Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [226]
Liden, by the ribbon lake on Indalsälven, is about 46km northwest of Sundsvall on Rd 86. Liden Gamla Kyrka, completed in 1510, has a lovely location and contains excellent medieval sculptures from the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries. There are faded wall paintings from 1561 and a 13th-century crucifix. The view from the Vättberget, reached by a 3km unsurfaced road from Liden, is one of the finest in Sweden, showing the ribbon lake to its best advantage. To reach Liden, take bus 30.
Sleeping
STF Vandrarhem Sundsvall (61 21 19; www.gaffelbyn.se; Gaffelbyvägen; dm Skr160-220, s/d from Skr275/320) The STF hostel is above the town on Norra Stadsberget, and has both older rooms and more expensive modern rooms with private bathroom. The 20-minute walk to the hostel from the city centre is pleasant, but not much fun with heavy bags – a bus runs up here in summer from the train and bus stations.
Lilla Hotellet (61 35 87; Rådhusgatan 15; s/d Skr595/795) In a stone building designated a historical monument, this small family-run hotel has a great location and a friendly vibe. Rooms have interesting architectural details, many including ceramic tile stoves.
Best Western Hotel Baltic (14 04 40; www.baltichotell.com; Sjögatan 5; s/d from Skr1179/1339, discounted to Skr659/769; ) Toward the upper end of the accommodation scale is the attractive Baltic, at the water’s edge near Kulturmagasinet and the bus station. Discounted rates make its bright, modern rooms a good deal.
Eating
There’s a huge selection of casual restaurants along Storgatan, plus the usual number of pizzerias and burger joints.
Tant Anci & Fröcken Sara (785 57 00; Trädgårdsgatan 14; sandwiches/soup Skr50/65; 10am-9pm Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat, noon-9pm Sun) Humongous bowls of soup or salad are the speciality at this adorable organic cafe, where you can also get hearty sandwiches, giant bowls of pasta and pastries. There are only a few tables, but takeaway is available; part of the space is devoted to a small health-food shop for organic tea and coffee, chocolate, snacks and cooking supplies.
Cafe Piccolo (12 10 84; Rådhusgatan 37; mains Skr65-75; 10am-7pm Mon-Thu, 10am-midnight Fri, Sun winter) This bright and spacious cafe-coffeeshop has a massive, tempting lunch buffet, plus – even better – an ice-cream buffet (Skr50).
There’s a central ICA supermarket (Esplanaden 5) along with a Systembolaget (1891 shopping centre, Storgatan).
Getting There & Away
Midlanda Airport (19 76 00) is 22km north of Sundsvall; buses run from the bus station three to nine times daily (Skr80) to connect with SAS and Skyways flights to Göteborg, Luleå and Stockholm.
Buses depart from the Sundsvall bus station, near Kulturmagasinet. Ybuss runs daily to Östersund (Skr190, 2½ hours, twice daily), Gävle (Skr240, 3½ hours, four daily) and Stockholm (Skr275, six hours, four to five daily). Länstrafiken Västerbotten bus 100 runs several times daily to Umeå (Skr285, 3¾ hours), Luleå (Skr423, eight hours) and most other coastal towns.
Trains run west to Östersund and south to Söderhamn, Gävle and Stockholm. The station is just east of the town centre on Landsvagsalen, which is a continuation of Köpmangatan.
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ÅNGERMANLAND
HÄRNÖSAND
0611 / pop 25,280
Grown from a pre-Viking trading post on the island of Härnön, Härnösand was burned to the ground three times in the 1700s: once by accident, once by schoolboy pranksters, and once when Russian Cossacks flattened the town in 1721, destroying all but three buildings. Then in 1877, just when everyone had begun to relax, it burned again. These days it’s a small, subdued place without much going on, but it has a pretty harbour and makes an excellent base for exploring the coast.
The tourist office (881 40; www.harnosand.se; Stora Torget 2; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm