Even if you’re reluctant to take the plunge, the above-ground parts of Sala Silvergruva, a mine about 2km south of the town centre, are nice to walk around. Beneath the surface are 20km of galleries, caverns and shafts. Tours go either 60m or 150m deep into the mines, every half-hour from 11am to 3pm. The descent involves walking down (and back up!) about 300 steps, and you'll want to bring a jacket as it gets cold in the mine.
The mine closed in 1908. The museum village contains artists’ workshops, a restaurant (open from 11am to 4pm in summer, daily lunch Skr85) and a museum (free admission), with displays including a timeline of Swedish mining history and the barrel that was used to lower King Karl XI into the depths for his royal visit in 1687.
Both village and mine are off the Västerås road. It’s a pretty walk along the Gröna Gången (Green Walk), which takes you southwest via the parks and the Mellandammen pond at Sofielund. Bring a camera – the weird landscape of mysterious, purpose-built structures in the area occasionally sprouts chimneys or falls away into deep holes.
