Sweden Explained is a travel website dedicated to helping visitors discover Sweden, whether it is their first trip to the country or they are returning to explore somewhere new.
Sweden is a large and remarkably diverse country. There is far more to see than Stockholm, and we created Sweden Explained to make it easier to discover the places, experiences and practical information that can sometimes be overlooked when planning a trip.
Our Mission
Our goal is simple: to make traveling to Sweden easier, more enjoyable and more rewarding.
We want Sweden Explained to be the kind of website you can use throughout the entire travel-planning process. You might arrive here while deciding whether Sweden is the right destination for your next vacation, return when planning your itinerary, and then use our practical guides while you are actually traveling around the country.
We cover everything from major cities and famous attractions to small towns, islands, national parks, hiking trails, Swedish food, transportation and everyday practicalities.
Most importantly, we want to help you experience Sweden rather than simply check attractions off a list.
A Different Kind of Sweden Travel Guide
There are plenty of websites telling you to visit Stockholm, see the Vasa Museum, eat Swedish meatballs and take a photograph in Gamla Stan.
Those things can certainly be worth doing, but Sweden is much bigger than its most famous attractions.
The country stretches for more than 1,500 kilometers from south to north. The landscape changes dramatically along the way, from the agricultural countryside of Skåne and the beaches of southern Sweden to the forests and lakes of central Sweden and the mountains and Arctic wilderness of Swedish Lapland.
We believe that understanding these differences is one of the keys to having a great trip to Sweden.
That is why Sweden Explained covers both the famous and the less obvious. We want to introduce you to destinations you may not have considered, explain how to get around, and give you the practical information you need to make sensible decisions about where to go.
Sweden From a Swedish Perspective
Sweden Explained is written from the perspective of someone who knows Sweden not just as a tourist destination, but as a place where people actually live.
That perspective matters.
Travel guides sometimes focus exclusively on what looks impressive to an international visitor. We also want to explain the little things that make Sweden feel Swedish.
Why do Swedes talk about fika so much? What exactly is allemansrätten? Why are some shops closed when you might expect them to be open? What should you know before driving in northern Sweden? How does Swedish public transportation work? What should you expect when visiting a Swedish home, restaurant, supermarket or summer cottage?
These details can make a surprisingly large difference to your experience.
Our aim is to explain Sweden in a straightforward way, without assuming that visitors already understand Swedish culture or customs.
Exploring Swedish Nature
Nature is one of the biggest reasons to visit Sweden, and it is an especially important part of Sweden Explained.
Sweden has enormous forests, thousands of lakes, long coastlines, countless islands and some of the most spectacular wilderness areas in Europe.
You can hike through mountain landscapes in the north, kayak between islands on the west coast, swim in a forest lake, camp beneath the stars or simply spend a quiet afternoon in the countryside.
We also believe that visitors should understand how to enjoy Swedish nature responsibly. Sweden’s Right of Public Access gives people remarkable opportunities to explore the countryside, but it comes with responsibilities toward landowners, wildlife and the environment.
Our nature guides aim to explain both the opportunities and the practical considerations.
Helping You Plan Better Trips
A good travel website should do more than tell you where to go.
It should help you answer questions such as:
When should I visit Sweden?
How many days do I need?
Which part of Sweden is best for my interests?
Should I rent a car or use public transportation?
Where should I stay?
What should I budget?
What should I know before traveling to Sweden?
What are the places that most tourists miss?
These are the questions we try to answer throughout Sweden Explained.
Sometimes the best destination is the obvious one. Sometimes it is a small town that barely appears in international guidebooks. Our job is to help you understand the difference.
From City Breaks to Swedish Wilderness
Not everyone travels in the same way, and Sweden works remarkably well for many different types of travelers.
You might be looking for a weekend in Stockholm filled with museums, restaurants and architecture.
Perhaps you want a summer road trip along the west coast.
Maybe you are interested in hiking in the Swedish mountains.
You might want to explore Sweden’s islands and archipelagos, experience Midsummer, visit Christmas markets, see the Northern Lights or spend a week in a quiet cabin surrounded by forests and lakes.
There is no single “correct” way to experience Sweden.
Sweden Explained is intended to provide useful information for all of these different styles of travel.
What You Will Find on Sweden Explained
The website is organized around the things you actually need when planning and experiencing a trip.
You will find guides to Swedish destinations and cities, including Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and many smaller destinations throughout the country.
Our things to do guides focus on attractions, activities and experiences worth considering.
Our practical travel guides cover subjects such as transportation, money, accommodation, weather, driving, opening hours and other details that can make traveling considerably easier.
Our Swedish food guides introduce traditional dishes, modern Swedish cuisine, cafés, bakeries and the traditions surrounding food and drink.
Our nature and outdoor guides cover hiking, national parks, camping, wildlife, islands, lakes and other ways to experience Sweden outdoors.
And our Swedish culture guides explain the traditions, customs and everyday habits that visitors are likely to encounter during their trip.
Why Sweden?
We may be slightly biased, but we think Sweden is an extraordinary country to explore.
It is a country where you can combine a sophisticated European capital with genuine wilderness. Where a train journey can take you from busy Stockholm to quiet forests and lakes. Where summer nights can seem almost endless and winter can transform the north into an Arctic landscape.
There is a particular Swedish appreciation for nature, simplicity and spending time together. You can see it in the summer cottage tradition, in the popularity of hiking and skiing, in the ritual of fika and in the way people escape the cities whenever they have the opportunity.
The more time you spend in Sweden, the more you realize that the country’s greatest attractions are often not the ones found on a typical list of tourist attractions.
Sometimes they are a quiet lake, a tiny island, a bakery in a small town, a forest trail or a long summer evening by the water.
Welcome to Sweden Explained
Whether you are researching your first visit to Sweden or planning your tenth, we hope Sweden Explained helps you discover something new.
Use our destination guides to decide where to go. Explore our practical guides before you leave. Read about Swedish culture and food to understand what you encounter along the way, and use our nature and activity guides to find experiences beyond the traditional tourist trail.
Sweden is a country worth exploring slowly.
There is always another island, another forest trail, another historic town, another café and another stretch of coastline waiting to be discovered.
Sweden Explained is here to help you find them.