Discover Sweden's top attractions and landmarks
The world's best-preserved 17th-century ship and Sweden's most visited museum.
The original ice hotel, rebuilt annually from Torne River ice.
One of Europe's best-preserved medieval old towns.
Scandinavia's largest amusement park with world-class rides.
World-famous Northern Lights viewing destination.
UNESCO World Heritage medieval walled city.
Summer (June-August) offers midnight sun and warm weather. Winter (December-March) is ideal for Northern Lights and snow activities. Spring and autumn offer fewer crowds and beautiful colors.
Stockholm's islands and museums, the wild beauty of Swedish Lapland, the medieval charm of Gotland, and the vibrant west coast around Gothenburg are essential experiences for any visitor.
Sweden's capital is spread over 14 islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic. Beyond Gamla Stan and the Vasa Museum, the Djurgården island holds Skansen open-air museum and the ABBA Museum, and more than 30,000 islands of the Stockholm archipelago are reachable by ferry from the city centre. Drottningholm Palace, the royal family's home and a UNESCO site, is a short boat trip west.
Gothenburg is Sweden's second city, known for its canals, seafood and Liseberg. North of the city, the Bohuslän coast is lined with granite islands and fishing villages such as Marstrand, Smögen and Fjällbacka, ideal for summer island hopping and kayaking.
The southernmost province has sandy beaches, castles and farmland. Malmö is linked to Copenhagen by the Öresund Bridge, and the university town of Lund and the clifftop stones of Ales Stenar are nearby. Further north, Småland is the land of glassworks, forests and lakes, and Kalmar Castle guards the bridge to the island of Öland.
Around Lake Siljan, Dalarna is the heartland of Swedish folk traditions, red wooden cottages and the hand-painted Dala horse; it is the classic place to celebrate Midsummer. The High Coast (Höga Kusten), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has the world's highest coastline formed by land rising after the last Ice Age.
In the far north, Kiruna, Abisko and Jukkasjärvi offer the northern lights from September to March, dog sledding and the Icehotel in winter, and the midnight sun and hiking on the Kungsleden trail in summer.
Fast trains connect Stockholm with Gothenburg in about 3 hours and with Malmö in about 4.5 hours. Night trains run from Stockholm to Swedish Lapland and on to Narvik in Norway. Book Swedish train tickets on Omio. See the Sweden railway map for routes and journey times. Domestic flights reach Kiruna and Luleå in about 1.5 hours. Under allemansrätten, the right of public access, you may walk and camp for a night on most uncultivated land, as long as you respect nature and private homes.
Popular highlights include Stockholm's Gamla Stan and Vasa Museum, the Stockholm archipelago, Gothenburg's Liseberg, the medieval town of Visby on Gotland, the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi and Abisko National Park for the northern lights.
June to August for long days, the midnight sun in the north and island hopping; December to March for snow, the northern lights and winter activities in Lapland.
Trains connect the major cities, night trains run to Lapland, and domestic flights are useful for the far north. A car is best for rural areas and the west coast.