If you’re travelling to experience midnight sun in Sweden then it’s sure to be a time you won’t forget. Booking a hire car for Sweden is recommended as there’s a vast range of activities and many islands to hop. Make your holiday of exploration easier with your own rental car in Sweden.
Stockholm. Photo by: Scanrail/Adobe Stock
What is the midnight sun?
This is a naturally-occurring phenomenon in the summer months just north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle. During the time around the summer solstice, 21st June in the Northern Hemisphere or 22nd December in the Southern Hemisphere, the sun can be seen for a full 24 hours in fair weather.
When does midnight sun occur?
Usually in Swedish Lapland it runs between the end of May to mid-July. The closer you get to the poles, the longer the experience lasts.
The best experiences in Sweden
If travelling to Sweden during the occurrence of midnight sun, your days will last longer and so can be filled with many more activities. The temptation to skip sleep will be very high! We’ve compiled a list of our favourite 15 things to do in Sweden- some you can pack your daytimes with, others you should save for the evenings.
Drottningholm Palace
This fairy-tale UNESCO World Heritage site is located on Lovön island. Home to the Swedish royal family, this palace was built in the 17th century and boasts fantastic features. Browse the exotic Chinese Pavilion, the palace theatre, and gardens. The Museum De Vries in the old Dragoon Stables houses a unique collection of sculptures.
Drottningholm Palace. Photo by: kaleff/Adobe Stock
Vasa Museum
This is the most popular museum in Sweden, attracting around 1 million visitors each year. The Vasa was a battleship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 but wasn’t salvaged until 1961. There are 10 separate exhibitions detailing the creation and history of the ship, along with life in Stockholm in the 17th century. An educational film is shown throughout the day in various languages (either subtitled or spoken).
Boat tours and cruises
Around 30,000 beautiful islands are nestled within the archipelago. Take a 2.5-3 hour tour of these incredible sights, learning more about them individually as you go. Stromma has boats from 1906 and 1931 which provide trips, informative narration, and lunch/dinner as an optional extra.
Alternatively, there are evening cruises running by Laponia Rederi travelling a variety of routes. For example, each Saturday in July you can take a midnight cruise from Piteå to Luleå departing at 22:15 and arriving at 02:00.
Djurgården
This island in Stockholm provides a self-contained day of fun. There are over 20 museums, including the Abba Museum.
The amusement park, Gröna Lund, has rides for all the family, right from roller coasters, to child-friendly rides, to the House of Nightmares (you wouldn’t catch me in there).
There’s also the Kaknästornet; a TV tower and highest building in the city. Its high-speed elevator will boost you up 30 floors in 30 seconds. Enjoy twilight cocktails from the Skybar on the Observation Deck for incredible panoramas of the city below.
Visit Vikingaliv for an interactive experience about the Vikings in Sweden. Learn through historical facts and the latest academic research.
Gröna Lund, Djurgården. Photo by: Scanrail/Adobe Stock
Gotland
This is Sweden’s largest island. The largest area of sea stacks can be found at Digerhuvud here. However, the most famous ones are at Langhammar, standing almost 10m tall.
The main town, Visby, is walled and each cobblestone street is packed with medieval history. Architecturally pleasing trading houses still stand alongside timber buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. The walls enclosing the town are 700 years old and 44 defensive towers line the way. You can take a tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site either self-guided or guided.
Go golfing
A course of 9 holes in Björkliden remains open for 24 hours between July 8th to September 18th. This most northerly course in Sweden is nestled in mountains so provides some shelter for your night-time golfing. When visibility drops, the specially designed glow-in-the-dark golf balls are used to assist you.
Kebnekaise
This is the highest mountain in Sweden. With unlimited daylight, you can pace your hike and take as long as you need to scale either of the two summits. Sydtoppen, one of the summits, is the highest point in Sweden but be aware, it is a glacier so crampons are advised. Consider booking a guided tour.
Icehotel
A man-made phenomenon not to be missed! We’ve talked about the Icehotel in our previous guide on seeing the Northern Lights. Whilst staying here (an experience you’re bound to remember!) you can take a lesson in ice sculpting, go dog sledding, or try your hand at ice fishing under the midnight sun.
Ice hotel, Kiruna. Photo by: Marco Regalia/Adobe Stock
Stockholm and Gothenburg
Stockholm’s 13th century old town of Gamla Stan has wonderfully preserved medieval streets and delights at every turn. Find here the Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan- the “big church”), the Nobel Museum and the Royal Palace, containing over 600 rooms. The Moderna Museet art gallery houses works by the likes of Picasso and Dali. There’s also the National Library, which houses the Codex Gigas, meaning ‘giant book’, one of the oldest of its kind and known for its large drawing of the devil.
Stockholm consists of 14 islands with a total of 30 official beach baths and many more unofficial ones. Climb the highest point, Skinnarviksberget for a stunning view of the city laid out beneath you. It’s a great location for a BBQ or picnic, and not many people know about it so it’s a great find. The park below has a small playground for children and an open-air café for a quick bite to eat.
Alternatively, the Gothenburg Museum of Art celebrates Nordic painters. Liseberg is Scandinavia’s biggest amusement park. Enjoy Balder, one of the largest wooden roller coasters in the world, or be spun 42 metres in the air on Loke. If you’re self-catering, be sure to visit the Feskekôrka, fish market hall, great for local fish delicacies. There are also on-site restaurants and options for wine tasting! There’s also Scandinavia’s largest science centre, the Universeum. A fun attraction for all ages to learn more about different ecosystems.
Kungsleden
This “Kings Trail” is a fantastic 270-mile walking route between Abisko and Hemavan. It’s possible to split the route up into manageable chunks. This handy guide explains the routes well.
Way Out West
Sweden has numerous music festivals and this one is arguably Sweden’s most popular. It draws 30,000 people each August, so days are still long but not quite 24-hour. Uniquely, the festival serves only vegetarian food. It’s renowned as Europe’s biggest combined music and film festival.
Loppis
When driving in the countryside, you’re bound to notice signs for these; flea markets. They will appear in the most unexpected places and can be great sources of bargains and unusual items to take home.
Höga Kusten
This translates as “High Coast”; another UNESCO World Heritage Site perfect for hiking.
Midnight sun over Lake Torneträsk. Photo by: lembrechtsjonas/Adobe Stock
Aurora Sky Station
Atop the mountain Nuolja, 900m above sea level, sits this sky station. Enjoy a three course dinner before retiring to the observation post and terrace for incredible views of the surrounding mountains and Lake Torneträsk. You can then proceed to climb to the summit of the mountain.
Fly fishing
There are lots of guides and outlets that can equip you for some fly fishing under the midnight sun, such as the family-run Rajamaa.
Prepare to face the midnight sun
As well as arming yourself with a cracking itinerary to make full use of your time in Sweden, you should also consider taking a sleeping mask. Whenever you may try to get your head down for some rest, you’ll need to create an illusion of night-time. It’s for this reason that black-out curtains are a big seller in the arctic circle.
Make sure you book a hire car so you’ve got your own transport for easily accessing activities and attractions.
Have you travelled to Sweden? What other items would you add to our list?
Written by Jessica Juby.
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