The rural countryside provides many treasures for those who are seeking peace, while the urban land offers short to long excursions along with its elegant and modern looks. This article talks about Sweden tourist attractions.

As compared to its adjacent Norway’s rocky mountains and shores, Sweden’s panorama has a more soft appeal. Much of the landscape is full of forest and thousands of lakes – the more remarkable ones being the vast aquatic expanse between Gothenburg and Stockholm.

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden that offers several museums, attractive medieval structures, captivating baroque edifices with boutiques, and cafes.

Tourists’ Attractions

• Stockholm Old Town:
  Known as the historic hub, this town offers historic buildings in good condition dotted along the paved lanes. Among the key streets are Osterlanggatan and Vasterlanggatan that can be explored on foot for visiting many boutiques, handicrafts, and antique shops.

• Djurgarden:
  This is an island in the Sweden’s capital that is accessible via a ferry. Attractions here are the Nordic Museum, Waldemarsudde House – the residence of the royal artist Prince Eugen until 1947, and Liljevalchs Konsthall.
• National Collections:
  These include the Historical Museum exhibiting primitive items and ancient art and the National Museum displaying national fine arts. Talking about the naval and folk history, visit the Vasa Museum hosting a reinstated 360-year-old wooden warship and Skansen open-air folk museum to explore the historic culture.
• Gothenburg:
  Famous as the abode of Volvo cars, this city offers the company’s museum, Maritime Museum (Sjofartsmuseet) for exploring nautical activities, and the City Museum in the Nordstaden Kronhuset area. This is important amongst Sweden tourist attractions.
• Malmo:
  This is worth visiting site city where you can see the Malmohus Castle, St. Petri Church, the Konsthallen and Rooseum art museums, and the Turning Torso skyscraper. In addition, do visit the opulent Oresund Bridge seen between Denmark and Sweden near to Malmo. This one is longest single span bridge on Earth.

• Island Hopping:
  Do not miss the Gotland and Oland, the biggest islands situated in the southeast of Sweden. On the Gotland Island, the Lummelunda Caves holding the magnificent stalactites and stalagmites, ruined medieval churches, and a medieval town at Kattlundsgard are worth visiting.

• Glassworks:
  Discover the art of glassmaking in the southern region of Smaland where 16 glassworks can be visited. The Sweden’s crystal and glass-making industry was laid by a few German folk. Another attraction is a forested area between Malmo and Stockholm that offers fine glassworks also known as the Kingdom of Crystal. This is really famous amongst Sweden tourist attractions.
• Skane:
  This region holds the ancient town of Lund that offers a 12th century cathedral and 14th century astronomical clock.
• The Lakelands:
  Covering a great part of the country, this landscape is a fusion of open water, extensive lakes, plains, meadows, and wild innate views.
• Ice Refreshment:
  This is a unique experience taken at the ‘ice beds’ and thirst quencher located in Absolut Icebar at the carved Ice Hotel in the small settlement of Jukkasjarvi, Lapland. This itself is recreated in each winter season.
• Sami Discovery:
  At Jokkmokk, explore the Sami tradition by meeting the people, observing the items of Lapp art and culture, and visiting a Lapp Staden – an ancient hamlet holding 70 cone-shaped Lapp huts. In Arjeplog, do visit an exciting Lapp museum, Silvermuseet.
• Boat Journeys:
  Catch a boat from Stockholm city centre to reach the Drottningholm Palace wherein the Palace Theatre opera house is well maintained in its 18th-century style and offers stage shows using genuine instruments.
• Canal Cruises:
  Catch a cruise from the MS Ceres to pass the ancient Gata Canal, if you have more days in your hand. The rides begin from Stockholm and Gothenburg.
• Beaches and Lakes:
  Do soak yourself for a relaxing experience in the beaches stretched over 100 miles on the western shoreline and 96,000 lakes. On these lakes and shore, do try out several waterskiing and windsurfing spots.
• Sports:
  Become an athlete by trying skating, tobogganing, snowmobiling, ice climbing, and dog sledding that can be found all around Sweden. Further, the country offers over 400 courses of golf. Among them, the famous one is at the north of the Arctic Circle that has 24-hour sunrays during the summer season and is the home to several midsummer championships occurring at night.
• Harjedalen Valley:
  Located in the south of Lapland, this is the only region where you can find Sweden’s flock of musk ox, bountiful reindeer, buzzard, beaver, lynx, and elk. During the winters, do not miss out skiing.
• Cycling:
  Considered as the famous holiday refreshing activity especially in the south and on the island of Gotland, this form of recreation can be tried out at several cycling trails. You can find these trails mostly in any part of the country – in the wild scenery of the rural hamlets and in the urban towns. For cycling, cycles are also available on hire.
• Santaworld Theme Park:
  Situated in Mora at the core of the Swedish Lakeland area, this is famous for meeting the Father Christmas.

• Southwestern Bohuslan Province:
  For history lovers, this ancient region offers a few vital locations of ancient Swedish civilization and several archaeological remnants belonging to the Bronze Age and Viking Era.

Talking about its history, here also time speaks about its past events with the visitors through its architectural marvels. The Roman columns emerging out to touch the sky, the collapsing Arab watchtowers guarding the magnificent landscapes, and city plazas holding the baroque structures are all historic wonders.

Tracing its rapid changes, the high-speed rail tracks now run on the mountainous terrain to reach what was inaccessible in the past and that many cities offer new metro and tram journeys.

Tourists’ Attractions

• Madrid:
  This is the capital of Spain. Attractions here are the Prado known as the heaven of art, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia offering modern art and Picasso’s famous Guernica, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza – the Royal Palace, the Plaza Mayor – the historic square, and Puerta del Sol.
• Barcelona:
  Take trip to overcrowded alleyways of the Barri Gotic (Gothic quarter) and the 19th century Eixample quarter holding Gaudi buildings. Do not miss a walk from Rambla to ancient Barceloneta and the waterfront where you can visit the Sagrada Familia (Holy Family), the Seu (old cathedral), the Episcopal Palace, and the Palau de la Generalitat. A cable car journey to Montjuic is also worthy.
• Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum:
  This famous monument has made Bilbao the famous spot of attraction. The museum is an architectural wonder of 20th century. The main city of the Basque region, the old town also offers a gothic cathedral and a magnificent Town Hall.

• Santiago Calatrava’s City of Arts and Science Park:
  This is located in Valencia. A spectacular hemispheric glass structure offers a planetarium, IMAX dome, and laserium. In addition, do go to the cathedral that contains the Holy Grail.
• Pamplona:
  Do visit the ancient walled quarter, Renaissance cathedral, and the stunning citadel.
• Ruins of Merida:
  Do trace the ancient Rome here. Other sites of Roman remains are in Tarragona and Italica besides Seville.
• Cordoba:
  Feel the spirit of Moorish Spain in the streets here. Do visit the Mezquita (Great Mosque), the spiritual marvel and the ruins of Medina Azahara in the outskirts of the city.
• Seville:
  Core of Spain, this city of Carmen and Don Juan offers the cathedral, the largest gothic building on Earth, bell tower – the Giralda, the Alcazar exhibiting the Mudejar (Moorish) architecture, and the old Jewish Quarter.
• Alhambra:
  Located in Granada, the palace-fortress was constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries by the Nasrid rulers.
• Toledo:
  Located south of Madrid, this is the old Spanish capital that offers the splendid cathedral, Alcazar, and several paintings of El Greco such as The Burial of the Count of Orgaz in the Santo Tome Church.
• Avila:
  Considered as the provincial capital, this city is in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Birthplace of the 16th century spiritualist, St Teresa; it offers 11th century walls in a good condition.
• Salamanca:
  This is an old university town that offers a collection of finest buildings displaying the Renaissance style known as Churrigueresque and Museo Art Nouveau y Art Deco that displays good series of objets d’art belonging to the 20th century.

• Beaches:
  Relax on sands of the Balearics coast, Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.
• Festival of San Fermin:
  Celebrated in Pamplona in July, this is full of bulls running along the streets, which is the major tourist puller.
• Passion of Flamenco:
  Experience this at Andalucia and Seville through music, dance, and song.
• St James to Santiago de Compostela:
  This is the holy route of pilgrims on foot since the middle age where the gothic Cathedral if 1188 A.D. is the focal attraction. This too is in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

• Excursions:
  Explore the wildlife and nature in Spain through one of the national or regional parks. Walking, hiking, and jeep journey can make you visit the marshlands, wetlands, secluded peaks, and Atlantic beaches. Rock climbing is just perfect in the mountains of Spain – the Naranjo de Bulnes in the Picos de Europa and Monte Perdido in Ordesa National Park.
• Cycling and Biking:
  Opt one of the Vias Verdes that once were picturesque railway tracks now transformed into cycling tracks. Mountain biking also has its own scope through bountiful paths and tracks.
• Arab Bath or Hammam:
  Drench yourself for a relieving experience in the baths made out of lavish standards in Madrid, Cordoba, Granada, and Seville.
• Sports:
  Water sports such as swimming, sailing, waterskiing, and windsurfing are offered by almost all seaside resorts. Tarifa is the main windsurfing resort in Spain that hosts the world championships. Take yourself to the slopes in Spain where you can try out skiing.
• Spain has five premier skiing regions that also involve the Pyrenean and Cantabrian ranges. Also, do look for the highlands region of the Sierra Nevada located in the south of Granada.