The most beautiful places in Sweden for your bucket list

Welcome to this article with the most beautiful places in Sweden. When you say Sweden, you say nature. Sweden is filled with crystal clear lakes, forests, tiny red houses and endless landscapes. I first visited Sweden in 2007, when I went on a city trip to Stockholm. Since 2014 I have returned every year and in the summer of 2023 I decided to move to the north of Sweden.

In the meanwhile, I have traveled the country from all the way south to the far north many times, published several guidebooks about Sweden and turned it into my new home.

In this article I’ll share my most beautiful places in Sweden with you!

Note that this post was first published in 2020 and updated in 2024.

I will start this article with the most beautiful places in Southern Sweden. The south of Sweden is easily accessible by car from Denmark of Norway, or by ferry from Germany or Denmark. The south of Sweden is characterized by rolling hills, deep forests, rugged coastlines with hundreds of islands and the characteristic red houses on mirror-smooth lakes.

One of the big surprises of my road trip through the south of Sweden was my visit to Stenshuvud National Park, on the southeast coast of Sweden. The bright blue water and the white sand beaches looked almost tropical on a sunny day. I climbed the hills of the park for a beautiful view of the area, picked the first blueberries of the season (in July!) and enjoyed it immensely. Stenshuvud is not a large national park, in half a day you can visit all the highlights without any problems.

The islands at the Göteborg coastline

During my city trip to Gothenburg during the Easter weekend of 2017, I went out with a Swedish friend who lives here. She took me to the islet of Styrsö, located in the southern part of the Gothenburg archipelago. We took a hike here to Stora Rös, the highest point on the island and enjoyed a hot chocolate in one of the cafes. In summer it is a wonderful place to walk, swim or moor with your boat or canoe.

Fjällbacka is truly one of the most beautiful places in Sweden, it looks just like a postcard. The colorful houses on the archipelago of Bohuslän are very photogenic and unfortunately it’s also very busy and touristy in the summer. This does not mean that you shouldn’t visit Fjällbacka, however just be prepared that the quiet nature Sweden is well know for you will not find here. In Fjällbacka you can head to the beach or take a nice walk to the mountain top and gorge from the movie Ronja the Robber’s Daughter. Although busy I found Fjällbacka beautiful, although next time I would rather visit it outside the high season.

Småland

The Småland region is a relatively short drive away from the Netherlands. This is Sweden as you see Sweden on television. Red houses with white shutters, endless forests and numerous super smooth lakes. In Småland you can get lost on the endless hiking trails, go canoeing and wild camping on your own island, enjoy delicious food and visit the town of Växjö. Småland is actually Sweden for beginners, if you like it here, then you will undoubtedly enjoy the rest of Sweden too!

Vänervatten

An area that I only recently got to know was that around Lake Väner (the Vänervatten). With an area of over 5,000 square kilometers, this is the largest lake in Sweden. We spent some time here in the vicinity of Trolhättan and Vänersborg, which can easily be done from the Netherlands in one day driving via the bridge between Denmark and Sweden. Next to the Vänervatten are the Halleberg and the Huneberg, a nature reserve where you have a great chance of seeing moose late at night. Sometimes even right next to the car, as the photo below shows …

Stockholm

Although busy, I still think Stockholm is a great city. Grand, modern, charming and lovely at the same time. I visited Stockholm several times in both summer and winter. In the summer you can stroll through the narrow streets of Gamla Stan and enjoy the long days and many terraces. It is often very busy there, so it’s more fun to visit Stockholm in winter, when it is much quieter. The old town is nice too, but this period is also perfect for visiting one of the many museums (for example the Vasa Museum or the Abba Museum) or taking a winter walk through Djurgården.

The best way to book your city trip to Stockholm is with a flight via Skyscanner and your overnight stays via Booking.com.

Also read my article with the best cities in Sweden!

You actually want to avoid the Stockholm Archipelago as much as possible in the summer months because it’s incredibly busy. I visited the island of Utö in April with a colleague. There was hardly anyone there, so we had the hiking trails and almost the whole island all to ourselves. We spent the night in a boathouse and walked for hours on the rocky paths along the water. You can reach Utö by ferry from Årsta brygga or from the center of Stockholm.

In the middle of Sweden, the hills slowly but surely start to change into mountains (fjälls) and the wilderness feeling slowly but surely increases. As soon as I drive into Värmland from the south and then Dalarna the real beautiful Sweden that I love so much starts for me. Both the roads and the landscape become emptier and you can make beautiful road trips on unpaved roads, such as the Flatruet in Jämtland, one of the most beautiful roads in Sweden.

A nice getaway in the middle of Sweden is Bratfallet, a waterfall that runs in several stages. There are a few hiking trails and just past the waterfall there are a some places where you can swim in the river. The Bratfallet is located near Hagfors, a popular region in Värmland for families to go on holiday. If you have more time than an hour, you can walk the nearby Helgaleden.

Fulufjället National Park

My favorite part of Sweden actually only starts further north, there where the mountains are. One of the most beautiful national parks that you can easily visit is Fulufjället National Park. With the highest waterfall in Sweden and the oldest tree in the world, Fulufjället is a real attraction for travelers visiting the province of Dalarna. Read all my tips for Fulufjället National Park here.

A very special piece of nature in Sweden is Idrefjäll, a mountain range in the far north of Dalarna, on the border with Norway. Idrefjäll is the southernmost place in Sweden where reindeer live and you can go for beautiful walks and climb mountains for fabulous views. From the top of Nipfjället you can even see Trysil in Norway on a clear day, a well-known ski resort. It’s especially beautiful here in September, when the leaves change color.

Sonfjället National Park

The Sonfjället National Park is a lot more inaccessible and therefore considerably quieter. This mountain (fjället) is known to be one of the best places to see bears in Sweden without them being lured with food. Sonfjället is also located in Dalarna but receives far fewer visitors to Fulufjället because it is smaller and there are hardly any tourist facilities. We saw a bear, a lot of reindeer and some moose during our wild safari, here you can read all about it.

Vålådalen Nature Reserve

A little further north, at the very end of the road towards Norway, you will find the Vålådalen Nature Reserve. Few foreign people know this area and that’s nice, because you will encounter very few people other than Swedes. I made a four-day trek here and almost only encountered Swedes. If you do not want to go on a trekking, there are several short hikes that you can take here to still enjoy the beautiful nature.

The Höga Kusten, or the High Coast, is located in the east of Sweden, south of Umeå and north of Sundsvall. The name high coast originates from the high mountains that rise from the sea in the Gulf of Bothnia and the beautiful walks that you can make here, for example in the Skuleskogen national park. The Skuleberget is also recommended, here you can find beautiful walks and you can even do a Via Ferrata. You can spend the night here at the trendy Frilufsbyn or in one of the many holiday homes. Book on time, because the area has become very popular in recent years, especially with the Swedes themselves!

The far north of Sweden has really stolen my heart and therefore I decided to move here in the summer of 2023. The landscapes of Västerbotten and Norbotten together form Swedish Lapland, the north of Sweden. The higher you go in Sweden, the lower the tree line is. That is why you can quickly rise above the trees while walking and enjoy the enormous emptiness of the landscape. Here is an overview of the most beautiful places in the north of Sweden:

One of the most beautiful roads in Sweden is the Vildmarksvägen. This ‘Wilderness Road of Sweden’ starts in Jämtland and ends in Swedish Lapland and takes you over the special Stekenjokk plateau and via the Norwegian border through the wilderness. The road is paved everywhere and in good condition, but only open from mid-June to early October. Particularly beautiful are the Trapstegsforsen waterfall and the many lakes along the way.

Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve

The small towns of Tärnaby and Hemavan are popular places with the Swedes themselves to spend their summer holidays. These villages in Swedish Lapland are on the border with Norway, near Mo i Rana. In summer you go here for fishing and hiking, in winter for skiing. The famous Kungsleden Trail ends here and hikers can indulge themselves on the countless beautiful hiking trails, such as Drottningleden.

Sarek National Park

One of the most beautiful wilderness areas in Sweden is Sarek National Park. This national park is only accessible on foot or by boat and you will find braided rivers, glaciers, high mountains and lots of wildlife. I visited Sarek National Park during the second part of my Kungsleden hike and made a trip to the Skierfe Klippan, a well-known viewpoint in Sweden. From here you have a beautiful view of the wilderness and ruggedness of the area. Note: to get here you have to walk (and back) for at least two days, so it’s not a trip for the faint hearted!

I also visited Sarek briefly when hiking the Padjelantaleden in 2023. There are no easy ways into Sarek, just to give you an idea of how special it is!

A beautiful and also pretty accessible national park in the north of Sweden is Stora Sjöfallet, part of Laponia, also called the last wilderness of Europe. Their visitor center Naturum is beautifully situated on a bright blue lake and you can take beautiful walks deep into nature. The famous Kungsleden also crosses the area. On a clear day you can even see the glaciers of the national park Sarek mentioned below from the Ritsemvägen. Enjoy!

The artic cirle area near Jokkmokk

Next up on my list of most beautiful places in Sweden is the Arctic Circle area around Jokkmokk. Although it is of course only an imaginary line, it is still special to cross the Arctic Circle. When you drive to Lapland via the E45, you pass the Arctic Circle at the town of Jokkmokk. The village itself is small, but the surroundings are beautiful. I camped on a peninsula on the water at Camping Skabram, a favorite camping site. Here I enjoyed the beauty of this area, the peace, fished, read books and enjoyed the midnight sun.

Treriksröset is the point where Norway, Sweden and Finland meet, located in the far north of Swedish Lapland. The point is located in the middle of a lake and can only be reached on foot and by boat. The surrounding nature, in the Malla Nature Reserve, is breathtaking. Treriksröset is also the northernmost point of Sweden.

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