Gothenburg and Malmφ beckon with urban delights, and away from the cities, Sweden takes in vast areas of scenic coastline and idyllic islands. The wilderness areas of Norrland have the legendary midnight sun in summer, Arctic Scandinavia's highest mountain and marvellous hiking trails.
STOCKHOLM
● When To Go
If you want sunshine, visit between late May and late July, bearing in mind
that August can be both hot and wet. Many youth hostels, camping grounds and
attractions open only in summer, from late June to mid-August. Swedes are
big on holidays, and even Stockholm shuts down for two or three days around
Christmas and midsummer, so plan accordingly. Most Swedes take their
vacations from late June to mid-August, so hostels are crowded, but this is
also when most hotels offer discounts of up to 50%.
Travel in winter is somewhat restricted and requires some planning as well
as serious winter clothing, but there are good opportunities for activities
like skiing, dogsledding and snowmobiling. The big cities are in full swing
all year, but the smaller towns almost go into hibernation when the
temperatures begin to drop (the notable exceptions being popular ski resort
towns like Εre, and Jukkasjδrvi, home to the Ice Hotel).