Sweden Travel Guide: Country & Destination Information for Visiting

Updated: 2019-06-22.

Kingdom of Sweden | Konungariket Sverige

Sweden is a northern European country, situated on the eastern side of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Norway is virtually its entire western border, while Finland and the Baltic Sea are located to its north and east, respectively; in the very south of Sweden, a long bridge now offers a land connection to Denmark’s capital city, Copenhagen.

This Nordic country has had a rough and troubled past, but that was quite a while ago; today, Sweden is a global hub for fashion, cuisine, art, music, and culture, amid much else. With its colorful history behind it, the Scandinavian country now annually ranks in the top 5 as far as happiness, air quality, and standards of living – a big source of pride.

Stockholm, the country’s capital, is located in the southeast corner of Sweden, amid a vast archipelago of islands (25,000+!) on the Baltic Sea. This cosmopolitan city is a great way to begin understanding the country as a whole, especially the Skansen open-air museum, where one can find dozens of relocated buildings from all over the country, and from all different ages, in a hodgepodge of architectural history.

From the very north of the country, which experiences the drastic long and short daylight hours that are a novelty to most of the rest of us, to the very south, Sweden has lots to offer. The country is quite long, as well as plentiful on natural beauty; hills, lakes, mountains, and rivers can be found throughout.

Sweden Travel Information & Key Points

General points to know about the country of Sweden – demographics, important ages, phone numbers, key statistics, and more, whether you’re traveling there or not.

Sweden is full of world-class destinations, and the cities and towns offer any kind of traveler whatever it is they seek. And an interesting note: Sweden is quite an innovative country, too – Forbes ranks each of its three largest cities on their Top 15 Most Inventive Cities List; Gothenburg ranks at #12, Stockholm is #8, and Malmö is at an impressive #4.

We’re busy trying to restructure our country and city destination guides, including regional pages such as this one, so this page will be populated in a much better way shortly. For now, here’s what we’ve got. Oh, also, check back soon, please! 🙂

Stockholm

The capital and largest city of Sweden is located in the southeast corner of Sweden, amid a vast archipelago of over 25,000 islands on the Baltic Sea. This cosmopolitan city is a great way to begin understanding the country as a whole.

Göteborg

Gothenburg is Sweden’s second-largest city, located on the western coast towards the south of the country. The city is post-industrial, and various art scenes and hipsters abound.

Malmö

Sweden’s third city is situated perfectly at its southern tip, and it is a perfect way to enter and exit the country, being only 35 minutes by train to Copenhagen, or a scenic (but expensive: €46 toll!) drive over the Øresund, or Öresund Bridge.

Central Sweden

The central area of the country is quite picturesque, full of small towns each vying to top its neighbor in cuteness and beauty, it seems. Uppsala, the 4th largest city, offers a wealth of calm history, dating back a millennium. Central Sweden is riddled with lakes, and the man-made canals which connect some of them are quite popular tourist destinations in themselves, such as the Dalsland Canal and the Göta Canal.

Northern Sweden

The north is the cities’ alternative to the “real” Sweden. Lapland is both Europe’s last true wilderness and home to its only indigenous peoples, the Sami. The north is where you’ll experience such wonders as the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), the “Midnight Sun,” and the eight seasons that the Sami describe.