Beta
Curated by Tilde Bergström
From vast mountain areas and magical Northern Lights in the far North, to rolling hills and fertile farmlands in the South, Sweden offers a diverse landscape.
Mountain stream Helags Sweden by Tilde Bergstrom
About the region
Situated between Norway in the west and the Baltic Sea and Finland to the east, Sweden is the largest of the Scandinvian countries, both in size and population. Sweden offers diverse and tranquil nature, from vast areas of forest all over the country, to archipelago's along the coast and mountains in the North.
Sometimes refered to as "the land of a thousand islands", Sweden has the most islands of any country in the world. Some statistics conclude that there are over 250,000 islands in Sweden, but less than a thousand of them are inhabited. The biggest concentration of islands are in the Stockholm archipelago on the East Coast.
Tolpagorni, Swedish Lapland
Swedish Forest
Sunset on the South Coast
Small town on the West Coast
Preparing for an ice bath, Northern Sweden
Aurora Borealis
Forest Sweden by Tilde Bergstrom
Conservation
After years of being a frontrunner in sustainability and steadily reducing emissions, Sweden has recently shifted in the opposite direction. In 2024, the country’s emissions rose by 7% compared to the previous year, the largest increase in 15 years. Current projections indicate that Sweden will fail to meet all four of the EU’s 2030 climate targets.
Climate change causing increased extreme weather events and industrial development projects are examples of threats to the Swedish nature conservation. But Sweden is also home to a large network of protected areas, including 30 different national parks and over 5400 different nature reserves, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
Embedded in both cultural and legal systems is 'the freedom to roam' (Allemansrätten), allowing people in Sweden to roam freely, sleep in tents and forage berries and mushrooms regardless of land ownership. Allemansrätten means that everyone has the right to walk, hike, and camp in nature, as long as you treat nature with respect.
Sunset Swedish South Coast by Tilde Bergstrom
Nature
Sweden is a tall country that offers diverse landscapes and natural environments, from snowy mountains in the north to sandy beaches in the south.
In the north, you'll find vast forests, high mountains, and if you’re lucky you may get to see the beautiful Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis. This area is also home to large national parks like Abisko and Sarek, where you can spend weeks hiking in untouched wilderness.
In the middle of Sweden, the landscape is full of forests, thousands of lakes, and rolling hills. About 70% of Sweden’s land mass is covered with forest, and a large majority of that is made up of spruce and pine trees. Sweden also has almost 100,000 lakes, and many people enjoy fishing, canoeing, and swimming during the summer.
In the south, the nature becomes gentler with open farmland, leafy forests, and long coastlines. Areas like Skåne have wide fields, sandy beaches, and beautiful national parks such as Stenshuvud. The Southern Coast also has unique rock formations, and Bohuslän on the West Coast is well known in the climbing community for its high quality granite cliffs and world-class trad climbing.
Sweden is home to the most islands in the world and has multiple archipelagos, particularly outside Stockholm and Gothenburg. Archipelagos are groups of thousands of small islands, often covered in forest and surrounded by the calm sea. They're perfect for kayaking, boating, and relaxing in nature.
No matter where you go in Sweden, nature is never far away.
The Scandinavian mountain range, the Scandes, runs through the border between Sweden and Norway. It covers most of Norway and stretches into the north-west regions of Sweden. These mountainous areas form some of Sweden's most remarkable wilderness.
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