Most foreign visitors, certainly those touring Sweden by car, head to the south after they leave Stockholm. If you follow the 1-week tour, you'll actually reach three of the south's highlights: Visby on the island of Gotland, the port of Kalmar, and "the Kingdom of Crystal," centered around Växjö. On this tour we extend those 4 days by 3, allowing you to take in the medieval town of Ystad, the university city of Lund, with a final stopover at the port city of Malmö, the third largest in Sweden.
Days 1 to 4
Days 1 & 2 Gotland & Visby
On the morning of Day 4, leave Stockholm, or Uppsala as the case may be, and drive 219km (136 miles) south of Stockholm to catch the car ferry at Nynäshamn heading for the island of Visby, taking 3 hours and 15 minutes.
After disembarking, visit the medieval walled city of Visby for a 2-night stopover. Spend the rest of the afternoon exploring its medieval streets.
On the morning of Day 5, while still checked into a hotel in Visby, set out to discover the island on your own wheels, having armed yourself with a detailed map from the tourist office. Return to Visby by nightfall.
Day 3 Kalmar: The Key to Sweden
On the morning of Day 6, check out of your hotel in Visby and drive to the embarkation point for the Swedish mainland. Take a ferry that goes from Visby to the eastern coast port of Oskarshamn. Once here, follow E66 south to the port of Kalmar, a distance of 409km (254 miles) from Stockholm. You can arrive in Kalmar in time for a late lunch.
In the afternoon, visit Kalmar Slott, a castle founded in the 12th century and once called "the key to Sweden" because of its strategic position. In the fading afternoon, wander Kalmar's warren of cobblestone streets and market squares, most of them a holdover from the 17th century. Check into a hotel in Kalmar for the night.
Day 4 Växjö & the Kingdom of Crystal
On the morning of Day 7, your final day in Sweden, leave Kalmar in the morning and drive 110km (68 miles) to Växjö, the capital of the so-called "Kingdom of Crystal," or the glassworks district. From Kalmar head west on Route 25.
Once in Växjö, check into a hotel for the night. If your ancestors came from this district, you'll want to visit the House of Emigrants.
If not, you can spend the rest of the day visiting the glass factories, the best of which are Boda Glasbruk, Orrefors Glasbruk, and Kosta Glasbruk. Feel free to skip one or two of these if you become "glassed out."
Day 5 Simrishamn & Ystad
On the morning of Day 5, leave Växjö following Route 30 southeast to the coast, which will put you on a larger highway, E66, heading west to the city of Karlshamn. Continue west on this road until you come to the junction with a secondary coastal road, Route 10, heading to the village of Kivik. Here you can stop to see a remarkable find, the Kivik Tomb, discovered in 1748. This site contains Sweden's most amazing Bronze Age relic. After a visit, continue on Route 10 southeast along the coast into Simrishamn, a distance of 192km (119 miles) from Växjö. After wandering its ancient streets for an hour or so, continue on Route 501 southwest to Ystad for the night, a distance of 40km (25 miles).
En route to Ystad, there are two major attractions along the way, including Glimmingehus, lying 10km (6 1/4 miles) southwest of Simrishamn. This castle from 1499 contains the best-preserved medieval keep in Sweden. Once back on Route 501, stop next at Backakra, the farm of Dag Hammarskjöld, the former United Nations secretary-general. The site is found 31km (19 miles) southwest of Simrishamn. After driving on to Ystad and checking into a hotel there, you can wander its medieval core at night, taking in some 300 half-timbered houses in its maze of narrow streets.
Day 6 The University City of Lund
Leave Ystad on the morning of Day 6, cutting across the southern tip of Sweden along an express highway (E65). At the approach to Malmö, avoid the city for the moment, head northeast along E22 into Lund. Mileage between Ystad in the east and Lund in the west is 73km (45 miles).
After checking into a hotel in Lund for the night, visit its major attraction, Domkyrkan, the Lund Cathedral, the finest manifestation of Romanesque architecture in Sweden. There are many treasures to view here, and you should allow at least 1 1/2 hours for a visit. Afterward, you can visit the Historiska Museet, the second largest museum of archaeology in Sweden. In town, secure the makings of a picnic lunch to be enjoyed in the Botaniska Trädgården, Lund's botanical gardens. In the afternoon, plan a visit to the Kulturen, the Museum of Cultural History, one of the finest open-air museums in the south. The rest of the day can be spent browsing through local shops and wandering Lund's medieval streets.
Day 7 Malmö: Sweden's "Third City"
On the morning of Day 7, head southwest for only 18km (11 miles) to Malmö, following E22, an express highway. After checking into a hotel, set out to see the city's attractions in 1 day, which is possible if you move fast enough.
Start out by visiting the city's two most historic squares, Stortorget and Lilla Torg, before descending on Malmöhus Castle, with its array of museums. You should be out of this vast compound in time for a one o'clock lunch.
In the afternoon, call at the Malmö Konsthall/Art Gallery, one of the best art museums in the country, and visit St. Petri or St. Peter's Church, a Gothic edifice from the 14th century. Between May and September, you can wind up the evening by going to Folkets Park, the People's Park, which boasts a vast array of gardens and dancing pavilions.
Malmö is a major transportation hub for Sweden, so you can fly or take the bus easily from here. Many international flights also leave from Copenhagen in Denmark, which is now within easy reach of Malmö across the spectacular bridge over Öresund Sound.
