Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force.
A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars.
Sweden is a large, geographically varied and strangely little-known country whose sense of space is one of its best features. Away from the relatively densely populated south, travelling without seeing a soul is not uncommon. The west coast harbours a host of historic ports - Gothenburg , Helsingborg and Malmö , which is now linked by bridge to Copenhagen.
Stockholm , the capital, is the country's supreme attraction, a bundle of islands housing monumental architecture, fine museums and the country's most active culture and nightlife.
Central and northern Sweden, is the country of tourist brochures: great swathes of forest, inexhaustible lakes - around 96,000 - 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.
Transportation in Sweden
By Car: Traffic drives on the right. Sweden’s roads are well-maintained and relatively uncrowded, but watch out for animals crossing the road in remote areas. Severe fines and sometimes prison sentences are imposed on drivers over the alcohol limit (0.02 per cent). There are on-the-spot fines for traffic offences. The use of dipped headlights is compulsory in the daytime for cars and motorcycles.
By Rail: The excellent and extensive rail system is run by Swedish State Railways (SJ). The network is more concentrated in the populated south where hourly services run between the main cities, but routes extend to the forested and sparsely populated lake area of the north, which is a scenic and popular holiday destination. Restaurant cars and sleepers are provided on many trains. Reservations are essential for most express services. Motorail car-sleeper services are operated during the summer on the long-distance routes from Malmö, Gothenburg and Västerås to Kiruna and Luleå.
By Ferry: Ferry crossings to Sweden from Finland, The Baltic States, Poland, Germany, Denmark, England and Norway.
By Air: An increasing number of direct flights from the UK to Sweden are now available. There are flights from Edinburgh, all the main London airports, as well as Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow. Increasing competition between the airlines means that special cut-price fares to Sweden are often available.
Swedens national airline is SAS Scandinavian Airlines System and the major airports are Arlanda (Stockholm) and Landvetter (Gothenburg). SAS serves over 30 local airports for domestic flights.
The university town 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.
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.
Gothenburg, on the west coast, is often likened to San Francisco because, like the American city, this west-coast location has plenty of bridges, hills, water, trams and seafood restaurants. Gothenburg 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.
Visit the worlds first open air museum, Skansen in Stockholm, where buildings and surroundings has been transported from all over Sweden to create a historic miniature Sweden. It’s inhabited by people in historic dresses who will tell you about life and traditions of the building and the people who used it.
Made up of three islands, Stockholm's Gamla Stan, or old town, is home to the Royal Palace, Stockholm Cathedral and the Medeltidsmuseum, which has historical reconstructions of the city in its medieval underground tunnels.
To the west, folklorish Dalarna County is the most picturesque region, with sweeping green countryside and inhabitants who maintain a cultural heritage (echoed in contemporary handicrafts and traditions) that goes back to the Middle Ages. This is the place to spend midsummer, particularly Midsummer's Night when the whole region erupts in a frenzy of celebration.
JUKKASJÄRVI 17km east of Kiruna in north Sweden is the site of what's effectively the world's largest igloo, the Ice Hotel built every year by the side of the Torneälven river in late October, from when it stands proudly until it melts in May.
Main Attractions
The Kingdom of Crystal
There are 11 glassworks in the Kingdom of Crystal, all located within a short distance of each other in south eastern Sweden in the Småland counties of Kronoberg and Kalmar. These include several of the most famous glassworks in the world which offers visitors a wide range of enjoy-able sights and shopping in a genuine historical setting. It is one of Sweden's most popular tourist attractions.
The Ice Hotel, Northern Lights and the Midnight Sun (Jukkasjärvi)
This is the place with the longest winter in Sweden, characterised by bitter cold, metre upon metre of snow, the magical Northern lights and lakes and rivers covered with a thick layer of ice. The ski slopes open as early as October - the perfect place for an ice hotel. In summertime it is an ideal spot to witness the phenomenal "midnight sun" when for 7 weeks between May 27th and July 14th, the sun literally doesn't set.
Skansen Museum (Stockholm)
If you want to know about Swedish history and you want a day out you should visit the worlds first open air museum, Skansen, where buildings and surroundings has been transported from all over Sweden to create a historic miniature Sweden. It’s inhabited by people in historic dresses who will tell you about life and traditions of the building and the people who used it.
Gamla Stan (The old town, Stockholm)
Gamla Stan is the medieval part of the city where narrow alleys and its very specific atmosphere make way for art exhibition rooms, plenitude of restaurants and a pleasant shopping time as well as sight-seeing such as the Royal Palace, and the Stockholm Cathedral.
Liseberg Amusement Park (Gothenburg)
Liseberg in Gothenburg is the biggest amusement park in Scandinavia and has something for everyone with it´s 35 attractions, it´s entertainment and all restaurants and pubs. Right next to Liseberg you find Sweden’s national science discovery centre -Universeum, where you can explore the natural sciences and technology - everything from sharks and rainforest to high-tech and hands-on experiments.
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