Southern Sweden

Sweden's traditional southern land of Götaland, including Gothenburg and the west-coast archipelago, Skåne, Kalmar, the Kingdom of Crystal, and Visby on Gotland, ringed by medieval walls.

This region corresponds to Götaland, one of Sweden's three traditional lands. By province it includes Skåne, Blekinge, Halland, Kronoberg, Kalmar, Jönköping, Östergötland, Västergötland and Gotland. It is bounded to the north by the Svealand provinces of Värmland, Örebro and Södermanland, which make up "Central Sweden" in the same scheme. Highlights: Gothenburg, Sweden's second-largest city, with its Haga district, the Liseberg amusement park and the fish market; the west-coast archipelago of Bohuslän, with fishing villages such as Smögen and Marstrand; in Skåne, Malmö, Lund Cathedral and castle-manors, with the Øresund Bridge leading to Copenhagen; Kalmar Castle and the island of Öland; the glassworks of the "Kingdom of Crystal" in Småland; Jönköping and Gränna on Lake Vättern; the Göta Canal in Östergötland; and the World Heritage old town of Visby and the sea stacks of Gotland. Allow 5–8 days: 2–3 days for Gothenburg and the west coast, 2 days for Skåne, and a further 2 days for Gotland (the ferry from Nynäshamn or Oskarshamn takes about 3 hours). The high-speed train from Stockholm to Gothenburg takes about 3 hours. During Medieval Week in Visby in summer, accommodation is tight, so book early.

Destinations

Itineraries