Sweden In the City and Countryside
We visited Stockholm which makes for a perfect short break. My highlights include wandering the labyrinth of cobble streets and alleyways which make up the original old town (Gamla Stan) and visiting the Vassa museum where this 16th century ship which was discovered and resurrected almost entirely intact from where it sunk in Stockholm harbour on its maiden voyage. I would also recommend a trip to the Skansen, the open-air museum. Swedish culture celebrates "Fika" which is to make time to meet with friends and have coffee and cake which is why the coffee and cake are so good and I would highly recommend the cinnamon buns called Kanelbullar. You can also visit the excellent Abba exhibition and even record yourself performing one of their hits.
Away from the city we spent most of our time in the countryside which is beautiful and great for walking where we saw roe deer, hares, geese and an abundance of birds and wildflowers and sometimes you might even spot an elk. Dotted all over Sweden are lakes that attract people to swim in their clear waters and from Stockholm and along the coast nearby as hundreds of islands that make up the archipelago. We went to one such island called Furusund where we went to an open-air informal country music concert. There are a couple of hotels in Furusund one of which is very recently renovated and very comfortable, but I much preferred the Hotel Albert a short walk from the seafront which was built in 1884 and remains largely unchanged from then with loads of character and original features and furniture.
A popular trip would be to spend 2-3 nights in Stockholm and then take one of the smaller cruise boats which take you along and through the archipelago with its beautiful views to gems of places like Furusund to fully experience Sweden.