Sweden is a land of ever-lasting summer nights and snowy winter days, practical inventions like IKEA flat pack furniture and nicotine snuffs – here known as snus, and a unique history of Vikings and indigenous people inhabiting some of the most inhospitable parts of the world north of the Arctic Circle. Tours of Sweden include getting up close and personal with reindeer, exploration of stately cities, and drinks in the Ice Bar – all of which make an appearance on our best things to do in the Scandinavian country.
Stroll through Stockholm
Walk with oodles of locals winding their way around the cobbled streets of Gamla Stan, and stay in a cottage on one of the 30,000 islands within the capital’s own stunning archipelago.
Bare it all at a sauna spa
Invigorate yourself after a hard day’s sightseeing by lounging in a Swedish sauna, followed by a roll in the snow or a jump into the nearest icy lake. Be warned that many saunas in Sweden intend for the users to be naked, so if you’re shy be sure to choose wisely!
Sleep in the IceHotel
Each year woolly-coated designers build a hotel from snow and ice, accommodating over one hundred guests to sleep like Eskimos in a supersize igloo. Each room is individually decorated with reindeer fur beds, whilst the rest of the building houses a bar, reception, and even a church where some shivering couples tie the knot!
Tick the Northern Lights off your Bucket List
The kaleidoscope-in-the-sky phenomena that is the Aurora Borealis lights up dark winters’ nights in this show-stopping natural performance of the Swedish Arctic region.
Sip a cool drink at the Ice Bar
Chill out in a thick parka and gloves in a world carved from ice – even the drinking glasses filled with home-brewed Absolut vodka cocktails, which slide down rather easily. Being seen here is the very definition of cool.
Find your inner Viking at the Vasa Museum
Step aboard the salvaged Viking warship, which was hidden at the bottom of the ocean for 300 years until 1961, when it was rediscovered almost fully intact with all its historic booty inside.
Summertime at beaches and lakes
Summer is made for exploring Sweden’s 26,384 km of coastline and 97,500 lakes, peppered between medieval castles and quaint villages. Accomplish your goal by fishing, sailing and water-skiing your way through it all, making the most of lingering evenings where the sun shines till almost midnight.
Get to know Gothenburg
The seafaring city fashions boutique-shopping boulevards and nightclubs, and car fans can rev up to the HQ of Volvo featuring the company’s own automobile museum.
Herd reindeer Sámi style
Reindeer have been a lifeline for generations of indigenous Sámi communities, who herd and look after their antlers and hooves while their Lapland cousins prepare for next year’s Santa Claus run. Keep your eyes open for wild reindeer as well!
Dance like a queen at the ABBA Museum
Say ‘Thank You for the Music’ to the four singing Swedes that took the pop world by storm after a famous appearance on the Eurovision song contest.
Bask in Kiruna’s midnight sun
There is no need to sleep as the summer sun barely sets in the evenings at Kiruna, where hiking and rafting are great activities during the day. When the sun does go down – though not completely – the city’s annual music festival offers a chance to celebrate the everlasting light.
Step up for snowy adventure
Deciding whether to visit Sweden in summer or winter is not easy – the colder months offer plenty of activities you can rarely experience elsewhere, including dog sled rides and snowmobiling, along with more common yet still extremely enjoyable options like skiing.
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC
