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…
Must-see attractions in Central Sweden
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…
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…
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…
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…
Central Sweden
Looking more like a collection of gingerbread houses than an industrial relic, Engelsberg Bruk, a Unesco World Heritage Site in the tiny village of…
Central Sweden
Västerås is surrounded by pre-Christian sites. The most interesting and extensive is Anundshög, the biggest tumulus (burial ground) in Sweden, 9km…
Central Sweden
Occupying tranquil lands on the shores of Lake Hjälmaren, this outstanding castle was built in the 16th century in the Renaissance style and later…
Uppsala
A wonder cabinet of wonder cabinets, the Museum Gustavianum rewards appreciation of the weird and well organised. The shelves in the pleasantly musty…
Uppsala
The Gothic Domkyrka dominates the city and is Scandinavia's largest and tallest church, with towers soaring 119m. The interior is imposing, with the…
Central Sweden
Comprising the former Västmanland Länsmuseum (county museum) and Västerås Konstmuseum (art gallery) in a re-imagined industrial block near…
Lake Siljan
Built by Axel Munthe (1857–1949), who served as the Swedish royal physician and wrote the best-selling memoir The Story of San Michele, this sumptuously…
Central Sweden
The award-winning and imaginative Värmlands Museum occupies two buildings on Sandgrundsudden (reclaimed land now converted into a pleasant park) near the…
Lake Siljan
The Zorn family house, Zorngården, is an excellent example of a wealthy artist’s residence and reflects Anders Zorn’s National Romantic aspirations (check…
Central Sweden
The ingeniously designed Forest Centre, opened in June 2014 near Lekvattnet as part of Värmlands County Museum, covers the 17th-century Finnish settlement…
Dalarna
Occupying a whopping 664-sq-km, this vast nature reserve is most commonly approached from Grövelsjön and is a haven for birdlife and all manner of Nordic…
Örebro
The Wadköping museum village contains craft workshops, a bakery and period buildings – including Kungsstugan (the King's Lodgings, a medieval house with…
Central Sweden
Known as ‘Ekeby’ in Selma Lagerlöf's Gösta Berling’s Saga, Rottneros Park, 6km south of Sunne, soothes travel-weary adults with flower gardens, a tropical…
Örebro
Stadsparken is an idyllic and kid-friendly park once voted Sweden’s most beautiful. It stretches alongside Svartån (the Black river) and merges into the…
Örebro
Örebro's excellent art gallery is responsible for the fact that there are over 200 public art pieces scattered about the city and is integral in the…
Central Sweden
The vivid, 3m-long Viking Age rock carving Sigurdsristningen illustrates the story of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer, a hero whose adventures are described in…
Uppsala
Gamla Uppsala Museum contains finds from the cremation mounds, a poignant mix of charred and melted beads, bones and buckles. More-intact pieces come from…
Uppsala
Built by Gustav Vasa in the 1550s, Uppsala Slott contains the state hall where kings were enthroned and Queen Kristina abdicated. The castle burned down…
Central Sweden
The fine brick-built Domkyrka was begun in the 12th century, although most of what you see today is late-14th-century work. It contains carved floor slabs…
Uppsala
Rare-book and map fiends should go directly to Carolina Rediviva, the university library. In a small, dark gallery, glass cases hold precious maps and…
Dalarna
The Falu Gruva mine museum, just behind the ticket-sales building at the entrance to the mining complex, contains everything you could possibly want to…
Central Sweden
The Rademacher Forges uphold the 17th-century traditions of Eskilstuna’s iron-working past in a series of pretty, well-preserved historic buildings that…
Dalarna
Dalarnas Museum is a super introduction to Swedish folk art, music and costumes. It's kid-friendly, too, with the opposite of the usual 'Do not touch'…
Uppsala
Located in the north tower of the Domkyrka, the cathedral treasury houses Gustav’s funerary sword and silver crown, along with a notable collection of…
Lake Siljan
Even if you have no interest in skiing, you may be pleasantly surprised by the excellent Vasaloppsmuseet, which really communicates the passion behind the…
Dalarna
For something completely different, ride the funicular and elevator to this thoroughly original panoramic museum atop the iconic ski-jump tower looming…
Lake Siljan
This visitor centre and nature park, 16km northwest of Leksand, has information about the meteor that hit several million years ago and local flora and…
Central Sweden
Parken Zoo, 1.5km west of the town centre, is one of central Sweden’s most popular family attractions. The 80-plus animal species represented include…
Uppsala
No matter how many times the brochures refer to the ‘sexual system’ of classification, the excitement to be had at Linnémuseet is primarily intellectual;…
Lake Siljan
You can get your open-air-museum fix at Rättviks gammelgård, 500m north of the kyrka – it’s a collection of buildings that were moved here during the…
Central Sweden
At the end of Prästgatan is a collection of buildings that once housed a brewery and now contains several art galleries and studios. A collective of…
Uppsala
The Botanical Gardens, below the castle hill, show off more than 10,000 species and are pleasant to wander through. Attractions include the 200-year-old…
Uppsala
In contrast to the stunning baroque design of the Linnaean Gardens of Uppsala, where it is located, the greenhouse exhibits tropical species from around…
Örebro
The Länsmuseum has strong and topical temporary exhibits – for example, a collection of protest posters from the ‘60s, or a consideration of the era’s…
Central Sweden
The area's main draw is this house at Mårbacka, 9km from Sunne, where Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf (1858–1940) was born. She was the first woman to…
