Skara Sommarland

Axvall, Sweden

“Charming amusement park on the Swedish countryside”

Swedish theme parks are known for their friendly atmosphere and their incredible roller coasters. Liseberg has Helix, Gröna Lund is the home of Jetline and Kolmården has become a world-famous zoo thanks to Wildfire. But of course, there are more amusement parks in Sweden. One of the lesser-known parks is Skara Sommarland in the town of Axvall. It’s located in a lush green environment, far away from large cities. Skara Sommarland is an ideal stop if you’re driving between Sweden’s east and west coast and… it provides some coaster credits.

ROLLER COASTERS

Despite the park’s small size, most coaster geeks probably know Skara Sommarland. The park received quite a bit of international attention in 2009, when it opened Tranan. This is the prototype of the S&S Free Fly Coaster. The ride’s statistics are everything but extraordinary: Tranan is just 17 metres tall, 500 metres long and the top speed is 40 km/h. However, thanks to its unique vehicles, this ride creates an unusual experience. So yes, I love this ride a lot. It’s actually a shame that no other park on Earth has had the courage to build a similar ride. This is an ideal coaster for every medium-sized amusement park and a Tranan XXL could be the perfect addition for major thrill parks.

Skara Sommarland has been home to another legendary roller coaster. An Intamin stand-up coaster used to operate at the park, but it was sold to a Canadian theme park in the 90’s. Gruvbanan and Spinner are still in operation today and these are decent rides in Skara’s family-friendly lineup. I’m talking about a Mack powered coaster and a standard spinning coaster by Maurer rides. The latter turns out to be an underwhelming experience, but the powered coaster has a surprising dark ride section with a few animatronics. It definitely isn’t the best theming I’ve ever seen, but I really appreciate those decorative touches. Excellent ride.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Swedish people love water. Even in the cooler weather conditions we encountered during our visit to Skara Sommarland, many locals enjoyed the water park. This water park is included in park admission and it offers some impressive slides. And there’s even more water-based fun. The park is also home to a wakeboard cable installation, a lake with pedalos and several water playgrounds. You may already know that Sweden is known for its handsome locals, so the park obviously provides a good amount of eye-candy on warm summer days.

WORTH A VISIT?

There are quite a few good reasons to include Skara Sommarland to a Swedish coaster trip. I’m certainly not advising a 3 weeks’ stay at Skara Sommarland: the park isn’t huge and you’ll be done in an hour if you’re only interested in coaster credits. However, this is the right place if you’re searching for a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and affordable water fun. Especially on summer days, Skara Sommarland seems like a wonderful park.

PHOTO GALLERY

Did you get the chance to ride Tranan yet? Would you visit the water park during your trip to Skara Sommarland? Does the park deserve a larger roller coaster? Share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this page.