Written by Hayu Hamemayu
When it comes to summer, Swedes know how to make the most of it. It’s understandable, since summer doesn’t last long here and winter can be unbearable. So they definitely don’t want to miss the summer moments. Explore the Swedish summer in Lund and discover the beauty and hospitality of Skåne.
Unfortunately, for a small city like Lund, where most of the inhabitants are students, summer is also a quiet moment since most people leave the city for summer holiday. Even some stores are closed (or at least closed early) for sommarstängt . So, if you stay in town during summer, it can be tricky to spend the day. And when you have school age kids, the challenge is double because that means you need to keep them entertained for the whole two months 😀
So, how are the best ways to enjoy summer in Lund? Well, here are some options:
Join the Local Events
Every municipality usually has seasonal programs designed to entertain and serve the public. In Lund, it’s called Sommarlund. Here, you can find some activities to join or watch during the season such as concert, dance festival and so on. Apart from these, you can also check museums and interesting places in Lund. They usually have summer program as well.
Lunds Stadsbibliotek for example, has Sommarboken, an event that invites kids (6-16 yo) to read at least 6 books during summer, fill out the review form, then get a book from the library. They can choose to read any book, including English books and get English book for the reward as well.
Vattenhallen, the water science centre, also has various summer events worth to join.
Eat Ice Cream
Swedish summer in Lund would never be complete without ice cream. And luckily, there are, at least, three most popular places to eat ice cream in Lund: Glasskulturen, 1959 Gelateria Hemmagjord and Ahlgrens Konfektyr. All of them serve tasty ice cream in various flavours.
Glasskulturen is centrally located. You will easily notice this ice cream stall as it’s located in the heart of Lund and lots of people queuing for their ice cream almost everyday. 1959 Gelateria Hemmagjord is located near Botulfplatsen while Ahlgrens Konfektyr has two stores in Lund, one in Saluhallen and one in Lilla Fiskaregatan.
Be like a tourist
While most of Lundensian are leaving town for summer getaway, Lund attracts some tourists in summer. Swedish summer in Lunds Domkyrka, Lunds Universitet, Kulturen, Stortorget and other landmarks are great tourist attractions. So, it’s the best moment for you to “join” them and be a tourist in your own city 🙂 .
Stroll around the city and take plenty of pictures without hesitation. In other seasons you may feel inconvenient to take selfie in front of the city landmarks because people would find it uncommon. But in summer, people won’t be bothered because they will think that you’re a tourist as well.
Besides, summer is when the city landmarks dressing up in green and therefore give you lovely backgrounds.
Picnic in the parks
Picnic in the park is one of the easiest and cheapest options for outdoor activities. All you need are just throw a mat and bring BBQ or snacks. You can lay back and relax all day long enjoying season in the sun. Best parks to have picnic in Lund, based on my experience, are Lunds Stadsparken and Botaniska Trädgården. Both are located in city area and are accessible by bus, bike or foot.
Have a fika
Well, fika is the all-season-friendly activity you can have in Lund. Another good thing about fika in summer is you can still enjoy it under the sun as most cafes and coffee shops provide extra terraces so you can sip a cup of coffee and enjoy the sunshine at the same time.
My favorite fika places in Lund are Love Coffee and Broder Jakobs. And, since Swedish coffee is really strong, hopefully it can boost your mood and keep it good before the winter comes.
Hayu Hamemayu is a Lund-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Jakarta Post, Media Indonesia, Kompas, Majalah Kartini, and Indonesia Travel Magazine among others. A traveller mommy by nature and random thinker by inclination, she keeps memories in her Instagram @hayuhamemayu and writes her everyday stories in her blog.
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