The coastline and countryside east and west of Ystad offers some of the best day-trip options in southern Sweden.
Ales Stenar and Kåseberga (20 km east) is the single most worthwhile excursion — a megalithic ship of 59 boulders on a cliff above the Baltic, with a smokehouse at the harbour below for lunch. Allow a half-day minimum.
Sandhammaren (25 km east) adds another hour to the Kåseberga trip: Sweden's finest beach, with white sand and dunes backed by pine forest. Worth combining the two into a full coast day.
Bornholm Island — Stena Line ferries from Ystad harbour reach Rønne on Bornholm in about three hours. Bornholm is a distinctive Danish island with round churches, a smoked herring tradition, and a slower pace than mainland Denmark. A day trip is feasible; an overnight stay does it better justice.
Malmö (60 km west, 55 minutes by train) is the obvious urban day trip: modern Scandinavian architecture, a good food scene, the Turning Torso, and easy onward connections to Copenhagen via the Øresund Bridge.
Österlen is the name given to the southeast corner of Skåne — the gentle farmland and coast between Ystad and Simrishamn. Apple orchards, small harbour towns, and the arts colony around Brösarp make it a good driving loop. Simrishamn itself is a well-preserved fishing port worth a few hours.
