Best places to visit in Sweden in 2026

Sweden at a glance

1. Stockholm — built across fourteen islands

The Vasa Museum is the one unmissable thing in Sweden: a 69-metre warship that sank in 1628 on its maiden voyage and was raised essentially intact in 1961. Entry is 195 SEK in the low season and 240 SEK in summer. The Royal Palace (220–240 SEK) is the largest still in use by a head of state; City Hall is 150 SEK for the guided tour with the Nobel banquet hall, plus 80 SEK for the tower.

Gamla Stan, the old town, is free to walk and worth doing early. Fotografiska (200–230 SEK) is the best photography museum in the Nordics, and Moderna Museet (170 SEK) is free on Friday evenings for much of the year.

• Best for: the Vasa, island-hopping, design, a walkable historic core.
• Less ideal if: you want warmth — even summer is cool, and winter days are very short.

• Stockholm — things to do and 2026 prices

2–4. Gothenburg, Malmö and Kiruna

Gothenburg is the friendlier, saltier counterweight to Stockholm: Liseberg is the best amusement park in the Nordics, the seafood is the country’s finest, and the western archipelago is car-free and reachable on a city transit ticket. Malmö is twenty minutes over the bridge from Copenhagen and makes a cheap base for both. Kiruna is the reason to fly north — the Icehotel, Abisko national park and some of the most reliable northern-lights viewing anywhere, between roughly September and March.

• Gothenburg
• Malmö
• Kiruna

FAQ

Does Sweden use the euro?

No — the currency is the Swedish krona (SEK). Sweden is also close to cashless: many museums, buses and cafés take card or phone only, so you may not need to withdraw anything at all.

Where is the best place to see the northern lights in Sweden?

Abisko, reached from Kiruna, has a rain shadow that gives it unusually clear skies and makes it one of the most reliable aurora spots in the world. The season runs roughly September to March; you need darkness, clear sky and patience, and no tour can promise a sighting.

How many days do you need in Stockholm?

Three nights for the city — the Vasa, the palace, Gamla Stan, Djurgården and a museum or two. Add a fourth if you want to take a boat out into the archipelago properly rather than just looking at it.