For City Slickers
Visitors never run out of options in Stockholm because Sweden’s capital is always changing, adding new museums, galleries, shops and restaurants to the mix of modern and historic sites. Active travelers can stay busy walking or cycling around town, canoeing or kayaking in the archipelago, or enjoying an “overview” in a hot air balloon. When it’s time to relax, Stockholm’s spas are the place to go. Centralbadet and Sturebadet are full-service day spas in the city center. Hasseludden, a one-of-a-kind, Japanese-inspired destination spa, is minutes from central Stockholm. More at stockholmtown.com
For Food Lovers
Swedish cuisine is gaining prominence on the world scene as Swedish chefs continue to collect Michelin stars and gold medals at the World Culinary Olympics and other international competitions. In addition to sampling the gourmet cuisine in Stockholm and Gothenburg, food lovers seeking a real taste of Sweden must visit the regions of Skåne and West Sweden. Explore Skåne’s culinary offerings through Culinary Skåne, a consortium of 26 restaurants all preparing local cuisine of the highest quality. Vastsvensk Mersmak is a similar consortium of top-notch restaurants in West Sweden. Both can point visitors toward excellent restaurants and cafés at a variety of price levels, culinary tour packages and cooking classes. More at culinaryskane.com and west-sweden.com
For (Golf Club) Swingers
Golf is enormously popular in Sweden. What else would you expect from the nation that brought you professional tour champions Jesper Parnevik and Annika Sorenstam? You’ll find more than 400 golf courses in Sweden – 50 around Stockholm and 70 in Skåne alone. In summer you can even head up north and play all night long by the light of the Midnight Sun.
To find “pay & play” courses in the Stockholm area, visit stockholmgolf.se
In Skåne, the Golf in Skåne group includes 12 courses ideal for visitors, where you can book travel packages, reserve tee times up to four months in advance of your visit, receive PGA-caliber instruction, and find lodging, conference facilities and fine local restaurants nearby. More info at skanegolf.com
For Outdoor Adventurers
Sweden cherishes its natural surroundings. Our vast network of wilderness trails will keep hikers, walkers and cross-country skiers happy for miles. But for an adventure sure to start your heart pumping, spend a night or two at the world-famous Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Lapland. Yes, it is indeed made of ice – rebuilt every autumn. And yes, you can sleep there in comfort, bundled in customized thermal bedding.
In summer, when the ice is gone, the Icehotel offers guests comfortable cabin-style lodging and exciting outdoor adventure tours – whale watching, whitewater rafting and more – in Sweden’s unspoiled north. More at icehotel.com
For Art & Design Lovers
Wherever you travel in Sweden you will find museums, galleries and boutiques that showcase the latest in Swedish home furnishing, fashion and jewelry design. Yet within Sweden’s great design tradition, there’s a special place reserved for Swedish glass. Everyone knows the names of Orrefors and Kosta Boda glassworks, but they’re just the start.
Discover the wonders of Swedish glass production in Glasriket – The Kingdom of Crystal. This rural region in the southeast is a splendid getaway spot, easy to reach from Stockholm (and even from Copenhagen), ideal for a weekend journey. Spend a day or two touring the region’s 14 glass factories, trying your hand at glassblowing, etching or painting, and perhaps shopping for a special souvenir. More at glasriket.se
