Written by Joseph Mukama
There is no cheaper place to travel in Sweden during the summer than Skåne. Skåne is the southernmost region (län) of Sweden and it holds the most fertile lands. In addition, there are just so many beautiful places one can visit in the 33 municipalities (kommuner) of Skåne during the summer – at the lowest of cost.
Three-pointer to keeping it on ground
Flying shame (Flygskam) is a term coined in Sweden in 2019 to ‘shame’ people traveling by air and encourage the use more climate-friendly and sustainable transport means. Walking, running, cycling, and travelling collectively (bus, train, trams) are the ‘new green’ for the climate-conscious travellers.
Obviously, flygskam is not the reason why I am not flying back to Uganda this year. This year is the COVID-19 year. Before the thought of writing it off as a year that did not happen, this post opens up to more possibilities to not feel locked in.
It’s cheap(er). Period!
Did someone say cheap(er)?
Normally, unlimited travel within the entire Skåne is about €120 per month. Every summer, between June 15th and August 15th, skånetrafiken offers a more than doubly discounted summer ticket (sommarbiljetten) €69.9 for the entire two months. Closer to the summer time have a look at their ticket page and the summer ticket will be there.
Furthermore, this ticket can be transferable (for 4hrs, 8hrs, 24hrs, 48hrs, 1 week) to a maximum 5 people during the period.
All you need is to download the skånetrafiken app and set up your online payment options – cashless.
On what medium
One may use the summer ticket on all yellow buses (regional), the green buses (within a city), the Skånetrafiken commuter trains (pågatåg) and the Öresundståg (*within the region Skåne).
Caution before travelling collectively
During this COVID-19 times, Skånetrafiken has set up visual representations of how occupied the bus is. It is recommended for everyone to take this into consideration before taking a bus/train to help in reducing the potential spread/infection of the corona virus.
Here, you can find live updates for bus and train travel within Skåne. A quick guide to the map shows what is displayed depending on how occupied the bus/train is.
Buses
- 1 green field: Less than 25 % of the seats are occupied
- 2 green fields: Between 26 and 50 % of the seats are occupied
- 2 green and 1 yellow field: Between 51 and 75 % of the seats are occupied
- 1 red field: 76 % or more of the seats are occupied
Commuter trains
- 1 green field: Less than 20 % of the seats are occupied
- 2 green fields: Between 21 and 40 % of the seats are occupied
- 2 green and 1 yellow field: Between 41 and 60 % of the seats are occupied
- 1 red field: 61 % or more of the seats are occupied
How far does it take you
From Kullens Fyr down through Malmö, south to Skanör and Falsterbo, eastwards through Ystad to the Ales stena. Do not miss one of the best white-sand beach, Sandhammaren beach. Further northwards through Simrisham, to Bromölla.
See the Skånetrafiken map for the possible bus and train connections.
Is it the end of the bus/train road
Most parks and forests are clearly marked with different color codes and distances to guide people running, walking by themselves or walking their dogs, cycling, or even hiking (in larger areas). Follow the marked tracks/trails for the distance you want. It is popular for people to experience parts of the Skåne trail (skåneleden) following the orange marking.
Skåne too small for you? Try Sweden
Do you have more time on your vacation? Then you can try a ‘train holiday’ (tågsemester). SJ trains open up a hop-on-hop-off travel card (tåglufforkort – the link might be not available outside of summer time) all over Sweden (*wherever the SJ operation reaches) to everyone, not only students (as it was last year). This is similar to the Interrail pass allover Europe.
See the different SJ train routes within Sweden one can take with this offer.
Summary
With neighbouring countries putting restrictions and even denying travellers from Sweden, with the need to stay/travel within the ‘neighbourhood’, the Region Skåne has a lot to offer. Imagine how much carbon footprint one saves?
About the Author
Photo credit @ J Mukama
Kodheyo banna! Joseph here. I moved some years back to Gothenburg for studies from Uganda, the ‘Pearl of Africa’ located in East Africa. I later moved to Lund/Malmö for work. I am married, and I love meeting people, nature, and physical activities. I like to read books and try out new things. My favourite Swedish word is beroendeframkallande. Hoping to share interesting moments with you all.
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