What to see on a Swedish roadtrip?

May 31, 2022 1:14 PM

Mr. Flew and I have 10 days to spend and a rental car to spend it in in Sweden in June. What shouldn't we miss?

We're planning on a roughly counterclockwise trip, starting (after some car-free days in Copenhagen) in Malmo, heading up to Gothenburg, across to Lake Vattern and on to Stockholm, then back to Malmo. We like hikes with interesting things to look at that we can do in a few hours, any kind of farm or animal-related activity, museums, good beer and food, and quirky roadside attractions and folk art.

We're probably going to spend most of our time in the cities, so welcome suggestions for those, but especially welcome any walks/hikes or other interesting diversions to stop at while driving between cities.

posted by LeeLanded to Travel & Transportation around Sweden (8 answers total)

Best answer: I feel like at that time of year you'd be missing out not to head up to Lulea! The Gammelstad church village is a unique world heritage site, ferries out to the islands in the Gulf of Bothnia at midsummer, and of course midnight sun.

My absolute fave thing in the Gothenburg area is Alvsborg Fastning.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 6:20 PM on May 31, 2022

Sorry - meant to link to New Alvsborg.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 6:58 PM on May 31, 2022

Best answer: Helsingør is the town where Hamlet is set, and there's a castle and other interesting stuff. It's in Denmark, but just a few miles off the highway from Malmö to Gothenburg (there's a bridge!), so definitely not out of your way.
posted by ubiquity at 8:25 PM on May 31, 2022

Best answer: In the Stockholm area several smaller towns/villages which can be worth a visit.
Trosa, a harbor village
Mariefred, village with castle
Tyresta National Park
Or.... just head north and do some hiking up in Lapland
Check out Kungsleden
posted by JohnC at 12:31 AM on June 1, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The Vasa Musem in Stockholm is really interesting. It houses a ship that sank shortly after leaving port on its first voyage and was recovered in the 60s.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 3:53 AM on June 1, 2022

Best answer: Check out Tjolöholms Slott which you will be driving past on the way to Gothenburg. The house is interesting, the gardens and scenery are gorgeous. I also love Gunnebo House and Gardens, just outside of Gothenburg, which is smaller but I think equally beautiful and has really, really good food. Like, really good. Go for lunch, which will feature vegetables from their kitchen garden. If you miss lunch, go for pastries. There are also beautiful walks (I wouldn't say hikes) around the Gunnebo grounds and the nearby lake Rådasjön.

Another idea is – and I have no specific recommendations – but maybe see if your route takes you past any Bronze Age rock carvings (hällristningar), and if so, that's worth a short detour, I think, as they're pretty amazing to see. You should be able to park the car and get out and walk around and check the rocks out and move on.
posted by bluebird at 4:46 AM on June 1, 2022

Best answer: The Vasa Museum as mentioned is great. While in Stockholm you should try to get out to the archipelago, there are several islands that are suitable for a day trip with boats from downtown. I been on this trip to an art museum twice for example.

There are lots of good craft beer places in Stockholm, some of my favorites are Omnipollos church in a former church, their other to places downtown (Omnipollos hatt, with nice pizza, and Omnipollos flora with nice outdoor seating in a park), Stigbergets Fot and Akkurat.

When I was down in south of Sweden last time we visited Ales Stenar, which I recommend.

I used to live up north in Luleå and while I agree Gammelstad and the archipelago up there is worth a visit, the drive up there is probably too long... (at least 10h)
posted by rpn at 6:33 AM on June 1, 2022

Best answer: I'd recommend the Tanum rock carvings, if you can fit them into your itinerary. Seconding the recommendation for the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. I also quite enjoyed the art museum and natural history museum in Gothenburg. My wife and I did a canal cruise in Gothenburg that gave us a good sense of the geography of the city center and a bit of history. The open air sculpture garden in Pilane is an interesting way to combine a walk with some contemporary art.
posted by brianogilvie at 8:45 AM on June 1, 2022