Sights in Sweden: The Best Places to Visit

Sweden is the fifth-largest country in Europe, and its sights are spread far and wide: royal palaces and museums in the capital, medieval towns on the Baltic, rocky coastlines in the west and wilderness in the north. This overview presents the most important destinations from south to north and links to our detailed pages.

Stockholm and surroundings

• Gamla stan: the old town with narrow lanes, the Royal Palace and the Stortorget square.
• Vasa Museum: home to the almost completely preserved warship Vasa, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. One of the most visited museums in Scandinavia.
• Skansen: the world’s oldest open-air museum, with historic buildings from all over Sweden and Nordic animals.
• Drottningholm Palace: residence of the royal family and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reachable by boat from the city centre.
• Stadshuset: the City Hall, where the Nobel Banquet is held every year.
• The archipelago: thousands of islands right on the city’s doorstep.

More: Stockholm and Uppsala, home to the largest cathedral in Scandinavia.

Southern Sweden

• Malmö: the twisting Turning Torso skyscraper, the old town and views of the Øresund Bridge. See Malmö.
• Lund: a Romanesque cathedral and one of the oldest universities in Northern Europe. See Lund.
• Ales stenar: a ship-shaped stone setting high above the Baltic near Ystad.
• Kalmar Castle: one of the best-preserved Renaissance castles in the Nordic region.
• Öland: windmills, the ruins of Borgholm Castle and the Stora Alvaret limestone plain, part of a World Heritage Site. See Öland.
• The Kingdom of Crystal and Astrid Lindgren’s World: the two big attractions in Småland.

Western Sweden

• Gothenburg: the Liseberg amusement park, the Haga district and the Feskekôrka fish market. See Gothenburg.
• Bohuslän: fishing villages such as Smögen and Fjällbacka, and the island of Marstrand.
• Rock carvings in Tanum: Bronze Age images, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Göta Canal: the historic waterway across the country with its flights of locks, for example at Berg.
• Läckö Castle: a white Baroque castle on a peninsula in Lake Vänern.

Gotland

• Visby: a Hanseatic town with a completely preserved town wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Raukar: bizarre limestone stacks along the coasts, especially on Fårö.

Central Sweden

• Falun Copper Mine: a show mine and World Heritage Site in Dalarna.
• Lake Siljan: the heart of Swedish folk culture, with the towns of Mora, Rättvik and Leksand.
• Höga Kusten: the High Coast, with steep cliffs, red fishing villages and Skuleskogen National Park. Since the Ice Age, the land here has risen more than anywhere else.
• Åre: the country’s best-known mountain village, for hiking in summer and skiing in winter.

Northern Sweden and Lapland

• Abisko National Park: starting point of the Kungsleden trail and one of the best places to see the northern lights.
• Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi: rebuilt from ice every winter.
• Kiruna: the town that is relocating because of iron ore mining.
• Laponia: a World Heritage area including the Sarek and Padjelanta national parks.
• Gammelstad Church Town near Luleå: hundreds of small wooden houses around a medieval church, also a World Heritage Site.

Planning tips

• Don’t underestimate the distances. From Malmö to Kiruna it is around 1,900 kilometres.
• For a first trip of one to two weeks, focusing on one region makes more sense than trying to see the whole country.
• Many museums are closed on Mondays, and opening hours are shorter outside the summer season.
• Nature is freely accessible and free of charge, national parks included.

For an overview of all places, see Cities and Regions and the Map of Sweden.