Tourism in Sweden

Sweden is mostly visited by tourists from its neighbouring countries Denmark, Norway and Finland. Thereafter follow tourists from Germany and the United Kingdom.

A popular route for German tourists is to go by train from southern Sweden, through the European routes, up to Sweden's northern parts. Attractions along the way are historical, natural and cultural.

According to the CIA World Factbook, Sweden is the 21st most visited country in the world, with 7 627 000 arrivals in 2006. Fact|date=May 2008

Travel hints

Search for tourist information such as accommodation, activities, events, travel etc. in the whole country, by province or by town/village. [http://www.turism.se/en/tourism.sweden_tips.asp]

Tourist information offices

Search for tourist information offices in Sweden [http://www.turism.se/en/tourism.tourist_agencies.asp]

Swedish culture

The World Heritage Sites are reliable and popular goals to visit. Sites that can be visited are:

*The Agricultural Landscape on the island of Öland is popular for its geological and geographical features.
*Birka and Hovgården on the islands Björkö and Adelsö in Mälaren near Stockholm.
*The Church Village of Gammelstad, Luleå, northern Sweden.
*Drottningholm Palace, Theatre, and Royal Domain
*Engelsberg Ironworks
*The Hanseatic town of Visby
*The "High Coast" of Ångermanland
*Laponian area, Swedish Lapland, northern Sweden.
*The Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun
*The Naval Port of Karlskrona
*Rock carvings in Tanumshede
*Skogskyrkogården in Stockholm

Swedish nature

"See also: Allemansrätten"

In the summer the sun hardly sets in Sweden, especially in the far north where it does not set at all. This allows activity until late in the evening, or even through the night.

Sweden has a large number of lakes and forests, and it is very good for fishing and canoeing. There are several large lakes, including lakes Vättern and Vänern. Walking is quite a popular activity in the summer. There are no very high mountains in Sweden, so climbing is somewhat limited. The highest mountain is Kebnekaise near Kiruna. Kebnekaise is 6926 ft, 2111 metres high.

The Göta Canal from Stockholm to Gothenburg provides some good trips in the summer. Swedish horse racing is a little unusual, in that many races are actually trotting races. The horses are not allowed to gallop, and they pull a small trap with the racer on.

Northern Sweden and winter sports

In the winter, the Ice Hotel is built every year near the northern town of Kiruna. Kiruna is also a good place from which to see the Aurora Borealis or Northern lights. Tourists in the north of the country in winter often enjoy trips in reindeer sleighs with Sami drivers, or in dog sleighs.

It is also possible to ski, with downhill resorts at Åre and Vemdalen, and many cross country ski tracks throughout the northern part of the country. Vasaloppet in the beginning of March is the oldest, longest and largest cross-country ski race in the world. Ice hockey is a popular sport in winter. Many of the bays in the northern part of the country are frozen in winter, and it is possible to go ice yachting, or ice skating on the ice. Many lakes are also frozen, so ice fishing ("pimpelfiske") is quite popular.

Cities

Most Swedish cities are small compared to other European cities such as those in the United Kingdom and Germany. The largest city is Stockholm, with approx. 750.000 inhabitants, followed by Gothenburg with 493.000 and Malmö with 270,000.

Stockholm has been Sweden's capital since at least the 14th century. It is Sweden's metropolis, the centre of the parliament, government and media. Not only is its waterfront and adjacent Stockholm Archipelago one of a kind, but the old parts of Stockholm with its history and culture are spectacular in their own kind.

Gothenburg is a relatively recently built city dating from the 17th century, and is visited for its beauty, attractions, friendliness and shopping opportunities. According to a recent survey of Swedish media, Gothenburg was voted the most popular major city in Sweden. More than 60% of all Swedes would like to live in Gothenburg, which has a reputation of being even friendlier and more welcoming than the Swedish capital.

Malmö has recently emerged as the eastern part of the Oresund region, tied together with Copenhagen, Denmark, through the impressive Oresund Bridge. During the last 15 years, Malmö has been focusing more on culture, as it previously had a solid reputation as a working class city. The twisted skyscraper Turning Torso has become the new landmark, replacing the ship-crane at Kockums.

Other cities have solid places in Sweden's history:

* Uppsala became the seat of the Archbishop of Sweden in 1167, with Sweden's and Scandinavia's largest church building Uppsala Cathedral inaugurated in the 1440s. Uppsala also became the center of education in Sweden with the Uppsala University founded in 1477.

* Lund was among the cities belonging to Denmark until 1658. Previously, it had been the seat of Denmark's archbishop, in the city of Lund. In 1666, Lund was granted Sweden's second university, the Lund University, Scandinavia's largest.

Transportation

"See also: Transportation in Sweden"

The Swedish rail system is called SJ offering slower-speed trains throughout the country and the faster X2000 trains connecting the major cities. Connection by rail is possible to Norway, Denmark and to Finland by bus, due to rail gauge differences. It's possible to take the Silja and Viking Line boats from Stockholm to Helsinki, Finland, Rostock, Germany or Mariehamn island. Scandinavian Airlines System and other airlines provides access by air for longer trips.

See also

*Culture of Sweden
*Tourism in Norway
*Tourism in Finland
*Tourism in Denmark

External links

* [http://www.visitsweden.com/ VisitSweden.com] - Official page for travel and tourism information
* [http://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/ Smorgasbord] - Comprehensive info in English about Sweden, Swedish provinces, nature, culture, lifestyle, society and industry