When traveling abroad, most people tend to visit the big cities rather than the smaller towns. I've been in Sweden quite a lot of times and I must say, I prefer the smaller towns. Nothing wrong with the big cities, I love them too since there's so much to do, see and experience. But there's so much more to Sweden than Stockholm and Gothenburg!
Anyway, I'd like te share some of my favourite smaller town hotspots with you, starting off with Lund (Skåne).
Note: All the places I write about, I experienced myself. This might mean other people may think totally different about them! If you have any comments or recommendations, I'd love to hear them!
Eating / going out
When in Lund, I like having lunch at Ikizukuri Sushibar (Klostergatan). Great sushi which is freshly made as you wait. Like most Swedish restaurants, they offer a daily lunch (Dagens) for a good price.
But not everybody likes sushi (even though I love it, I don't want to eat it every day), so another nice place to eat lunch is Graffiti Café (St.Gråbrödersgatan). Last time I had a wonderful baked potatoe there, another populair Swedish lunch dish. The good thing is that you can choose how you want to have it, since you order at a saladbar where they have all the different toppings so you can see them.
For coffee or breakfast I like to go the Espresso House across the street from the railway station. They make a really good latte, even lactose free! Since I travel to Sweden quite often, I got me a so called Coffee Card which you can load with money and use to pay with later (at all EH places in different cities). It gives you (at least) a 10% discount which is nice if go there a lot. I can really recommend the breakfast offer with scones, latte and fresh juice!
Another favourite café is Gräddhyllan (Bytaregatan). Nice baked potatoes and salads there as well, and a good place to sit outside and have a glass of wine at the pavement.
For going out I like Hercules at Stortorget. Good cocktails, friendly staff and a club in the basement in case you feel like dancing.
Shopping
Okay I admit, a trip to Sweden to me isn't complete without at least one round of shopping ;) The perfect place for this lies on the outside of Lund, shoppingcentre Nova Lund. Here I find all my favourite stores under one roof: MQ, Topshop, Gina Tricot, Indiska Magasinet, H&M, Vero Moda, Bolagret, Intersport, Stadium and many more! There's even an Espresso House here and a squire with some restaurants in case you get hungry.
Visiting
One of places I almost always visit when in Lund is the cathedral (Domkyrkan) near Stortorget. Impressive to look at, both inside ande outside. I especially like the tranquillity inside. When you're there, don't forget to take a look at Finn the Giant in de crypt and throw a coin in the well to make a wish!
Another place worth visiting are the Botanical Gardens (Botaniska Trädgården). Nice to just stroll around and take a look at all the exotic plants and flowers.
More coming soon!