Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [182]
Pio & Co (21 06 69; Storgatan 37; mains Skr190-290; from 6pm) Award-winning Pio is an upmarket brasserie with an extensive menu of both Swedish and continental favourites – think Halland pork with roasted garlic and potatoes au gratin, and heavenly cannelloni.
Lilla Helfwetet (21 04 20; Hamngatan 37; Mon-Sat) With its funky dancing devil symbol, you can half guess what awaits you in this great converted warehouse near the river. The super-cool restaurant, bar and cocktail lounge transforms into a nightclub on Friday and Saturday nights, when it’s party time until 3am.
For something quick, try the Pasta Huset (pasta from Skr30) van on Stora Torg. There’s a Hemköp supermarket and a Systembolaget just off Stora Torg.
On the northern part of Storgatan and nearby Lilla Torg are some seriously swinging slosh spots, including pub-style Harrys (10 55 95; Storgatan 22), complete with a great alfresco terrace, and the equally popular Bulls Pub (14 09 21; Lilla Torg), in a former fire station.
Getting There & Away
The airport (12 80 70) is only 2km west of the town centre. Skyways has regular connections to Stockholm’s Arlanda airport.
The train station is in the southeastern corner of the town centre, and the main bus station is a few blocks away at Österbro. The North Bus Station, located in the northwestern corner of central Halmstad, mainly services local buses.
Swebus Express (0771-21 82 18; www.swebusexpress.com) runs buses at least four to five times daily to Malmö (Skr166, 2¼ hours), Helsingborg (Skr98, one hour), Göteborg (Skr119, 1¾ hours) and Lund. Swebus Express also has a direct twice-weekly service to Jönköping (Skr237, 2¾ hours).
Regular trains between Göteborg (Skr145, 1¼ hours) and Malmö (Skr160, two hours) stop in Halmstad and call in at Helsingborg (Skr99, one hour) and Varberg (Skr82, 35 minutes).
Getting Around
Local bus 10 runs half-hourly (hourly in the evenings) to the clubs and beaches at Tylösand (adult/child Skr23/14).
Try Taxi Halmstad (21 80 00) for a taxi or hire a bike from Levin & Nilsson (21 01 17; Brogatan 30; per 24hr/3 days/week Skr100/250/450; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat).
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VARBERG
0340 / pop 56, 110
Good-looking Varberg lies by the side of a 60km stretch of beautiful white-sand beaches: its population triples in the summer months. The town’s darker side includes its fortress, once used as a prison and now home to an impressively preserved bog body.
The tourist office (868 00; www.turist.varberg.se; Brunnparken; 9.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 1-6pm Sun late Jun-early Aug; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat Apr-late Jun & mid-Aug–Sep; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri Oct-Mar) is located in the centre of town; most facilities are nearby.
Sights & Activities
The medieval fortress (828 30; adult/under 20yr Skr50/free; 10am-5pm mid-Jun–mid-Aug; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, noon-4pm Sat & Sun mid-Aug–mid-Jun), with its superb museum, is Varberg’s star attraction. In-house oddities include the poor old Bocksten Man, dug out of a peat bog at Åkulle in 1936. His 14th-century costume is the most perfectly preserved medieval clothing in Europe.
Brave the Nordic weather with a dip at Kallbadhuset (173 96; adult/under 15yr Skr55/30; mid-Jun–mid-Aug, 1-8pm Wed, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun mid-Aug–mid-Jun), a Moorish-style outdoor bathhouse built on stilts above the sea just north of the fort.
Getterön Nature Reserve is just 2km north of the town and has excellent bird life (mostly waders and geese). The reserve has a Naturum (visitors centre; 875 10; Lassavägen 1; 10am-5pm May-Aug; 10am-4pm Mar, Apr, Sep & Oct; 10am-4pm Fri-Sun Oct-Feb) with interesting exhibitions.
On the Unesco World Heritage List, Varberg Radio Station (67 41 90; www.alexander.n.se; Grimeton) lies about 10km east of Varberg. Once part of the interwar transatlantic communication network, it’s now the world’s only surviving long-wave radio station. Admission is by guided tour (adult/child Skr50/free; on the hour 10am-3pm daily late Jun–mid-Aug; 11am,