Sweden: Introduction

Essentially, to the outsider, Sweden can come across as a land split in two: on the one hand, there is the densely populated throb of the bigger cities, thriving on a 24-hour culture of bars, restaurants, style and culture, in stark comparison to areas so sparsely populated and vast that it is possible to travel for quite some time without seeing another soul. But within those halves, Sweden has something to offer everyone. Heading south offers historic ports like Gothenburg, Helsingborg and Malmo, not to mention the Baltic islands of Oland and Gotland which boast some of the best beach spots around. Head north, taking in central Sweden along the way, and you’ll find a land of forest, lakes, wilderness and urban sophistication. Sweden’s landscape means that you can pretty much have any kind of holiday you like, whether it’s skiing, a beach holiday, hiking through is mountainous terrain, camping in its fairytale woods or getting knee-deep in snow in Lapland. But if that all sounds a little too adventurous, Sweden’s thoroughly modern cities are a must for anyone keen on modern design, shopping, and dining. Ostermalm, Stockholm’s answer to London’s Knightsbridge, and the Nordiska Kompaniet department store contribute to Stockholm’s reputation as a shopper’s paradise, while areas like Gamla Stan (the Old Town), add to the city’s cultural aspects in the form of the Royal Palace and museums like Nobelmuseet (the Nobel Museum). On the west coast, Sweden’s second city of Gothenburg, offers a plethora of Michelin starred restaurants, Liseberg (Northern Europe’s largest and most beautiful amusement park), and Nordstan; Sweden’s largest shopping centre, which has around 150 stores and boutiques. If you want to sample Swedish city life on a slightly smaller scale, then Malmo has it all. Malmo offers both ancient and new in the form of buildings which date back to the 1500s, and shopping treats courtesy of Swedish furniture and fashion designers like Kitsch and Meloa, Begar and Tjallamalla.