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Why Kalmar is Sweden’s best summer city

Kalmar was once voted Sweden’s top summer destination. Here's way you should go there immediately — and bring your swimming gear.

Published: 15 June 2016 07:00 CEST
Why Kalmar is Sweden's best summer city
Kalmar! Photo: Hedvig Sävenryd

Kalmar, the pretty city on Sweden’s south-east coast, came out on top when travel site Reseguiden counted the 37,000 votes in its annual poll. So, what makes it such a special place when the sun shines? 

The cat’s bottom 

Not only does central Kalmar boast a wonderful beach – it also has arguably the best name of any beach, anywhere. Kattrumpan (The cat’s bottom) shares its cheeky moniker with a small city district and is popular among youngsters. 

If that’s not your scene, the city is awash with amazing beaches, so much so that there are two reserved for naturists and one for dogs. Woof! 

This is Kalmarsundsbadet. Not bad, eh? Photo: Magnus Bremefors

The Öland Bridge 

Driving across the Öland bridge is awe-inspiring. And on the other side of that bridge is Öland itself, a beautiful Baltic island and one of Sweden’s most popular summer getaways. 

And when you’ve lazed away a day on one of Öland’s seemingly endless sandy beaches, you can cross back over the bridge and there, again, is Kalmar. What’s not to love? 

The six-kilometre bridge was Europe’s longest when unveiled by King Carl XVI Gustaf in 1972. On September 30th that year, 50,000 people rocked up for the opening and tailbacks stretched from the mainland to Öland. 

Photo: TT

Kalmar Castle

If you’re in town you simply can’t miss Kalmar’s most iconic landmark. Back in 1397 the Kalmar Union was signed here, bringing the Nordic nations together under a ginormous three million square kilometre umbrella.

It survived for more than 120 years, which is a good innings for an umbrella. But in 1523 it fell apart and the lands were once more covered in snow. Except during the summer, when Kalmar, then as now, was the place to be. 

The castle took on its renaissance look in the late 16th century, and it remains the most impeccably preserved castle of its kind in Sweden. 

Photo: Christian Alsing 

Iron man, sand sculptures, that kid Emil out of the Astrid Lindgren books

Top tip: Sip on a glass of whatever you’re having at the central Larmtorget square and watch the rest of the world exert itself unnecessarily. 

You can maybe, at a stretch, walk a few steps to the beach for the sand sculpture festival in July, then there’s the pleasant summer bustle of the city festival in August. 

If you like Astrid Lindgren’s books for children – and let’s face it, you do – there’s an exhibition about the Emil character at the Castle. 

Then, why not look on with awe at the raw power of the Iron Man triathlon, and hey presto, you’ve got yourself a smashing summer.  

Britain’s Leanda Cave won the women’s Iron Man event in 2014. Photo: Getty Images 

The kiss stop 

By the beach at Kalmarsundsbadet you’ll find the perfect place for a quick kiss. It’s the pusshållplats, the kiss stop, a play on the busshållplats, or bus stop. And not the kisshållplats, because that would be the pee stop. 

Anyway, it’s cute. Or nauseating, depending on your mood and inclination.

Photo: Destination Kalmar 

Feed me

That’s all well and good, but where am I going to eat? 

Well, where to start?! Kalmar knows how to feed its visitors, that’s for sure, and we could go on a bit. But we’ll settle for three sure-fire hits: Postgatan, Slottsrestaurangen and Gröna Stugan. 

If you’re not satisfied with any of those we offer a money-back guarantee. Which is not worth much because we’re a free website. (Subliminal message: Support our sponsors). But seriously, you won’t be disappointed. 

Photo: Gröna Stugan

TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

Published: 26 March 2024 09:55 CET
German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of €420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of €2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some €200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of €2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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