Sweden
By train through Lapland, friends in Umeå and a Stockholm finale: The Swedish leg of our big Interrail journey.
- Posts
- 46
- Photo spots
- 18
- Travel years
- 2021, 2022
- Latest
- 12/09/22
Sweden was the connecting piece of our big Interrail journey through the north: Long train rides through the forests of Lapland, a reunion with friends in the university town of Umeå, and Stockholm to finish. Gamla Stan, Djurgården and a boat ride that is included in the public transport ticket.
Back in May and June 2021 we had already spent six weeks in Sweden. After the flight from Zurich and three days in Stockholm, we drove a rental car via Borlänge and Kiruna as far as Abisko, and then back to Stockholm via Jokkmokk, Arvidsjaur, Orsa and Götene.
- Photo spot
- Stage
- Route (straight line)
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46 stages as a list
Posts from Sweden
· 2 min
Stockholm, Gamla Stan and Djurgården
Stockholm at speed: Drottninggatan, Gamla Stan, the changing of the guard by chance, and an evening on Djurgården with dumplings and a boat ride home.
· 1 min
Umeå - Stockholm
The first-class train to Stockholm, and an evening that becomes legendary when the Indian food we had given up on arrives just as the pizza does.
· 2 min
Umeå
A day for friendship: Vegan breakfast with Salome and Lucas, Lake Nydalasjön, the Umeå campus, frisbee in the park and cocktails at GP's.
· 1 min
Narvik - Umeå
Seven and a half hours by train through Lapland with photo editing and Monopoly, a connection caught despite a delay and a late welcome in Umeå.
· 2 min
Last day in Stockholm
Throat-swab Covid test, takeaway in the city park, Gamla Stan and City Hall: Our last day in Stockholm ends with Uber Eats and bar games.
· 2 min
Norrköping - Kista
Cactus park in Norrköping, a hectic drive into the Stockholm area and our last stay at the Scandic Hotel in Kista, with a test run at packing in the evening.
· 2 min
Norrköping - Sätragruvan
From the sun terrace near Norrköping to the abandoned mines of Sätragruvan, where sulphur ore was mined in the First World War, and an evening by the lake.
· 3 min
Götene - Norrköping
From the Airbnb with a sauna to Tiveden National Park: A hike along the reddish-coloured lakes, then on to a cottage by a lake near Norrköping.
· 3 min
Götene - Kinnekulle
Sightseeing around Götene: The Silverfallet waterfalls, the forest ruins of the Oljekoken Gössäter shale oil works and the woods of Munkängarna Kinnekulle.
· 1 min
Götene
A rainy day in the loft in Götene: Planning the journey home, shopping in Lidköping, a sauna and an aperitif with non-alcoholic sparkling wine and ginger beer.
· 2 min
Hindås - Götene
From Hindås to Götene: A visit to the baroque Läckö Slott on Lake Vänern, a picnic on a jetty and an evening in a loft with its own sauna.
· 2 min
Hindås - Näsbokrok
Wind is the word of the day: Tjolöholms Slott south of Gothenburg with its garden by the sea, then the Näsbokrok nature reserve with strong wind and waves.
· 1 min
Hindås
A rest day in Hindås: A walk through the forest to the sandy beach by the lake, calls with family and friends and an aperitif on the balcony with a lake view.
· 2 min
Henån - Hindås
The fishing villages of Hälleviksstrand and Mollösund, vegetable pizza at Fröken Trulls with antiques and a nursery, then the loft in Hindås near Gothenburg.
· 3 min
Åmål - Henån
The colourful fishing huts of Smögenbryggan, Bronze Age rock carvings in Brastad, the Stångehuvud nature reserve and a ferry ride to Orust.
· 3 min
Sunne - Båstnäs - Åmål
An abandoned car cemetery in the forest near the Norwegian border, then on to Åmål on Lake Vänern with a view of a lighthouse.
· 2 min
Orsa - Sunne
From Orsa a good two and a half hours south: Shopping at an ICA Maxi, a storm with hail and a cottage on a farm with cows and a calf.
· 2 min
Orsa
We visit the Orsa Rovdjurspark with bears, lynx, wolverine and birds of prey, and in the evening watch geese with their young from the bird-watching jetty.
· 2 min
Rätan - Orsa
From Rätan to Orsa: Hikes through the bog landscape of Hamra National Park, the Helvetesfallet with its suspension bridge and an Airbnb with a lake view.
· 1 min
Huså - Rätan
We leave Huså, drive to Rätan and move into a house with a second little cottage. In the evening we eat curry rice by the lake, read and edit photos.
· 3 min
Huså
Annina's 25th birthday in Huså: Breakfast with balloons, prosecco on the balcony, a backpack as a present and chocolate cake shortly before midnight.
· 2 min
Handöl - Huså
Nicolas' drone gets stuck in a tree outside our cabin but eventually comes down unharmed. Then we visit the Handölsforsen and reach our accommodation in Huså.
· 4 min
Backe - Handöl
On the drive from Backe to Handöl we visit Ristafallet, Tännforsen and Handölsforsen, see a double rainbow and move into a remote cabin.
· 3 min
Backe - Brattfors
We visit viewpoints near Brattfors, see a rock painting of a moose, read by a lake and fly the drone over the forest.
· 2 min
Hoting - Backe
We leave the house by the lake, move into an Airbnb in Backe and cut the hike to Finnfors short because we hear a deep growl in the forest.
· 2 min
Hoting - Tvärfallet
From our lakeside stay in Hoting we drive to the Tvärfallet waterfall in a moss-covered forest, and we spend the afternoon by the jetty.
· 1 min
Arvidsjaur - Hoting
From Arvidsjaur to Hoting: A 4.5-hour drive with a lunch break by old Sami cottages in Vilhelmina, and modern accommodation right on the lake.
· 2 min
Arvidsjaur
A rest day in Arvidsjaur: Planning the onward journey, deckchairs on the meadow, potato gratin, an open fire and a sunset around midnight.
· 3 min
Arvidsjaur - Reivo Nature Reserve
From Arvidsjaur to Reivo nature reserve: The Sami town of Lappstaden, a road full of mud and snow, a young moose and reindeer on the way back.
· 3 min
Jokkmokk - Arvidsjaur
From Jokkmokk to Arvidsjaur: Grocery shopping, reindeer on the road, a gravel track in 4WD, a spring-fed lake in a bog and a cottage above a lake.
· 3 min
Jokkmokk - Kvikkjokk
On the drive from Jokkmokk to Kvikkjokk we stop at frozen lakes, spot a moose, reindeer and ptarmigan, and visit the wooden church.
· 2 min
Camp Alta - Jokkmokk
From Kiruna to Jokkmokk: Reindeer and ptarmigan on the way, icy lakes, Muddus National Park blocked by snow and the cabin at Skabram Camping.
· 2 min
Kiruna - Camp Alta
A quiet day in Kiruna: The wooden church, then a cabin on a campsite by the frozen lake, with a sauna on the ice.
· 4 min
Kiruna - Abisko
From Kiruna to Abisko: A hike in Abisko National Park with a waterfall and the Kungsleden, frozen lakes, reindeer by the roadside and drone flights.
· 2 min
Råneå - Kiruna
More than 300 km from Råneå to Kiruna: Breakfast in the villa's dining room, herds of reindeer by the roadside, frozen lakes and a night at Hotel Kebne.
· 3 min
Luleå - Råneå
The crane and icebreakers in Luleå's harbour, the open-air museum in Luleå Gammelstad and a night at Villa Melderstein Herrgård in Råneå.
· 2 min
Ånäset - Luleå
From Ånäset to Luleå: Breakfast in the forest cabin, a railway museum with retired trains in the woods and a walk along the beach promenade.
· 2 min
Lillarmsjö - Ånäset
From Lillarmsjö via Umeå to Ånäset: Rain, two moose in a meadow just before Lufta campsite and a cosy evening in the cabin.
· 3 min
Själevad - Lillarmsjö
From Själevad to Lillarmsjö: A sauna in the morning, a forest lake, a cottage with a boat and a sauna on the big lake, and a sunset over mirror-smooth water.
· 2 min
Jättendal - Själevad
From Jättendal to Själevad: Rain on the drive, an Airbnb with a sauna in the flat, rice with Thai curry sauce and editing photos late into the night.
· 2 min
Borlänge - Jättendal
From Borlänge to Jättendal: A forest lake as a photo stop, moose warning signs on the way, shopping at ICA Maxi and an Airbnb called Krusa overlooking a lake.
· 1 min
Stockholm - Borlänge
Last breakfast in Stockholm, a rental car at the airport and the first drive in the Peugeot 3008 plug-in hybrid to a tiny house for the night.
· 2 min
Stockholm Day 3
Sun cream instead of a SIM card, a quiet morning in Rosendals Trädgård Park, scooters at the harbour, lunch at Stadshuset and the city library.
· 1 min
Stockholm Day 2
17,000 steps in the sunshine: Gamla Stan, Södermalm, Monteliusvägen, Skinnarviksberget, lunch at Stadshuset and the island of Skeppsholmen.
· 1 min
Stockholm Day 1
A lie-in, takeaway at the harbour after a scooter ride with a detour, photo spots around the city and a vegan bowl via Uber Eats in the evening.
· 2 min
The Journey There
Flight from Zurich to Stockholm in the middle of the pandemic: Antigen test in Basel, showing the certificate twice, the Arlanda Express and a walk in the rain.
18 photo spots
All on the map →Canyon in Abisko National Park
68.3554° N 18.7667° E
One of the shorter hikes in Abisko National Park takes us to a roaring waterfall between dark rock walls. At the end of May there is still ice there.
Båstnäs Car Cemetery
59.3608° N 11.8383° E
An abandoned car cemetery in the forest near the Norwegian border. An estimated more than 1000 wrecks from the 1950s to the 1970s, some piled on top of each other.
Gamla Bron, Umeå
63.8250° N 20.2492° E
Best time: Evening light · summer
The old steel arch bridge across the Ume river. From its wooden deck you catch the river panorama and skyline in soft evening light.
Stortorget, Gamla Stan
59.3251° N 18.0711° E
Best time: Early morning · all year
Stockholm's oldest square with its iconic red and yellow gabled houses, most beautiful early in the morning before the old town wakes up.
Gammelstad, Luleå
65.6461° N 22.0286° E
The original site of Luleå, with red wooden houses and a massive 15th century church. We only see the open-air museum from outside.
Grodkällan på Slengmyren
65.7815° N 19.4922° E
Boardwalks lead through the bog to a light blue, crystal clear spring-fed pool. On its bed, fresh water wells up from many springs.
Handölsforsen
63.2481° N 12.4414° E
A suspension bridge crosses the raging river and sways noticeably in the middle. A path beyond it takes us to a viewpoint over the upper part of the falls.
Helvetesfallet
61.2684° N 14.7499° E
After 11 km of gravel road, a path leads down through birch forest into a reddish-brown gorge with a powerful waterfall. A suspension bridge crosses it.
Läckö Slott
58.6750° N 13.2200° E
A 17th century baroque castle on Lake Vänern, with flowering meadows and a harbour all around. We picnic at the end of a jetty looking at the castle.
Monteliusvägen, Stockholm
59.3207° N 18.0603° E
From the path on the western edge of Södermalm we have a beautiful view of the city centre, with Stadshuset and its tower on the left.
Norrbottens Järnvägsmuseum, Luleå
65.5966° N 22.0683° E
Retired trains stand right in the forest here, and access to them is free. For us the old, rusty carriages are a perfect photo subject.
Nydalasjön, Umeå
63.8189° N 20.3336° E
Best time: Late summer
A forest lake right on the edge of Umeå, with a path around it for walking, running and cycling.
Ristafallet
63.3125° N 13.3483° E
One of Sweden's largest waterfalls, known from the film of Ronia, the Robber's Daughter. Paths follow the water, and the spray soaks camera and lenses.
Silverfallet, Billingen
58.4917° N 13.7452° E
A stream with several waterfalls carrying little water, falling like strands of silver over the rock steps. A tripod and ND filter allow long exposures.
Smögenbryggan, Smögen
58.3531° N 11.2269° E
Colourful fishing huts on a bay of shimmering light blue sea. We climb over loose rocks to the sea and look out to a lighthouse.
Tännforsen
63.4453° N 12.7403° E
Best time: Spring · evening sun for the rainbow
Sweden's largest waterfall by volume. In spring up to 740 m³ per second pour over the edge, and the spray hits us even from a distance.
Tiveden National Park
58.7167° N 14.6056° E
Old, wild forest full of boulders. The trail along the lakes keeps opening viewpoints over water tinted red and yellow.
Tjolöholms Slott
57.3986° N 12.1031° E
Completed around 1904, the castle south of Gothenburg sits right by the sea, surrounded by gardens with walking paths. The wind blows hard here.