Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [192]
Friendly staff at Forsmark Wärdshus (501 00; www.forsmarkswardshus.se, in Swedish) cope admirably with the hungry coach parties at this lovely old inn. As well as devouring lunch (Skr75), you can stay in one of the charming rooms (single/double including breakfast Skr550/750) overlooking the English park, and rent bicycles (Skr100 per day).
To reach Forsmark, take bus 811 from Uppsala to Östhammar (1¼ hours, every 30 minutes Monday to Friday, hourly at weekends), then change to bus 832 (45 minutes, four to eight daily). The total cost of the journey is Skr80.
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SÖDERMANLAND
NYKÖPING
0155 / pop 50,000
Once the setting for one of Swedish royalty’s greatest feuds, Nyköping these days is a mellow, pretty town where the big activities include strolling along the river and sitting by the harbour. There’s a tourist office (24 82 00; turism@nykoping.se; Stadshuset, Stora Torget; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat mid-Jun–mid-Aug, 8am-5pm Mon, Tue & Thu, 8am-6pm Wed, 8am-4pm Fri mid-Aug–mid-Jun) inside the town hall on the main square. Banks, supermarkets and other services can be found on Västra Storgatan, running west from Stora Torget.
Sights & Activities
The ruined castle Nyköpingshus (admission free; 24hr) hosted some violent times in the Swedish monarchy. The bickering among King Birger and his two brothers, Erik and Valdemar, peaked in 1317, when Birger invited his brothers to a ‘peace banquet’. When they arrived at the castle, he hurled them into the dungeon and threw the keys in the river, letting them starve to death. (It didn’t do Birger much good, as he was driven to exile in Denmark the following year.) This cheerful episode is recreated each summer as The Nyköping Banquet, a traditional play; ask for a schedule at Sörmlands Museum.
Inside the castle grounds, Sörmlands Museum (24 57 20; admission free; 10am-5pm mid-Jun–mid-Aug, 11am-5pm Tue-Sun mid-Aug–mid-Jun) includes Kungstornet (King’s Tower), a whitewashed four-storey castle tower; Gamla Residenset, the old governor’s residence; and the neighbouring Konsthallen, with interesting art exhibitions and a collection of 19th-century boathouses. Free guided tours of Kungstornet take place in English at 2pm Saturday and Sunday all year and daily in summer.
By Stora Torget, there’s the old rådhus (town hall) and St Nicolai Kyrka, with a splendid pulpit. Two rune stones and 700 Bronze Age rock carvings decorate Släbroparken, about 2.5km northwest of town.
Take a walk along the river: ‘Sweden’s longest museum’ – or so the publicity goes. For longer hikes, the 1000km-long Sörmlandsleden (355 64; www.sormlandsleden.se) passes through town on its way around the county. In summer you can also explore the nearby archipelago; enquire at the tourist office.
Sleeping & Eating
Strandstuviken Camping (978 10; strandstuviken@hotmail.com; sites Skr150, 4-/5-bed cabins Skr375/425; May-Sep) The nearest camping ground is this family beachside place, with sauna, minigolf, and canoe and bicycle hire. It’s a good 8km southeast of town, though, with no public transport.
Nyköpings Vandrarhem (21 18 10; Brunnsgatan 2; dm Skr160; ) So close to the castle that you’d feel threatened if there were a siege, this SVIF hostel is homely and casual. The kitchen is great, there are picnic tables in the yard, and the folks in charge are accommodating and helpful. Its inches-from-the-riverside location is hard to beat.
Clarion Hotel Kompaniet (28 80 20; cc.kompaniet@choice.se; Folkungavägen 1; s/d Skr1295/1595, discounted to Skr875/1125; ) This enormous building near the harbour features stylish modern rooms – not huge, but intelligently arranged, and many with nice views – in a riverside building that was once home to a furniture factory. Prices vary by time