SkiStar Swedish Open
With its natural surroundings of lakes, pine trees, and nearby string of archipelago islands, it’s no wonder ATP tennis players have named the SkiStar Swedish Open as the World Tour 250 Tournament of the Year for the past 11 years.
SkiStar, which takes place July 5 – 13, is located in the southern town of Båstad, where the mild summer climate provides suitable playing conditions and the perfect touristic experience for tennis fans also hoping to get a taste of Sweden during one of its best months to visit. Join top ATP players, who have tumbled out of Wimbledon early, including David Ferrer and Jerzy Janowicz on a Swedish excursion from the clay courts to the charming coastal cities of Gothenburg and Malmö.
Gothenburg
Sweden’s second largest city is known for its world-class seafood, where the “famous five” — lobster, prawns, oysters, mussels, and crayfish — can be found in many of the delicacies prepared by Gothenburg’s best restaurants. If you stick around until August, you can celebrate a traditional crayfish party with the Swedes, where beer and schnapps are the refreshment of choice to go along with the country’s prized crustacean.
Gothenburg provides visitors easy access to the Goteborg Archipelago, where motor vehicles are banned in the southern isles, making it an ideal destination for outdoor activities like biking or kayaking. Benefit from Sweden’s Right of Public Access rule, or allemansrätten, which allows anyone to wander through anyone else’s forest, fields or waters.
Malmö
Bring home some of Sweden’s most hip designer labels, found in Malmö’s up-and-coming shopping centers. Hit Designtorget for fashionable yet affordable wear or look for names like Hope, Filippa K, J Lindeberg, WESC and Whyred in one of Malmö’s many shopping centers.
Looking for some tasty cuisine after all that shopping? Try Möllan,a neighborhood filled with restaurants, cafés and fresh food markets. Stop by the Malmö Chocolate Factory for some delicious sweets afterward or try the “one hour chocolate experience” for a history lesson on 120 years of chocolatey goodness. And while in Malmö, don’t forget to grab a City Kort, a book full of vouchers from museum tickets to free parking.
With all that southern Sweden has to offer, we at MyTennisLessons wish a trip to the SkiStar Open were in the works. For now we’ll just have to live vicariously through Ferrer and Janowicz and hope they’re enjoying some seafood and chocolate once off the clay courts.
