In southern Sweden, in the province of Skane (Scania), there is a small town Lund. It is located near Malmö (a fairly large-scale city) and is the administrative center of Lund.
The total area of Lund is almost 26 km², the urban population is about 90,000 people.
For more than four hundred years, Lund is considered one of the main university cities not only in Sweden, but throughout Scandinavia. This is not surprising, because in addition to the local population, another 40,000 students live here.
Lund Attractions
Few tourists travel to Lund purposefully. In most cases, this city finds itself within the framework of a popular cross-border route, including Copenhagen, Helsingborg, Helsingor and Malmo.
And to visit Lund, one of the oldest cities in Sweden (he is already over 1000 years old), is worth it. This small and very cozy town has a special atmosphere of silence and solitude, it’s nice to just walk along its streets. You can go for a walk to the park – there are many of them, because Lund is rightfully recognized as one of the greenest cities in Sweden (“lund” means “forest”). During the walk you can go to museums and temples, see various historical and architectural attractions – like any old city in Sweden, Lund is full of attractions.
What is worth seeing in the first place?
In the historical center of the city, many sights, in particular, ancient buildings, have been preserved. So, at Kyrkogatan 6 is the building of the Cathedral.
This giant building, which is the most important attraction of Lund, looks quite unusual against the background of the small houses surrounding it. The most impressive in the architectural ensemble Lund Cathedral – two towers with pyramidal roofs, each of which reaches a height of 55 m. These towers are clearly visible from all around Lund and are used as landmarks on the city skyline.
Very interesting are the medieval (XIV century) astronomical clocks located inside the temple. They show the position of the sun, moon, constellations, time and date. Above the clock are figures of knights who every hour demonstrate the progress of medieval tournaments with a clang of weapons and the roar of trumpets. And at noon before the statue of the Mother of God with the baby, an amazing procession takes place – these are moving wooden figures of the sages.
In the basement of Lund Cathedral, tombs are arranged, where prominent residents of Lund are buried.
Lund Cathedral is the most visited temple in Sweden. Services have been held here for almost 900 years, with the doors of the temple open daily:
- from Monday to Friday – 8:00 – 18:00;
- Saturday – 9:00 – 17:00;
- Sunday – 10:00 – 18:00.
On Saturdays, at 10:00, a free concert of organ music begins in the Lund Cathedral (there are 5 organs in the cathedral, they are considered to be perhaps the largest in Sweden). Every Sunday, the cathedral organizes a free tour in English, during which they tell a lot of interesting things about this attraction.
The next attraction in the historical center of Lund, which is strikingly different from the Cathedral, is the All Saints Church, located at 34 Bredgatan, Lund 222 21, Sweden.
All Saints Church, standing on a hill and looking up, is one of the most exquisite temples in Sweden. Together with the tower and the spire, it reaches a height of 72 m, and this is the tallest building in Lund.
The interior is very impressive. Behind the altar made of concrete, there are statues of Jesus (in the center), the Virgin Mary and the Apostle John (on the sides). The crucifix is installed above the arch, on which you can read the inscription: “Det är fullkomna” (“He is perfect”). The font, made of polished cement, is decorated with copper elements. The walls are covered with images conveying scenes from the Bible.
Inside the building is amazing acoustics. The body established in the church has 49 votes.
Unfortunately, temple opening hours are limited. Basically, it is open on weekdays for several hours.
Not far from the previous attractions ( at Tegnersplatsen, Lund 223 50), there is one more that deserves attention. This is the Museum of Cultural History and Open-Air Museum, one of Sweden’s largest open-air ethnographic museums.
There are exhibits that tell about the peculiarities of the Swedish way of life from the Middle Ages to the 1930s. There are fisherman’s houses, wooden house churches, and other interesting exhibits – each building has a separate exposition, and you can see all of them. There are interesting exhibitions for children: collections of toys from different eras, samples of playgrounds.
The museum is very quiet and comfortable, you can walk along the streets with exhibition buildings, relax on comfortable benches, eat in the cafe.
It’s better to come to the Cultural History Museum at least half a day to take a walk, without haste. This interesting attraction of Lund and Sweden is open for visits daily from 10:00 to 17:00 from May to September, during the rest of the year – from 12:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and from 10:00 to 16:00 – at weekends.
Not far from the historic city center ( at the address : 20 Oestra Vallgatan, Lund 223 61) there is an amazingly beautiful attraction – the Lund botanical garden.
7,000 species of plants grow in the garden, and all of them are indicated by nameplates. There are greenhouses with different climatic zones, for example, one of them has a huge collection of cacti.
The Botanical Park is a popular attraction not only among tourists, but also among the indigenous population of the city. They like to walk and relax in the garden; here you can lie on the lawn and sit in the cafe. In summer, festivals and various holiday programs are often organized here.
Visiting this attraction is absolutely free.
Rest in Lund: cost of living
In Lund, unlike the big cities of Sweden, there are not so many options for settlement. Nevertheless, there are comfortable hotels in which you will have to pay from 75 € for a double room per night (average price – 120 €). Apartments will cost a little more – from 125 €. Favorable accommodation options can be found at www.booking.com.
For example, you can book a room at the 4 * Park Inn by Radisson, located 3 km from the center of Lund for only 77 €. For 87 € they offer a similar room in the 4 * Elite Hotel Ideon, arranged in the tallest city building, located on the territory of the Ideon technology park. Forenom Aparthotel is located in the very center of Lund and offers its guests apartments with their own modern kitchen for 126 € per day.
It will be convenient for road travelers and small companies to stay in “holiday homes.” They are located outside the city, among nature. So, 22 km from Lund, in the village of Loebred, there is Dorisberg B&B – this is a bed and breakfast apartment for 68 € per day.
How much do you need for food
Lund has many cafes and restaurants offering traditional Scandinavian and European dishes. Klostergatan Boulevard, known as Gastronomic, has many bakeries and restaurants. The Saluhallen market is the center of the most famous manufacturers of sausages, cheeses, chocolate and other products in the Skane region. Along with the trading counters, small cafes operate on this market, offering visitors Swedish dishes.
One of the most original restaurants in Lund is considered Mat & Destillat – they prepare Swedish cuisine in a modern interpretation. In this restaurant you can order “home” dishes for lunch (for example, pork chop with smoked bacon, fried onions and mushrooms), and for dinner they offer an extensive menu with an excellent wine list. Hot food prices start at 27 €.
The Grands Matsal restaurant at the Grand Hotel offers delicious dishes made from organic products grown on Skone farms. And the wine cellar in this institution is the largest in Sweden. For a three-course lunch, you need to pay from 32 €.
The average food prices in Lund are: € 9 for a lunch in an inexpensive restaurant for one person, € 48 for two for a mid-range restaurant, € 7 for McMeal at McDonalds or other similar meals.
How to get to Lund from Copenhagen
There are 2 airports near Lund: in Malmö and in the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen. It’s more convenient, and more profitable, to fly to Copenhagen, and from there you can get to Lund by train or bus. It is cheaper to travel by bus, but trains travel much more often.
There are direct bus routes from Copenhagen, from the Central Railway Station to Lund (FlixBus company) – departure at 7:05, 21:10, 21:30. In Lund, they come to the railway station, located almost in the center of the city. Travel time is an hour and a half.
Among the most important advantages of the FlixBus carrier is that the fares are set lower than those of competitors. Another important point: on the company’s website the addresses of the stops are indicated, there is a detailed instruction for purchasing a ticket, and all the information is written in Russian.
Tickets can be bought both on the official website and at the box office in Copenhagen. They cost 7 euros (52 kroons).
Official FlixBus website: www.flixbus.ru.
Trains run between the Central Railway Stations of Copenhagen and Lund around the clock with an interval of 20 minutes. There are direct flights with transfers to Malmo, while travel time remains unchanged – approximately 1 hour 10 minutes.
Regional trains run from the capital of Denmark to Lund, which can be compared with our high-comfort trains.
Tickets are most conveniently bought at the box office. Since there are a lot of flights from Copenhagen to the city of Lund, you do not need to book a seat in advance. You can buy a ticket online on the railway website of Sweden www.sj.se (Copenhagen is spelled “Koebenhavn”). The fare starts from 15 euros (140 kroons).
Prices on the page are for July 2018.
Video: A walk through the city of Lund. Useful review for tourists.
