Stortorget
The Market Square, the Old Town's heart, is flanked by townhouses, the Town Hall, and St. Mary's Church. From here, alleys with half-timbered houses lead in all directions.
Sweden
Ystad
CityCulture
Ystad is a small port town on the south coast of Skåne with a well-preserved historic town centre. Around 300 half-timbered houses, St. Mary's Church, and the Franciscan Monastery, founded in 1267, define the old town.
by Felix Gillen
Ystad is a small port town on the south coast of Skåne with a well-preserved historic town centre. Around 300 half-timbered houses, St. Mary's Church, and the Franciscan Monastery, founded in 1267, define the old town. Ystad is also known as the setting for Henning Mankell's Wallander crime novels and as a ferry port to Bornholm.
Sights in Ystad
Discover the most important sights and attractions
Sandskogens strand
Long, fine sandy Baltic Sea beach east of the city, bordered by the pine forest Sandskogen. Walking and cycling paths wind through the forest, and in summer, the beach is popular for swimming.
Saint Mary's Church
The brick church on Stortorget dates to an early 13th-century Romanesque basilica, but most of what is visible today arose after a storm in 1648 in the 17th century. Since 1748, a tower watchman sounds his horn from the tower every quarter-hour from evening until midnight, a tradition from the fire watch era. The tower itself is closed to visitors.
Ystad Studios Visitor Center
Visitor center next to the film studios, housed in converted halls of a former military site on the eastern city outskirts. The Wallander exhibition displays props and scenes from the Swedish and British productions; interactive stations let you try out special effects yourself.
Museum
Greyfriars Monastery
The Franciscan monastery, founded in 1267, is considered one of Sweden's best-preserved. Since 1912, its wing has housed the City Museum, which includes the Saint Peter monastery church and a monastery garden.
Essen & Trinken
Pizzeria on Klostergatan, a few steps from the monastery and Stortorget.
Café in the pedestrian street Stora Östergatan, specializing in open sandwiches and small lunch dishes.
Restaurant with bar on Regementsgatan, on the eastern edge of the Old Town.
Casual restaurant east of Stortorget, serving slow-braised stews, chili, and bowls.
Small French bistro in Stora Östergatan, the pedestrian street of the Old Town.
Food and Drink in Ystad
Skåne's south coast is famous for Baltic Sea fish and the produce of its surrounding agricultural landscape.
Eel feast
In late summer and autumn, guesthouses on the South Coast and in Österlen host the Eel Festival, serving eel prepared in many ways: smoked, fried, or boiled.
Smoked Fish
At coastal fish smokehouses, such as in Kåseberga, freshly smoked herring, salmon, and mackerel are available for takeaway.
Spettekaka
The tall, spit-baked cake made from eggs and sugar is a traditional specialty from Skåne and is broken into pieces for festive occasions.
Äggakaka
A thick oven pancake with fried bacon and lingonberries, a simple farmer's meal from Skåne.
Middle Ages and Wallander
A Medieval Trading TownYstad emerged in the Middle Ages as a trading post under Danish rule, thriving on herring fishing and Baltic Sea trade. Dating from this period are the Marienkirche on Stortorget, whose oldest part dates back to the early 13th century, and the Franziskanerkloster Gråbrödraklostret from 1267, one of the best-preserved monasteries in the country and now home to the city museum. From the tower of the Marienkirche, a town crier has blown his horn every quarter of an hour from evening until midnight since 1748, a tradition that harks back to the old fire watch. Ystad has belonged to Sweden since 1658. The many half-timbered houses, including the Pilgrändshuset from 1480, one of the oldest half-timbered houses in Scandinavia, show how prosperous the town was for centuries.Crime Fiction SettingYstad gained worldwide fame through the novels by Henning Mankell featuring Inspector Kurt Wallander, who investigates here. The Swedish and British film adaptations are set in Ystad and its surroundings, and the visitor center next to the film studios features a Wallander exhibition. Many visitors follow the book's locations through the old town.
Getting to and around in Ystad
The train station, bus terminal, and ferry terminal are right at the harbour, a short walk from the Old Town.Train: Pågatåg trains run on the Ystadbanan line from Malmö C to Ystad and continue to Simrishamn.Ferry: Bornholmslinjen's catamarans connect Ystad several times a day to Rønne on Bornholm in approximately 80 minutes, plus there are ferries to Świnoujście in Poland.Bus: Regional buses from Skånetrafiken run along the coast to Österlen, with line 322 going via Kåseberga to Skillinge. You can find the current timetable in the Skånetrafiken app.Walking and Cycling: The Old Town is easy to explore on foot. A cycle path runs along the coast to Sandskogen beach.
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