Swedes claim quiet reserve but their landscape is up for eye-catching display – northern forests stalked by wolves, a centre mixing fairy-tale cottages and bears, and Baltic shores dotted with prehistoric standing stones and medieval ruins. Celebrate Sweden's principle of Allemansrätt – the right to roam freely, from Bohuslän's 8000-island archipelago to snowy taiga lit by Northern Lights.
There's plentiful culture too, far beyond the museums and galleries of Stockholm and Gothenburg. In the north, the Sami's ancient Arctic lifestyle has been reinvigorated through distinctive arts. Fans of epic castles can marvel at the Renaissance Gripsholm, medieval Bohus, or austere Ekwtorps amid the UNESCO-celebrated archaeological treasures of Oland. Uppsala and Lund are university towns demanding close study, while Visby on the idyllic island of Gotland is one of the world's finest medieval towns. My own secret place? The glass-making region of Småland and its world-class Glass Museum in Växjö. See you there!
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In the extreme north of Sweden, 180kms inside the Arctic Circle, hides the last remote wilderness of Lapland. Arriving here you will experience the unique home of the Sámi people and the Kings Trail. The winter snowshoe expedition starts in Abisko, home to one of Sweden’s oldest National Parks, and is one of the best places to view the Aurora.
