Uddevalla sits at the inland end of Byfjorden, a fjord that cuts between rocky forested hills and opens westward to the Havstensfjord and ultimately the sea. The old harbour area at the foot of the town still retains something of its working character, and the views down the fjord are best at dusk when the water catches the light between the dark wooded slopes.
The town grew as a trading and herring port from the 16th century onwards, and though the shipyards that defined the 20th century are gone, the relationship to the water remains. Walking the waterfront path that runs along the Bäveån river down toward the fjord gives the best sense of the town's industrial-maritime past.