Looking for places to visit in Sweden? Try Tomelilla – at the heart of Sweden's beautiful Skane region – a fascinating combination of nature, scenery, history and activity. And very easy to get to.
I have been visiting Skane for a number of years now as my daughters live in the region. But Tomelilla – a small town with 13,000 inhabitants, nine castles, 18 churches and very much a village feel to it – is a relatively new discovery for me, and I wasn’t disappointed.
You might think you’ve heard of it before, although that could be because Tomelilla is also the name of Ikea’s best-selling sofa! Tomelilla was also significant for Volvo, who sold their first car there. Whether you are a solo traveller, eco enthusiast, a couple looking for a getaway, or you are seeking a family excursion, what really impressed me about Tomelilla is its genuine something-for-everyone combination.
Relaxed Pace of Life
I can also see why Tomelilla is a popular place to live and work. There is a relaxed pace of life and property is inexpensive. It’s a popular area to visit for art and culture lovers. Many Swedes own summer homes in Tomelilla.
Tomelilla – meaning ‘Little Tommarp’ in reference to the nearby town – dates back to the Viking settlers and was originally a settlement of farms when Skane belonged to Denmark. Its rivers provided important Viking transportation lanes. The introduction of a railway station in 1865 saw Tomelilla become a town but to this day it retains its rustic appeal.
The first thing that strikes you on a visit is that, although its rural charm is clearly a major attraction, Tomelilla is also extremely easy to get to. Located just 50km from Malmo’s airport and 70km from Malmo itself, there are excellent road and public transport links. Tomelilla is also accessible from Kristianstad airport.
Getting There Is Easy
I travelled to Tomelilla from the UK via Copenhagen and Malmo. I used the rail-air link to Heathrow and was in Copenhagen less than two hours after taking off.
The platform for trains to Malmo is just a two minute walk from the arrivals hall at the airport, located inside the terminal building. Buy a return to Tomelilla and give the date of your return trip. Sweden and Denmark still use their own currencies and Swedish Krona notes are accepted at the ticket office, and at Copenhagen's airport.
There are three trains an hour from the airport into Malmo and the journey takes just 20 minutes, followed by a journey of just over an hour from Malmo Central station to Tomelilla. The train ride is very pleasurable through the rolling Skane countryside, with views of the sea, and even the experience of riding on board the old fashioned trains is enjoyable.
Europe's Largest Amusement Park
As a family destination, Tomelilla is very popular with Swedes and Danes because of Tosselilla - its outstanding amusement park.
It was the obvious choice for Ebba’s ninth birthday treat. She has been to Disneyland Paris, but it would appear that Tosselilla wins her vote. When I told her I thought Tosselilla was similar to Disneyland, she agreed but added: “There’s more to do at Tosselilla.” When a child makes that kind of statement, you know you are on to a winner.
It’s easy to see why Tosselilla is so popular. When it opened in 1986 it was the largest amusement park in Europe. There are similarities with Disneyland Paris but Tosselilla has a unique appeal. There is so much to do including a petting zoo, water park, go karts, bumper boats and various rides, but it was an old favourite, the waltzer, that won my daughters’ vote as best ride.
The staff were excellent too. My six-year-old daughter Greta was so excited when she saw the entrance to the park that she burst into a run, fell over and cut her knee, but she was looked after in impressive fashion, patched up and off we went to see if we could get through all the rides in just one afternoon.
I can also recommend Tosselilla for value, with one day adult tickets starting at 180 Swedish Krona (less than £20). The only downside is that Tosselilla is only open during the summer months, from May 21 to August 21. For more information visit the Tosselilla website.
A motocross venue is located next to Tosselilla and close by is a multi-lane bowling centre, another popular attraction for my daughters.
A Shopper's Paradise
High on the list of priorities of places Ebba and Greta were keen to visit was the excellent Bo Ohlsson warehouse store, a veritable grotto chocked full of toys, household goods and far too many other items to mention. Bo Ohlsson is one of the top 10 stores in Sweden and welcomes 1.4m visitors a year. And, once you’ve shopped yourself out, there’s even somewhere to have a coffee and a bite to eat.
Tomelilla is also home to the smallest pub I have ever seen – the Celtic Bar – and one of the world’s smallest film museums, that pays tribute to Swedish comics and film legends Hasse and Tage – Tomelilla’s version of Monty Python. And once you have had a look around, do visit the coffee shop next door, run by some of the friendliest people I have ever met.
There are no shortage of good restaurants and cafes. I started my first day in Tomelilla with a traditional Swedish breakfast buffet at Bullen & Bonan and visited the Roma pizzeria in the heart of the town on more than one occasion.
For Golf and Football Fans
There are a huge array of activities for locals and visitors alike, including Tomelilla Golf Club, which hosted a qualifying round of the 2011 Swedish World Golfers Championship for amateurs.
Tomelilla also has its own football club, Tomelilla IF – located on Idrottsgatan, within walking distance of the centre of the town – with the first team playing in Division 4 East of the Swedish league system. The season finished in October and Tomelilla missed out on a chance to be promoted by just one point, although they did have the satisfaction of a 9-0 win against local rivals Ystads IF. TIF also have a junior section and girls teams.
There is also a caravan park in Tomelilla, plus camping, a cinema, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, horse riding and various other sports clubs. Tomelilla has even played host to Elton John and Bob Dylan concerts.
Home From Home in Sweden
I stayed at the charming, affordable and recommended Liljegrens Vandrarhem – ideally located for the train station, town centre and nearby attractions, with a pleasant kitchen area, lounge and garden and a decidedly home-from-home feel to it, which also made it ideal accomodation for my daughters. It was easy to make a booking and the owner was extremely helpful – contact pax49@live.se for more information.
Tomelilla is ‘Wallander’ country and its proximity to the beautiful town of Ystad – the focal point of the popular Swedish television series – is one of the reasons for its popularity. But Detective Chief Inspector Wallander (played by Kenneth Branagh in the English version of the series) is not the area’s most influential man.
That honour rests with Carl Piper, one of Sweden’s prominent land owners and the reason for Tomelilla’s strong eco and bio diversity commitment. Just one of his many accomplishments was a tunnel underneath a road to assist the native tree frogs during their mating season. The annual ‘frog chorus’ is yet another reason for visitors to come to Tomelilla.
A focal point for the municipality and popular with Danish visitors in particular is the 20km long Fyledalen nature reserve, with its red kites circling above and an array of flora and fauna. A fun and healthy way to see Tomelilla is by taking a ride on a ‘trolley bike’ and cycling on the old train tracks.
Sample the Local Produce
If you are interested in sampling some genuine local produce, visit Petersborgs Gard, a family farming business that grows mustard and manages the entire process through to selling the mustard in jars in its farm shop. Also on sale are a range of other products from Tomelilla and the surrounding area including jam, oil, sausage, chutney, honey, spices, pickles and beer.
In Tomelilla you can also find a wine castle and a monastery, with its churches dating back to the 12th century. One of the highlights of my stay in Tomelilla was the visit to Hogestads och Christinehofs Fideikommiss, an eco park and castle. The land is free to access for the public, so is very popular for dog walkers. It also provides tours for groups of children to teach them about bio diversity and nature. Fishing is popular here, with carp, pike, perch and trout in abundance, while the park’s bat tours are one of its biggest attractions.
Tomelilla is renowned for its food and restaurants and a must-visit for lunch or dinner is the Daniel Berlin restaurant, steeped in Swedish and French traditions and winner of a ‘best restaurant in Sweden’ award.
Getting Around While You Are There
The public transport system in Skane is excellent. The trains and buses are punctual, reliable, clean and tidy. Skanetrafiken is a very good and detailed source of information for train and bus times.
A lot of the attractions mentioned in this article are within walking distance or easy to get to by bus. It's a relatively long walk from the centre of Tomelilla to the bowling centre and Tosselilla but there's a good bus service with a bus stop right outside the bowling centre, followed by a short walk to Tosselilla. If you have time during your stay in Tomelilla, visit the beautiful coastal town of Ystad, a short train or bus ride away.
There are four ways to buy a bus ticket. You can pay by credit card as you board the bus or buy your ticket in advance from a machine at the bus and train station, or from the ticket office. Alternatively, buy a Jojo card which is good value and can be purchased from Tomelilla's bus and train station and in various shops. The ticket office is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. With some of the attractions mentioned, the best way to see them is by car or taxi. You can hire a car at Copenhagen airport.
TIP: Some, but not all, of the websites mentioned above have English versions. For those that do not have English versions, just search for the websites mentioned above on Google then hit 'translate'. For more information about Tomelilla, visit the official Tomelilla website.
Mark Roach - I have 22 years of experience as a writer and editor and have been editor of several magazines.
