Introducing Sweden
The midnight sun, the snowbound winters, meatballs, herring, Vikings and Volvos, ABBA and the Hives - whatever your pre-existing notions about Sweden may be, a visit to this multifaceted country is bound to both confirm and confound them. Though you’re unlikely to be greeted at the shore by throngs of mead-swilling berserkers in longships, evidence of the Vikings and their pillaging days is easy to find. A stroll through the Swedish countryside will often lead to a picnic on some ancient king’s burial mound. Cycling routes frequently pass through fields crowned with ship-shaped stone graves. In cities and alongside roadways, rune stones staunchly declare the historical equivalent of ‘Ingmar was here’. But Sweden’s days as a warlike nation are long gone. Instead, its domestic and international policies serve as models of neutrality and consensus-building. This is, after all, the birthplace of the Nobel Peace Prize. Travellers today are more likely to be slayed by visions of pastoral beauty - intense green countryside, impenetrable forests, little red cottages atop remote islands and, everywhere, Sweden’s famously clear blue water.
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That’s not to say all the excitement ended thousands of years ago - far from it. While tradition reigns in places like Dalarna in the Swedish heartland and the Sami territory up north, much of Sweden today buzzes with a more contemporary energy. A wave of immigration in recent years has added spark and variety to the cultural milieu. Urban centres like Stockholm, Göteborg (otherwise known as Gothenburg) and Malmö consistently churn out cultural artefacts for an international audience (think IKEA, H&M, Absolut Vodka). The Island of Gotland, lying roughly equidistant between Sweden and Latvia, is Sweden's most richly historical area but also has a hip party vibe. Travellers come to Sweden as much for the flash clubs and ground-breaking new restaurants as they do for wilderness hikes and visits to wooden-horse factories.
In short, try the meatballs and dig the Vikings, but don’t stop there - history hasn’t.
Make it happen
Ready to go? These recommended partners make it easy:
- explore Scandinavia
- a cheaper way to go, the Stockholm Card
- take a Viking day trip from Stockholm
- why not get scared and take the Stockholm Ghost Walk
- hop-on hop-off by boat around Stockholm
- search cheap flights to Sweden
- get in early and save on travel gear backpacks, sleeping bags and more
Last updated: Oct 22, 2009
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Sweden
Our Top Picks For Sweden
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1 Gamla Stan
Stockholm’s Old Town, a labyrinth you’ll love to get lost in
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2 Lappland
Superior mountain scenery and epic wilderness
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3 Drottningholm Slott
The royal residence, surrounded by sculptured gardens, with echoes of Versailles
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4 Gotland
Pastoral cycling paths and delicious beaches
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5 Visby
Medieval walled city full of partying Swedes on holiday
Fast Facts about Sweden
- Population (estimated July 2005)
Population (estimated July 2005) : 9 million
- Area
449, 964 sq km
- Head of government
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
- GDP (2004)
GDP (2004) : US$255.4 billion
- Life expectancy
men 78.19 years, women 82.74 years
- Head of state
King Carl XVI Gustaf
- Inflation rate (2004)
Inflation rate (2004) : 0.4%
- Unemployment rate (2004)
Unemployment rate (2004) : 5.6%
Our favourite Sweden Blogs (beta)
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So, somehow we ended up wandering through a Swedish Renaissance...
Blog: UnpoppedCollar - 9 July 2010
So, somehow we ended up wandering through a Swedish Renaissance Faire in Stockholm…
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How To Be A Tourist In Your Hometown
Blog: A Travel Around the World - 21 May 2010
Today guest post is by Sofia @AsWeTravel sharing some great tips how you could satisfy your travel addiction while playing tourist in your own town. We came back to my home town of Gothenburg, Sweden in the end of March. Our plan is to stay here over summer, during this time we will make a few trips around Europe, but mostly we'll stay here, just relax and do some serious blog work.
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Photo Gallery: Stockholm by Ferry
Blog: Seat of Our Pants - 6 May 2010
We wrote a little tip about exploring Stockholm by ferry yesterday. Because I’m a visual person I thought it would be nice to add a few more photos from our ride: a trip around the Swedish archipelago by ferry on a beautifully sunny spring day.
