- Tourism in Sweden
Sweden is mostly visited by tourists from its neighbouring countries
Denmark ,Norway andFinland . Thereafter follow tourists fromGermany and theUnited Kingdom .A popular route for German tourists is to go by train from southern Sweden, through the
European route s, 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 in2006 . Fact|date=May 2008Travel 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 andHovgården on the islandsBjörkö andAdelsö inMälaren near Stockholm.
*The Church Village ofGammelstad ,Luleå , northern Sweden.
*Drottningholm Palace , Theatre, and Royal Domain
*Engelsberg Ironworks
*The Hanseatic town ofVisby
*The "High Coast" ofÅngermanland
*Laponian area ,Swedish Lapland , northern Sweden.
*The Mining Area of theGreat Copper Mountain inFalun
*The Naval Port ofKarlskrona
*Rock carving s inTanumshede
*Skogskyrkogården inStockholm 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 andVänern . 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 isKebnekaise 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 andVemdalen , 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 goice yachting , or ice skating on the ice. Many lakes are also frozen, soice 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 byGothenburg with 493.000 andMalmö 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 withCopenhagen , Denmark, through the impressiveOresund 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 skyscraperTurning Torso has become the new landmark, replacing the ship-crane atKockums .Other cities have solid places in Sweden's history:
*
Uppsala became the seat of theArchbishop of Sweden in 1167, with Sweden's and Scandinavia's largest church buildingUppsala Cathedral inaugurated in the 1440s. Uppsala also became the center of education in Sweden with theUppsala 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 ofLund . In 1666, Lund was granted Sweden's second university, theLund 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 toFinland by bus, due torail gauge differences. It's possible to take the Silja andViking Line boats from Stockholm toHelsinki ,Finland ,Rostock ,Germany orMariehamn 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
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