Sweden

Sweden is the largest of the Scandinavian countries and probably the one that has exported the most culture per capita. ABBA, IKEA, Spotify, Minecraft, Volvo, H&M, the Nobel Prize, and flat-pack furniture that takes three hours to assemble - all Swedish. The country stretches from the cobblestone streets of Malmo in the south to the Arctic tundra of Lapland in the north, and the difference between the two is roughly equivalent to traveling from London to Marrakech.

The Swedes have perfected the art of lagom - a word meaning just the right amount - and you can see it everywhere. Cities are clean but not sterile. Nature is wild but accessible. The welfare state is generous but efficient. In summer the sun barely dips below the horizon, and the whole country migrates to red wooden cabins by lakes. In winter, Lapland becomes a frozen wonderland of Northern Lights, dog sledding, and the ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjarvi, rebuilt from river ice every year. Stockholm, spread across 14 islands, is one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe, and Gothenburg has quietly built one of the best food scenes in Scandinavia.