Tourism in Sweden
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Nature and the Swedish summer
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 very many lakes and forests, and it is very good for fishing and canoeing. There are several large lakes, including lakes Vättern and Vänern. 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 is Kebnekaise 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 there is an Ice Hotel 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 and Vemdalen, 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 go ice yachting, or ice skating on the ice. Many lakes are also frozen, so ice fishing (pimpelfiske) is quite popular.
Cities
See also: Tourism in Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital of Sweden, and information about tourism there can be found in tourism in Stockholm. Other cities in Sweden worth visiting include Gothenburg, Lund, Malmö and Uppsala.
Transportation
See also: Transportation in Sweden
The Swedish rail system is called SJ and is quite excellent, offering slower-speed trains throughout the country and the faster X2000 trains connecting the major cities. Connection by rail is possible to Norway and Denmark, and to Finland by bus, due to rail gauge differences. It's possible to take the Silja and Viking Line boats from Stockholm to Helsinki, Finland, Rostock, Germany or Mariehamn island. Scandinavian Airlines System and other airlines provides access by air for longer trips.
See also
- Provinces of Sweden
- Culture of Sweden
- Tourism
- Tourism in Norway
- Tourism in Finland
- Tourism in Denmark
- List of popular tourist regions
External Links
- The Swedish Travel and Tourism Council (http://www.visit-sweden.com/) - Official site
- Life in Sweden (http://awcstockholm.org/sweden.htm) - American Women's Club has a lot of information about life in Sweden. Mostly oriented towards expatriates (those moving to Sweden), but a lot of information about Swedish culture which can be useful.
- Smorgasbord (http://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/) - Comprehensive info in English about Sweden, Swedish provinces, nature, culture, lifestyle, society and industry
- Swedish-English Dictionary (http://www-lexikon.nada.kth.se/skolverket/swe-eng.shtml) - Swedish Dictionary by The Swedish Schoolnet