Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [140]
There’s a supermarket and Systembolaget inside the Domus shopping centre on Östra Boulevarden.
Getting There & Around
Skyways (0771-95 95 00) flies direct most days to Stockholm from Kristianstad’s airport (23 88 50), about 20km south of town. Airport buses (0441-230 00; Skr80) depart from the Resecentrum 50 minutes before flight departure times.
Buses depart from the Resecentrum on Östra Boulevarden. Frequent SkåneExpressen buses include: bus 1 to Malmö (Skr87, 1½ hours), bus 2 to Lund (Skr81, 1½ hours), bus 3 to Simrishamn (Skr45, 1¼ hours) and bus 4 to Ystad (Skr63, 1½ hours); the latter two services run infrequently on weekends. Svenska Buss (0771-67 67 67; www.svenskabuss.se) runs to Malmö, Karlskrona, Kalmar and Stockholm four times weekly.
The train station is across town from the Resecentrum. Trains run daily to Lund (Skr94, one hour) and Malmö (Skr94, 1¼ hours); many services continue on to Copenhagen (Skr190, two hours). Regular trains also run to Helsingborg (Skr87, 1½ hours). Öresundstågen trains run every hour or two to Malmö (with connections at Hässleholm for Stockholm).
Call Taxi Kristianstad (24 62 46) for a taxi and Avis (10 30 20; Östra Storgatan 10) for car hire.
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ÅHUS
044 / pop 8980
The small coastal town of Åhus (about 18km southeast of Kristianstad) is a popular summer spot thanks to its long sandy beach. The area is also known for its eels: the Eel Coast runs south from Åhus, and this delicacy is served up boiled, fried, smoked, grilled or cooked on a bed of straw at restaurants and at autumn Eel Feasts throughout the region.
There’s a well-stocked tourist office (13 47 77; touristinfo.ahus@kristianstad.se; Järnvägsgatan 7; 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat, 10am-2pm Sun Jun-Aug, 10am-5pm Mon-Fri Sep-May), with useful facilities (bank, supermarket etc) nearby.
Åhus is home to the Absolut Vodka distillery (28 80 00; Köpmannagatan 29), where half a million bottles are produced daily. Free tours of the place run six times daily on weekdays from late June to the end of August (call ahead for times). The tour bus departs from outside the factory entrance, 400m southwest of the tourist office. At all other times, tours must be booked in advance.
Naturens Bästa Click here also runs its two-hour boat trips (adult/child/family Skr70/50/190) from Åhus from early June to early August. Contact Landskapet (28 93 95; www.landskapet.se) or the tourist office for more information.
Very close to the harbour is STF Vandrarhem Åhus (24 85 35; info@cigarrkungenshus.se; Stavgatan 3; dm Skr180-240, hostel s/d from Skr250/400, B&B per person from Skr275; ), an agreeable youth hostel and B&B based in a 19th-century cigar factory.
The harbour has several good dining options.
Bus 551 runs several times an hour (roughly hourly on weekends) between Kristianstad and Åhus (Skr24, 21 minutes); get off at the Glashyttan stop for the tourist office.
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HELSINGBORG
042 / pop 125,000
At its heart, Helsingborg is a sparkly showcase of rejuvenated waterfront, metro-glam restaurants, lively cobbled streets and lofty castle ruins. With Denmark looking on from a mere 4km across the Öresund, its flouncy, turreted buildings feel like a brazen statement. It’s hardly surprising: Helsingborg’s strategic position on the sound saw it battled over and battered down with tedious regularity during the many Swedish-Danish wars. In 1709 the Danes invaded Skåne, but were finally defeated the following year in a battle just outside Helsingborg. One wonders what those armies would make of the over 14 million annual passengers who now traverse the sound with seasoned nonchalance.
Information
The Knutpunkten complex on the seafront has currency-exchange facilities and ATMs, as well as left-luggage lockers. For banks, head to Stortorget.
First Stop Sweden (10 41 30; www.firststopsweden.com; Bredgatan 2; 9am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun late