Northern Europe · Europe

Sweden

Discover Sweden - the land of Vikings, ABBA, IKEA, and the midnight sun, a Nordic kingdom stretching from cosmopolitan Stockholm to the Arctic wilderness of Lapland.

Where Is Sweden?

Sweden is a country in Northern Europe. Its capital is Stockholm.

Where Sweden isNorthern Europe · Capital Stockholm

Plan a trip · 2 guides

Capital Stockholm
Population 10.6M
Area 450,295 km²

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.

At a glance

Language

Swedish

Currency

Swedish Krona (SEK)

Calling Code

+46

Drives On

Right

Internet

.se

Timezone

CET (UTC+1)

Script

Latin

Government

Constitutional Monarchy

Independence

1523

Travel guides

Plan a trip to Sweden

The four-masted barque Viking and the red and white Lipstick tower lit up at dusk, reflected in the calm water of Gothenburg's harbor

Sweden · 5 days

5 Days in Gothenburg

Dutch canals, giant cinnamon buns, Sweden's best seafood and islands on a tram ticket. Five days in Sweden's harbor city.

Updated Oct 2026Read the plan →

Riddarholmen in Stockholm seen across the water, with the openwork iron spire of Riddarholm Church above yellow and orange palaces

Sweden · 5 days

5 Days in Stockholm

Fourteen islands, a sunken warship, a medieval old town and the best cinnamon buns in the world. Five days in Sweden's capital.

Updated Oct 2026Read the plan →

By population

Largest cities in Sweden

Stockholm

Capital spread across 14 islands where Lake Malaren meets the Baltic Sea, home to the Vasa Museum, Gamla Stan, and a world-class restaurant scene

1,600,000

Gothenburg

Sweden's second city on the west coast, known for its seafood, Liseberg amusement park, and laid-back Scandinavian charm

600,000

Malmo

Multicultural city in the south connected to Copenhagen by the Oresund Bridge, with the Turning Torso skyscraper

350,000

Uppsala

University city north of Stockholm with Scandinavia's largest cathedral and a tradition of academic excellence since 1477

180,000

Kiruna

Arctic town famous for the ICEHOTEL, Northern Lights, and the fact that it is literally being moved 3 km east due to mining

23,000

Visby

UNESCO-listed medieval walled city on the island of Gotland, the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia

24,000

People

Famous people from Sweden

Alfred Nobel
Science
Inventor of dynamite who established the Nobel Prizes, the most prestigious awards in science, literature, and peace
ABBA
Music
One of the best-selling music acts of all time with hits like Dancing Queen, Waterloo, and Mamma Mia
Ingmar Bergman
Film
Legendary filmmaker who directed The Seventh Seal and Persona, widely regarded as one of the greatest directors in cinema history
Greta Garbo
Film
Hollywood's most enigmatic star of the Golden Age, famous for both her performances and her reclusive private life
Carl Linnaeus
Science
Father of modern taxonomy who created the binomial naming system used to classify all living organisms
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Sport
One of the greatest footballers of his generation, known for spectacular goals and an even more spectacular personality
Astrid Lindgren
Literature
Author of Pippi Longstocking, the world's third most translated children's author after Disney and the Brothers Grimm
Markus Persson
Business
Created Minecraft, one of the best-selling video games of all time with over 300 million copies sold

Food

Traditional cuisine of Sweden

Swedish Meatballs (Kottbullar): Small seasoned meatballs with cream sauce, lingonberry jam, and mashed potatoes - yes, exactly like IKEA but better
Smorgasbord: The original Scandinavian buffet spread with pickled herring, gravlax, meatballs, cheeses, and bread
Kanelbullar: Swedish cinnamon buns flavored with cardamom, so beloved they have their own national day (October 4th)
Gravlax: Cured salmon with dill, mustard, and sugar - a Nordic classic that originated in medieval Scandinavia
Surströmming: Fermented Baltic herring with one of the strongest smells of any food on Earth - a Swedish tradition and an international challenge
Crispbread (Knäckebröd): Thin, crunchy rye crackers that have been a Swedish staple for 500 years, eaten with everything
Toast Skagen: Shrimp and creme fraiche on toast with dill and roe, a beloved Swedish starter invented in Gothenburg
Prinsesstårta: Princess cake - layers of sponge, custard, and cream covered in green marzipan, the most iconic Swedish pastry

Nature

Nature and landmarks in Sweden

Swedish LaplandNational Park: Europe's last great wilderness above the Arctic Circle, home to the Northern Lights, midnight sun, and indigenous Sami culture
Stockholm ArchipelagoIsland: Over 30,000 islands, skerries, and rocks stretching into the Baltic Sea east of Stockholm
Abisko National ParkNational Park: One of the best places on Earth to see the Northern Lights, in the rain shadow of the Scandes mountains
GotlandIsland: Sweden's largest island in the Baltic Sea, with the medieval walled city of Visby and unique limestone sea stacks called raukar
High Coast (Hoga Kusten)Coast: UNESCO World Heritage site on the Baltic coast, the area with the highest post-glacial land uplift in the world
KungsledenMountain: The King's Trail - a 440 km hiking trail through some of Europe's most pristine mountain wilderness
KebnekaiseMountain: Sweden's highest peak at 2,097 meters in Lapland, a popular mountaineering destination
Lake SiljanLake: Heart of Swedish folk tradition in Dalarna province, formed by a meteorite impact 370 million years ago

Sport

Sports in Sweden

Ice Hockey: Multiple World Championship and Olympic medals, producing NHL stars like Lidstrom, Forsberg, and the Sedin twins
Football: Third place at the 1994 World Cup, producing global stars like Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson
Tennis: Bjorn Borg won 11 Grand Slam titles, and Sweden has produced a steady stream of top-ranked players
Cross-Country Skiing: One of the most successful nations in Olympic and World Championship cross-country skiing history
Orienteering: Dominant in world orienteering championships, considered the birthplace of competitive orienteering

Facts

Did you know?

Sweden has a national holiday for cinnamon buns (Kanelbullens dag) on October 4th
The ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjarvi is rebuilt every winter from ice harvested from the nearby Torne River
Sweden was neutral in both World Wars and has not been at war since 1814 - over 200 years of peace
Spotify, Skype, Minecraft, and Candy Crush were all created by Swedes
Sweden has a Right of Public Access (Allemansrätten) allowing anyone to walk, camp, and pick berries on any land
Swedish parents get 480 days of paid parental leave to share between them
There are more than 95,000 lakes in Sweden - roughly one for every 105 people
The Nobel Prizes have been awarded in Stockholm since 1901 (except the Peace Prize, which is in Oslo)