Sweden

Sweden is a large country whose sense of space is perhaps its best feature. Away from the relatively densely populated south, travelling without seeing another person is not uncommon. The south and southwest of the country are flat holiday lands, and play host to some historic ports, Gothenburg, Helsingborg and Malmö. Off the southeast coast, the Baltic islands of Öland and Gotland are the country's most famous resorts, and with good reason, supporting a lazy beach-life to match that of the best southern European spots but without the hotel blocks and crowds. Stockholm, the capital, is of course the country's supreme attraction, a bundle of islands which has fine museums and the country's most active culture and nightlife. The two university towns, Uppsala and Lund, are worth a visit too, going northwards, Gävle, Gällivare and Kiruna, all make justified demands on your time. Going further north, this area, central and northern Sweden, is the country of tourist brochures: great swathes of forest, inexhaustible it consists of aprox 96,000 lakes and some of the best wilderness hiking in Europe. Two train routes link it with the south. The eastern run, close to the Bothnian coast, passes old wood-built towns and planned new ones, and ferry ports for connections to Finland. In the centre, the trains of the Inlandsbanan strike off through lakelands and mountains, clearing reindeer off the track as they go. Both routes meet in Sweden's far north, the home of the Same, the oldest indigenous Scandinavian people.

Hostels and Accomodation

There's an excellent network of youth hostels and campsites in Sweden. Practically every Swedish town and village has a campsite, and camping is a pleasant alternative to hostels during the summer, but if you don't fancy shelling out for a pitch, Swedish law allows you to camp rough without permission, as long as you don't make a nuisance of yourself. The biggest choice lies with the country's huge chain of youth hostels, operated by the Svenska Turistföreningen, Drottninggatan 31-33, Stockholm (08/4632100). There are 280 hostels in the country, usually with single and double rooms too. Virtually all, like most Scandinavian countries have well-equipped self-catering kitchens and serve a buffet breakfast. Prices are low (70kr-125kr); nonmembers pay an extra 35kr a night. The STF publish a comprehensive handbook for 95kr, available from hostels, tourist offices and large bookshops. Always ring ahead in the summer, and bear in mind that hostels usually close between 10am and 5pm, with curfews around midnight.
Use our Hostel Booking form to book your hostel.

Places to See

Gothenberg is the place to go for a taste of student radicalism. The scruffy cafés and restaurants around Haga Nygatan and Linnégatan are not only cheap, but have a caffein-fuelled political effervecence rare in modern Europe.

Inlandsbanan Sweden is blessed with two excellent train journies: the Inlandsbanan that wends its way from Östersund through picturesque Dalarna to Gällivare in the Arctic Circle, and the train which goes from Gällivare through the mountains to Narvik in Norway - a truly breathtaking experience.

Lund is the most laid-back, eccentric city of Sweden's south. Its twelfth-century cathedral drips with atmosphere - legend has it that the stone figures that grip the pillars in the crypt are the mythological Finn the Giant and his wife, frozen as they tried to tear the building down.

Stockholm Gamla Stan , or old town, which is made up of three islands, is home to the Royal Palace, Stockholm Cathedral and the Melditsmuseum, which has historical reconstructions of the city in its medieval underground tunnels.

The ferry from Stockholm to Turku in Finland is legendary in Europe. It is known as the "party boat", it is full of Swedes and Finns hell bent on getting as drunk as possible, duty free. Do not attempt this trip sober, or with your mother :-)

Visby, capital of the wild Baltic island of Gotland, was one of medieval Europe's most powerful cities. Now it throbs with young Swedes set to party - but not far beyond its crumbling city walls are wonderful stretches of empty beach and unexplored countryside.

Ystad, on the south coast, has to be Sweden's prettiest town, with its seventeenth- and eighteenth-century pastel buildings are set along narrow, cobbled streets. In fact, apart from the busy international harbour, there are few modern eyesores.

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