad the closest base on the water. The small village of Tanumshede is the practical hub for visits.
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Day Trips
The Bohuslän coast around Tanum is rich in fishing villages, granite skerries, and excellent seafood. The closest worthwhile outing is Grebbestad, 10 km west on the coast, famous for its oyster beds and shellfish. Boats from Grebbestad and neighbouring villages run summer trips out to the Väderöarna ('Weather Islands') — a windswept granite archipelago at the open sea, with seal colonies and an isolated guesthouse.
A little further south, Fjällbacka is a postcard fishing village with a steep granite cleft (Kungsklyftan) cutting through the cliff above the harbour — used as a location in several films. North of Tanum, the Kosterhavet National Park off Strömstad protects Sweden's only marine national park, accessible by ferry from Strömstad to the Koster Islands.
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Getting There
Tanumshede sits on the Bohusbanan railway line, with two or three direct trains a day to Gothenburg (around 2 hours) and Strömstad. The station is in the village centre, about 2 km from Vitlycke.
By road, Tanum is on the E6 motorway between Gothenburg and Oslo — around 1 hour 45 minutes from Gothenburg, 1 hour 30 from Oslo. A car is the easiest way to see all four main rock-carving sites in a day; without one, plan to cycle (rentals in Tanumshede and Grebbestad) or rely on the limited local bus service.
The closest international airport is Gothenburg-Landvetter (GOT). Oslo Gardermoen is further but sometimes cheaper.
