Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [193]
Café Hellmans (21 05 25; Västra Trädgårdsgatan 24; buffet breakfast/lunch Skr55/65; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat, 11am-2pm Sun) A charming cafe with a boutique shop attached, Hellman’s is a nice spot for lunch, with expansive buffets as well as bagels and subs from Skr35, good coffee and excellent cakes to enjoy in the summer courtyard.
Lotsen (21 21 03; Skeppsbron; meals Skr80-160; to 2am Wed, Fri & Sat) Lotsen is one of several casual bar-restaurants along the harbour; the crowds shift from one terrace to the other according to time of day and availability of live music. Lotsen is the simplest in the line-up, with basic meals like pizza, meatballs and burgers, and huge steins of beer at happy hour.
Getting There & Around
Nyköping’s Skavsta airport (28 04 00; www.skavsta-air.se), 8km northwest of town, has flights to/from the UK and the European continent with Ryanair (Click here). Airport buses meet most flights and run to/from Stockholm (Skr150, 80 minutes). Local buses run every 10 minutes from Nyköping to Skavsta (Skr20, 20 minutes); alternatively, a taxi (21 75 00) costs about Skr150.
The bus and train stations are roughly 800m apart on the western side of the central grid. Nyköping is on the regular Swebus Express (0200-21 82 18; www.swebusexpress.se) routes, including Stockholm–Norrköping–Jönköping–Göteborg/Malmö, and Stockholm–Norrköping–Kalmar. To get to Eskilstuna, take local bus 701 or 801. SJ trains run every hour or two to Norrköping (Skr72, 40 minutes), Linköping (Skr143, 1¼ hours) and Stockholm (Skr101, one hour). Most X2000 services don’t stop in Nyköping.
The tourist office has bikes for rent (Skr40/200 per day/week).
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ESKILSTUNA
016 / pop 93,000
Although its suburban ordinariness doesn’t exactly scream ‘tourist destination’, Eskilstuna has a couple of family-friendly sights, primarily its famous zoo. It also has an interesting history as the one-time murder capital of Sweden. The small old town is now an attractive shopping district. And just northeast of town is one of the most extraordinary rock carvings in Sweden.
The tourist office (710 23 75; www.eskilstuna.se; Nygatan 15; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat year-round, plus 10am-2pm Sun May-Aug) dispenses helpful information. You’ll find most services around Fristadstorget and the pedestrianised part of Kungsgatan. The central public library (10 13 51; Kriebsensgatan 4; 9am-8pm Mon-Thu, 9am-6pm Fri, 10am-3pm Sat) has free internet access.
Sights & Activities
PARKEN ZOO
One of central Sweden’s most popular family attractions is the zoo and amusement park Parken Zoo (10 01 01; www.parkenzoo.se; adult/3-16yr Skr150/110; 10am-6pm daily Jul–mid-Aug, 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun May-Jun & mid-Aug–early Sep). Animals on show include monkeys, komodo dragons and some beautiful white tigers who were successfully bred here. It’s not a cheap day out though: additional charges are levied for parking (Skr40); the amusement park (day ticket Skr135; as for the zoo but opens at noon), which has kiddies’ rides and some larger whizzy things; and the swimming pool (adult/7-14yr Skr40/30; 10am-7pm or 8pm Jun-Aug).
Parken Zoo is 1.5km west of the town centre. Bus 1 (Skr21, 25 minutes) leaves frequently from the train and bus stations.
SIGURD CARVING
The vivid, 3m-long Viking Age rock carving Sigurdsristningen (admission free; 24hr) illustrates the story of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer, a hero whose adventures are described in Beowulf and the Icelandic sagas. The story inspired Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings also borrow from it.
Carved into the bedrock around AD 1000, the carving shows Sigurd roasting the heart of the dragon Fafnir over a fire. Sigurd’s stepfather Regin has persuaded him to kill Fafnir for the dragon’s golden treasure. Sigurd touches the heart to see if it’s cooked, then sucks his finger, and voila – he tastes the dragon’s blood and suddenly understands the language of birds. They warn