Bright KALMAR had much to do with Sweden's medieval development. It was the scene of the first meeting of the Riksdag called by failing king Magnus Eriksson in the mid-fourteenth century, and played host to the formation of the Kalmar Union, the 1397 agreement uniting Sweden, Norway and Denmark - a history manifest in the surviving castle, Kalmar Slott (April-Sept 10am-4/6pm; Oct-March 11am-4pm; 60kr), beautifully set on a tiny island a few minutes' walk away from the bus and train stations. Defended by a range of steep embankments and gun emplacements, the fourteenth-century buildings survived eleven sieges virtually unscathed, a record not respected by King Johan III who rebuilt the structure in the late sixteenth century. The castle is now a storybook confection, with turrets, ramparts, moat and drawbridge. The spruce interior repays a long dawdle; highlights include the intricately panelled Lozenge Hall and a dark dungeon.

If the castle seems to defend nothing in particular it's because the town was shifted to Kvarnholmen, an island to the north, in the mid-seventeenth century following a fire. This is modern Kalmar, a graceful, straightforward grid settlement which centres on the Baroque Domkyrkan (daily 10am-6pm) on Stortorget. Time is best spent wandering the streets around Lilla Torget : there's not a great deal left - some seventeenth-century buildings and city walls - but what remains is authentic and atmospheric enough. The one place really worth making a beeline for is the Kronan Exhibition , the main attraction of the Länsmuseum , Skeppsbrogatan (daily: mid-June to mid-Aug 10am-6pm; rest of year 10am-4pm; 50kr). The Kronan was one of the three biggest ships in the world - twice the size of the Vasa - when it went down after an explosion in the gunpowder magazine in 1676, lying undisturbed until 1980. There's an inventive walk-through reconstruction of the gun decks and admiral's cabin, as well as a swag of gold coins, clothing, sculpture, jewellery and weapons - in fact, a complete picture of seventeenth-century maritime life and a remarkable insight into a society at the height of its political powers.

The tourist office at Larmgatan 6 (early June & late Aug daily 9am-9pm; mid-June to mid-Aug daily 9am-8pm; rest of year Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; tel 0480/153 50, info@turistbyra.kalmar.se ), 100m from the train station and bus terminal , doles out a decent map of Kalmar and arranges private rooms from around 300kr a double or 190kr for a single. Or stay at the youth hostel at Rappegatan 1c (tel 0480/129 28; £10-15/$16-24), 1500m away on Ängo, the next island north. The Sjöfartsklubben on Skeppsbrogatan (a seaman's mission but open to all) has doubles for 270kr and cheaper dorm accommodation, while there's a campsite on Stensö island, 3km from the centre, with a few cheap cabins. For food , most places centre around Larmtorget, where you can get a tasty and filling lunch for around 50kr. For an atmospheric café, try the elegant Kullzenska Caféet , upstairs at Kaggensgatan 26. The hippest eaterie though is T & T , Unionsgatan 20, where you can down delicious and unusual pizzas and a good range of wines (Mon-Thurs 11am-midnight, Fri & Sat noon-1am, Sun noon-midnight).