10 tips for a successful budget holiday in Borås

It is not always easy to keep a tight hold on your wallet in the holiday season. But you can have a holiday on a small budget. We have gathered the best tips on how to enjoy the summer in Borås without it costing a fortune.

1. Enjoy nature

Make use of the right of public access and try a night in a tent or a shelter. If you do not have the kit for the adventure, use the hire service Hygglo or ask someone close to you if you can borrow a tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat for a night.

On Borås Stad's website there is a good outdoor map to start from.

2. Spend time in a park

Borås has 15 parks of different themes and sizes. You can gather your friends for a sausage barbecue in Annelundsparken and enjoy the peony collection at the same time, work out at the outdoor gym in Ramnaparken or play at one of the city's many playgrounds.

Find all the parks and a description of what each one is like here.

3. Enjoy the beach

In Borås we have the luxury of being surrounded by several fine bathing lakes, both right by the city and just outside it. Without much effort you can get to the beaches at Almenäs, Kolbränningen, Kypesjön and Sjöbo. Pack your swimming bag and spend the sunny summer days on the beach with a tasty picnic basket and perhaps a good book.

If you fancy getting outside the city limits, you will find all 24 municipal bathing spots here.

4. Let the children go on an adventure

Borås Stad has offered bathing trips for children ever since 1935. Back then the horse-drawn carts rolled out to the bathing spot in Sjömarken; now the buses leave for it every weekday morning all summer long. It is free for all children born between 2012 and 2017 to come along, and you choose for yourself whether to walk down to the beach for a swim or stay at the leisure centre to play or do crafts.

Here you find all the information about the bathing trips.

5. Listen to a book or two

Did you know that the libraries in Borås do not only lend out physical books? They also have thousands of e-audiobooks you can borrow by downloading the Biblio app to your smartphone or tablet. A perfect way to enjoy books in the summer.

See which titles there are and how to download the app.

6. Pat a goat

Odenslund 4H farm is open every day between 10.00 and 16.30. Here you can visit the animals free of charge and teach children about animals and nature in line with 4H's motto “Learning by doing”. 4H stands for: Head for knowledge, Heart for compassion, Hand for skill and Health for a healthier way of life.

Here you find all the information for your visit to Odenslund.

7. Try your luck at fishing

There are many fine fishing opportunities in Borås and the Sjuhärad area. There is a unique chance to fish in the centre all year round - and it is free. Bring your fishing rod, or hire gear at Hygglo.se, and see who in the family brings home tonight's dinner.

See where you can fish for free and read about the rules that apply.

8. Make your own ice lollies

Watermelon and kiwi ice lollies help keep the most oppressive summer heat at bay. They are healthy too. Just blend and freeze in moulds. Experiment with different fruits, berries and flavourings such as lime or coconut water.

Here you will find more exciting recipes for homemade ice cream.

9. Visit a museum

Is the weather bad and you feel like a day indoors? Take the chance to visit one of the city's museums, several of which are free. Take the children to the Moomin exhibition at Borås Museum, enjoy Lars Tunbjörk's pictures at Borås konstmuseum, learn more about the city's textile history at Textilmuseet or see world-class photographic art at Abecita Popkonst & Foto. As a tenant you get two for one on admission at Abecita Popkonst & Foto - say that you are one of our tenants at the till.

You will find all of Borås' museums here, with and without an admission fee.

Bonus tip

Borås Art Biennal 2024 runs from 15 June to 15 September, and you can take in exciting art inside Borås Konstmuseum and around town. Art really is everywhere this summer. Read more about the biennial here.

10. Find a bargain at a second-hand shop

One person's junk is another's gold. Borås has many antique and second-hand shops where you can find interiors, household goods and clothes at good prices.

Erikshjälpen second hand, Vegagatan 1
Björkå second hand, Knallerian, Bergslenagatan 45
Myrorna, Skaraborgsvägen 35
Åter i bruk, Kärrgatan 4 (closed for the summer, back on 21 August)
Röda korset, Skolgatan 30
Sacrebleu antik, Fjällgatan 54
G & G Antik, Vindelgatan 33
Gewerts antik, Neumansgatan 3
Göteborgs stadsmission, Österlånggatan 29
Ge Ting, Åsboholmsgatan 16D (closed for the summer, back at the end of August)

Hej Borås has a good overview, which you will find here.

Bonus tip

Do not miss Sommartorsdagarna, with free outdoor cinema, concerts and activities. Sommartorsdagarna now covers more days and more parts of the city centre. You will find all the information here.