WE LEAVE THE EAST COAST AND HEAD FOR THE WEST COAST. OUR GOAL IS THE BJÄREHALVÖN PENINSULA AND A VISIT TO BÅSTAD AND TOREKOV, TWO CENTRAL LOCATIONS WHERE BOTH THE TEMPERATURE AND THE TEMPERATURE CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. BUT REGARDLESS OF WHEN YOU TRAVEL, A LOT OF EXPERIENCES AWAIT YOU HERE IN THE FORM OF SALT BATHING AND NATURE EXPERIENCES, TENNIS AND PARTIES.
THE OPPORTUNITY TO SWIMMING IS GOOD; INDOORS, ON THE ROOF AND OUT IN THE SEA ITSELF OR FROM THE COLD BATH HOUSE, 60 METERS OUT INTO THE SEA
IT'S WONDERFUL the title Bjäre Peninsula as Båstad and Torekov markets itself. A peninsula located in northwestern Skåne between Skälderviken and Laholmsbukten. The sea outside is Kattegat. This time we take the train from Stockholm, and after changing trains in Lund we arrive at Båstad Central. If we had traveled during high season we would have the direct train has been an obvious choice. A few kilometers away from the station is Hotel Skansen where we will check in. Here we have the sandy beach on one side, and the tennis court on the other.
To reach the entrance, we turn down towards the sea on the cobblestone road behind the church. On the left is the large center court, one of the stands of which is built into the hotel. The tennis and this hotel are a nice match, this is where it all began.
LAWN TENNIS & BATHING
We check into a room at the very top, large, generous windows, a view of the sea, and the cold bathhouse that stands proudly on stilts out in the water. It first cold bathhouse was inaugurated in 1848 and Båstad assumed the role of a health resort. The bourgeoisie and the cultural elite found their way here and eventually the new sport of ”lawn tennis” also found its way here. It was probably English bathers who introduced the game here. The lawn in Bathhouse Park acted playing field and if we go up to 1907, Ludvig Nobel had a tennis court built here where the center court stands today. Tennis fever was a fact and in 1920 Båstad hosted the Swedish Tennis Championships. In 1946 the first edition of the Swedish Open was played. Every summer the Swedish Open is still played here, now under the name Nordea Open. The tournament is played on clay and is part of ATP Tour for men and the WTP Tour for women. Many big stars have played here over the years, and many have the course with its unique location as a favorite. Anyone who wants to delve into tennis history should visit the Swedish Tennis Museum, which is located opposite the tennis court. Here the history is told from past to present.
Tennis continues to play a central role here.
The number of inhabitants in Båstad municipality is around 16,000, and the proportion of self-employed people is high. During the summer, around 50,000 people come, during tennis week the number of visitors doubles to around 100,000 per day.
THE COLD BATH HOUSE FOR EVERYONE
The opportunity to swim is good; indoors, on the roof and out in the sea itself or from the cold bath house, 60 meters out into the sea. We spend the afternoon in the latter, it is still cold in the sea but warm in both the whirlpool and the sauna. Good to know is that even you who are not staying at the hotel can swim here, the price tag for an adult is 175 kronor. Which can be seen as a bargain price for this classic experience. A little later we eat a delicious dinner in the lovely restaurant Sand, fish of course and Bear potatoes, for this we order one each locally produced cider. In recent years, the number of cider and wine producers has increased. The climate is still uncertain and the harvests vary, but who knows what awaits. Among the guests there are many couples, and also many Danes, traveling to Sweden is popular.
CHARGED FOR PARTY
After dinner we take a walk along the beach, it smells of the sea and barbecue. Pepe's Bodega awaits the summer guests and a number of other party venues are opening up for the season and the pace is picking up. We are talking about the film Avalon where Johannes Brost got to personify the party-maker Janne, a role for which he also received a Guldbagge. We stumble across tennis courts here and there, six outdoor courts, some say. From the balcony we watch the sun rise, we have breakfast and take a walk to the Norrviken gardens. Here awaits garden magic created by Rudolf Abelin in a park that opened to the public in 1920. Gardens, café, restaurant, and since 2020 also the Ravinen cultural center that offers high-class art experiences right now it is Charlotte Gyllenhammar who is current with the exhibition
Impact where she explores power, vulnerability and identity. Time is running out.
NEW POTATO, FRESH POTATO
It's time for us to head out to the Bjäre Peninsula for a night at Torekov Hotell. Torekov was long known for its fishing village, but now it's tourism that's the focus – swimming in the sea and scenic hikes too. We get a lift out by Daniella Andrys, Marketing & Communication Manager at GRAM Group, which runs both Hotel Skansen and Torekov Hotell. The road winds along, there are many farms and we are talking about new potatoes, because this is where the first new potatoes of the year are harvested. This year already at the end of April, climate change has meant that the harvest has become earlier and earlier in recent years. In the distance we also pass some vineyards – which have also become increasingly successful precisely because of the climate. The fact that several have also been granted permission for farm sales perhaps makes the visit even more attractive. Local produce is a hallmark of the experience here!
Before we go up to the hotel, we take a stroll past the harbor in Torekov and take a look at the legendary Morning bridge where you do what it's called - morning bathing has been here since the 19th century. The view over the Öresund is part of the concept.
We check in, this time we are not staying in the main hotel building but in a shared villa with own patio and a large common lawn between the houses. A total of 54 rooms are offered, which automatically makes the pace here much calmer than in Båstad. Here you also live a bit up from the sea and a central part is the spa area where we begin our visit.
NATURE IS IN FOCUS, ON THE BJÄRE PENINSULA THERE ARE TWELVE NATURE RESERVES TO EXPLORE, PERHAPS PREFERABLY ON FOOT; LILLA BJÄRERUNDAN, AND BJÄRERUNDAN ARE TWO OF THE MORE POPULAR, 40 AND 62 KILOMETERS LONG RESPECTIVELY
PLUMS IN THE POOL
A missed swimsuit is replaced in the spa entrance before we splash into it. hot japanese pool. We alternate between hot and cold, swimming and sauna. We hang out in the spa lounge upstairs and read newspapers, drink tea, and eat nuts. The outdoor pools, the hot tub, the sun loungers and the sunset. What is really wonderful to see is that the guests here both enjoy and relax. Many are regulars. The dinner menu offers three courses with choices. Locally grown and meat from local farms, fish from the sea outside and then those fresh potatoes… While the peace and quiet prevail, there are plenty of things to do and experience here. Nature is in focus, on Bjäre Peninsula There are twelve nature reserves to explore, perhaps best on foot; Lilla Bjärerundan, and Bjärerundan are two of the more popular ones, 40 and 62 kilometers long respectively. Time is not really enough this time so we settle for a short hike, just under three kilometers, to Day high.
WALK BY THE SEA
A compressed pleasure and cultural experience. We walk down by the sea past pastures and thorny juniper bushes to the sound of birds chirping and a lawnmower clattering. The terrain is hilly and when
As we get closer, it becomes more and more rocky. Dagshög is a burial mound, also an ancient relic from the Bronze Age, in terms of size it checks in at 42 meters in diameter with a height of 5 meters, which means that it is one of the larger ones, and is clearly visible from both land and sea. According to a legend, it is the King of Scania Day who is buried here. We walk around, step inside, look at the view in different directions. One tip is to bring a picnic, something we missed this time. But we still stay for a long time, enjoying the view, the sea and the warmth of the sun.
Reluctantly we check out. There was no bike ride, no golfing, no strolling past all the farm vendors in the area. But we hope to make it to the tennis, the last match of the Nordea Open is being played. this year at 2:00 PM on July 20th and both the pace and temperature will be nothing but high..
EVENTS ON THE BJÄRE PENINSULA IN SUMMER 2025
July 7–20, Nordea Open
August 2, Rhapsody in Rock
August 9, Open Air Concert Aida by Verdi at Centercourten
August 23, Torekov Seimrun
August 24, Torekov Open Water autumn 2025
31 October–1 November, Kullamanne
