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The sun will now not set in northern Sweden until mid-July

It's the season of the midnight sun (midnattssol) when the sun remains fully above the horizon around the clock.

Published: 24 May 2022 09:50 CEST

The sun will now not set in northern Sweden until mid-July

A view of the midnight sun on Norway's Lofoten Islands. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen/Scanpix

At 38 minutes after midnight on Monday, the sun rose in Karesuando, Sweden’s most northerly settlement, and will not now set until mid-July.

The midnight sun first arrived at the Swedish border on Saturday, and will now move slowly south towards the Arctic Circle until the summer solstice on June 21st, with the ski resort of Riksgränsen getting it on May 25th, and Kiruna, Sweden’s most northerly city on May 28th.

Even if you do not live in an area that gets the midnight sun in Sweden, the days are still growing longer. Down in Stockholm, the sun is currently up for almost three-quarters of the day (more than 17 hours), and the same is true in Gothenburg, with Malmö getting more than 16 hours of sunlight each day.

The summer solstice, when the day is at its longest and the night at its shortest, is on June 21st.

Do you live in northern Sweden? Please send your photos of the midnight sun to [email protected], with ‘Midnight sun’ as the subject line.

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Hip, swanky and relaxed: Five wine bars to try in Malmö

Julie

This wine bar in the Gamla Väster neighbourhood – Malmö’s old town – specialises in natural wines, always offering at least 16 still wines, alongside other specialty wines like pet nats, champagne and sherry.

They offer wines by the bottle, with a smaller number of wines available by the glass, with seasonal alcohol-free options available. Food-wise, they do cheese and charcuterie alongside small plates based on locally produced ingredients – look out for their supper clubs with local chefs.

They don’t take reservations with exceptions for special events, like supper clubs, wine tastings or similar.

Although it has the feel of a specialty wine shop, Swedish alcohol laws mean that Julie can’t sell bottles for you to take home, so you’ll have to enjoy their wines on-site. Luckily, you can take home their cheeses and charcuterie.

Prices vary widely depending on the wine. Glasses start at around 65 kronor with food costing around 150-450 kronor.

Address: Tegelgårdsgatan 9

Opening hours: Tues-Thurs 4pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-10pm

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Freja

Freja is a cafe and wine bar in the upmarket Davidshall neighbourhood just off the main shopping street. It opens at 9am (alcohol served from 11am), making it a great place for coffee and breakfast, lunch, or dinner and wine in the evening.

During the warmer months, they have an outdoor serving area on the Davidshall square.

They offer a handful of wines by the glass – reds, whites, orange and rosé, many of which are natural wines – with more on offer by the bottle.

In terms of food, they do simple small plates, such as focaccia with burrata, mortadella and pistachio pesto, filled almond croissants or avocado toast with Danish Vesterhav cheese. Owner Agnes Hansson’s family own a farm around 40 kilometres east of Malmö in Skåne, where much of the cafe’s produce comes from.

Expect to pay between 80 and 160 kronor for a small plate, slightly less for snacks or desserts.

Address: Davidshallstorg 9

Opening hours: Tues 9am-4pm, Weds-Thurs 9am-9pm, Friday 9am-11pm, Saturday 9am-9pm, Sunday 9am-4pm

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Aster

This hip wine bar in Varvsstaden in Västra Hamnen may be more well known for its seasonal cocktails and natural wines – many of which are European – but it’s worth a trip for the food, too.

Aster won three awards at the Malmö Gastronomy Awards when it opened in 2021, and it’s easy to see why. There’s a wood-fired oven and grill in the open kitchen, with ingredients often sourced from the restaurant’s own garden.

The menu changes seasonally, and at the time of writing it included dishes such as smoked lamb ribs with kimchi and homegrown veg, grilled halibut with greens served with a white wine and crayfish sauce, as well as veggie dishes with grilled pumpkin, cannellini beans and oyster mushroom.

Expect to pay around 50-100 kronor for nibbles, 150-195 kronor for small dishes, 275-300 kronor for large plates (or 995 kronor for an 800g dry aged sirloin steak). Desserts 75-115 kronor.

Address: Jagaregatan 6

Opening hours: Tues-Thurs 5pm-11:30pm, Friday noon-midnight, Saturday 4pm-midnight

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Far i Hatten

This charming little restaurant in the middle of Folkets Park started life as a park restaurant with an outdoor dance floor in the late 1800s.

It’s a strange place in some ways – it’s the perfect place to go for pizza and ice cream with children during the day, situated right next to a huge playground, but at night it transforms into a bustling bar and nightclub with a surprisingly long wine list.

Again, they have a long list of natural wines on offer, but there’s so much to choose from that you’re sure to find something you like no matter your tastes.

The dance floor is still very much in use, too – Far i Hatten hosts regular events and concerts, both for children during the day and for adults later on towards the evening.

Address: Folkets Park 2, Amiralsgatan 35

Opening hours: Tues-Thurs 5pm-11pm, Fri 4pm-1am, Sat noon-1am, Sun noon-8am

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MJ’s

MJ’s is technically a hotel (it was even crowned Sweden’s Leading Boutique Hotel for 2024), but they have a gorgeous covered indoor courtyard where you can enjoy brunch, lunch or dinner along with a glass of wine from their 11-page wine menu.

This is sorted not only by type of wine (red, white, rosé, champagne, rosé champagne, cremant and pet nats), but also by country, with organic wines, natural wines, and skin contact wines all marked on the menu.

You can enjoy their wines alongside simple snacks – olives and almonds or a small cheese or charcuterie board – or larger dishes like beef tartare, asparagus with lumpfish roe or haddock sashimi. They also have a number of vegetarian options.

They also have a bar area (The Lobby Bar) which do cocktails and DJ sets on the weekend, and a speakeasy bar (Lillies) open on Friday and Saturday nights.

Address: Mäster Johansgatan 13 (entrance to Lillies on Isak Slaktaregatan 5)

Opening hours: Restaurant: Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am-1:30pm, Dinner Mon-Sat 6pm-10pm. Saturdays 1pm-10pm, Sundays noon-3pm. Lillies: Fri-Sat 8pm-1am

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