June must be the perfect time to visit Sweden. Quite far north, and in the build-up to solstice, the sun doesn’t set until around 10pm. The flowers were in full bloom in parks and roadside. There were blue skies every day but the air still felt crisp, fresh, not the back-of-the-bus kind of heat I associate with summer in the cities of the UK.
Last June I spent a few days visiting a couple of friends who lived in Copenhagen (DK) and Lund in Skåne, Southern Sweden. I flew into Copenhagen but then moved on to Sweden to see my friend Ella who was studying in Lund at the time. It’s definitely a real privilege to have someone show you around a new place- especially a good friend. The journey between Copenhagen and Lund takes around an hour. It’s pretty- just a quick train-ride over the Øresund Bridge with views of the calm sea stretched out around you. It’s cheap too, but maybe every foreign transport is in comparison to the UK’s steep national rail prices. I’d say it’s worth making a trip over to Skåne if you’re staying in Copenhagen, even just for the day.
Lund is a sleepy university town. Actually, maybe it’s not always sleepy, but when I was there a lot of students had already left to go home for summer. There are cobbled streets lined with potted plants outside squat, quaint, painted houses. Along side the historical university buildings, there’s a botanic garden, lots of green spaces in fact, an art gallery and a few shops. The shops and small restaurants seemed to close early, and it was almost silent wandering around on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Some of the buildings were stunning. The university’s library is consumed by climbing vines, leafy and green for my visit in early June. Trees shade the path leading up to it, the sunlight dappled. The history of Lund University dates back to the 15th century, It’s one of the oldest in Europe and it felt magical standing outside.
I wasn’t in Lund for long, there’s honestly not much to do and see in the town centre, though it is still worth the visit. Go to the gallery, Skissernas, its focus is on artistic process and had a pretty impressive permanent collection of sketches and preliminary works by names such as Matisse and Hepworth, all hung amongst each other, like a collage.
I ate falafel wraps in town! Maybe not what comes to mind when thinking of Swedish food, but they were really good. I spent the next day in the park, playing frisbee, before heading to Lomma beach for a bonfire at sunset. It’s only a short bus journey away, and is just outside Malmö. We got the train to Malmö a couple of times. It’s bigger and slightly buzzier than Lund. I wandered around at night, post-roller-skating. The park was lit up with fun light installations. I also visited the Ribersborgs Kallis for a traditional sea swim and a sauna one morning. It’s an open-air bathhouse positioned at the end of a pier. Painted a sage green with red doors, its symmetrical and rather kitsch design has earned it a dedicated profile page on the Accidentally Wes Anderson website. My time spent in Lund was wholesome, calm, relaxed. Even just the atmosphere put me at peace.
Leaving Lund, I headed to Stockholm, Sweden’s capital, by taking another, longer, and prettier train ride through the Swedish countryside. More views of flat green farmland, endless fields, and meadows in the sun. Getting off the train, I was quite surprised by the towering buildings of the business district. I hadn’t done much research about Stockholm; it was a bit of a last-minute idea, but it’s exciting to travel like that too.
I stayed at a commercial Hostel called Generator, not far from the station. I found it on the Hostelworld app. It was easy, central and safe, especially as a solo female. I trusted it. My potentially controversial opinion (?!), is that Stockholm is cooler than Copenhagen. It definitely feels bigger and is a lot busier, but it’s still got a relaxed atmosphere and I felt comfortable walking around alone, even at night. No matter how many websites tell you it’s one of the top ten things to do there, skip spending too much time in Gamla Stan. It is nice to walk through the narrow streets of the old town, the buildings all in oranges and yellows, but it’s mostly just gift shops and chains. Instead, maybe just pass through whilst heading south to Södermalm. People stand around outside the cafés in the sun on the wide gridded streets. Get yourself a pair of dead-stock clogs from one of the vintage or second-hand stores. Flick through records and grab a coffee. I found Lou Reed and the Cocteau Twins.
Stockholm is located across an archipelago, but it’s still easy to get around on the metro, and on foot too. I tried to see as many different parts as I could in the few days I was there for (I stayed three nights). I remember being really impressed by the galleries and the exhibitions which were on there – Moderna Museet was huge. I’m starting to think you can judge a gallery by its bookshop, and this one was also really good. As well as their permanent collection, there were three exhibitions were on. I really enjoyed reading about the art history of Sweden, which I’d not really come across before. This gallery was one of the best I’ve ever been to, it was set on a very green island with some other museums nearby, still very central to the city. There’s a bridge you can walk across to get to it, boats docked up on either side.
I also went to Fotografiska, a museum on contemporary photography which was just as good. I spent a few hours in there. It’s right by the water in an old red brick warehouse. There’s quite a drop to get down here from the streets of Södermalm. I was surprised by the steepness of walking around Stockholm, you’ll notice the difference if you’re coming from Copenhagen!
On my last day, I visited the Rosendal Garden. It looks a bit out of the way on the map, but it’s on the same island as The Abba Museum, and that gets a lot of visitors. This was the highlight of the trip to me. It was national Sweden day this day (6th of June) and the city centre was rammed, with the roads all blocked. It was nice to get out of the busy crowds. Like home in Edinburgh, Stockholm also seems to be a city where you can quickly escape the busy city-centre and be surrounded by nature. Rosendal Garden is beautiful. It’s paths wind amongst long grass and wildflowers. There were people working on vegetable patches nearby. A pink manor house stood behind a hedge looking over the gardens, picturesque. I had Lunch there which was simple but more than satisfying. Set in a greenhouse, with communal seating around long wooden tables and benches, the food had been grown locally. Hummus and veg bowls, fresh cakes and sweets, and homemade juices and sodas. I had rhubarb soda. Don’t miss it. I sat in the sun and read. Refill filter coffee was less than £3.
All of the food in Stockholm that I ate was really nice. The prices were a pleasant surprise too, much cheaper than Copenhagen, and the Swedish Krona has a better exchange rate than the Danish as well. I had cardamom or cinnamon buns everyday for breakfast from cafés or even the supermarkets and I’ll leave a list of everywhere I had a meal below. The highlight was Schmaltz Bar and Delicatessen.
Eats and Drinks:
- Tengu– the ramen with karaage chicken was a dream. They had small plates too which I would have loved to try if I wasn’t alone! Nice cocktails. Think I payed around £35 for a main, drink and desert.
- Schmalz Bar and Deli– Everything I ate here I replicated last summer. Anchovies on toast, pickled cabbage, beer with grenadine. This was simply perfect.
- Bitza– Right by the water and super busy. It’s Pizza with a middle eastern twist. There’s a few good places to eat nearby here too if it’s a bit too busy to find a table. Another good thing about solo travel is thats its always easier to find a table for one!
- Rosendals Trädgårdskafé- Amongst the gardens. Fresh and seasonal produce. Eat in the greenhouse or beneath the vines on shared benches. Buffet-style and pay at the counter. This was my favourite place in Stockholm.
This was the first time I had ever visited Sweden and I found it really easy and stress-free to travel around as a solo female. The people were friendly and didn’t mind if I stopped to ask directions, I felt safe walking alone at night and the city had a generally relaxed feel to it. I found so many cool places without much prior planning and getting around was a breeze. The weather was warm and sunny the whole time I was there too which is always a bonus.
Rosie’s description of Sweden was so interesting and honest. As an Art lover interesting that Hepworth was still up there with the greats!!! Will be going to Sweden next year so will definitely take note of the foodie names. Thanks for that Rosie.