Sweden
EUROPE · 6 PLACES
Islands by the thousand, forests with no fences, and a culture that stops twice a day for coffee and a cinnamon bun.
Stockholm
Old-town lanes, an archipelago of 30,000 islands, design everywhere.
Gothenburg
Seafood, canals, and the west-coast archipelago.
Malmö
Falafel capital, canal parks and a bridge to Denmark.
Visby
Gotland's walled town — ruins, roses and Baltic beaches.
Abisko
The aurora sky, Lapporten, and the start of the Kungsleden.
Åre
Sweden's ski capital, with bikes and hikes in summer.
Festivals worth flying for
Midsummer
Friday nearest June 24 — the country's real national day: flower crowns, herring, dancing round the pole. Cities empty for the countryside.
Lucia
December 13 — candlelit processions and singing at dawn, in every church and school.
Crayfish parties
August — paper hats, schnapps songs and kräftor across the country.
Way Out West · Gothenburg
August — Sweden's big summer music festival.
In an emergency
Emergency number
112 for everything; 1177 is the free medical-advice line (English available).
Health
Pharmacies ('apotek') handle minor issues; care is excellent. Allemansrätten (right to roam) lets you walk and camp almost anywhere — with responsibilities.
Before you go
EHIC/GHIC for EU visitors, insurance otherwise. Sweden is effectively cashless — bring a card, not krona.
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