the best cities in sweden to visit
Sweden

The best cities in Sweden to visit

Although I am more of a nature person myself, I usually enjoy visiting a city in Sweden during my travels as well. I visited Stockholm no less than four times for a city trip (what a lovely place) and I also went to Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden for a city trip.

In the summer of 2023 I moved to the north of Sweden from The Netherlands and during the last couple of years, I’ve basically visited all the major cities in the country.
 
Personally, I always enjoy exploring northern cities. The atmosphere is generally relaxed, I love the fine shops and the special architecture that are so characteristic of Scandinavia. In addition, I regularly sit down on a terrace or visit a café for a fika: a coffee with a tasty treat. I also share an urban outdoor tip for every city, or something active that you can do in nature in and/or around the city. Enjoy reading this article about the best cities in Sweden!

This article was first published in 2020 and updated in 2024.

Cities in Sweden
Blossom at Kungsträdgården in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is of course one of top of my list. This metropolis is very touristy so my tip here is to go there in winter, when it’s a lot quieter. Famous sights are of course the busy Gamla Stan, the government buildings, the Vasa Museum and the Djurgården peninsula. Abba fans can visit the Abba museum, Skansen is a lot of fun for children. There are also tons of free things to do and the best fikas in town are at Chokladkoppen in Gamla Stan, a small and cozy coffee house. The white chocolate cheesecake is highly recommended!
 
Urban outdoor tip: go ice skating in Stockholm in winter with ICE Guide
 
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the best cities in Sweden to visit: Stockholm
Stockholm in winter

Göteborg

Göteborg (or Gothenburg) is a lot smaller than Stockholm and therefore a lot less crowded, which makes it a perfect destination for a city trip in Sweden for me. You have seen most of the compact city center within a day so that you can also spend some time in the parks around the city or, for example, the islands off the coast. It is also recommended to walk along the harbor. For a good fika, go to Kafferosten on the Linnegatan.

Urban outdoor tip: visit the island of Styrsö by ferry
 
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best cities in Sweden
The big bridge in the city of Göteborg

Linköping

In addition to the large cities of Stockholm and Gothenburg, there are also a number of small but nice cities in Sweden that are more than worth a visit. One of them is Linköping, which can be reached directly with KLM from Amsterdam. You land at Saab Airport and are in the city quite quickly. Recommendations to visit are the open-air museum Gamla-Linköping, the old cathedral and the Flygvapenmuseum (aviation museum). From Linköping you will also be in the middle of Swedish nature in no time, I combined Linköping with a visit to Östergotland, where I camped in the Swedish wilderness.
 
Urban outdoor tip: go freedom camping and hike the Östergotlandleden
 
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De leukste steden in Zweden
Gamla Linköping

Växjö

A town similar to Linköping is Växjö, the main town in Småland. This is the birthplace of Ikea and because of the many parks and natural surroundings, Växjö is also called the greenest city in Europe. The Linneauspark and the cathedral are the main sights in the city. You can get a fika from Kafé de Luxe. From Växjö you are in nature within no time, you can read all about it in this article.
 
Urban outdoor tip: rent a canoe and set off on one of the many lakes surrounding the city
 
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Citytrip Växjö mooiste steden in Zweden
The cathedral in Växjö and Kafé de Luxe

Östersund

In the summer of 2022 I went on a roadtrip of almost three months through Sweden and spent a little over a week in and around the city of Östersund. This is the largest city on the way north and I found it surprisingly fun to stay here. For example, you can visit the Jamtli Museum, take a beautiful walk along the shores of Lake Frosön or visit the Woolpower Factory Store. In addition, you are within an hour’s drive of the border with Norway and on the way there are numerous sights, including Sweden’s largest waterfall Tannforsen and the ski mountain Åre.

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Östersund is my favorite city in the middle of Sweden
The Östersund harbour

Luleå

This university city with around 75.000 people is located just below the Arctic Circle. In the summer the days are long here, in the winter the sun barely rises above the horizon. That said, I found Luleå (Lule to the locals) a very nice city to look around for a day or two. Sights include the old church town of Gammelstad and the Hägnan Open Air Museum. My fave place to go for dinner is Taverne Gusto and you can spend the night at Comfort Arctic Hotel Luleå.

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Sweden in wintertime
Luleå in wintertime

Trolhättan

Have you ever heard of Trolhättan? Neither had I, until I first came here two years ago to camp on the shores of Lake Väner, one of Sweden’s largest lakes. Trolhättan’s nickname is ‘Trollywood’ because there are several film studios here. The Hollywood of Sweden, I’d say. It is a real industrial city though because Saab originates here. View the locks and take a trip by car to the Halleberg and the Huneberg, where with a bit of luck you will just find a moose next to the car.
 
Urban outdoor tip: take a walk on the Halleberg and enjoy beautiful views over the Vänervatten
 
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Leukste steden in Zweden - Trollhättan
A moose next to the car on the Halleberg

You’d better skip this city

Although I didn’t particularly like Kiruna, I still wanted to mention it. It is the northernmost city in Sweden and the place to fly if you want to visit the northern part of Swedish Lapland. Due to the mining near the city, part of the buildings have been moved and rebuilt further away, very bizarre to see and notice. I have stayed in and around Kiruna plenty of times the last few years and slowly the city is moving more and more. This makes the new centre quite empty and not a lot to see. The surroundings are absolutely stunning though!
 
Urban outdoor tip: hike (a part of) the Kungsleden Trail or walk up the Midnattssolstigen
 
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The new city of Kiruna
The new city of Kiruna

Book your trip to Sweden

If you’ve found this article useful, I hope you make use of the following links to book your trip to Sweden:

Conclusion of best cities in Sweden

Hopefully you found this article with the nicest and most beautiful cities in Sweden useful and I have provided you with a good portion of nordic travel information. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments. Want to read more about Sweden? Then go to my Sweden page for more inspiration or you may find any of the other articles helpful:

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