Useful for your arrival
Arrive.
And settle straight in.
A small shopping plan for the first evening, and the difference between a shop and a collection point.
The best first shopping trip is often the one you do not have to make after arriving.
After a long drive, we would rather not begin by wondering what can be cooked from mustard, half a lemon and the biscuits we brought along. A little planning makes the first evening considerably more relaxed.
There is no need to buy for the whole week. Breakfast, something simple for dinner and a few things for your first break will do. You can get the rest later, once the journey is out of your legs.
Addresses and places
The shopping stops at a glance.
Groceries in town, a bigger shop on the way and wine or beer in Älmhult: five addresses, straight to Google Maps.
The address in town
ICA Nära
in Lönsboda.
One specific option is ICA Nära Lönsboda at Bredgatan 1. The shop publishes its current opening hours on its own ICA page. For a late arrival or a public holiday in particular, that quick look before travelling is worthwhile.
We would do the shopping in Lönsboda before the final drive to the house. Then the last leg really is the last. And nobody has to trade their first look at the lake for a discussion about who is going back for bread.
Another stop in town
Coop
in Lönsboda.
Coop Lönsboda at Östra Järnvägsgatan 6 is another option for groceries in town. There is no need to drive to a larger town just for bread, milk and the ingredients for your first meals.
We would choose between ICA and Coop on thoroughly practical grounds: which is on the way, and which is still open when you arrive? The first holiday shop need not become a competitive sport. Coop publishes its current opening hours on its own page.
For a bigger shop
Provisions first.
The lake afterwards.
If you would like to stock up more thoroughly before arriving, consider an ICA Maxi. These are large supermarkets with a much wider range than a small neighbourhood shop: more of a full trolley affair than a quick dash for milk. Two options make sense, depending on your route:
ICA Maxi Trelleborg
If your ferry arrives in Trelleborg, you can do the bigger shop there: Maxi ICA Stormarknad Trelleborg is at Strandridaregatan 10. Most of the provisions can be in the car before you continue towards Rågeboda.
ICA Maxi Trelleborg: address and opening hours ↗
ICA Maxi Kristianstad
If your route takes you through Kristianstad, Maxi ICA Stormarknad Kristianstad at Sjöcronas gata 7 is another option. For a fuller cupboard or a longer shopping list, stopping on the way makes more sense than setting off again after arriving. We would not make a special detour for a pint of milk, though.
Our short list
This evening.
Tomorrow morning.
For the evening, we like food that does not immediately become a cooking project: pasta with a good sauce, bread and something to go with it, or ingredients for a quick one-pan meal. A holiday can begin very satisfactorily without three pans on the hob at once.
For the morning, put coffee or tea, bread, butter and your own favourite breakfast in the trolley. Add drinking water for the journey and a few provisions for a spontaneous outing. If you arrive late, plan a complete, simple meal rather than pinning your hopes on a restaurant still being open.
For particular dietary requirements, shop somewhere whose range you can check in advance. We do not promise that every small shop keeps every specialist product permanently in stock.
Systembolaget and collection
Wine & beer.
A quick guide.
For wine, sparkling wine, spirits and beer above 3.5% ABV to enjoy at home, head to Systembolaget, Sweden’s state-owned alcohol retailer. It is part of the country’s alcohol policy, intended to limit alcohol-related harm. Ordinary supermarkets sell lower-strength beer up to 3.5% ABV, but not regular alcoholic wine. Supper and its accompanying bottle therefore involve two different shelves, in two different shops.
One option is Systembolaget Älmhult at Norra Esplanaden 6, where you can buy wine, sparkling wine, spirits or stronger beer directly in the shop. Check the current opening hours before travelling; they are not the same as supermarket hours.
ICA Nära in Lönsboda instead has a Systembolaget ombud: a collection point for drinks ordered beforehand from the Systembolaget range. It is not a separate off-licence with shelves to browse on a whim. Arrange the order and collection date in advance.
Systembolaget Älmhult: address and opening hours ↗
Then leave it there
Not everything
on the first day.
We would keep the first shopping list short. After two days, you will have a better idea of whether the week is shaping up around long breakfasts, picnics or cooking in the evening. Anything missing can then be bought with a clearer purpose.
And what remains of that first evening is usually more important than a perfectly stocked larder: you have arrived. The rest can wait.
Our verdict
Get the essentials first. Then arrive, and forget the shopping list for a while.
Read on
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