Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [225]
Malnbadens Camping & STF Hudiksvall (132 60; www.malnbadenscamping.com; sites low/high season Skr125/175, dm Skr175; ) Four kilometres east of the centre of Hudiksvall, this is a large wooded camping ground that’s also home to the pleasant STF hostel, open year-round. Bus 5 runs out here in summer.
First Hotell Statt (150 60; Storgatan 36; s/d from Skr1075/1795; ) Looking ever so slightly down its nose at the rest of the town, this upmarket hotel has a nautical theme; service is on the stiff side, but the digs are plush. A disco and restaurant are attached; the nightclub, Kalas, is apparently the place to be on weekends.
Möljens Gatukök (163 30; Möljen) Follow the crowds to this take-away counter at the end of the row of red wooden buildings in the historic town core. Rather than yet another grillad korv (hot dog), try a herring sampler (three kinds for Skr20) or a strömmingrulle (fried herring in a wrap; Skr50).
Dackås Konditori (123 29; Storgatan 34, sandwiches from Skr50) Though it’s beginning to look slightly seedy, with its neon sign gathering dust, this bakery still churns out good sandwiches, cakes and pastries, served at a couple of tables out front or upstairs in the main dining room.
Getting There & Away
Ybuss travels to Gävle (Skr220, 1½ hours, several daily), Östersund (Skr225, 3½ hours, twice daily), Stockholm (Skr265, 3½ hours, several daily) and Umeå (Skr300, five hours, twice daily). The bus station is next to the main train station, by the harbour.
SJ trains run to Sundsvall (Skr120 to Skr160, 50 minutes, several daily), Gävle (Skr166, one hour, twice daily), Söderhamn (Skr95, 30 minutes, twice daily) and Stockholm (Skr500 to Skr700, 2½ hours, twice daily).
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SUNDSVALL
060 / pop 93,300
When Sundsvall burned to the ground in 1888, civic leaders made a decision that left behind the city’s small-town feel and gave it a new sense of weight and significance: the old wooden houses were rebuilt in stone. This forced poorer residents to the city’s outskirts while wealth and power collected in the centre, but it also meant that modern Sundsvall, which might have been just another architecturally bland coastal city, is today not only historically significant but also quite pretty.
Information
Library (Kulturmagasinet, Sjögatan) Has free internet access.
Tourist office (61 04 50; www.sundsvallturism.com; Stora Torget; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, also 10am-3pm Sat Jul-Aug) Has information on activities, including summer boat tours.
Sights & Activities
Kulturmagasinet, on Sjögatan down near the harbour, is a magnificent restoration of some old warehouses. The buildings now contain the library and Sundsvall Museum (19 18 03; adult/child Skr20/free; 10am-7pm Mon-Thu, 10am-6pm Fri, 11am-4pm Sat & Sun), which has exhibits of local art, natural history, Iron Age archaeology and geology. The tiny cafe (10am-4pm) serves a buffet lunch (Skr65).
There’s a viewing tower on the hill Norra Stadsberget (150m). The southern hill, Södra Stadsberget (250m), has an extensive plateau that is good for hiking, with trails up to 12km long. Buses run to either hill once every two hours in summer.
The large island just east of Sundsvall, Alnö, has the magnificent Alnö Gamla Kyrka (admission free; noon-7pm mid-Jun–mid-Aug), 2km north of the bridge (at Vi). The old church, below the road, is a mixture of 12th- and 15th-century styles. Whitewashing damaged the lower parts of the wall paintings in the 18th century, but the upper wall and ceiling paintings are nearly perfect. The painting was probably done by one of Albertus Pictor’s pupils. Even better is the late 11th-century carved wooden font in the new church across the road; the upper part combines Christian and Viking symbolism, while the lower part shows beasts that embody evil. Catch bus 1 to Vi (two or three hourly), then take a Plus bus to the churches (every one or two hours).
For a pleasant excursion, head to Lörudden,