We love the Swedes as much as they love their countryside. They’re the biggest consumers of organic food in the EU, avid recyclers and love their green-label shopping, particularly vintage clothing. From the Swedish Lapland to its archipelagos, Sweden is one massive playground.
Here are the most awesome things that should be on your must-do list in Sweden:
Catch the Northern Lights in Swedish Lapland
Can you think of a more spectacular setting? Take the chairlift to the observation tower at the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko National Park, one of the best spots in the world to see the lights. The spectacular lights appear in the beginning of September in Kiruna to around the end of March all over Swedish Lapland. Lonely Planet has nominated Abisko and the Northern Lights the world’s most illuminating experience as part of ‘2015 is the UN Year of Light’.
Northern Lights in Abisko. Photo: Lola Akinmade Akerström/imagebank.sweden.se
Try Timber Rafting in Värmland
It might sound a bit crazy to trust your life to floating wood, but the Klarälven, Sweden’s mightiest and longest river at 500 km, is the ideal setting for this rafting adventure in Värmland, west of Sweden. What’s more, you can live on this floating home for as much as a day or a week. Pitch a tent on the raft or the riverbank. It’s a gently meandering river, so relax and go with the flow. Literally.
Photo: © Øyvind Lund/www.vildmark.se
Kayaking on the spectacular Swedish rivers and islands
Kayaking in Europe doesn’t get more remote than in the Swedish Lapland. Rivers cut through ravines, and across giant Arctic plains and marshes. The Kalix and Torne rivers are spectacular for kayaking expeditions. The heavily forested Värmland boasts of 10,000 lakes, and there are 80 pristine lakes and waterways at the Glaskogen nature reserve — you’re totally spoilt for choice.
The Fjällbacka archipelago isn’t very ship-friendly, so you have them all to yourself. Bohuslän has 8,000 islands, and the car-free Koster Islands in the Kosterhavet, Sweden’s first marine national park, are a magnet for kayakers.
The Bohuslä coastline offers open sea, stark cliffs, islets and lakes. Photo: Henrik Trygg/imagebank.sweden.se
Trace the footsteps of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Take the Millennium Tour based on Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. Starting off on Södermalm island, the home of Mikael Blomqvist at Bellmansgatan 1, it then passes the Millennium editorial office, Lisbeth Salander’s luxury apartment and other locations. Lonely Planet rated this as the No. 1 Literary Walking Tour in the World.
Michel Blomqvist’s apartment. Photo: Thomas Karlsson via Creative Commons
Hiking in Europe’s last wilderness
Swedish Lapland is considered Europe’s last wilderness and the legendary King’s Trail (Kungsleden) will appeal greatly to your adventurous side. It is spread out almost 400 km from Abisko National Park to Hemavan and there’s wild mountains, bubbling brooks, foaming rivers, and high plateaus to reward your bravado. Sweden has the fantastic Right of Public Access (Allemansrätten), which means you can go anywhere you want, as long as you leave the habitat undisturbed.
For your Arctic Circle adventure, there are the national parks of Laponia (Swedish Lapland) — Sarek (remote with more than 100 glaciers), Padjelanta for its lakes, Muddus for its deep ravines, and Stora Sjöfallet for its forest and alpine peaks.
Sarek National Park. Photo: Anders Ekholm/Folio/imagebank.sweden.se
Go Moose-Spotting
Sweden is considered the moose capital of the world as around 250,000 moose roam the country’s forests. You may find a stray moose in a village, drunk on fermented apples, just begging for a hangover. The best place to spot them is the Bergslagen forest, two hours’ drive from Stockholm.
Photo: Staffan Widstrand/imagebank.sweden.se
Go reindeer sledding with the Sami
At Lake Häggsjön, west of the ski resort Åre, meet the gentle beauties at a reindeer farm. Feed them, try lassoing and learn about the Sami culture. The Samis are the indigenous people of Swedish Lapland who have lived off the land for centuries, surrounded by mountains, wild rivers, pristine lakes and streams, tundra and forest.
Or you could consider a reindeer sledding trip near Jukkasjärvi, where the famous Icehotel is located.
White reindeer. Photo: Lola Akinmade Åkerström/imagebank.sweden.se
Listen to an Ice Orchestra
In the mood for some Ice Music? Make room in your calendar for musicians who play inventive instruments made of ice. In Luleå, Swedish Lapland, Sweden’s northernmost destination, the concert hall is a gigantic cosmic igloo and the orchestra glows in the colours of the rainbow.
Photo: Graeme Richardson/icemusic.se
Ice Kitewinging on a Frozen Lake
Don’t let a frozen lake stop you from having fun. Swedish frozen lakes are a dream for kitewinging. Basically, they’re handheld wings that can be used for sailing on ice while geared up in skis, snowboard or skates. This exhilarating experience in the crisp, cold countryside is just what your lungs need.
Photo: YM_Arki. CC-BY-2.0 via Flickr
Go on a lobster and oyster seafood safari
Foodies, rejoice. On a seafood safari in Sweden, you can catch crayfish, lobster, rake oysters or visit mussel farms. And then you can eat your catch, which is proving to be rather trendy. The West Coast and the archipelago here is full of fishing villages, beaches, bathing spots, pink granite skerries.
Photo: Fredrik Broman/imagebank.sweden.se
Go freestyle in Sweden’s best snow parks
Most ski resorts in Sweden have snow parks for all level jibbers. Åre is the biggest ski resort in Sweden and features one of the best snow parks. Located in the central Swedish mountains, Sälen is northern Europe’s largest alpine skiing area. The snow park in northern Dalarna hosts major European competitions.
Powder skiing in Sweden Photo: Henrik Trygg/imagebank.sweden.se
Swedish massage with a view
Of course, in Sweden they only call it a massage. The massage uses five styles of long flowing strokes; long, gliding strokes, kneading and lifting the muscles, rhythmic tapping, friction and vibration/shaking. Why not get a view to go with the massage, say, on the cliffs of Bohuslän coast or the spas overlooking Fryken valley?