10 amazing places
Here is a selection of 10 remarkable places to stay in Sweden, from south to north. Which one do you fancy?
1. Farm stay
In the southern province of Skåne, a number of active farms offer accommodation. Their unique selling point is of course the beauty and calm of the countryside. Staying at farm also includes the possibility to learn about farm life and even experience a working day on the farm. Other nearby activities often include canoeing and fishing – or just cuddling a kitten.
2. Strandakar
Nestled among pine trees on the south-eastern coast of Gotland is Strandakar hotel. The twelve rooms in this family-run hotel all have their own patio, and there is also a large garden with views of Herta fishing village. As the hotel aims to be a place for recreation, there are no TVs in the rooms. Orchids and beautiful birds provide alternative entertainment in the spring.
3. The 72 Hour Cabin
The 72 Hour Cabin was initially a project where five people with stressful jobs got to experience the health effects of living close to nature for three days. The idea of staying in these wood-framed glass houses is to bury the stress of daily life in the Swedish wilderness. The glass cabins – located by one of the many lakes in the province of Dalsland – can now be booked by anyone.
4. Hotell Utter Inn
In Lake Mälaren, outside Västerås, floats a lone red cottage. It marks the entrance to Hotell Utter Inn (link in Swedish), an underwater hotel. Above water you’ll find cooking facilities. Below the surface is the bedroom – with panorama windows to the underwater world. Launched as an art project by Mikael Genberg, Utter Inn is hugely popular during its season, April–October.
5. Nolla Cabin
Nolla Cabin in the Stockholm archipelago is all about heading towards zero emissions. The cabin, designed by Robin Falck, is run on solar energy and illustrates how self-sufficiency and the use of renewable energy sources can be achieved using modern solutions.
A prototype of a sustainable cottage, Nolla Cabin is an experiment to show how we could live on less, while spending more time enjoying nature. The cabin is bookable through Lidö Värdshus and is part of Zero Island, a project by Neste.
1. Want to replace the city buzz with countryside calm? (We don't know if this particular farm offers accommodation – it's an archive photo from Skåne.) Photo: Conny Fridh/imagebank.sweden.se
2. Strandakar hotel, a pine tree oasis on the island of Gotland. Photo: Anton Blomberg
3. The 72 Hour Cabin is surrounded by nature – a place to truly wind down. Photo: Jonas Ingman/imagebank.sweden.se
Map of Sweden showing the locations of these 10 amazing places.
5. Nolla Cabin outside Stockholm leaves a minimal carbon footprint. Photo: Martin Edström/imagebank.sweden.se
6. Kolarbyn Ecolodge – luxury in its most primitive form. Photo: Johan von Helvert/Kolarbyn Ecolodge
7. Camping for free – as Swedish as it gets? Photo: Erik Leonsson/imagebank.sweden.se
8. The Mirror cube room of the Treehotel in northern Sweden. Photo: Lola Akinmade Åkerström/imagebank.sweden.se
9. Typically Sami tents at the Sápmi Nature Camp. Photo: Lennart Pittja/Sápmi Nature/imagebank.sweden.se
10. The Icehotel, possibly Sweden's most internationally famous hotel. Photo: Hans-Olof Utsi/imagebank.sweden.se (Artist: Petros Dermatas and Ellie Souti)
1. Want to replace the city buzz with countryside calm? (We don't know if this particular farm offers accommodation – it's an archive photo from Skåne.) Photo: Conny Fridh/imagebank.sweden.se
2. Strandakar hotel, a pine tree oasis on the island of Gotland. Photo: Anton Blomberg
3. The 72 Hour Cabin is surrounded by nature – a place to truly wind down. Photo: Jonas Ingman/imagebank.sweden.se
Map of Sweden showing the locations of these 10 amazing places.
5. Nolla Cabin outside Stockholm leaves a minimal carbon footprint. Photo: Martin Edström/imagebank.sweden.se
6. Kolarbyn Ecolodge – luxury in its most primitive form. Photo: Johan von Helvert/Kolarbyn Ecolodge
7. Camping for free – as Swedish as it gets? Photo: Erik Leonsson/imagebank.sweden.se
8. The Mirror cube room of the Treehotel in northern Sweden. Photo: Lola Akinmade Åkerström/imagebank.sweden.se
9. Typically Sami tents at the Sápmi Nature Camp. Photo: Lennart Pittja/Sápmi Nature/imagebank.sweden.se
10. The Icehotel, possibly Sweden's most internationally famous hotel. Photo: Hans-Olof Utsi/imagebank.sweden.se (Artist: Petros Dermatas and Ellie Souti)
1. Want to replace the city buzz with countryside calm? (We don't know if this particular farm offers accommodation – it's an archive photo from Skåne.) Photo: Conny Fridh/imagebank.sweden.se
2. Strandakar hotel, a pine tree oasis on the island of Gotland. Photo: Anton Blomberg
3. The 72 Hour Cabin is surrounded by nature – a place to truly wind down. Photo: Jonas Ingman/imagebank.sweden.se
Map of Sweden showing the locations of these 10 amazing places.
5. Nolla Cabin outside Stockholm leaves a minimal carbon footprint. Photo: Martin Edström/imagebank.sweden.se
6. Kolarbyn Ecolodge – luxury in its most primitive form. Photo: Johan von Helvert/Kolarbyn Ecolodge
7. Camping for free – as Swedish as it gets? Photo: Erik Leonsson/imagebank.sweden.se
8. The Mirror cube room of the Treehotel in northern Sweden. Photo: Lola Akinmade Åkerström/imagebank.sweden.se
9. Typically Sami tents at the Sápmi Nature Camp. Photo: Lennart Pittja/Sápmi Nature/imagebank.sweden.se
10. The Icehotel, possibly Sweden's most internationally famous hotel. Photo: Hans-Olof Utsi/imagebank.sweden.se (Artist: Petros Dermatas and Ellie Souti)
6. Kolarbyn Ecolodge
Kolarbyn Ecolodge is luxury in its most primitive form. Its twelve cabins are covered in mud and grass, with blueberries and mushrooms growing from the roofs. Come here to escape electricity and showers – and experience fresh air, peacefulness and wildlife. Kolarbyn is two hours’ drive from Stockholm, just outside the village of Skinnskatteberg.
7. Camping in the wild
In Sweden, allemansrätten – the right of public access – grants everyone the right to pitch a tent pretty much anywhere in nature. But camping comes with a few rules, such as keeping your distance to people’s houses and staying away from farmland.
For a unique yet natural experience of Sweden – bring a tent, find a remote spot in a field or on a rock, pitch your tent and enjoy the silence. All for free.
8. Treehotel
Imagine a tree house gone boutique hotel and you have the Treehotel – six customised tree houses spread out in a forest. Leading architects have created little havens of contemporary design in the middle of nature here, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the unspoiled landscape. You’ll find your home in the trees an hour outside of Luleå, way up north.
9. Sápmi Nature Camp
Camping yes, but above the Arctic Circle? Sápmi Nature Camp lies outside the towns of Gällivare and Jokkmokk in the Laponia World Heritage area, and is for anyone who wants to go glamping, Sami-style. Lavvu tents (that look like teepees) have been furnished with double beds, stoves and furnishings inspired by nature and Sami culture. Meals are based on the Sami cuisine, where fish, reindeer and moose meet local berries and herbs.
10. Icehotel
Come April every year and the entire Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi melts down – well, part of it, anyway. One part of the Icehotel stays open all year round. Solar panels harvest energy from the sun, which is then used to keep the ice from melting. The rest of the hotel melts down and is built up again in the colder season using ice and snow from the nearby Torne River. Artists decorate the interior, making the hotel an art exhibition as well. There are also warm accommodation alternatives all year round.
