Settling down in Sweden can take a while, but once you know what you’re doing, it’s a great idea to start exploring and experience some of the country’s most wonderful scenery. Whether you’re working, studying or simply living in the country at the moment, there are some really great places for you to visit in Sweden when you have a day off! In our opinion, these are among the 7 best places to visit in Sweden.
If you’re looking for a day out to remember, here are some of our favorite places to visit in Sweden.
1. Sweden’s Folklore Province
Dalarne is Sweden’s folklore province, as famous for its scarlet Dala horses as its music and merrymaking at Midsummer. Winter attracts skiers challenged by championship events.
Dalarne represents all that is quintessentially Swedish. With its colorful costumes, centuries-old traditions of music and dance, Midsummer festivals and evocative rural landscape, its folklore and beauty attract an increasing number of visitors each year.
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2. Sweden’s Most Interesting Design City
Sofie Ekeberg Hellsing and Christian Duivenvoorden opened the design store Artilleriet in Gothenburg in 2014. There are many indications that they have become Sweden’s most important interior trendsetters. Welcome to Sweden’s most interesting design city.
According to their website, Artilleriet stands for an eclectic collection of interior, furniture, and details.
Despite the fact that the founders were warned against opening a store in the working-class city of Gothenburg, the fifth largest city in the Nordics, Artilleriet has proven to be a successful trendsetter in interior design.
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3. Around Lake Vättern
Lake Vättern covers an area of 1,912 sq km (/38 sq miles). The areas around Lake Vättern in Sweden is worth a visit!
Near the southern tip of the lake, on the west side, is the 14th century timber-built Habo Church, southwest of Habo village. It features an outstanding painted interior, the work of Johan Christian Peterson and Johan Kinnerus, between 1741 and 1743, illustrating Luther’s catechism and biblical scenes.
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4. One Of The Most Beautiful Rivers in Sweden
The Swedish Värmland region is covered with spruce and pine and crisscrossed with narrow lakes and rivers. The Klarälven river is among its most beautiful.
The river begins turbulently in Norway, where it is called Trysilelva, but gradually becomes broader, winding and sluggish before emptying into Lake Vänern near the province’s largest town Karlstad.
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5. East of Leden in Sweden
Magnificent scenery, world-class ingredients and a host of wild spirits have made little Österlen in Sweden a holiday paradise.
Located in the southeast of Sweden, Österlen is a massive region composed of smaller towns with stunning sceneries! There are also tons of things to do in Österlen. “Almost mysterious,” wrote the New York Times about Österlen, giving the area a ninth position on the list of places you should visit.
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6. The Castles and Manor Houses in Southern Sweden
Across the Öresund bridge from Denmark, southern Sweden is home to the lively city of Malmö. Castles and Stone Age sites abound, while bathers and birdwatchers head for Öland.
Skåne is Sweden’s most southerly province, so close to Denmark across the narrow sound that even the accent is faintly Danish. For centuries Swedes and Danes fought over this area, along with the provinces of Halland and Blekinge, until Sweden established its sovereignity in 1658.
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7. Through the Heart of Sweden on the Göta Canal
If you want to see Sweden at play, head straight for the Göta Canal. This marvel of 19th-century engineering stretches 190 km (118 mi) from Sjötorp on Lake Vänern to the Baltic Sea at Mem and is a real crowd puller.
Whether you are travelling on it or cycling alongside it, you cannot help but be impressed by its sheer scale. Fifty-eight locks, some of them rising to an incredible 90 m (295 ft) above sea level, carry vessels through a chain of stunning natural lakes, making this one of the most impressive waterways anywhere on the planet.
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We hope to have inspired you to take a trip out for a day somewhere in Sweden and visit one of our favorite spots. Make sure to check the weather forecast before heading out on an outdoor visit, and consider booking ahead at indoor destinations to avoid missing out. Most of all, enjoy exploring!
7 Best Places to Visit in Sweden, compiled by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top): From Skåne. Photo © Visit Skane