Sweden Travel Guide: Counties, Costs, Food and Getting There

Sweden is a Nordic country of 450,295 km² (173,860 sq mi) and about 10.6 million people, the largest and most populous of the Nordic countries and the fifth-largest in Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north and Finland to the east, and a bridge and tunnel across the Öresund connect it to Denmark. The currency is the Swedish krona, not the euro, which catches out a lot of visitors who assume EU membership means euros. This guide covers the 21 counties, how to get in, what it costs, what to eat and when to go.

Sweden quick facts

Sweden’s basic facts are listed below, and they are the ones that change how you plan a trip.

• Size: 450,295 km² (173,860 sq mi)
• Population: about 10.6 million, with 88% living in urban areas
• Capital: Stockholm
• Government: parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy
• National day: 6 June
• Time zone: Central European Time, UTC+1, moving to UTC+2 in summer
• Currency: Swedish krona (SEK). Sweden is in the EU but kept its own currency.
• Power: 230 V, socket types C and F. Bring a universal travel adapter if your plugs do not match.
• Language: Swedish is the official language, English is spoken almost everywhere, and Finnish, Meänkieli, Sámi, Romani and Yiddish are recognised national minority languages
• Driving side: right
• Phone code: +46
• Vaccinations: none required
• Tap water: safe to drink and generally excellent

Sweden’s 21 counties

Sweden is divided into 21 counties, each with a county administrative board and a governor, and all but Gotland also have an elected regional council. They are listed below from the capital northwards and then south, which is roughly how most trips are built.

1. Stockholm

Stockholm County holds more than a fifth of Sweden’s population and the capital itself, spread across 14 islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic. Gamla Stan is the medieval core, and the archipelago of some 30,000 islands starts at the quayside. Summer is the season for cycling the city and taking a boat out. See the four-day Stockholm itinerary for a worked plan, and the Stockholm guide for what to see.

2. Västerbotten

Västerbotten runs from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Norwegian border in northern Sweden, and its capital and largest city is Umeå. Southern Lapland lies here, part of the Sámi homeland. Hemavan in the western mountains is the main ski resort, and winter sports are the reason most visitors come.

3. Norrbotten

Norrbotten is Sweden’s northernmost county, bordering Norway and Finland, and it holds Kebnekaise, the country’s highest mountain at the head of the Nikkaluokta valley. The Laponia World Heritage area covers several national parks and remains a working Sámi reindeer-herding landscape. Dog sledding, hiking, skiing and northern-lights watching are what the county sells.

4. Uppsala

Uppsala County sits directly north of Stockholm and shares the same Baltic shoreline, with forest inland and farmland in between. Uppsala itself is a university city with a cathedral, and Carl Linnaeus’s botanical garden is here. The Lennakatten heritage railway runs out of the city in summer.

5. Södermanland

Södermanland lies southwest of Stockholm around lake shores and the Baltic coast, with Nyköping as its capital. Stockholm Skavsta Airport is here, which is why budget flights labelled “Stockholm” often land 100 km from the city. Gripsholm Castle at Mariefred and Tullgarn Palace are the two big houses.

6. Östergötland

Östergötland is on the southeast coast, with lakes, farmland and a long industrial history in quarrying and textiles. Its twin cities, Linköping and Norrköping, form one of Sweden’s larger urban areas. Omberg, the wooded ridge on the shore of Lake Vättern, has the walking and the views.

7. Jönköping

Jönköping County stretches south from Lake Vättern across the highest ground in southern Sweden, a landscape of lakes and forest. The city of Jönköping sits at the lake’s southern tip. Nature reserves and small museums are what fill a visit here rather than headline attractions.

8. Kronoberg

Kronoberg is rolling woodland and marsh in southern Sweden, with Växjö as its capital and lakes including Åsnen, now a national park. It is also glass country, the Kingdom of Crystal, where the old glassworks run tours. The IKEA Museum sits in Älmhult, in the company’s original store.

9. Kalmar

Kalmar County covers a strip of the southeast mainland and the island of Öland, joined by a 6 km (3.7 mi) bridge. Kalmar Castle guards the sound, Borgholm Castle on Öland is a roofless ruin, and Solliden nearby is the royal family’s summer house. Öland’s limestone plain, the Stora Alvaret, is a World Heritage site.

10. Gotland

Gotland is Sweden’s largest island and the only county without a regional council, sitting well out in the Baltic. Visby, its capital, is a walled Hanseatic town and a World Heritage site. Ferries run from Nynäshamn and Oskarshamn, and there are flights; cycling is how most people get round the island.

11. Blekinge

Blekinge is Sweden’s smallest county, a stretch of southern coast and archipelago covering under 1% of the country. Karlskrona, its naval city founded in the late 17th century, is a World Heritage site for its intact naval architecture. Cycling, sea kayaking and fishing are the rest of it.

12. Skåne

Skåne is Sweden’s southernmost county and holds roughly 13% of the population on about 3% of the land, surrounded by water on three sides. Malmö, its capital, is Sweden’s third-largest city, and the Öresund Bridge links it to Copenhagen as the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe. Castles, beaches and a serious restaurant scene are the draws.

13. Halland

Halland runs along the Kattegat on the west coast, with long smooth beaches and salmon rivers. Varberg Fortress, a medieval stronghold later used as a prison, looks out over the sea, and Halmstad is the county capital with its 17th-century castle. Vallåsen on the Hallandsåsen ridge is the local ski hill.

14. Västra Götaland

Västra Götaland is Sweden’s second-largest county by population and its capital is Gothenburg, the country’s second city and main port. Liseberg is the amusement park everyone goes to, the Haga district has the cafés, and the Bohuslän coast north of the city is granite islands and seafood. The Göta Canal starts here.

15. Värmland

Värmland sits in west-central Sweden on the Norwegian border, forested and scattered with more than 10,000 lakes. The Klarälven, Sweden’s longest river, runs through it, and timber-rafting down it is the county’s signature trip. Lake Vänern, the largest lake in the EU, forms its southern edge, and Glaskogen is the nature reserve for walking.

16. Örebro

Örebro County is central Sweden, with lakes, forest and the Kilsbergen ridge for walking. Örebro city is built round a castle on an island in the river. Gustavsvik, the big water park on the edge of town, has been running since 1963 and is a reliable wet-day answer.

17. Västmanland

Västmanland lies in central Sweden with a shoreline on Mälaren, Sweden’s third-largest lake, and a history in mining and iron. Västerås is the county capital, on the lake. Sala silver mine, where you can go 155 m underground and stay the night in the deepest hotel room in the world, is the standout.

18. Dalarna

Dalarna is the county foreigners picture when they picture Sweden: red cottages, the painted Dala horse, Lake Siljan and midsummer poles. It runs from farmland up to the Norwegian border mountains, with Sälen and Idre for skiing, snowmobiling and dog sledding. The Vasaloppet ski race finishes at Mora.

19. Gävleborg

Gävleborg sits on the Baltic coast north of Uppsala, flat along the shore and rising to wooded highland inland, with Gävle as its capital. The Voxnan, Gävleån and Dalälven rivers run through it and drive hydroelectric power. Järvsö is one of the more southerly ski areas, and Hamra National Park protects old-growth forest.

20. Västernorrland

Västernorrland is heavily forested northern coast, with Sundsvall as its largest city and county capital. Its reason to visit is the Höga Kusten, the High Coast World Heritage site, where land is still rising after the last ice age. Skuleberget rises 294 m above the sea and the highest old shoreline sits at 286 m, which is the highest anywhere on earth.

21. Jämtland

Jämtland is central Sweden’s mountain county, holding about 1.5% of the national population and some of the emptiest land in Europe. Östersund on Lake Storsjön is the county capital, and Åre is Sweden’s biggest ski resort. Åre Östersund Airport makes it a short hop from Stockholm.

How to get to Sweden

Flying into Stockholm or Gothenburg is the usual way in, with trains from Denmark and Norway and ferries from six countries as the alternatives. The routes are below.

Entry requirements for Sweden

Sweden is in the Schengen area, so EU nationals crossing from another Schengen country need no passport check, and British, American, Australian and Canadian passport holders get 90 days in any 180 without a visa. British citizens need a passport, since the UK is outside Schengen.

Check that your passport has at least six months left and two blank pages. Visa-free visitors will also need an ETIAS authorisation once that scheme starts, so check the EU’s own page for the current date before booking.

Trains to Sweden

Trains from Denmark are the easiest way into Sweden, crossing the Öresund Bridge from Copenhagen to Malmö in about 35 minutes with departures several times an hour. Copenhagen Airport has its own station on the Swedish side of the check-in hall, which makes it a practical gateway for southern Sweden.

From Norway, Oslo to Stockholm takes around six hours and Oslo to Gothenburg around four. There is no rail link from Finland that avoids a long detour through Lapland, so fly or take the ferry instead. To compare rail and coach fares across Europe in one search, Omio covers the operators that serve Sweden.

Coaches to Sweden

Coaches from Norway and Denmark are the cheapest way in, and FlixBus runs most of the routes after absorbing Swebus, which was Sweden’s largest express coach operator. Journeys from Oslo and Copenhagen are long but the fares are a fraction of the train.

There is no direct coach from Finland, because the Gulf of Bothnia is in the way everywhere except the far north. Omio sells coach tickets alongside rail, which saves checking two sites.

Ferries to Sweden

Ferries reach Sweden from Finland, Åland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Germany, Denmark and Norway, which makes the Baltic crossing a genuine option rather than a curiosity. The Helsinki and Turku to Stockholm overnight ferries are the classic routes, and the Turku crossing is the shorter one.

Stena Line, Tallink Silja, Viking Line and Finnlines run most of the traffic. Book ahead in summer if you are taking a car, because vehicle space sells out long before cabins do.

Flying to Sweden

Stockholm Arlanda is Sweden’s largest airport and handles well over 20 million passengers a year, with the Arlanda Express train running into Stockholm Central in about 20 minutes. Gothenburg Landvetter is the second-largest and serves the west coast.

Two smaller airports carry Stockholm’s name and are not in Stockholm: Bromma is genuinely close to the centre and mostly domestic, while Skavsta is roughly 100 km (62.1 mi) southwest near Nyköping. Check which one a cheap fare actually lands at. To compare flights and set price alerts, Trip.com covers most of the carriers flying into Sweden.

How to get around Sweden

Sweden’s rail network runs the length of the country, which makes trains the default for anything between cities. SJ operates the long-distance services, regional operators fill in around them, and the overnight train to Lapland is a trip in its own right. Coastal and archipelago ferries handle the islands, and domestic flights cover the north when you are short of days.

Driving is easy here: traffic is light, roads are well maintained, and distances are the only real obstacle. Winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 31 March whenever winter road conditions apply, and hire cars in Sweden come fitted with them. Watch for elk and reindeer at dawn and dusk in the north, because a collision at speed is serious. If you want the flexibility, hiring a car is the way to see Dalarna, Bohuslän or the far north properly.

What to pack for Sweden

Sweden’s seasons differ enough that summer and winter need two separate bags, and the north and south differ again. The Gulf Stream keeps the climate milder than the latitude suggests, but Arctic Sweden still drops below -30°C (-22°F) in a hard winter.

Snow covers the ground in the south from roughly December to April, and the first snow in the north often falls in October. Summer is short, bright and cool rather than hot.

What to pack for summer in Sweden

Summer in Sweden needs light clothing plus one warm layer, because evenings cool fast even in July. The summer list is below.

• Light clothing plus a fleece or jumper: for evenings and boat trips.
• Walking sandals: a pair of Teva Tirra sandals handles a city day and a trail.
• A reusable water bottle: Swedish tap water is excellent, so a refillable bottle is all you need.
• Hiking trousers: quick-drying ones, because the mosquitoes in the north are serious from June to August.
• Sunglasses and sun cream: the days are very long and the light off water is strong.
• A swimsuit: for lakes and the Baltic, both colder than they look.

What to pack for winter in Sweden

Winter in Sweden needs thin thermal layers under a windproof shell, plus footwear that handles ice rather than just cold. The winter list is below.

• Merino wool socks: merino socks stay warm when damp.
• A merino base layer: a long-sleeved merino top worn under everything.
• Merino leggings: merino leggings under trousers.
• Snow boots: insulated waterproof boots with a grip sole.
• A warm, waterproof and windproof jacket: the outer shell, and the item worth spending on.
• A hat, scarf and gloves: the three exposed points.

What to pack for spring and autumn in Sweden

Spring and autumn in Sweden both need layers, because the days swing between mild and near-freezing. Autumn is generally the better of the two for visiting, since spring runs late and wet in much of the country.

Pack a warm coat, a base layer and something waterproof, and treat October in the north as winter rather than autumn.

The best time to visit Sweden

May to September is the easiest window for a Sweden trip, north or south, with the most daylight, the least rain and everything open. July and August are the warmest and also when Swedes take their own holidays, so the coasts and the archipelago fill up.

What you want to see should override the general answer. For snow, aim for late November to March. For the midnight sun above the Arctic Circle, go in June or July. For the northern lights, late September to early April, on a clear night, well away from town.

What to eat in Sweden

Swedish food runs on bread, dairy, fish, pork and berries, and the ten things below are the ones to order.

• Kanelbulle: the cinnamon bun that fika, the coffee-and-cake break, is built around.
• Köttbullar: Swedish meatballs, served with cream sauce, lingonberries and pressed cucumber.
• Toast Skagen: prawns in dill mayonnaise with lemon and roe on fried bread.
• Räksmörgås: an open prawn sandwich, egg and mayonnaise, eaten as a full lunch.
• Gravlax and inlagd sill: cured salmon and pickled herring, the two standards of a Swedish buffet.
• Surströmming: fermented Baltic herring, not pickled, opened outdoors for reasons anyone downwind will confirm.
• Knäckebröd: crisp rye bread, eaten with cheese and butter at every meal.
• Västerbottensost: a hard, sharp cow’s cheese from the north, the one used in a summer pie.
• Gubbröra: chopped egg and anchovy with dill, spread on knäckebröd.
• Prinsesstårta: a dome of sponge, cream and jam under green marzipan.

Festivals and events in Sweden

Sweden’s calendar is built round light: bonfires in spring, a midsummer that stops the country, and candles in December. The main events are listed below.

• Valborg, nationwide (30 April): Walpurgis Night, marked with bonfires, choirs and student celebrations, most famously at Uppsala and Lund.
• Midsummer, nationwide (the Friday between 19 and 25 June): the biggest date in the Swedish year, with a flower-dressed maypole, herring, new potatoes and schnapps. Cities empty.
• Snöfestivalen, Kiruna (January): a snow-sculpting festival running since 1985, drawing carvers from abroad.
• Vasaloppet, Mora (March): a 90 km (55.9 mi) cross-country ski race finishing in Mora, with tens of thousands of skiers across the week.
• Medeltidsveckan, Visby (August): a week of medieval re-enactment inside Gotland’s walled town.
• Malmöfestivalen, Malmö (August): eight days of free music and street food across the city.
• Baltic Festival, Karlshamn (July): one of Sweden’s largest free festivals, with live bands and a parade.
• Classic Car Week, Rättvik (July into August): a large classic-car gathering on the shore of Lake Siljan.
• Stockholm International Film Festival (November): screenings across the city over a fortnight.
• Lucia, nationwide (13 December): candlelit processions and choral singing in churches, schools and workplaces at the darkest point of the year.

Public holidays in Sweden

Sweden’s public holidays are fixed by act of parliament, and two of the most important days in the Swedish year are not on the official list at all. The statutory holidays are below.

1. New Year’s Day: 1 January.
2. Epiphany, trettondedag jul: 6 January.
3. Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday: moveable, in March or April.
4. May Day, första maj: 1 May.
5. Ascension Day and Pentecost: moveable, in May or June.
6. National Day: 6 June.
7. Midsummer’s Day: the Saturday between 20 and 26 June.
8. All Saints’ Day: the Saturday between 31 October and 6 November.
9. Christmas Day and Boxing Day: 25 and 26 December.

Christmas Eve, Midsummer Eve and New Year’s Eve are not statutory holidays, and they are the days when the country actually shuts. Almost everything closes, public transport runs a Sunday timetable and restaurants take the day off, so plan around them as though they were holidays, because in practice they are.

Swedish customs and etiquette

Swedes are direct, understated and allergic to self-promotion, and the quickest way to misjudge the room is to boast or to argue loudly. Conversation is quieter than in most of Europe, queues are orderly and real, and personal space is generous.

Two practical habits matter. Take your shoes off inside a private home, always, and take a ticket from the machine when you enter a shop, pharmacy or post office rather than joining a line. Punctuality is expected and fika, the coffee break, is a social institution rather than a snack.

Where to stay in Sweden

Sweden’s accommodation runs from city hotels to STF hostels, mountain cabins and the allemansrätten right to camp almost anywhere for a night. The right of public access is the thing worth knowing: you may pitch a tent for one night on uncultivated land away from houses, which makes a walking trip far cheaper than the hotel prices suggest.

For apartments and cabins, which suit the countryside and longer stays, Vrbo has the better rural coverage. For hotels and guesthouses, Trip.com lets you filter on the things that matter here, which are breakfast, parking and whether the place is walkable from a station.

Basic Swedish phrases

English is spoken almost universally in Sweden, so these phrases are courtesy rather than necessity. The most useful ones are in the table below.

Is Sweden safe?

Sweden is a safe country to travel in, with low rates of the crime that affects visitors. Pickpocketing happens in Stockholm’s tourist areas and on crowded transport in summer, and that is the realistic risk rather than anything more serious.

The genuine hazards are environmental. Winter cold and ice cause more trouble for visitors than crime does, lakes and the Baltic stay cold enough for cold-water shock well into summer, and ticks in the forests carry disease from spring to autumn. Cover up after walking, and check yourself.

Cash, cards and prices in Sweden

Sweden is close to cashless, and a card or a phone will cover essentially your whole trip. Public transport is entirely cash-free, plenty of cafés and museums display “kontantfritt” signs, and Visa, Mastercard and American Express are all widely taken.

Prices are Nordic, which means high by European standards, with alcohol the sharpest difference because spirits and wine are sold only through the state monopoly Systembolaget. At rates of 10 September 2026, when €1 bought 11.20 SEK, 100 SEK was worth about €8.90 ($10.40, £7.70). Carry a small amount of cash for rural markets and nothing more.

Phones, WiFi and data in Sweden

An EU SIM works in Sweden at no extra cost, because EU roaming rules cover calls, texts and data. Coverage is good in the populated south and patchy in the mountains and the far north, so download offline maps before you head into Lapland.

If your SIM is not European, a data eSIM installs before you fly and needs no shop on arrival. Airalo sells day passes and monthly plans for Sweden, and the code HARRY5578 takes €3 (about $3.50, £2.60) off a first eSIM. Public WiFi is standard in hotels, cafés and on most long-distance trains.

Tipping in Sweden

Tipping is not expected in Sweden, because service is included in the price and staff are paid properly. Rounding up a restaurant bill is normal and anything beyond roughly 10% will be met with mild confusion.

Taxis, bars and hotels run on rounding up rather than percentages. For the full breakdown by service, see the tipping guide for Europe.

A brief history of Sweden

Sweden’s history runs from ice sheet to Viking expeditions to a Baltic empire and then to a modern welfare state that stayed out of two world wars. The land was under ice 14,000 years ago; by the early Iron Age the population had settled into farming, and between roughly 800 and 1050 AD Viking expeditions set out from Sweden to trade and raid along the Baltic and the Russian rivers.

The Black Death arrived in 1350 and set off a long decline. The Kalmar Union of 1397 put Denmark, Norway and Sweden under a single Danish crown, and Sweden broke out of it in 1523. The 17th century made Sweden a great power holding Finland, Baltic provinces and parts of Germany, until defeat in the Great Northern War from 1700 to 1721 stripped most of it away.

Industry developed fast between 1900 and 1930, and neutrality through both world wars left Sweden able to build one of Europe’s leading industrial economies afterwards. It joined the United Nations in 1946 and the European Union in 1995, opened the Öresund Bridge in 2000, and ended two centuries of formal non-alignment by joining NATO on 7 March 2024.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

Four things catch out most first-time visitors to Sweden, and they are listed in the order they are likely to affect you.

1. Sweden uses the krona, not the euro. EU membership did not bring the euro, and euro notes are not accepted. Cards work almost everywhere, and public transport takes no cash at all.
2. Christmas Eve, Midsummer Eve and New Year’s Eve are not official holidays and everything shuts anyway. They are absent from the statutory list, which is why calendars mislead visitors. Midsummer Eve empties the cities completely.
3. Check which Stockholm airport a cheap fare lands at. Skavsta is about 100 km (62.1 mi) from the city near Nyköping and Bromma is genuinely close in. Only Arlanda has the 20-minute express train.
4. Book the Baltic ferry before the cabin, if you are driving. Vehicle deck space on the Helsinki and Turku to Stockholm crossings sells out well before the cabins do in summer.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the first-hand notes in this post come from her summer trip to Stockholm. The team covers Sweden for independent travellers, including the tours, hotels and cabins, car hire and cold-weather gear worth booking across the country’s 21 counties, and updates this page when prices, dates and transport routes change.