Villa Dagmar – Båstad

One of the most remarkable industrial stories in Sweden, set in an aircraft hangar on a former Swedish Air Force base just outside Ängelholm. Christian von Koenigsegg founded the company in 1994 at the age of 22 with the ambition of building the world's finest road car, and the factory has been operating at this address since 2003 after a fire at the original site. The hangar previously housed one of Sweden's most legendary fighter squadrons, and as a mark of respect Koenigsegg adopted their ghost emblem, which has been incorporated into every car built since. The former runway is still used today for testing.

Everything in a Koenigsegg is built by hand in this single facility: carbon fibre monocoques, engines, interiors, and the iconic Dihedral Synchro doors that fold away with almost no intrusion. Production numbers remain extremely small, typically a few dozen cars per year, which is part of what makes the factory feel so unlike any other automotive plant. Through our contacts at Koenigsegg we can arrange exclusive factory visits for guests staying with us. For anyone with a serious interest in engineering, craft, or simply extraordinary cars, it is one of the more unusual experiences available anywhere in southern Sweden.

One of the oldest tournaments on the ATP Tour, held annually in Båstad every July since 1948 and played on outdoor clay in a stadium that sits right by the sea. The stadium was originally built in 1907 by Ludwig Nobel, nephew of Alfred Nobel, and has been home to some of the great names in tennis over the decades: Björn Borg, Mats Wilander, Rafael Nadal, and many others have all won here. The arena holds around 4,300 seated guests on Centre Court and is integrated directly with Hotel Skansen, giving the whole setting a character that few tournaments of this size can match. Tennis week in Båstad is also one of Sweden's most well-attended summer events more broadly, with the town filling up considerably and an atmosphere that extends well beyond the courts. Tickets are available online and the tournament typically runs for two weeks in week 28.

One of Sweden's most celebrated garden destinations, Norrviken sits on the slopes of Hallandsåsen just outside Båstad with views over Laholmsbukten. It was created in the early 1900s by horticulturist Rudolf Abelin, who drew inspiration from garden traditions across Europe and Asia to build seven distinct period gardens across 14 hectares: a baroque garden, a renaissance garden, a Japanese garden with maple and hydrangea, a water garden with a white temple, and more. The result is a place where formal garden art and wild natural landscape exist side by side in a way that feels genuinely distinctive. In recent years the gardens have been revitalised under new ownership, with new garden rooms, exhibitions, and a cultural programme that runs through the season. Restaurant Orangeriet serves lunch on a terrace overlooking the Japanese garden, and the Chocolaterian by the entrance is worth a stop. Open from late March through autumn.

The main dining room at Hotel Skansen, sitting right by the sea at the centre of Båstad. Restaurang Sand serves breakfast, lunch, and à la carte dinner daily, with a menu that draws on seasonal produce from the Bjäre Peninsula and a wine cellar running to over 100 labels. The setting is smart but unfussy, and the panoramic view over Laholmsbukten is one of the better restaurant views on the Swedish west coast. In the evenings the room takes on a livelier atmosphere, with cocktails from the adjacent Mr G bar and occasional piano nights through the winter months. For a more intimate format, Chef's Area offers a private tasting menu of eight courses for smaller groups. Listed in the White Guide. Open year-round and accessible to non-hotel guests.

One of the most distinctive dining experiences on the Bjäre Peninsula, and deliberately hard to compare to anything else. SOEDER is a former horse ranch converted into a four-room adults-only country house, with a single communal dining table for eight guests. Hosts Marianne and Michael cook live in the kitchen, serving an evolving menu of tapas-style starters followed by seasonal main courses rooted in local produce from the Bjäre Peninsula, with meat sourced from nearby Lindegrens farm. The wine cellar is carefully considered, with a focus on the region's own growing wine production. The whole experience leans into its intimacy: shared table, unhurried pace, conversation that runs late. Open Wednesday to Saturday evenings for dinner. Book in advance. Guests not staying overnight are welcome at the table.