4 Destinations to Visit in Northern Sweden
Despite many people in Sweden living in the central area of the country around Stockholm or other major cities, there are hidden treasures in the northern side of the country.
Here are my top travel picks in Northern Sweden;
- Swedish Lapland, Kiruna.
This is probably the major highlight of the article. It is not a trip to Sweden without experiencing the beautiful northern lights.
The phenomenon is visible from the months of early September to the end of March.
With the northern lights out of the way here are some other fun activities and places to visit in the Swedish Lapland;
- Interact with indigenous Sámi people.
- Paddle
- Fishing
- Hike in Arjeplog or the Kungsleden Trail (King’s trail),
- Horse ride in the forest
- Explore the forest of Storforen
It might be difficult especially for a lone traveler to find accommodation in these areas because major cities and towns in Sweden are not in the northern part.
However, you can utilize services offered by travel companies to find accommodation. Do not sign up for traveling services without reading reviews to get the best and save money for your travels.
Read independent reviews from Swedish travelers available at OmdömesStälle.
If you still need further help to find a company, you may read some customer feedback about Trivago. Gauge whether their traveling services are worth the pricing and if not there are still other companies that offer similar services.
- Gävle
Gävle is the largest city in Northern Sweden. The city has over 70,000 inhabitants.
It has the perfect mix of both modern and traditional Scandinavian living.
There are numerous museums all across the city and some of the most popular ones are;
- Swedish Railway Museum– A locomotive exhibit for railways and it is one of the largest in the world.
- Gävle Swedish prison museum- Historical museum that was once a Swedish prison. It attracts many tourists who visit the city.
- Gävle Theater- It is the perfect location for an entertaining Saturday evening. You’ll get to view numerous performances.
Apart from the museums, you can explore some of the family-friendly parks such as;
- Furovik Park (with carnival and arcade zoo)
- Boulognerskogen City Park
- Limon IslandGävle’s beautiful city park
- Moose Park Kybacka
Sweden being the top country in Europe with the most golf courses you can make it an activity of yours to play golf at least in one of them.
- Sundsvall, Medelpad
Founded in 1621, Sundvall, Medepad, is the perfect travel location for anybody looking to travel in the North but remain within close range to the town life.
A 3 hour 49 minutes drive from Stockholm, being the nearest city to the town compared to other major cities in the Northern.
What makes the city very unique apart from its history is that the city was built from Stone after the Great fire of 1888 which left the city burnt to the ground.
What I like about the city is that you can get many forms of entertainment through parks, malls, shopping centers and strolls in the town and a little bit outside the city you, can also get to enjoy a robust experience in nature.
Some of the activities to do within the city include;
- Attend the dragon parade in May
- Visit the Gustav Adolfs Church
- Visit the Sundvall Museum
- Get on a shopping spree at Birsta City
- Take a walk at the Klampenborg Naturreservat
Exploration activities outside the city;
- Swim in the Alnö volcanic Island (referred to as the Hawaii of northern Sweden)
- Ski at the Södra berget hill.
- Hike at the Norra Stadsberget, a hill to the North of the city.
- Abisko National Park Kiruna
Abisko national park in Kiruna is a whole different adventure on its own.
It is one of the most preserved parks in the country and it dates back to 1909.
Close to it is the small town of Narvik. You can interact with the beautiful villages around the area and experience a taste of the Sámi life.
It is the perfect location for a hike what winter activities like sledding with huskies, snow flying, or ice fishing. The northern lights are visible from the park too.
