6 GREAT REASONS TO VISIT SWEDEN THIS SUMMER

14 Aug 6 GREAT REASONS TO VISIT SWEDEN THIS SUMMER

 

Deck your terrace for party

For a guest from far away

In the land where moderate is best

Cheers to another midsummer

Fresh potatoes and herring

As if time stood still

Welcome, welcome here

Whoever you are, wherever you are

 

-Sverige, Kent (translated from swedish)

 

As this post goes live I’m “back home” in Sweden, a land so dear to me and that gave and taught me so much.

In fact, the kindness of this people, their open minds, their quiet and moderate behavior, respectful of life, nature and other cultures, made me the person I am today.

 

I spent 1 year of my life in Sweden, and  experienced and love it in every season, but since it’s still summer I thought of sharing with you some ideas for a trip to Sweden during summertime.

Most people when thinking of Sweden have their mind completely overwhelmed with icy landscapes, IKEA malls, beer and gorgeous girls, but while some of these are true characteristics, there’s so much more Sweden has to offer that you can’t even imagine.

Here’s just a few hints:

 

THE BEACHES

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Lomma beach

 

Yap, I know, beach is probably the least word you would connect to Scandinavia, yet Sweden has some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen.

Some of the most famous, as Bastad, Halmstad and Ljunghusen are located south of course, but not only: Stockholm and its archipelago offer also very nice coves, and the island of Gotland has an amazing beach and party scene.

 

THE NIGHTLIFE

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Speaking of party scene, Sweden is surprisingly one of the leading countries when it comes to party hard!

The country is filled with great pubs and discos where the Sweds like dance their bright weekend nights away.

And while they tend to be quite shy during the day, you can certainly have a lot of fun during the long summer nights.

Some of the best ones are located in the capital of course, but cities like Malmo and Bastad can really stand the competition.

 

THE FESTIVALS

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Bravalla Festival

video from Angelica Blick’s blog

 

To be added to the already lively nightlife we have the Festivals.

The most famous ones take place in summer and they are the Malmo Festival in August, and the Bravalla festival in June.

The SkiStar Swedish Tennis open held every year in Bastad attracts as well ordes of vikings that like to party after have attended to it. Apparently is very big and “in” among locals.

 

MIDSUMMER

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picture from Kenza’s blog

 

Midsummer is a well known tradition in most Northern countries, but in Sweden it’s so much fun that it makes of it probably the best time to visit in the whole year.

It’s actually the celebration of longest night of the year, so depending on the latitude you can even witness the sun never setting.

Swedish tradition wants the girls to wear flowers in their hair and dance around a straw pole, even if they apparently prefer to hang out in the nature with their friends and then dance in some of the many cool clubs instead.

Misdummer is celebrated between 21 and 25 June, so be sure to book your ticket between these dates 😉

 

THE CITIES

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Torekov, a fishermen’s village in Northern Skane

 

There’s no better time than summer to visit the swedish beautiful cities.

Stockholm is a pearl and it’s called the “Venice of the North”, with plenty of things to do and see, Gothenburg is a cute town developed by an archipelago of red houses, Malmo is lively, cosmopolitan and fun.

But there are also a lot of small villages in which to get lost and that are of rare beauty, some of these are Lund, Torekov, Molle and Ystad, just to mention a few in the Southern part.

 

THE NATURE

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enjoying nature swedish style

 

Very scarcely populated, Sweden is home to a nature that is wild and uncontaminated still nowadays.

In the South you have the deserted beaches, the birches’ woods and the lakes, in the North you have the fells, the meese, the reindeers and the Sami local people.

Nature, especially the Northern one, is worth visiting in every season, but in summer you can take advantage of long days and bright nights, and enjoy a temperate climate.

 

I’m leaving in a few days, and you? What are you waiting for?