Sweden 2
Introduction
Sweden lolls contentedly within an endless natural beauty. Remote, expensive, cold all of these generalisations may be true, but none is exact. However, Sweden is large, clean and efficient and, as it boasts no single concentration of sights (other than in Stiickholm), you're as likely to fetch up on a sunny Baltic beach as camp in the forest or hike through national parks.
One aspect of the country most likely to impinge on the cluttered eye of Europeans is the sense of space. Away from the relatively densely populated south, travelling without seeing a soul is not uncommon, and taking in these vast, unpopulated stretches in a limited time can be exhausting and unrewarding. Better, on a short trip, to delve into one or two regions and feel the atmosphere, to get to know the pervasive nature which shapes the Swedes' attitude to life: once you have broken through the oftquoted reserve of the people there is a definite emotive feel to the country. And initial contact is easy, as almost everyone speaks functional, often perfect, English.
Where to go
The south and southwest of the country are flat holiday lands. For so long disputed Danish territory (which the landscape certainly resembles), the provinces now harbour a host of historic ports (including Gothenburg, Helsingborg and Malmd) and less frenetic beach towns all old and mostly fortified.
Off the southeast coast, the Baltic islands of Oland and Gotland are the country's most hyped resorts and with good reason, supporting a lazy beach life to match that of the best southern European spots, but without the hotel blocks, crowds and tat.
Central and northern Sweden is the country of tourist brochures: great swathes of forest, inexhaustible (around 96,000) lakes and some of the best wilderness hiking in Europe. Two train routes link north with south. The eastern run, close to the Bothnian coast, passes old woodbuilt towns and planned new ones, and ferry ports for connections to Finland. In the centre, the trains of the Inland Railway strike off through some remarkably changing landscapes, lakelands to mountains, clearing reindeer off the track as they go. Both routes meet in Sweden's far north home of the Same, the oldest indigenous
Scandinavian people. Here, the Midnight Sun keeps the days long and bright; and in high summer, the sun never sets. •t Of the cities, Stockholm is supreme. A bundle of islands housing regal and monumental architecture, fine museums and the country's most active culture and nightlife, it is a likely point of arrival and a vital stopoff. Two university towns, Uppsala and Lund, also demand a visit, while nearly all of the other major cities, chiefly Gavie, UmeS, Gallivare and Kiruna, can make some sort of cultural claim on your attention. Time is rarely wasted in humbler towns either, the immediate beauty of the local surroundings adequately compensating for any lack of specific sights.
When to go
Summer in Sweden is short and hectic.