A slow travel guide to Skåne, Sweden
This post is kindly sponsored by VisitSkåne who covered my flights, accommodation and expenses for this trip. All thoughts, opinions and content are my own, unaltered and unedited as always.
I’ve got a travel bucket list made up of all the places I want to visit someday.
Like most people who own such a list I’ve filled it with all the usual suspects, the kinds of places most travellers visit. Sweden wasn’t on there. What a mistake I’d made.
I’ve been ready for a different kind of travel for a while, the kind of places we don’t think to book. I love a week at the beach and I love to spend a week in the mountains skiing, but there’s an unexplored spectrum in between.
Sometimes you don’t realise what’s lacking in life until you find it. This is how I feel about Scandinavia – and Skåne, Sweden in particular. Out of all the Scandinavian countries I’ve visited, it’s Sweden I’ve identified with the most. If you asked me why, I’m pretty sure I’d tell you it’s down to the relaxed slow attitude to life you can’t help but want to bring home with you.
We arrived at Copenhagen airport on a warm Autumn day, and from there we took the train to Malmo over Oresund Bridge where I excitedly listened to The Bridge soundtrack for the entire journey. Yes, I’m that tourist. I could’ve easily gone back and forth a few more times. We picked up our car from Europcar in Malmo and an hour or so of learning to drive on the opposite side of the road later we’d reached our destination.
Where we stayed
Our base for the week was Villa Sigrid. A picture perfect traditional seaside cottage but 5 minutes stroll from Vejbystrands beach (and a great little pizza spot for when you just need a cosy night in with takeaway). I’d highly recommend this place for one, two or even a family as there’s a giant sofa bed in the living room.
I’m not usually one to book a self-catered cottage (due to horrendous previous experiences), but I loved the freedom and quiet it gave us.
I liked being able to cook what I fancied and lie in bed for as long as I wanted without having to worry if I’d left the do not disturb sign outside the door. It felt more relaxed than a hotel stay, as if I was actually living my fantasy Swedish seaside life for just the briefest of moments. The cottage is beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean too! I loved the way the fridge was stocked with local produce and the owners had peppered ceramics by local makers throughout the place. It had a real sense of home, something that most hotels find difficult to create.
Highlights
My plan for our trip was simple, don’t over do things. I tamed my inner Monica and resisted the impossible itinerary I’m so used to creating. My new slower way of travel means I try to live more like a local instead of a stressed out tourist trying to tick everything off their list while missing out on all the real fun. It means throwing the strict itinerary out of the window in favour of being in the moment, and taking things slow.
Mölle
I felt like I’d arrived on a film set when we drove into Mölle, maybe the setting for the latest Scandi Noir series. Mölle is a quiet fishing town at the foot of its own nature reserve, which I’m including in this recommendation. If you drive or walk to 5km trail, the view from the lighthouse at the top of the cliff is incredible and you can even take a porpoise tour depending on the weather. I know you’ll love wandering around Mölle’s quaint streets and watching the surfers from the beach.
I’m used to having to trek through cities to find gems like this but these lifestyle stores selling interiors, clothes and sometimes food and drink too are popping up all over Skåne countryside. I could not stop clicking my camera in a bid to soak up as much inspiration as possible. You can find out more and follow Enkla Ting on Instagram here
Bastaad
Another seaside town with a beautiful harbour, this place came from a recommendation by the ever knowledgeable Instagram community and I was oh so grateful. Busier than Mölle but just as beautiful, I’d recommend taking a strolll around the streets down to the harbour and sampling one of the many many cafes down there. Pull up a chair, order your favourite caffeine and just enjoy the people watching.
Biking along Kattegattleden
If there is a bike on offer when I’m travelling I always want to hire it. Luckily Villa Sigrid came with two bikes so we could explore the Kattegattleden trail. It’s easy to navigate, stretches for 400 kilometres around the coast and is truly breathtaking. Maybe it was the time of year we were there a summer had officially ended but it was very quiet too. I loved having a nosey at all the beautiful houses that line the seafront as I rode by. You can go as far as you fancy and there are plenty of cafe stops along the way.
Norrviken
From Bastaad you can easily get to Norrviken. I couldn’t resist making time to visit this Swedish stately home. Show me a photo of an old building and I’ll immediately want to go for a good look around. I like to imagine what they would have been like in the past and recreate the scenes in my head as I wander round. The gardens are beautiful and there’s a stunning orangery restaurant where the staff kindly translate the menu for you. I’ve never eaten so well as a vegetarian as I did in Sweden. You’ll be well catered for here.
If you do have a car, be sure to drive a little further to a tiny harbour village called Kattvik. It’s like going back in time.
Food and drink
We loved this place so much we came back for dinner once we’d been up to the lighthouse for a wander around the rocks. The owner was kind enough to show us around her pottery studio which is how it all started. The restaurant was added on as an expansion of her business.
The creeping vines that overhang the candle lit tables in the conservatory are the kind of quirky decoration you dream about, the kind that can only be created over time with love and attention. The cakes are especially delicious and make for the perfect Fika.
Another one for vegetarians – they specialise in tomato dishes! I never thought I’d come home from Sweden with a new found love for tomato pie but thanks to Miss Alice’s I’m trawling the internet for recipes. I couldn’t resist a slice of the French chocolate cake which was just the right amount of sweet. Across the road is a little garden centre worth visiting. They specialise in – you guessed it – tomatoes but also sell a wide range of veggies and there’s oodles of garden inspiration too.
If you’re a foodie in search of serious flavour and a dreamy setting this one is for you. Eating by the sea is like the cherry on the cake for me, the perfect finishing touch. It always makes me feel happy and calm. This small seaside restaurant with it’s wooden deck over the waves was a real treat. The menu here is pretty special and I’ve never eaten vegetarian food quite like it.
The produce we found in our fridge when we arrived at Villa Sigrid was from this quiet calm little farm shop you’ll find down a country lane. As soon as we ran out of the fresh bread, apple juice and eggs we were sure to drive over for more. I’m obsessed with their homemade sandwiches.
Lowlights
The weather could be quite unpredictable in September.
If we didn’t have a car I think I would’ve felt like places were quite far apart, although I’m assured that the bus services are excellent. I really enjoyed having the freedom of a hire car. We picked ours up from Europcar in Malmo and just dropped it off at the end of the week. Driving on the other side of the road for the first time was a whole new level of mindfulness.
Thanks to Sweden I’ve met potters who told me to ‘come back at Christmas’ if I’d like to purchase the mugs with the handles on – they simply won’t be ready until then. I have seen the most effortless imperfectly perfect interiors you ever could see. I have experienced Fika, the Swedish tradition of making time for a break with a drink and some sort of treat in the afternoons, and all the joys it has to offer.
And I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface. That’s the thing with slow travel – you’ll never see it all in one go, it’s about doing less but better.
So what about your travel bucket list, is Sweden on there?
