Vellinge – Coastal Nature, Birdwatching and History

Vellinge between Coastal Nature and History

If you would like to combine nature experiences, cycle routes and maritime culture with historic sites on your trip, Vellinge offers several clearly distinct focal points. The landscape ranges from designated nature areas and birdwatching sites to places associated with Viking, Hanseatic and Renaissance history. When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore first decide whether your days should be shaped primarily by nature observation, active routes, museums or historic buildings.

Nature, Seasons and Routes

Vellinge has eleven nature reserves and six Natura 2000 sites. One special seasonal opportunity is the Måkläppen nature reserve: it can be visited in November, December and January. In the Foteviksområdet area, there are several good birdwatching locations. In addition, Falsterbo Bird Observatory leads groups during the ringing seasons from April to May and from August to October.

There is also a specific scale for active days. Sydkustleden is a coastal cycle route with six stages and a total of 260 kilometres of cycle paths. You can use the stage lengths and the entire network of routes as a guide for your personal planning without limiting your trip to a single place. Gavelsbjer offers a different view of the landscape: it is a 25-metre-high moraine hill with expansive views over Söderslätt. Paths lead to the summit, where there is a rest area and a viewpoint.

The Viking Age, Photographic Art and Amber

Foteviken Museum is an open-air archaeological museum about life in a town during the late Viking Age and the early Middle Ages. The museum includes a reconstructed Viking settlement with 23 buildings of different types. There is also a reconstructed Viking ship based on an archaeological find from Foteviken. Viking Age games, archery, axe throwing and a mini-archaeologist activity are also part of the offering. A shop, café and restaurant round off the museum visit.

In Falsterbo, Falsterbo Photo Art Museum is located at Falsterbo Strandbad. The modern photography museum has a collection of around 700 original photographs. The museum also includes a restaurant serving Nordic cuisine with French inspiration and Asian influences. Bärnstensmuseet is located next to the Viking Age archaeological site of Kämpinge vall. It has a collection of insects and arachnids encased in amber and displays Stone Age finds from Måkläppen.

Churches, Fortresses and Local History

Stora Hammars gamla kyrka is the oldest church on the Falsterbo peninsula; its oldest parts date from around 1150. The oldest part of its nave contains paintings depicting the Creation, the Passion of Christ and the Resurrection of Christ. The church is open when staff are present, during church activities or services, and by prior arrangement.

The oldest parts of Vellinge Church date from the 13th century. It was originally built according to the Romanesque architectural plan. Its furnishings include an altarpiece from 1608 and a pulpit dated 1606. Visitors to the church are invited to sit down, light a candle and write in the guestbook. The medieval Skanör Church is dedicated to Saint Olof. The medieval Falsterbo Church is dedicated to Saint Gertrude.

Other historic landmarks include the ruins of Falsterbohus Fortress, dating from around 1315; Månstorp’s Eaves, the ruins of a Renaissance fortress built between 1540 and 1547; and the fortress of Skanör, built around 1230. Falsterbo Museum presents exhibitions ranging from the Hanseatic period to the present day. The light at Falsterbo Lighthouse was extinguished in 1990 and switched on again three years later for the benefit of tourists and local residents.

Places for Your Further Selection

For further selection of places, you can also consider Falsterbo Falsterbo, Höllviken Höllviken, Vellinge Vellinge, Vastra Ingelstad Vastra Ingelstad and Skanör Skanör. Staffed Info Points distributed throughout the municipality provide basic tourist information, brochures and maps.

For the overarching travel overview: Skåne.

More Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Höör, Burlöv, Åstorp.