Sweden is a large, geographically varied
and strangely little-known country whose sense
of space is one of its best features. Away from
the relatively densely populated south,
travelling without seeing a soul is not uncommon.
The
south and southwest of the country
are gently undulating, picturesque holiday lands,
long-disputed Danish territory, and fringed with
some of Europe's finest beaches. The west coast
harbours a host of historic ports -
Gothenburg
,
Helsingborg and
Malmö , which
is now linked by bridge to Copenhagen - while
off the
southeast coast, the Baltic
islands of
Öland and
Gotland are
the country's most hyped resorts, supporting a
lazy beach-life to match that of the best
southern European spots but without the hotel
blocks and crowds.
Stockholm , the capital, is the
country's supreme attraction, a bundle of
islands housing monumental architecture, fine
museums and the country's most active culture
and nightlife. The two university towns, Lund
and Uppsala, demand a visit too, while,
moving northwards, Gävle and Gällivare
both make justified demands on your time. This
area, central and northern Sweden, is the
country of tourist brochures: great swathes of
forest, inexhaustible lakes - around 96,000 -
and some of the best wilderness hiking in Europe.
Two train routes link it with the south. The
eastern run, close to the Bothnian coast
, passes old wood-built towns and planned new
ones, and ferry ports for connections to Finland.
In the centre, the trains of the Inlandsbanan
strike off through lakelands and mountains,
clearing reindeer off the track as they go. The
routes meet in Sweden's far north - home
of the Sami, the oldest indigenous Scandinavian
people.