Kristianstad - 17 saker att göra och uppleva

Kristianstad, and the area around Kristianstad, offers everything from castles and charming farms to wonderful nature experiences and well-prepared, locally produced food. We offer our best tips on attractions, excursions, restaurants and accommodation.

Table of contents

Kristianstad surprised

Kristianstad is located in north-eastern Skåne and is the fourth largest city in the region. None of us knew much about Kristianstad before travelling here, and we have to say that this Scanian municipality surprised us positively.

The most lasting memory is the amazing food we had while we were here. One restaurant surpassed the other in terms of creativity and use of local ingredients. In addition, Kristianstad in May offered beautifully green beech forests.

Our journey in Kristianstad

We visited Kristianstad during an intensive trip in May this year. First we visited our friends Daniela and Göran, who live in Kristianstad and run the professional travel blog. Discovering the planet. They took us to several favourite places, and when they were working, they let us borrow their car so we could explore on our own.

A little later, another group of Swedish travel bloggers joined us and we took part in a press trip to the area, organised by Kristianstad Tourist Board. Everyone was keen to showcase the very best, and so we also have many good tips to offer.

Restaurang i Kristianstad — Daniela and Peter eat fish soup at the nice smokehouse between Åhus and Yngsjö.

Things to do in Kristianstad

Here are 17 tips for things to do in Kristianstad and the surrounding area. Please let us know if you have more tips!

1. City walk in the centre of Kristianstad

When visiting Kristianstad, you naturally want to look around the town. For example, you can visit the magnificent Renaissance church, Heliga Trefalighets kyrka, which has a magnificent baroque organ inside. It's also worth checking out Kristianstad Theatre, which is surrounded by the beautiful Tivoli Park.

2. Learn about animals and nature at Naturum

Located in the centre of Kristianstad Vattenriket Nature Centre which is worth a visit if you want to learn more about the animals and nature in the region. The Water Kingdom Visitor Centre is beautifully situated on stilts in the water, almost like a bridge between nature and the city. Indoors, there are exhibitions and activities, and if you want to, you can try out the 'Opteryx' simulator, which takes you on a fast-paced journey both above and below the water's surface.

Göra i Kristianstad? Naturum Vattenriket

3. Try tapas at Borgmästargården.

The Mayor's Court is centrally located at Stora Torg in Kristianstad and is both a nice restaurant and a popular bar. We went here for some small tapas one early evening and had a great time. In addition, the small dishes were delicious!

4. Enjoy a delicious dinner at Kipper's Cellar.

Kipper's cellar is a really cosy restaurant in the centre of Kristianstad. You sit down in a basement vault from the 17th century and the medieval feeling is immediately apparent. It serves well-prepared dishes, with ingredients that are current for the season. I chose rabbit with cauliflower and potatoes. Really good!

Göra i Kristianstad? Besöka Kippers källare

5. Feast on sausages at the Sotnosen sausage café.

Two girls met at a catering school - one had a passion for sausages and the other dreamed of opening a café. What happened? Well, they did, Sotnosens sausage café opened! When we were here, the café was on a detour from Kristianstad, but it was still really busy.

The girls have now opened a new, more central location in Fornstugan in Kristianstad. What about the food? Wow! We ate a great buffet here with homemade sausages, creamy sauces and a lot of other exciting things. Perfect together with a "korvabir"!

Update in 2023: This place seems to have closed

6. Discover charming Åhus

Located on the coast in Kristianstad municipality, Åhus is a real little gem with charming neighbourhoods, a nice little church, a popular ice cream boat and beaches where you can sunbathe and swim. Interestingly, there is also the local ice cream brand "Ottoglass", which is sold pretty much everywhere in Åhus except on the ice cream boat. When you are in Åhus, you should also not miss a visit to Absolut Home.

READ MORE: Åhus in Skåne - holiday resort with ice cream and vodka

7. Take a guided tour of Absolut Home

Absolut Vodka is produced in Åhus in Skåne, and this is also the area where the brand has its history. Today you can take a guided tour of Absolut Home, which is a really interesting experience. The tour ends with a cocktail workshop, where you learn how to make a cocktail or a mocktail - a drink with or without alcohol.

READ MORE: Absolute Home - a visit to The Åhus Villa

Absolut Home i Åhus, Kristianstad kommun

8. Strolling along the Åland coast

The Ålakusten is the stretch of coastline that starts at Stenshuvud in the south and ends at Åhus in the north. There is a special licence to catch eels during a certain period, and the area is known for both 'eel stalls' and 'eel gills'.

We found Tvillingboden and met some of the eel fishermen who told us about their work. Here they also organise traditional eel moulds as they have 'always' done. The website states that "We live in the 21st century, but down here on the beach, time has stood still since at least the 19th century".

9. Eat at Pia's Kitchen mini-restaurant

Pia's Kitchen is located among the pine forests in Nyehusen, on the Åland coast. The small restaurant is located in a summer cottage area outside the centre of Kristianstad, and it is hard to imagine that a gourmet restaurant is hiding in the small cottage.

Pia's Kitchen seats 8 guests and is open for dinner four days a week, all year round. New 7-course menus are constantly being created, using local ingredients from farms and farmers in the neighbourhood. The dinner here was one of the best in a very long time!

READ MORE: Pia's kitchen in Kristianstad - one of Sweden's smallest restaurants?

10. Take an excursion to Ivön

Ivön is located in Ivösjön in Kristianstad municipality, just over 20 minutes north of Kristianstad by car. To get to the island, you take a small free car ferry that runs three times an hour. The island is home to fields of rapeseed and apple trees, the Ivö klack nature reserve, the fossil-rich Ugnsmunnarna caves and two campsites.

READ MORE: Ivön and Bäckaskog Castle in Skåne - the hunt for the horse grave

11. Visit Bäckaskog Castle

Right next to the ferry to Ivön, you will find Bäckaskog Castle, which was built by the Danes in the Middle Ages, after originally being a more modest monastery. Here you can take in for a cosy castle weekend, have coffee at the castle café or maybe take a walk in the beautiful park. We went on the "hunt for the horse grave" - Charles XV's horse is buried with a large tombstone in the park.

12. Admire Vittskövle Castle

Another beautiful castle worth seeing is Vittskövle Castle. The building is one of the best preserved Renaissance castles in Sweden and is also Skåne's largest castle building with over 100 rooms. The castle is currently owned by the Stjernswärd family and is not open to the public. However, it is possible to take a look at the castle from the outside and take some photos.

13. Hike to Forsakar Waterfall

Forsakarravinen is a nature reserve on the eastern slope of Linderödsåsen, just south of Kristianstad. The 40 metre deep gorge was once formed by rushing meltwater from the inland ice. The beautiful beech forest grows densely, but there are also other deciduous trees, ferns and mosses. The gorge also contains Skåne's two highest waterfalls, with a height of 10 and 8 metres respectively.

It is very nice to make a short and easy hike, or walk if you like, here. The forest feels almost magical, and it's not hard to understand why there have been ideas about various creatures living here, such as leprechauns, gnats and woodland spirits ...

14. Stay in a "cocoon" at Cocoon meetings

If you want to stay close to nature for a night, without electricity or water but with a magical view, you should definitely try staying in a "cocoon" at Cocoon meetings in Degeberga. Facilities such as electricity and showers are available in the main buildings, and there is also access to a fantastic restaurant with locally produced and seasonal ingredients.

READ MORE: Cosy accommodation in Skåne - close to nature at Cocoon meetings

Göra i kristianstad? Bo på Cocoon meetings

15. Experience 'real' Skåne at Blåherremölla.

When we got to Blåherremölla, located in Degeberga south of Kristianstad, it felt like we were experiencing the "real" Skåne. Here we were greeted by a mill (or "mölla" as they say here), a Scanian flag, old houses with thatched roofs and a small café with homemade cakes.

The non-profit organisation Friends of Blåherremölla runs "Mötesplats Blåherremölla" with a summer café (mainly open at weekends) and other activities. Fascinatingly, flour is still ground in the old mill, just as it was in the past.

Maria from FantasyDining.com and Göran from Discoveringtheplanet.com

16. Shop in the "Colour from the past" store

The shop "Färg från förr" is located in Hörby municipality just south of Kristianstad. The shop is located in a charming red house and even though it is not big, it feels like you can spend a long time here. As the name suggests, there is a section with colour, but here you will also find all kinds of fun and nice things from the past.

On some days, the small café "Kagan" in the house is also open. Coffee and cake can be enjoyed in a small room that looks a lot like grandma's. Also here you can look at gadgets. For a long time.

17. Take a retreat at Yangtorp Qigong Temple

Almost right next to the "Colour from the past" shop is a building that looks like it comes from a completely different world. Yangtorp is something as unusual as a giant qigong temple in the Scanian countryside. You can come here for retreats, to stay at the hotel or to organise conferences. The restaurant is also sometimes open to the public. If nothing else, it is fascinating to see how the Asian temple suddenly appears in the Scanian landscape.

READ MORE: Yangtorp - qigong temple in Skåne given new life

Where can you live in Kristanstad?

There are of course several different hotels to choose from, both in the centre of Kristianstad and around it. We stayed at First Hotel Christan IV, which has a very good and central location in the city centre. If you want your accommodation to be an experience and don't want to stay in the centre, you can stay in a castle, for example. If you are travelling with a camper van, you can find tips on campsites and pitches in the fact box.

More to do in Kristianstad?

There are several different museums in Kristianstad, such as the Regional Museum. If you prefer to experience nature, there are plenty of both hiking and cycling trails, and you can, for example, go to the Kjugekull nature area. Another place we've heard great things about is Mina's Chocolate Studio located between Trolle Ljungby Castle and Tosteberga. If you want to know what's going on and what's current, you can check out Kristianstad's calendar of events.

Facts about Kristianstad and Kristianstad municipality

Landscape: Skåne
County: Skåne County
Population: More than 40 900 in the urban centre (2018) and more than 85 000 in the whole municipality (2019).
Attractions in Kristianstad: Stora Torg and the sculpture Icarus by Palle Pernevi, Town Hall, Frimurarhuset, Stora Kronohuset, Heliga Trefalighetskyrkan, Norre Port and Kristianstad Theatre.
Museums: Naturum Vattenriket, Regionmuseet, Kristianstad Konsthall, Artillery Museum, Railway Museum, Film Museum, aRt town and Absolut Home.
Castles and fortresses: Bäckaskog castle, Trolle Ljungby castle, Ovesholm castle, Vittskövle castle, Maltesholm, Karsholm, Råbelöv castle, Wanås castle, the ruins of the medieval fortress Aosehus and Lillöborgen.
Tourist information: Tourist information can be found in the Medborgarcenter, Rådhus Skåne in central Kristianstad.

History of Kristianstad

Founding: The city was founded after the Kalmar War in 1614, by the Danish King Christian IV. To protect the city against the Swedes, it was built as a fortress, with ramparts, moats and bastions.
From Danish to Swedish city: The protection against the Swedes was not enough, and Kristianstad became a Swedish town at the Peace of Roskilde in 1658.
19th century: There was a major fire in the town in 1847 and 36 farms were destroyed. In 1849, it was decided that the city's ramparts would be demolished, allowing a railway to be brought to the city. However, the last parts of the ramparts were not demolished until around 1910.
Military town: Kristianstad has long been an important garrison town with several regiments. Large parts disappeared during the defence cuts in the early 1990s and instead Kristianstad University moved into one of the regiments.

Travelling to Kristianstad

Flight: For example, you can fly directly with BRA flyg from Bromma Airport to Kristianstad Österlen Airport, located 20 minutes outside Kristianstad.
Trains: There are trains between Kristianstad and Hässleholm (20 minutes) and in Hässleholm you connect to the Stockholm-Malmö main line.
Car: The driving distance from Stockholm to Kristianstad is 55 kilometres and it takes just over 5.5 hours if you count pure driving time. From Gothenburg it is 26 kilometres and takes about 3 hours to drive.
Bus: You can travel with Skånetrafiken from a variety of locations in Skåne. Bergkvara bus drives to and from various locations in Sweden.

Restaurants in Kristianstad

The Mayor's Court - Snacks and a bar with drinks and cocktails. Tyggårdsgatan 1, Kristianstad
Kipper's cellar - Cellar with classic dinners. Östra Storgatan 9, Kristianstad
Sotnosens sausage café and dragon house - Sausages and home cooking in a new way. Fornstugan, Västra Boulevarden 33, Kristianstad.
Smokehouse between Åhus and Yngsö - Focus on fish and seafood, as well as private parties. Yngsjövägen 226, Åhus
Pia's Kitchen - 7-course gourmet meals in a cabin among the pine trees. Snäckvägen 19, Yngsjö (Nyehusen)
Absolute Home The Villa - The restaurant at Absolut Home is listed in the White Guide. Vallgatan 5, Åhus
Cocoon meetings - Meals based on locally produced ingredients. Borråkravägen 60-11, Degeberga

Accommodation in Kristianstad

Hotel: First Hotel Christian IV, Västra Boulevarden 15 Kristianstad.
Different accommodation: Cocoon meetings, Borråkravägen in Degeberga
Castle: Bäckaskogs slott, Barumsvägen 255 in Fjälkinge
More accommodation: In addition, there are of course more hotels, cottages and apartments.

Campsites and pitches in Kristianstad

Landöns Camping – Landön camping is a seasonal campsite in Fjälkinge.
First Camp Åhus – First Camp in Åhus is a campsite that also offers pitches for motorhomes.
Yngsjö Camping - Yngsjö camping and sea baths are located on the coast.
Charlottsborgs Camping - Charlottborg camping and hostel is located 3 kilometres from the centre of Kristianstad.
Nature centre in Kristianstad - Vattenriket caravan site without service, at Naturum Vattenriket's car park. The site is available for motorhomes between 17:00 and 10:00.
Åhus Seaside - Near the sea in Åhus there is a caravan park for 100 motorhomes. Coordinates: 55.93707650, 14.31616790, Coordinates: 55°56'13.48″N, 14°18'58.2″E
The old school in Yngsjö - Pitches are located 1.5 kilometres from the sea. It is possible to empty grey water. Coordinates: 55.84431690, 14.20031590, Coordinates: 55°50'39.54″N, 14°12'1.14″E

READ MORE: Holidays in Sweden - your guide to Sweden's best destinations
READ MORE: Things to do in Skåne - tips, sights and experiences

6 Comments

Add yours →

Travelsis says:

How nice you wrote about our fun and intense weekend! / Pernilla

31 August 2019 - 11:12

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Thank you very much! Nice and fun trip! 🙂
  
  31 August 2019 - 19:54
  
BP says:

What a wonderful cavalcade of images! Kristianstad and the surrounding area seems to be a culinary centre of the highest quality. For example, I have never seen rabbit on a Swedish menu.

31 August 2019 - 19:40

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Really!!! We did get some help in finding good restaurants, but still. What quality! One restaurant was really better than the other, fantastic! 🙂
  
  31 August 2019 - 19:55
  
Husis blog says:

In Kristianstad and the surrounding area, the owners have been many times but from your eminent list they realised that there will be more visits. There is a lot left to discover.
However, I think the desk jockey has arrived in your fact box, I think it's slightly more miles from both Stockholm and Gothenburg to Kristianstad...???.

31 August 2019 - 21:02

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Kristianstad surprised us, very nice! 🙂 And oh, haha, a comma snuck in there ... Thank you so much for cheering! Fixed now! 🙂
  
  01 September 2019 - 7:47

Kristianstad - 17 things to do and experience

Kristianstad surprised

Our journey in Kristianstad

Things to do in Kristianstad

1. City walk in the centre of Kristianstad

2. Learn about animals and nature at Naturum

3. Try tapas at Borgmästargården.

4. Enjoy a delicious dinner at Kipper's Cellar.

5. Feast on sausages at the Sotnosen sausage café.

6. Discover charming Åhus

7. Take a guided tour of Absolut Home

8. Strolling along the Åland coast

9. Eat at Pia's Kitchen mini-restaurant

10. Take an excursion to Ivön

11. Visit Bäckaskog Castle

12. Admire Vittskövle Castle

13. Hike to Forsakar Waterfall

14. Stay in a "cocoon" at Cocoon meetings

15. Experience 'real' Skåne at Blåherremölla.

16. Shop in the "Colour from the past" store

17. Take a retreat at Yangtorp Qigong Temple

Where can you live in Kristanstad?

More to do in Kristianstad?

Facts about Kristianstad and Kristianstad municipality

History of Kristianstad

Travelling to Kristianstad

Restaurants in Kristianstad

Accommodation in Kristianstad

Campsites and pitches in Kristianstad

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