Halmstad in Halland

Once a grand walled town and a major stronghold of Danish power, Halmstad lies 145km (90 miles) south of Gothenburg and 40km (25 miles) south of Falkenberg, and is the golf capital of Sweden. Aside from the fabled Tylösand golf course at Halmstad Golfklubb (tel. 035/17-68-01; www.hgk.se; greens fees 600SEK/$120/£60 adult, 300SEK/$60/£30 junior 21 years old and under), there are six courses in town. In summer, Swedes and Danes (in the main) flock to Halmstad's famous wide strip of white sand called Tylösand beach. Along with the adjacent Ringenås and Frösakull beaches, this is one of the longest beaches in Scandinavia.

Long a Swedish resort, Halmstad today is one of the fastest-growing towns in the country. Halmstad is forever linked to the memory of Christian IV, king of Denmark (1588-1648), who left his mark on the town. He spent a lot of time here and built Halmstad Castle, where in 1619 he entertained the Swedish king Gustav Adolf II with 7 solid days of festivities.

Shortly after that meeting, a fire destroyed most of the town but spared the castle. After the fire, Christian created a Renaissance town with a high street, Storgatan, and a grid of straight streets unlike the narrow, crooked ones of old. If you walk along Storgatan, you'll see many Renaissance-style merchants' houses from that rebuilding period. The Danes were driven out in 1645 and Halmstad returned to Sweden. Because the town had lost its military significance, the walls were torn down. All that remains is Norre Port, one of the great gateways.

Motorists can follow E6 southeast from Falkenberg. Halmstad lies on the major rail lines between Malmö and Gothenburg, so there is frequent service throughout the day.

Halmstads Turistbyrå, in Halmstads Slott (Halmstads Castle), Aschebergsgatan 1 (tel. 035/13-23-20), is open in midsummer (Jun 25-Aug 13), Monday to Saturday 9am to 7pm, Sunday 11am to 6pm. From May 15 to June 24 and from August 14 to October 15, it's open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday 10am to 3pm. The rest of the year, it's open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.