Sweden tours

The best time to go to Sweden largely depends on what you want to experience, but for walking and cycling holidays in the south-east and west of the country, late spring through early autumn is ideal. West Sweden opens its trails as early as April, with crisp but sunny days perfect for exploring the Bohuslän Archipelago and Gotaleden Trail. While Stockholm’s archipelagos thaw out by late May, offering longer days, warm waters and stunning island scenery by July. Midsummer, which begins on the closest Friday to 21 June, is a national highlight, with an explosion of flower wreaths, food and folklore. If you’re after local flavours, summer is also packed with food festivals, from herring in June to crayfish in August. For those keen to beat the crowds, March and November walks on Österlen Way in Skåne offer quieter trails. For more information, see our blog, Best time to go to Sweden. 

The weather varies quite a bit depending on where and when you go, but if you’re sticking to the south-east and west, where most of our walking and cycling holidays take place, you can expect fairly mild temperatures . Spring kicks in as early as April in the west, with temperatures climbing to around 20C by May. The east warms up a bit later, with the Stockholm archipelago not fully opening until late May. Summer brings the best weather with average highs of 22-25C in July and August, and long days that stretch as late as 23.00. Water temperatures in the archipelagos can even hit 18.5C, which is perfect for a swim. Autumn cools down gently, especially along the Österlen Way, with average temperatures ranging from 10-14C and only seeing a light drizzle of rain, with an average of 60mm a month. For more information, see our blog, Best time to go to Sweden.

Travelling by train in Sweden is spectacular, speedy and sustainable. You can also travel to Sweden by train from anywhere in the UK and Europe, with one option including the sleeper train from Hamburg to Stockholm. As responsible travellers, you significantly reduce your carbon footprint by taking the train, and your holiday gets off to a much more relaxed start too. By booking in advance, you can also get some great deals on Swedish Railways. All of our tour pages have details on how to get there, and we have filtered the ones that are reachable by rail.

We have three bespoke family adventures in Sweden, with the Walking the Sörmland Trail one suitable for all ages, where you hike a section of this 1,000km long-distance route through southern Sweden. We also have two other Swedish walking holidays which are suitable for older children: one on the Goteleden Trail in West Sweden, and the other on the Kullaleden Trail and Bjäre Peninsula. In addition, it’s worth checking out our other easy/moderate level walking or easy/moderate cycling holidays, to see if they appeal to all family members. If you have older teens, for example, who have walking experience, you may want to explore more moderate level hiking or cycling holidays. Our adventure specialists are here to cater for your needs, and we can often adapt a day’s itinerary if you think it’s going to be too hard or too easy.

Most definitely, and we welcome solo travellers on a great number of our tours, ranging from Cycling the Sydkustleden Trail to Hiking on Gotland. Many of Sweden’s trails such as Kullaleden and Sörmlandsleden Trail are also perfect solo sojourns. You can find all of our solo trips in Sweden here, but please remember that a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. 

Yes, tap water in Sweden is perfectly safe to drink. It comes from clean, well-protected groundwater sources and is carefully monitored through multiple quality checks to ensure safety and purity. It’s strange how many people who would never normally buy bottled water at home feel a need to buy it when travelling. But, in Sweden, you can drink water from the sink at hotels, in restaurants or at the airport. And, if you are hiking in mountain areas, and want to drink from streams, where there can be a risk of harmful runoff, we recommend investing in a filtered water bottle to ensure water is free of any toxins. 

Sweden has excellent healthcare with no major health risks and it is also rabies-free. No vaccinations are required, but the WHO recommends routine vaccines such as tetanus, measles, mumps and rubella before travelling. Ticks can be a problem when hiking, so you do need to take precautions. Wear long sleeves and trousers, and tuck your trousers into hiking socks when possible. Lyme disease and Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) are both tick-borne, so always check yourself fully after hiking and carry a tick remover with you too, so that you can catch them quickly. 

Always make sure that you have suitable health insurance to suit your adventure travel and also note that Sweden has an excellent Apoteket (pharmacy) system, which is almost like going to a doctor’s surgery. As with all international travels, it’s always worth getting up to date information at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for UK travellers or similar foreign office advice in your home country.

Of course, this depends on the region that you are visiting but as with most of our adventures, you may be exploring remote terrain where weather conditions may be unpredictable. For that reason, we have some detailed blogs on packing, which may be of help: What to pack for a cycling trip and What to pack for a hiking trip. As well as that, don’t forget to pack your sense of adventure, plenty of sunscreen and a phrase book. 

Overtourism is an issue in many parts of the world, and although we are all for people having adventures, we’re aware that some places just need to put the brakes on. Which is why we aim to take you off the beaten path, and also encourage travel outside of the peak seasons. While cities like Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö do attract many visitors, especially in summer and around major events, the country’s large forests, lakes and archipelagos help disperse tourists over wide areas.

We don’t currently operate any tours in winter in Sweden .The closest you can go is to Norway for these cross-country skiing holidays, or Finland for mixed activity adventures. 

Sweden is well known for catering to a wide range of dietary needs, with a strong focus on health, sustainability and fresh ingredients. Many restaurants and shops offer clear labelling for allergens and vegan, dairy or gluten-free options are widely available. Swedish culture embraces simple, natural foods, making it easier to find dairy-free (mjölkfri) and gluten-free (glutenfri) products, as well as meals tailored to various allergies. 

It’s the Swedish krona, which is labelled as kr, and the currency code is SEK. Sweden is one of the most cashless countries in the world, and visitors will find that credit cards, debit cards and mobile payments like Apple Pay or the local app Swish are widely accepted and often preferred in shops, restaurants and public transport. While rare, some small vendors, outdoor markets or rural locations might not accept cards, so do carry a small amount of cash just in case.

Most adventurers in Sweden’s rural areas just want a good three course meal at the end of the day, and some great picnic food for their backpack. Traditional delicacies such as open sandwiches, enjoyed with a variety of pickled herring, smoked salmon and cheeses, make great picnic food. And you’ll always get good value out of a Swedish food hall or saluhall, so it’s worth timing your visit to coincide with at least one of these. Sweden is known, however, for being expensive for eating out and buying alcohol. A meal at an inexpensive restaurant outside the main cities costs between 140–300 kr per meal, while mid-range establishments can charge 250–380 kr per person. A beer in a bar ranges from 65–90 kr and a glass of wine averages around 100–140 kr, which is significantly higher than in other European countries, where the same drink might cost half as much.

Service is usually included in the bill in Sweden, but it’s customary to round up or leave a small tip of 5–10% at restaurants to show appreciation for good service. While a dricks (the Swedish word for tip) isn’t expected, it’s always appreciated. In taxis and hotels, tipping is optional, though rounding up or leaving a small amount for helpful service is considered polite.

Generally it’s excellent although it can still be patchy in some rural areas. In general, however, it has one of the average fastest download speeds in the world which, for techies, is 121.24mbps. For more information on speeds and providers, see here. And, the most useful wifi phrase you can have on your travels in Sweden is ‘Vad är wifi-lösenordet, tack?’ (what is the wifi password please?).