Many of us live in a bubble here in Lund and do not take the time to explore what Skåne has to offer. I grew up here in Skåne, and during the summers I always visit some of the most beautiful and interesting places in Skåne.  So as the spring is here and summer is just around the corner, I would like to give you my five favourite places you need to visit in Skåne before you leave. Take the next sunny weekend to go explore!

Ystad

Ystad is often called a real “summer-city”. And I would agree, during the winter the city falls asleep. But the summer is the complete opposite. The city centre is crowded with people strolling down the streets where the old colourful houses lines. I recommend you to take the Pågatåg from Lund C to Ystad Station and start with a lunch or “fika” in the beautiful city centre, before you take the bus out to the “Sandskog” where you can relax on the beach. This is also where Ystad Saltsjöbad (a really popular and fancy spa) is located. At the beach you can find Fritidsbaren, which is a real classic café in Ystad. Fritidsbaren is especially famous for their Danish Pastry, or as we say in Sweden, “Wienerbröd”. Did you know that the Swedish movies Wallander are taking place in Ystad? With a map provided by “Ystad Kommun” at their website, you can take a walk and discover the different places where the movie scenes have been shot around in Ystad.

Kivik

Kivik is located close to Simrishamn, and is famous for its apple orchards. The most famous one is Kiviks Musteri, which produces beverages that you can find in almost any grocery store. I really recommend you to go and visit their orchards to get an insight in how the products are made and take a walk in their wonderful apple garden. The environment is truly beautiful. They also have a museum where you can see how the production works, and learn about the story behind Kiviks Musteri. Do not forget to end the visit in their shop where you find a whole lot more of their delicious products than you do at the grocery store at home. The most popular time to visit Kivik is during the traditional “Apple market”. It takes place at the early autumn. Every year an enormous painting is created out of only apples, totally amazing! Kivik is also where the famous Skåning Björn Ranelid lives, so if you are lucky you might run into him!

Söderåsen

Söderåsen is a national park located east of Helsingborg. And according to me it is one of the most beautiful places to take a long walk at in Skåne. This is a place I recommend you to visit both during spring, summer and autumn because as the leaves shifts colour the whole atmosphere changes as well. Be prepared to do some walking uphill, but I assure you that the view at the top of the hill is worth the effort. Breathe in the fresh air and admire the stunning nature. At Söderåsen there is both a café where you can buy lunch or fika, but you can also bring your own food and have a picnic down by the beautiful lake. There are also fireplaces where you can barbeque. The easiest way to get here is by car, which takes about 45 minutes from Lund. It is possible to go by train and bus as well, but this will take you about two hours.

Ven

Ven is a small beautiful island located about 8,5 kilometres outside of Skåne’s west coast. To get to Ven (if you do not have a boat of your own), you can take a small ferry from Landskrona harbour (where you easily can get to by train and bus within one hour). The boat trip takes about 30 minutes before you arrive to the small harbour of Ven. To get around the island I recommend you to rent a bike. It is the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to see the whole island. And it is also somewhat characteristic to bike around Ven. You can also rent a tandem if you have a friend with you, and I’m quite sure you are good at tandem! I recommend you to bring a picnic and then go to explore the island and find a beautiful spot to enjoy the food and the fantastic environment. If you are interested in history, Ven is something for you. The famous astronomer and astrologer Tycho Brahe had his research centre at Ven during the 16^th century where he did advanced studies in astronomy. You can visit both his observatory and the museum about Tycho Brahe at Ven.  

Nimis

This is something for all of you who want a challenging adventure. Nimis is a very unique and special place and I might even have some struggle explaining it to you. If my description makes you confused, I recommend you to google Nimis and you will get what I mean! Nimis is located down at the beach in Kullabergs preserve, in Håle stenar (northwest of Skåne). So what is Nimis? It is actually a work of art created by the artist Lars Vilks. The first version of Nimis was done in 1980. The artwork contains of several constructions made out of driftwood, planks and wood sticks. With this, the artist has built towers, passages and rooms. I would describe it as a castle created out of small pieces in wood. You can climb and crawl in the towers and passages, and enjoy this crazy place. And of course the beautiful location down by the sea is a big plus. To get to Nimis is quite a challenge, in two ways. First of all, the walk from the parking lot down to Nimis is quite steep and there is no good pathway to follow. So take it careful and make sure to have good shoes on. Secondly there are no easy signs to follow to get there. Nimis is actually built without any building permit, which has lead to legal trails against Lars Vilks. And since the walk there is quite challenging and there have been people who have been hurt while trying to get to Nimis, the municipality do not want to put up signs or directions to Nimis. But there are people who want to help you find it! First of all, try to follow the stream of people to get on the right pathway. After a while, you can start seeing trees that are marked with “N”, and then you know that you are on the right track!

I hope you liked my tips and go to explore them before you leave Lund for good!