Sweden: Romantic Getaways

  1. Stockholm: Beauty on Fourteen Islands

Expect to pay: £180–£400 per night for design hotels; £300–£600 for luxury waterfront properties

Sweden’s capital spreads across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea, its waterways, bridges, and colourful facades creating one of Europe’s most beautiful cityscapes. Wander the cobblestoned lanes of Gamla Stan (the old town), explore world-class museums like the Vasa and Fotografiska, and discover why Stockholm has become a global design destination. The city’s restaurants have earned more Michelin stars than anywhere else in Scandinavia; its bars pioneered the craft cocktail movement. Stay on waterfront Södermalm or in a converted ship in the harbour, watch the sunset from Monteliusvägen, and let Stockholm’s elegant beauty unfold at the leisurely Scandinavian pace.

  1. Swedish Lapland: Northern Lights and Ice Hotels

Expect to pay: £250–£500 per night for wilderness lodges; £400–£1,000 for Icehotel and treehouse hotels

Above the Arctic Circle, winter transforms Swedish Lapland into a wonderland of snow-covered forests, frozen rivers, and the dancing aurora borealis. Stay at the original Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, where artists sculpt rooms from Torne River ice each year, or sleep suspended in glass-walled treehouses at TreeHotel near Harads. By day, go dog-sledding through silent forests, meet reindeer with Sami herders, or chase the Northern Lights by snowmobile. Summer brings the midnight sun—endless daylight for hiking and fishing. This is Sweden at its most extreme and most magical, offering experiences impossible to find elsewhere on earth.

  1. Gothenburg: West Coast Charm

Expect to pay: £140–£300 per night for boutique hotels; £250–£450 for luxury options

Sweden’s second city offers a more relaxed alternative to Stockholm, with world-class seafood, a charming archipelago, and a creative energy that has produced globally influential music and design. Explore the canal-lined Haga district, ride vintage trams to the botanical gardens, and book a table at one of the restaurants that have made Gothenburg a culinary destination. The archipelago’s islands—car-free, connected by ferries—provide easy escapes for kayaking, swimming, and seafood feasts at waterside restaurants. Stay in a converted warehouse hotel, take a food tour through Feskekôrka (the fish church market), and discover why Gothenburgers are so proud of their city.

  1. The Stockholm Archipelago: Island-Hopping Paradise

Expect to pay: £150–£350 per night for island hotels; £200–£500 for luxury archipelago properties

Thirty thousand islands stretch from Stockholm into the Baltic, offering couples endless opportunities for exploration. Some islands bustle with summer life—restaurants, boutiques, beaches—while others remain wild and barely inhabited. Take the classic steamer boats between islands, swim from smooth granite rocks, and dine on fresh-caught seafood as the long Scandinavian twilight stretches toward midnight. Sandhamn offers sailing culture and charm; Grinda provides beaches and nature; Vaxholm delivers fortress history and accessibility. Stay overnight for the true archipelago experience—the day-trippers depart, and the islands reveal their peaceful essence.

  1. Countryside Retreats: Forests and Lakes

Expect to pay: £120–£280 per night for manor hotels; £200–£450 for luxury countryside estates

Beyond the cities, Sweden offers endless forests, thousands of lakes, and a tradition of countryside hospitality that dates back centuries. Stay in a converted manor house in Skåne, where rolling farmland recalls Tuscany; discover a lakeside cabin in Dalarna, the region of red-painted wooden villages; or retreat to a glass cabin in the forest where you can watch wildlife from your bed. The Swedish concept of allemansrätten (right to roam) means the countryside is yours to explore—pick wild berries, swim in any lake, camp almost anywhere. This is romance without agenda, where nature sets the pace.