Trelleborg Strand

First things first: take off for Trelleborg (just under 10 minutes’ drive) to trot along Sweden’s only palm-lined avenue, to potter with the peacocks in City Park and to point out the art murals decorating the streets to your travel pals before rifling the racks at the 30-odd shops in the Valen Gallerian centre. Next, saunter to Smygehuk, a harbour and fishing village under 15 minutes away, to say you’ve stood at the most southernmost point in Sweden (and the whole of the Scandinavian Peninsula, in fact). Ready to turn your attention towards the past? After getting a glimpse of a reconstructed Viking fortress in Trelleborg, aim for the archaeological open-air Fotoviken Museum, which gives a taster of what everyday life was like in a small village during the late Viking era and the early Middle Ages. Torup Castle, 35 minutes away in the countryside, is another historical hotspot to head for – this building, constructed in 1540 by the noblewoman Görvel Fadersdotte for her son, is considered one of the best-preserved medieval châteaux in the nation.