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 Sweden
is a large, geographically varied and strangely little-known country
whose sense of space is one of its best features. Away from the
relatively densely populated south, travelling without seeing a soul is
not uncommon. The south and southwest of the country are gently
undulating, picturesque holiday lands, long-disputed Danish territory,
and fringed with some of Europe's finest beaches. The west coast
harbours a host of historic ports - Gothenburg , Helsingborg and Malmö ,
which is now linked by bridge to Copenhagen - while off the southeast
coast, the Baltic islands of Öland and Gotland are the country's most
hyped resorts, supporting a lazy beach-life to match that of the best
southern European spots but without the hotel blocks and crowds.
Stockholm , the capital, is the country's supreme attraction, a bundle
of islands housing monumental architecture, fine museums and the
country's most active culture and nightlife. The two university towns,
Lund and Uppsala, demand a visit too, while, moving northwards, Gävle
and Gällivare both make justified demands on your time. This area,
central and northern Sweden, is the country of tourist brochures: great
swathes of forest, inexhaustible lakes - around 96,000 - and some of the
best wilderness hiking in Europe. Two train routes link it with the
south. The eastern run, close to the Bothnian coast , passes old wood-built
towns and planned new ones, and ferry ports for connections to Finland.
In the centre, the trains of the Inlandsbanan strike off through
lakelands and mountains, clearing reindeer off the track as they go. The
routes meet in Sweden's far north - home of the Sami, the oldest
indigenous Scandinavian people.
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