Sweden
Sweden has always felt to me like a country full of beautiful people who know how to party, yet is also amazingly clean and efficient. I've done some tourism there, as well as being there a few times on business, and it's always a pleasant place to pass some days.
Two thirds of the population live in the bottom third of the country, which leads to Stockholm sometimes bizarrely being referred to as being in the north, even though it's only about one third of the way up the country! Many Swedes I haven't met have not been to the very north of their country, even though it hosts some beautiful scenery. The most northern parts of the country lie within the arctic circle, where skiing is available well into May (I was up there in mid-May and shared a sleeper compartment with a man returning from a skiing trip), but doesn't start until February because of the lack of daylight hours before then. Be aware that the summer season in the more northern places doesn't truly begin until sometime in June - do your research if you want to be sure of things being open/possible.
Places I've Been
Top Picks
- The Abisko National Park in the very north of Sweden is probably my favorite place in this country. It's quite a long haul up there (it is possible in around 18 hours on a sleeper train from Stockholm, I think), but worth it. Be aware that it isn't truly open for the summer reason until June-ish; I was there in mid-May and there was virtually nobody about and hardly anything going on (the chair lift up the mountain was closed, for example). I believe it also opens for a winter skiing season. Going in May did make for a very, very peaceful time to enjoy the tranquility, however: being alone by a vast, frozen over lake with snowy mountains in the distance was wonderful, and it was still easily possible to do some hiking by a gorge.
- Stockholm is the bustling capital of Sweden, laid out over a bunch of islands and half-islands. There's no shortage of places to visit, eat and drink, and the underground railway makes it easy to get between them. Good architecture, and a good time.
- Linkoping doesn't stand out as the most likely place for a short break, but I tried it anyway and found it very likable. The nightlife was especially good, and between the various museums, churches and opportunities for walks by the river, it made a good place to wander around and unwind for a bit.
Langauge
English is spoken both widely and very well, from the university students in Linkoping to the lady out walking her dog up in Abisko in the very north of Sweden. You shouldn't have much of a problem with language here.
