77 Best Sights in Sweden

Lund's Domkyrkan, consecrated in 1145, is a monumental gray-stone Romanesque cathedral, the oldest in Scandinavia. Since the Reformation it has been Lutheran. Its crypt has 23 finely carved pillars, but its main attraction is an astrological clock, Horologum Mirabile Lundense, dating from 1380 and restored in 1923. The "Miraculous Clock of Lund" depicts an amazing pageant of knights jousting on horseback, trumpets blowing a medieval fanfare, and the Magi walking in procession past the Virgin and Child as the organ plays In Dulci Jubilo. The clock plays at noon and at 3 Monday–Saturday and at 1 and 3 on Sunday. The oldest parts of the cathedral are considered the finest Romanesque constructions in Sweden. English and Swedish tours are available.

It takes a five-minute ferry crossing to reach tiny, secluded Fårö from Gotland, to the south. A popular summer retreat for Scandinavians, the island has just 600 year-round residents. Legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman once called this island home; every June, film fanatics head over to celebrate Bergman Week. And in September, the island celebrates Fårönatta—a night when its shops, restaurants, and attractions stay open all night and the church holds a midnight mass. Head to the Digerhuvud area to find some impressive natural "sea stacks," weather rock formations that are known as raukar. They often take on human profiles, fueling local myths and legends. Note that basic services, including police, medical services, and banks, are virtually nonexistent on Fårö itself. If you really want to retreat from the world, Fårö is it.

Opened in 2010, this contemporary photography museum housed in a 1906 red brick art nouveau building along the Södermalm waterfront spotlights edgy fine art photography. Past exhibitions have included celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz and director Anton Corbijn.

This square was built in 1923 in celebration of the city's 300th anniversary. In the center is the Swedish-American sculptor Carl Milles's breathtaking fountain statue of Poseidon choking a codfish. Behind the statue stands the Konstmuseet, flanked by the Konserthuset (Concert Hall) and the Stadsteatern (Municipal Theater), contemporary buildings in which the city celebrates its contributions to Swedish cultural life.

Smaller than Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens or Göteborg's Liseberg, this amusement park has managed to retain much of its historical charm, while making room for modern, hair-raising rides among the pleasure gardens, amusement arcades, and restaurants. If you're feeling especially daring, try the Giant Drop (Fritt Fall). At more than 250 feet, it's one of the best ways to see Stockholm, albeit for about three seconds, before you plummet at 10 feet per second. There isn't an adult who grew up in Stockholm who can't remember the annual excitement of Gröna Lund's April opening. Go and you will see why. Major Swedish and international artists perform on the open-air stage in the heart of the park during the height of the summer.

This stunning bathhouse was built at the end of the 19th century by the Swedish philanthropist Sven Renström. Originally used by local dock- and factory workers, it's now often filled with Göteborg's leisure-hungry elite. The pretty pool is art nouveau, with wall paintings, an arched ceiling, and lamps with a diving-lady motif. The Roman baths and the massage and spa area all exude relaxation, but the architecture alone is worth a visit, even if you don't intend to take the plunge.

The attractive coastal town of Kalmar, opposite the Baltic island of Öland, is dominated by the imposing Kalmar Slott. Built in the 12th century, it was rebuilt in the 16th century by the Vasa kings. It remains the best preserved Renaissance castle in Northern Europe today. The living quarters, chapel, and dungeon can be visited—it's definitely worth a stop on your way in or out of Öland.

Designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, the Royal Palace was completed in the 1770s to replace the Tre Kronor palace, which burned down in 1697. Each of the four facades has a distinct style, signifying different characteristics: the west is the king's (or the male) side; the east is the queen's (or female) side; the south belongs to the nation; and the north represents royalty and power in general. Watch the changing of the guard in the curved terrace entrance and view the palace's fine furnishings and Gobelin tapestries on a tour of Representationsvåningarna (the State Apartments). Remnants of the earlier palace, as well as artifacts recovered after the fire, can be seen at the Tre Kronor Museum on the ground floor of the north side. To survey the crown jewels, which are no longer used in this self-consciously egalitarian country, head to Skattkammaren (the Treasury). Livrustkammaren (the Royal Armory)—Sweden's oldest museum, dating back nearly 400 years—has an outstanding collection of weaponry, coaches, and royal regalia. Your admission ticket includes the State Apartments, the Treasury, Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities, and the Tre Kronor Museum within seven days. Entrance to Livrustkammaren is separate.  Entrances to the Treasury and Armory are on the Slottsbacken side of the palace.

The more than thirty attractions here—carousels, rides, rollercoasters, funhouses, and the like—pull in roughly three million visitors each year. The park is especially mobbed around the holidays, when it throws the largest Christmas market in Sweden, with five million twinkling lights on display along with an ice rink, Santa's World, and stalls selling crafts, mulled wine, gingersnaps, and other seasonal goods.

One of Sweden's most outstanding art museums is in a turn-of-the-20th-century brick building that was once a power plant. It has exhibitions of contemporary art and a quality selection of Nordic art.

This gorgeous slice of greenery is a perfect place to spend a few hours on a late summer afternoon. When the weather's nice, people flock to the garden café, which is in one of the greenhouses, to enjoy tasty pastries and salads made from the locally grown vegetables. Pick your own flowers from the vast flower beds (paying by weight), stroll through the creative garden displays, or take away produce from the farm shop.

This glass-covered gondola travels along the along the outer rim of Stockholm's Globe Arena, some 140 yards above the sea. It makes for spectacular views of the city.

The architect Ragnar Östberg, one of the founders of the National Romantic movement, completed Stockholm's City Hall in 1923. The headquarters of the city council, the building is functional but ornate: its immense Blå Hallen (Blue Hall) is the venue for the annual Nobel Prize dinner, Stockholm's most prestigious event. Also notable is the Golden Hall, known for its mosaics depicting people and scenes from Swedish history. Admission is by guided tour only. You can also take a trip to the top of the 348-foot tower in the summer months to enjoy a breathtaking panorama of the city and Riddarfjärden. Admission to the tower is separate from the guided tour, and much but not all of the ascent can be accomplished by elevator. Tickets for the tower are timed and often go fast, so stop by early to guarantee a spot.

Beautiful open green spaces, manicured gardens, and tree-lined paths are the perfect place to escape for some peace and rest. Rose fanciers can head for the magnificent rose garden, where there are 5,000 roses of 2,500 varieties. Also worth a visit is the Palm House, whose late-19th-century design echoes that of London's Crystal Palace.

The warship Vasa sank just minutes into its maiden voyage in 1628, consigned to a watery grave until it was raised from the seabed in 1961. Its hull was preserved by the Baltic mud, free of the shipworms (really clams) that can eat through timbers. Now largely restored to her former glory (however short-lived it may have been), the man-of-war resides in a handsome museum. The sheer size of this cannon-laden hulk inspires awe and fear in equal measure. The political history of the world might have been different had she made it out of harbor.

Visby's cathedral, also known as S:t Maria Kyrka (the Church of St. Mary), is the only one of the town's 13 medieval churches that is still intact and in use. Built between 1190 and 1225 as a place of worship for the town's German parishioners, the church has few of its original fittings because of the extensive and sometimes clumsy restoration work done over the years. That said, the sandstone font and the unusually ugly angels decorating the pulpit are both original features worth a look.

Stockholm celebrates the country's most famous musical export with this attraction exploring the phenomenon of ABBA. The crowds of visitors are a testament to the group's enduring global popularity more than three decades after its split. Exhibits trace ABBA's history from its early days and international breakthrough at the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest to the group's breakup and legacy. Outlandish stage costumes and other original memorabilia make for entertaining displays, but even more fun are the various interactive stations where you can try your hand at recording vocals, dancing like your favorite ABBA avatar, or performing onstage with holograms of the band members. Timed tickets should be bought online in advance (admission can be higher for busier periods).

In the archipelago, 12 miles east of Stockholm, stands this art and cultural venue, a 110,000-square-foot, primarily glass structure in which you can check out art exhibits, marvel at Swedish design, dig into local organic cuisine, or listen to world-class music. You might also just want to come to soak up the fresh breeze along the waterfront here.

If you'd prefer to stay on board a boat and simply cruise around the islands, seek out the Blidösund. A coal-fired steamboat built in 1911 that has remained in almost continuous service, the Blidösund is now run by a small group of enthusiasts who take parties of around 250 on evening music-and-dinner cruises. The cruises depart from a berth close to the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

Boda Glasbruk, part of the Kosta Boda Company, is the second-oldest glassworks here, founded in 1864. The work here has an ethereal theme, with the designers drawing on cosmic bodies such as the sun and the moon. Much of the work has veils of violet and blue suspended in the crystal.

One block east of the cathedral is the Botaniska Trädgården, which contains more than 7,000 specimens of plants from all over the world, including such exotics as the paper mulberry tree, from the islands of the South Pacific.

With 1,200 plant species, this is Sweden's largest botanical garden. Herb gardens, bamboo groves, a Japanese valley, forest plants, and tropical greenhouses are all on display. Once you've captured some inspiration, you can pick up all you need to create your own botanical garden from the on-site shop.

The cathedral, in neoclassic yellow brick, dates from 1802—two previous cathedrals on this spot were destroyed by fire. Though plain on the outside, the interior is impressive. Two glassed-in verandas originally used for the bishop's private conversations run the length of each side of the cathedral. The altar is impressively ornate and gilt.

Built in 1872, this fish market gets its nickname from the vast hall's Gothic-style architectural details. The beautiful arched and vaulted wooden ceiling covers rows and rows of stalls, each offering silvery, slippery goods to the shoppers who congregate here.

In the 19th century these four secluded islands were the last chance for archipelago residents to take a break before rowing into Stockholm to sell their produce. After more than 60 years as a military zone, the islands were opened to the public in the early 1980s. Today they are crammed with arts-and-crafts studios, shops, several restaurants and cafés, a traditional boat exhibit, an ingenious "shipwreck" playground, and a smoked-fish shop. It takes a 25-minute ferry ride to get here from Stockholm; boats depart from Slussen and Strandvägen, May to early September.

You can learn about Scandinavian art and design at the Form/Design Center. The center is run by SvenskForm, a nonprofit association that promotes top-quality design in Sweden. Swedish and other Scandinavian artworks are on display throughout the center.

Ideally you should start your visit to the area with a trip to Old Uppsala, 5 km (3 miles) north of the town. Here under three huge mounds lie the graves of the first Swedish kings—Aun, Egil, and Adils—of the 6th-century Ynglinga dynasty. Close by in pagan times was a sacred grove containing a legendary oak from whose branches animal and human sacrifices were hanged. By the 10th century Christianity had eliminated such practices. A small church, which was the seat of Sweden's first archbishop, was built on the site of a former pagan temple.

The Gamla Uppsala Museum contains exhibits and archaeological findings from the Viking burial mounds that dominate the local area. The museum distinguishes between the myth and legends about the area and what is actually known about its history.

A statement in steel and glass, the opera house opened in 1994, immediately dominating this section of the waterfront with its bold lines and shape. Set against a backdrop of the old docks, it makes for a striking image. The productions here are world-class and well worth seeing if you get the chance.

The Länsmuseet på Gotland, Gotland's county museum, contains examples of medieval artwork, prehistoric gravestones and skeletons, and silver hoards from Viking times. Be sure to also check out the ornate "picture stones" from AD 400–600, which depict ships, people, houses, and animals.