Stockholm
One of Stockholm’s most unexpected attractions, Skogskyrkogården (the Woodland Cemetery) is an arrestingly beautiful graveyard set in the soothing pine…
Must-see attractions in Scandinavia
Trondheim
Nidaros Cathedral is Scandinavia's largest medieval building, and the northernmost Gothic structure in Europe. Outside, the ornately embellished, altar…
Uppsala
One of Sweden’s largest and most important burial sites, Gamla Uppsala (4km north of Uppsala) contains 300 mounds from the 6th to 12th centuries. The…
Central Jutland
Inside this small whitewashed church, erected around 1100, are some vividly restored 12th-century frescoes; the main attractions, however, are the two…
The Northern Fjords
The eight storm-lashed bridges of the Atlantic Ocean Road buck and twist like sea serpents, connecting 17 islets between Vevang and the island of Averøya…
Dalarna
Falun’s kopparbergs gruva was the world’s most important copper mine by the 17th century. Called 'Sweden's treasure chest', it drove the small country's…
Southern Jutland
Dominating Ribe’s skyline is the impressive Ribe Cathedral, which dates back to at least 948 (the earliest record of the existence of a bishop in Ribe) –…
Zealand
This extraordinary museum of modern and contemporary art should be high on your 'to do' list even if you're not normally a gallery-goer. Along with its…
Copenhagen
Christiansborg Slot is home to Folketinget (the Danish parliament), the Prime Minister's office and the Supreme Court. Visitor highlights include the…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
A slender spur of rock projecting into the void above Lake Ringedalsvatnet, Trolltunga is one of Norway's most-photographed features, and – along with…
Zealand
The crème de la crème of Danish cathedrals, this twin-spired giant was started by Bishop Absalon in 1170, but has been rebuilt and tweaked so many times…
Örebro
Carved by glaciers, this trolls’ home and former highwayrobber’s haunt 84km southwest of Örebro makes for wonderful wild walking. The park, reopened in…
Laugavegur & Skólavörðustígur
Reykjavík’s immense white-concrete church (1945–86), star of a thousand postcards, dominates the skyline and is visible from up to 20km away. An elevator…
Aarhus
The Danes’ seemingly limitless enthusiasm for dressing up and re-creating history reaches its zenith at Den Gamle By. It’s an engaging, picturesque open…
Around Stockholm
Home to the royal family for part of the year, Drottningholm's Renaissance-inspired main palace was designed by architectural great Nicodemus Tessin the…
Central Sweden
Even if you’re reluctant to take the plunge, there's plenty to see and do above ground at this vast mine complex 2km south of the town centre. Underground…
Southwestern Sweden
An extraordinary example of 17th-century Swedish baroque architecture, Läckö Slott lies 23km north of Lidköping. There's been a castle here since 1298;…
Åland Archipelago
Following the war of 1808–09, Russia began building this major military structure as its westernmost defence against the Swedes. The fortress was still…
Funen
Complete with moat and drawbridge, Egeskov Slot is a magnificent example of the lavish castles that sprang up during Denmark’s 'Golden Age'. Though still…
Aarhus
Don't miss the reinvented Moesgaard Museum, 10km south of the city, housed in a spectacularly designed, award-winning modern space. The star attraction is…
Sofienberg, Grønland & Tøyen
Opened to much controversy in 2013, Ekebergparken cemented Oslo's reputation as a contemporary-art capital and, in particular, one devoted to sculpture. A…
Dalarna
Don’t miss Sweden's 'most famous home', located 13km northeast of Falun in the picturesque village of Sundborn. After their deaths, the early-20th-century…
The South
One of the South Coast’s most recognisable natural formations is the rocky plateau and huge stone sea arch at Dyrhólaey (deer-lay), which rises…
Djurgården & Skeppsholmen
Moderna Museet is Stockholm’s modern-art maverick, its permanent collection ranging from paintings and sculptures to photography, video art and…
Northern Jutland
About 14km north of Løkken (en route to the town of Lønstrup) is Rubjerg Knude, an area of sand dunes that show just how Mother Nature calls the shots on…
The Finnish Lakeland
One of Aalto's most admired works, this town hall was conceived as a 'fortress of democracy' and constructed between 1949 and 1952. Its sturdy brick tower…
Aalborg
The Limfjord was a kind of Viking motorway providing easy, speedy access to the Atlantic for longboat raiding parties. It’s not surprising, then, that the…
Møn, Falster & Lolland
This beautifully arranged, purpose-built gallery is set on a rural agricultural estate and culminates in a trio of seats surveying a sheep-nibbled bucolic…
Reykjavík
Artefacts from settlement to the modern age fill the creative display spaces of Iceland's superb National Museum. Exhibits give an excellent overview of…
Northern Jutland
One of Denmark's handful of newly protected spaces, Thy National Park stretches 55km south along the North Sea coast from Hanstholm to Agger Tange,…
Copenhagen
For a crash course in Danish history and culture, spend an afternoon at Denmark's National Museum. It has first claim on virtually every antiquity…
Skåne
If you mourn the passing of big hairy men in longboats, find solace at the fascinating Foteviken Viking Reserve, an evocative ‘living’ reconstruction…
Vesterbro & Frederiksberg
This is Copenhagen’s most romantic park, with lakes, woodlands and lovely picnic lawns. Guarding the main entrance is 19th-century royal Frederik VI, who…
Southern Jutland
Near the west-coast resort town of Blåvand, 38km northwest of Esbjerg, is this inspired new museum, which showcases Danish history alongside its knack for…
Helsinki
Occupying a palatial 1887 neo-Renaissance building, Finland’s premier art gallery offers a crash course in the nation’s art. It houses Finnish paintings…
Copenhagen
Scandinavia's largest library consists of two very distinct parts: the original 19th-century red-brick building and the head-turning 'Black Diamond'…
Skagen
Appropriately enough for such a neat and ordered country, Denmark doesn’t end untidily at its most northerly point, but on a neat finger of sand just a…
Borgarbyggð
Housed in an imaginatively restored warehouse by the harbour, the must-see Settlement Centre offers fascinating insights into the history of Icelandic…
Reykjavík
This fascinating archaeological ruin-museum is based around a 10th-century Viking longhouse unearthed here from 2001 to 2002 and other Settlement-Era…
Laugavegur & Skólavörðustígur
With its ever-changing facets glistening on the water's edge, Reykjavík’s sparkling Harpa concert hall and cultural centre is a beauty to behold. In…
