Although we often visit Skåne, I had never set foot in Skanör before - until this weekend. As a northerner, I see a half-hour drive as "next door," while my Scanian husband thinks it's almost halfway out of Scania. You don't go that far unnecessarily, and definitely not just for an ice cream break. But sometimes life requires a break from everyday life – a break to gather your thoughts. An ice cream in Skanör was just what we needed.
Skanör and Falsterbo are perhaps best known for the Falsterbo Horse Show, which every summer in July attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. The horse jumping is world class, and the whole event is a folk festival. But Skanör and Falsterbo offer much more than horses – the area boasts ten nature reserves, several golf courses and four miles of fantastic beaches. And what beaches! Here you'll find chalky white, fine-grained sand and turquoise waters that make even Florida's beaches pale with envy. Long, shallow and well-kept – this is Swedish summer at its best.
Our goal for the day was an ice cream down at Skanör's idyllic marina. Even though it was only June, the parking lot was full, and the masts of the boats bobbed in time with the sparkling water. The unexpectedly high summer temperatures of the past few weeks had created a sense of vacation, even if the vacation had not yet begun for most. Tanned and slightly reddened people moved between the ice cream stand, the coffee cart and the beach. The atmosphere was almost reminiscent of a classic Mediterranean charter resort.
One of Skanör's and Falsterbo's biggest attractions are the almost a thousand colorful bathing huts that line the beaches. Painted in everything from pastel to bright colors, they stand like a string of pearls along the dunes. For some, the cabins are just a place to change and store, but several have been converted into small summer oases with sitting areas. There are even said to be bathhouses with saunas, although I didn't see one myself. However, the idea of warming up in a sauna after a dip in the cool sea sounds undeniably enticing.
Down in the marina there was a summery smell of smoked fish from Skanörs Fiskrögeri, which has sold fish here for generations. A little further away, closer to the beach, is the trendy restaurant and beach club Badhytten, complete with plastic palm trees, summer music and bean bags in the sand. Here, visitors sip rosé in the sun, and the feeling of the French Riviera is palpable.
We hadn't brought swimwear, but the shallow beach still enticed us to pull up our pant legs and wade into the cool water. According to our daughter, it was definitely swim-friendly – even though it was only June. The beach was full of families with children building sand castles at the water's edge, equipped with sun hats and buckets. This is a perfect place for play and relaxation.
After enjoying our ice cream and soaking up the sun's warmth, we headed back to Malmö. What a luxury it is to have such a gem within reach! I can't understand why I didn't discover Skanör earlier. Maybe it's because the Swedish summer is rarely this fantastic, and that the beach was therefore not in my thoughts. But now I know - and I will definitely return.
How do I get to Skanör?
Skanör is located in the most south-western part of Skåne, 3 miles from Malmö by car.
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