With a rich history, and beautiful countryside, as well as the promise of midnight sun in the summer, chilly Sweden is becoming a hot destination for those looking for a country that offers a little more than the mundane.
Straddling the Arctic Circle on the Scandinavian Peninsula, Sweden is a large, but sparsely populated country, with a great deal of natural beauty, some surprisingly pleasant cities, and is the home of IKEA and the Sauna: Indeed, no visit to Sweden is complete without at least an hour sweating in a wooden box, being whipped with twigs before leaping into icy water.
Most visitors get their first introduction by arriving into Stockholm, a picturesque city in the South, well served by international flights, and small enough to see in a few days, making it an ideal city break destination. The city has an excellent old town with some traditional houses, and also some excellent museums, including the open air Skansen Museum to traditional Swedish life, where you can see 150 houses from Swedish history occupied by guides in period costume. There is also a large aquarium on site, and a small collection of animals to visit as well.
Fans of pomp and ceremony can see the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace of Kongliga Slottet, the baroque palace that is home to the Swedish Royal Family. Parts of the palace are accessible to the public, but photography is not allowed indoors.
Facts for the Traveller
Name: Sweden
Capital: Stockholm
Area: 449,964 sq km
Population: 8.87 million
Language: Swedish, English
Flight Time: 2 Hours from London
Currency: Swedish Krona
