Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Near Kalmar: The Island of Öland
Sights on Öland
Ranking Sweden's sights, Stockholm is tops, but the southeastern province of
Småland is the top runner-up. More Americans came from this densely for-
ested area than any other part of Scandinavia, and the House of Emigrants
in Växjö tells the story well. Between Växjö and Kalmar is Glass Country,
a 70-mile stretch of forest sparkling with glassworks that welcome guests to
tour and shop. Historic Kalmar has a rare Old World ambience and the most
magnificent medieval castle in Scandinavia. From Kalmar, you can cross one
of Europe's longest bridges to hike through the Stonehenge-like mysteries of
the strange island of Öland.
Planning Your Time
By train, on a three-week Scandinavian trip, I'd skip this area in favor of the
direct, high-speed train from Copenhagen to Stockholm, or the night train
from Malmö (just over the Øresund Bridge from Copenhagen) to Stockholm.
Side-trips from Stockholm to Helsinki and Tallinn merit more time than this
part of Sweden.
But if you have at least three weeks in Scandinavia and a car, the sights de-
scribed in this section are an interesting way to spend a couple of days. While
I'm not so hot on the Swedish countryside (OK, blame my Norwegian herit-
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