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In southernmost Sweden, on the eastern coast of Skåne province, forests, fishing villages and white-sand beaches converge in Österlen. The compact region spans 50 miles of Baltic Sea shore and is home to fewer than 40,000 permanent residents, but its proximity to Copenhagen (about two hours, driving) and Malmö (about 90 minutes) has cemented its status as a pastoral summer destination for Danes and Swedes alike. Despite its significantly smaller footprint, it’s often compared to Provence or Tuscany. Yet Österlen is more progressive than those referents suggest, closer in spirit to certain pockets of California.
The region’s entry point, when traveling from the west, by way of Copenhagen or Malmö, is the municipality of Ystad, while Simrishamn, a seaside town with a population of roughly 7,000, functions as the area’s cultural capital. Hotels, restaurants and sites of interest are scattered along the coast and throughout the countryside and inland villages like Tomelilla and Brösarp. Over the past five years, a cohort of artists and chefs have set down roots here, amplifying the region’s creative energy and giving rise to a new wave of galleries, artisan shops and restaurants, including the Swedish chef Daniel Berlin’s acclaimed Vyn, which opened in 2023.
Österlen is also home to Ales Stenar, often referred to as Sweden’s Stonehenge, and to Stenshuvud National Park, which offers coastal hikes through hornbeam, oak and birch forests, as well as apple orchards. Because the Swedes have allemansrätten, or the right of public access, locals and visitors are empowered to roam freely. With a few exceptions, including private gardens and burial sites, all land is considered public. Taking a dip in the sea here is also a rite of passage for visitors, even though the water temperature rarely rises above 68 degrees Fahrenheit in peak summertime. “If you have 70 degrees, it’s great,” says Berlin. “If you like nature and quieter days, Österlen is the perfect spot.” The Insiders
Daniel Berlin, the chef and owner of Vyn in the town of Simrishamn, moved to Österlen with his family from Malmö in 2022. His former restaurant, Daniel Berlin Krog, was also located in Österlen. The Danish ceramist Katrine Binzer Ringius has run her shop and studio, Keramikkatrine, in Österlen since 2018, producing work for restaurants and cultural institutions including the Copenhagen restaurant Noma and the Danish city’s Royal Opera House. The artist and film director Andreas Nilsson moved from Los Angeles to Österlen in 2022 and now divides his time between there and Barcelona. Nina Persson, the lead singer of the Swedish rock band the Cardigans, lives between New York City, Malmö and Österlen, where she and her husband bought property in 2021. Sleep
“There’s such a relaxing ambience at Talldungen Gårdshotell. The food and hospitality are so simple yet so special. Owner Emma Höök’s sourdough bread is one-of-a-kind and she’s well connected in the wine world; you can find bottles there that others can only dream of. Also, you have the forest [right there]. I’m a hunter and I like to be out in nature, so I’ll go to pick mushrooms or just to hike.” From about $400 a night. “Karnelund Krog & Rum is a countryside getaway where you can truly switch off and enjoy the silence. It’s a very small hotel with a supersmall restaurant.” From about $250 a night. — Daniel Berlin
“Bäddar & Ängar is a family-run B&B with a really nice atmosphere. They host yoga retreats and workshops, such as pasta-making and flower-arranging, there too, and it’s situated in Tomelilla, close to a lot of my favorite places here in Österlen.” From about $100 a night. — Katrine Binzer Ringius “Ôrum 119 is a boutique hotel and a great place for wood-fired pizza. I’m crazy about its gardening shop, which sells amazing Japanese tools, those French blue chore jackets, pots and textiles.” From about $305 a night. — Nina Persson Eat and Drink
“There’s a young couple who runs Skillinge Hamnkrog av Två Traktörer, [a seafood restaurant] in [Skillinge,] an old fishing village. You can have a whole turbot or, in summer, a classic shrimp sandwich, and a good-quality glass of wine or a beer, just sitting and watching the boats go out and in.” — D.B. “Ravlunda Hantverksbageri is in a very small cabin where Ida Svensson bakes the most incredible breads, buns and cakes. It’s very popular, so I recommend booking in advance to buy bread. “Olaols Gelato, which uses local cow’s milk, has maybe 10 different flavors that change throughout the season. The pistachio is probably my favorite, and they also make a really good licorice flavor.” — K.B.R. “Vyn serves top-class Scandinavian cuisine. There’s a set menu in the dining room and a more casual section where you can just pop in and order some food, and a cocktail bar in a greenhouse that’s open from May through October. There’s a hotel component as well. “Jennie Fredman Benson, who runs Le Petit Bistro, is from a culinary family. Her father competed twice for Sweden in the Bocuse d’Or, a sort of culinary Olympics. Her bistro serves very well-made traditional French cuisine. “Härden Matstudio is basically a couple’s dining room. It’s a tiny, intimate place. They do a lot of grilling and change the menu often.” — Andreas Nilsson
“The cuisine at Köpmangatan 6 is quite inventive and based on local produce; it’s often very fresh and green, but they also serve fish and meat. In spring and summer, there’s outdoor seating. “Kaffestugan Alunbruket is next to a former quarry; alum shale used to be a big industry in Österlen. The cafe, in one of the old buildings where the staff lives, is on a stream. You can order a plate of shortbread cookies or a cardamom bun and coffee and sit in the garden. It’s the epitome of Swedish fika [a coffee and cake break]. “Stjärnbryggeriet means ‘star brewery.’ The current chef, who’s from Lund and formerly cooked in Stockholm, serves fine-dining-like cuisine, with small dishes paired with natural wine and the brewery’s own beers. There’s music in the evenings. The bass player in my band, Magnus Sveningsson, DJs there often. “We get our bread at Byvägen 35. You can also get cinnamon buns and all kinds of baked things, including vegan items. They have a beautiful backyard, with tons of tables scattered around, a toy section and domestic rabbits; it’s great for kids.” — N.P. Shop
“In the village of Rörum is the ceramics studio Monica Persdotter Keramik & Form, where the owner makes beautiful plates and everything for the kitchen and the dining room.” — D.B. “Atelier Ana Viveiros is the workshop of Ana Viveiros, who makes house portraits in textiles; she also makes Brazilian brigadeiro [chocolate truffles rolled in sprinkles]. I’ve bought a lot of her stuff to hang on my walls. “Leif Handlare is a retro grocery store where you can go back in time and pick sweets like Pippi Longstocking. They have shelves filled with small containers of chocolates and candies, cheese and other random things that you can’t buy in a normal supermarket.” — K.B.R “Mats Theselius is one of the most prominent Swedish furniture designers, and he lives for part of the year in the village of Löderup, where he also has a small store that’s open in summer, [beginning in July], named Nya Manufaktur. His furniture sells for a lot of money at auction houses, but the products here, including lamps and kitchenware, are more accessible. It’s very functionalistic.” — A.N.
“We often go all over Österlen for loppis, which is the Swedish slang for flea markets. It refers to both indoor, year-round markets in barns and temporary markets. Spiken i Kistan, in a town called Lövestad, is an entire house that’s both a museum and an antique store with all kinds of refurbished old hardware, like iron stoves, handles and knobs. One part recreates an old grocery store, another an old hardware store. Every room is of a particular era. The owner is a Renaissance man — he’s also an opera singer, composer and actor. In the inland village of Hammenhög, Allt i Allo is a big industrial space, where we bought a midcentury armchair. Nearby, Mariedals Antikt & Loppis has nice picture frames and my son goes bananas for their records and books. “There are a couple of really nice farmers’ markets, including Kåsebergaodlingen and Angelikas Gård, where you can pick your own flowers.” — N.P. Explore
“Gyllebosjön is a lake and a bathing spot with a little kiosk and a sauna. You can get there by rail bike; you can rent them from the old station, now a museum, in Sankt Olof. You bicycle for half an hour, go to the beach, take a dip, then bike home again. I go to this sauna club in Kivik Harbour, which is also a beautiful spot for bathing. “Mandelmann’s Gardens in Rörum is extraordinary. They have animals and so many different crops, trees and small ponds. You can easily spend four hours just walking around, and there’s a cafe.” — K.B.R “Wanås Konst is about an hour’s drive north of Österlen. It’s an old castle and a quite important sculpture park. There’s also a boutique hotel with a restaurant on-site. “Brösarps Backar, next to Talldungen, is a big field of billowing hills. If you go in the morning, there can be quite spectacular views. The Swedish film ‘Bröderna Lejonhjärta’ (1977) was shot there.” — A.N.
“Solhällan i Löderup is a music venue that opened last year and hosts Swedish folk and rock artists throughout the summer. It used to be a folkpark, a Swedish phenomenon that was a big deal in the 1920s through the 1960s. Most municipalities would have one; it would often have a wooden dance floor and host dances with bands. Many Swedes’ parents or grandparents met at a folkpark. “Christinehofs Slott is a castle near Kaffestugan Alunbruket that was bought in the 1700s by one of the first women of the nobility in Sweden, Christina Piper, who also ran the alum shale quarry. It has a park where you can take gorgeous walks, as well as exhibitions and festivals featuring women artists. Bob Dylan has played there, and because of its history it’s known as the “rock castle.” As you drive toward it, look for a sign that says ‘Perennials’ to your left, and there’s a small perennial breeding ground, where the grower lives in what looks like a little gingerbread house.” — N.P. These interviews have been edited and condensed. Read past editions of Flocking To here. |
