Örebro

A substantial, culturally rich city, Örebro buzzes around its central feature: the huge and romantic castle surrounded by a moat filled with water lilies. The city originally sprang up as a product of the textile industry, but it continues to gain steam as a university town, since Uppsala University started offering some courses here in 1960. In 1999, the then Örebro University College became Sweden's 12th university, and though, by national standards, Örebro's pedagogical status hardly rates a mention, the presence of students on bikes, in cafes and in parks is more evident with each passing year.

Örebro's proximity to Stockholm, which is fast outgrowing its borders, makes it an appealing city for young families, while the equally short distance to Vänern lake lends the city a relaxed, on-holidays kind of vibe: nursing a beer in a terrace cafe and shopping unhurriedly along cobbled streets are favoured local pastimes.