Eleven nature reserves and six Natura 2000 sites give Vellinge a distinct natural character. At the same time, you can explore the area through different layers of history: from life in a reconstructed Viking settlement to churches whose oldest parts date back to the Middle Ages. This brings landscape and culture together, without requiring you to focus your trip on just one theme.

Enjoy nature and spend time outdoors

The time of year matters when visiting the Måkläppen nature reserve: it can be visited in November, December and January. Check the reserve’s current rules in advance. For a different view of the landscape, visit Gavelsbjer, a 25-metre-high moraine hill with sweeping views across Söderslätt. Paths lead to the summit, where there is a rest area and a viewpoint. The Foteviksområdet area also offers several good birdwatching spots.

Cycling enthusiasts can follow Sydkustleden, a coastal cycle route with six stages. There are 260 kilometres of cycle paths in total. Falsterbo Bird Observatory offers a different seasonal focus: during the ringing seasons from April to May and from August to October, it offers guided tours for groups. Check booking availability before your trip. The visiting periods for Måkläppen and these tours differ considerably—something worth bearing in mind if you want to plan your trip around a particular nature experience.

Explore the Viking Age through archaeology

Foteviken Museum is an open-air archaeological museum about life in a town in the late Viking Age and early Middle Ages. Its reconstructed Viking settlement includes 23 buildings of different kinds. There is also a reconstructed Viking ship based on an archaeological find from Foteviken. The buildings and the ship offer different ways to explore the past: one reconstructs a settlement, while the other recalls a specific find.

The museum offers Viking Age games, archery, axe throwing and a mini-archaeologist activity. Those interested in the archaeological past can also find remarkable objects at Bärnstensmuseet, located beside the Viking Age archaeological site of Kämpinge vall. The museum has a collection of insects and arachnids preserved in amber, and also displays Stone Age finds from Måkläppen.

Photography, museums and traces of history

Falsterbo Photo Art Museum is a modern photography museum in Falsterbo, at Falsterbo Strandbad. Its collection comprises around 700 original photographs. The museum has a restaurant serving Nordic cuisine with French inspiration and Asian influences; it is open seasonally. Exhibitions at Falsterbo Museum span the Hanseatic period to the present day. Both museums explore different periods from those represented by the reconstructed buildings at Foteviken.

Individual buildings also tell stories from different eras. The ruins of Falsterbohus fortress date from around 1315. Skanör Fortress was built around 1230. Månstorp’s Eaves are the ruins of a Renaissance fortress built between 1540 and 1547. The light at Falsterbo Lighthouse was extinguished in 1990 and relit three years later for the benefit of tourists and local residents.

Churches with stories of their own

Stora Hammars gamla kyrka is the oldest church on the Falsterbo Peninsula; its oldest parts date from around 1150. Paintings in the oldest part of the nave depict the Creation, the Passion of Christ and the Resurrection of Christ. The church is open when staff are on site, during church activities or services, and by prior arrangement. Keep these access conditions in mind when planning a visit.

The oldest parts of Vellinge Church date from the 13th century. It was originally built according to the Romanesque style of architecture; its surviving features include an altarpiece from 1608 and a pulpit from 1606. Visitors are welcome to sit down, light a candle and write in the guest book. The churches of Skanör and Falsterbo also bear the names of the saints to whom they are dedicated: the medieval church in Skanör is dedicated to Saint Olof and is called S:t Olofs kyrka. The medieval church in Falsterbo is dedicated to Saint Gertrude and is therefore called S:ta Gertruds kyrka.

Finding your way around

Staffed Info Points across the municipality provide basic tourist information, brochures and maps. Individual locations may change. When planning your explorations, these points can help you find the materials available.

Discover more destinations: Falsterbo, Höllviken, Vellinge, Vastra Ingelstad, Skanör, Simrishamn, Sjöbo, Tomelilla.

Back to the main travel overview: Skåne.