World / Europe / Sweden

Bordering Norway to the west and Finland to the east, Sweden is Europe's fourth largest country and Scandinavia's most visited tourist destination. With a proliferation of lush forests, clean lakes, mountains and islands, holidays in Sweden are all about the great outdoors. In Sweden, tourism is a year-round affair with endless downhill and cross country skiing in winter; and fishing, hiking and cycling in the Gulf-Stream warmed summer months.

Business visitors are drawn to Sweden's world-leading IT and telecommunications industries, largely based in capital Stockholm. This medieval city, dotted around 14 islands, is a delight for leisure visitors, too. Attractions include the cobbled, shop-lined streets of old town Gamla Stan, the 18th century Royal Palace and an unspoilt archipelago containing thousands of tiny islands. Sweden's high standard of living ensures there is a plethora of excellent restaurants and hotels both in the main cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo, and in outlying rural areas. Sweden's most popular island for tourists is spectacular Gotland, where sandy beaches ring forests dotted with medieval churches and historic monuments and ruins dating back to Viking times. Thanks to Sweden's comprehensive and efficient public transport system, Gotland, Lapland and Gothenburg are within easy reach of the capital.