Making a glass shell with a pearl out of just blown liquid and glowing hot colored glass in Kosta glassworks in Sweden.

© Henk Vrieselaar/Shutterstock

Kosta Glassworks

Top choice


The site of one of Sweden's original glassworks, established in 1742, the Kosta Boda complex continues to reel in coachloads of visitors. It’s touristy, but the combination of gallery, glass-blowing demonstrations, eateries, and discount retail offerings, combined with the stunning Kosta Boda Art Hotel make it an attractive package. Book and begin 30-minute guided tours of the facility (50kr) from the Kosta Boda Art Gallery.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Kosta Boda Art Gallery

0.01 MILES

The factory's own gallery has some stunning pieces but feels at times like a front for its nearby retail outlets. You can see even more exquisite pieces…

2. Kosta Glascenter

0.03 MILES

Not to be confused with the Kosta Glassworks, but within its grounds, the Kosta Glascenter offers demonstrations, workshops and classes in glass blowing…

3. Grönåsen Älg- & lantdjurspark

2.04 MILES

For a close encounter with a beautiful bandy-legged elk, head for Sweden’s biggest elk park, located 4km southeast of Kosta, towards Orrefors. You can…

4. Malerås

7.77 MILES

This eponymous factory in Malerås, 23km from Kosta, is the collaboration of acclaimed artist Mats Jonasson and four other glassblowing talents who produce…

5. Carlos R Pebaqué

10.76 MILES

If you're lucky, you'll be able to watch Uruguayan-born artist Carlos R Pebaqué create extraordinary vases in his one glass oven in Gullaskruv, 6km from…

6. Orrefors Park

13.29 MILES

Adjacent to the former factory, this kickstarter project is a first step at renewing the village's glassblowing traditions and includes a small museum,…

7. Glass Factory

13.53 MILES

If you visit one place in the Glasriket, come to the Glass Factory on the site of the former Boda factory. The project houses Scandinavia's largest…

8. Madesjö Hembygdsgård

19.92 MILES

No one has counted, apparently, but there are probably upwards of 35,000 objects on display at this fascinating ethnological museum housed in the former…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "sweden/kosta/attractions/kosta-glassworks/a/poi-sig/1581212/1330218",
      "position": "superzone"
    }