11 Most Breathtaking Towns In Sweden

If you want to sample the best that Sweden has to offer, you won’t find it in the halls of an IKEA store: for that, you’ll have to seek out one of the country’s countless photogenic towns. Packed with history and impossibly scenic, these towns offer a glimpse into a side of Sweden that a whistle-stop urban itinerary won’t cover. If you’re looking to spend a little time in a place where Sweden is at its most beautiful, these eleven breathtaking towns are a great place to start.

Kalmar

Located on Sweden’s southeastern coast, Kalmar offers visitors a milder climate and a heavy dose of Medieval charm you won’t find elsewhere in the country. It’s best known for Kalmar Castle, an impressive fortress built on an island in the city’s harbor to defend what was once the border between Denmark and Sweden, but it is also the unlikely location of Europe’s largest dinosaur exhibition, A World of Dinosaurs.

When you’re not strolling the town’s irresistibly charming streets, a visit to the Kalmar County Museum is a must, if only to see the 17th-century shipwreck preserved there. The city has been recognized by Europa Nostra through award-winning heritage conservation projects in central Kalmar, adding to the town's appeal as a Baltic coast destination.

Mariefred

For architecture enthusiasts, Mariefred is a natural stop on a Swedish itinerary for its castle alone. Gripsholm Castle has been standing guard over the town for over 400 years, and with its striking rounded turrets and ornate interiors, it’s the main draw for many of Mariefred’s visitors.

Also on the itinerary is a ride on a historic steam-gauge railway to the town of Taxinge Nasby (summer only), as well as a visit to Callanderska Garden, a historic mansion with beautifully preserved grounds. Hjorthagen, a sprawling park next to the castle, is also a magical place to see, considering it's been set aside as a habitat for a thriving population of deer. This is, of course, to say nothing of the charmingly compact downtown. Only an hour from Stockholm by train or car, Mariefred is a perfect day trip for visitors interested in Sweden’s architecture and early modern history.

Eksjo

Wooden buildings are hard to preserve. They’re prone to both fire and decay, and vernacular wood architecture styles are often lost as a result, which is exactly what makes Eksjo so special. Dating back to the 17th century, Eskjo is one of Sweden’s very few surviving wooden towns, and is preserved just as it was after its most recent wave of rebuilding following a fire in the 16th century.

Wandering the Gamla stan, or Old Town, is the favorite attraction in Eksjö. Be sure to stop for a drink in one of the quiet cafés surrounding Stora Torget, the town’s main square, and check out a recreation of the town’s prior ways of life at the Eksjo Museum.

Sigtuna

Billed as Sweden’s oldest extant settlement, Sigtuna has been around in some form since 980 AD and boasts the country’s first pedestrian street. Sigtuna Museum provides background on the town’s unusually long history, making it the perfect place to start your explorations. Among other fun tidbits you'll pick up, did you know that you’ll find more runestones in Sigtuna than anywhere else on the planet?

No less than five castles await discovery in the vicinity of the town, and the Stora Torget square is home to the smallest city hall building in Sweden, circa 1744. At once picture-perfect and historically rich, Sigtuna is a very popular day trip from Stockholm and a worthy addition to any Swedish itinerary.

Molle

If rugged coast was what drew you to Scandinavia, Molle should be your small-town stop. The colorful peaked roofs of traditional houses piled up along the hills overlooking the town’s seacoast set a mood that is at once cheerful and placid, capped off by the beautiful Grand Hotel. Adding to its air of wildness is the Kullaberg Nature Preserve, a rocky headland popular with climbers that’ll do the trick if you fancy a spot of rappelling down a seaside cliff.

The nature preserve is also great for a dip and was once a center for (then semi-scandalous) co-ed recreational swimming. At once windswept and cozy, Molle isn’t the strolling kind of town, but it is perfect for more adventurous travelers looking for a peaceful but exciting escape.

Smogen

A ways up Sweden’s rocky west coast from the city of Gothenburg is Smogen, a tiny island town where inlets and natural harbors make for excellent swimming if you can brave the chill. It’s a town living off the bounty of its seacoast, as seen in its amazing fish market and seafood restaurants, which delight visitors who pour in every summer to enjoy its traditional architecture and island charm.

The town’s boardwalk, Smogenbryggan, is lined with colorful houses and a favorite photo spot, and hiking the area’s rocky cliffs is a favorite activity among more adventurous travelers. As a remote island fishing village, Smogen’s got a different vibe than most of these landlocked towns, but if that’s what you’re looking for, it’s a perfect fit.

Jokkmokk

Sweden stretches all the way to the Arctic Circle, and then some, and its northernmost region of Lapland is one of its most fascinating. Home to the reindeer-herding Sami people, Lapland is a very different Sweden, and the town of Jokkmokk is a particularly picturesque showcase of Sweden’s remote but stunning far north. This is especially true if you visit in winter, when activities like dog sledding are in demand.

The town sees its peak tourist numbers for the Jokkmokk Market in February, when traditional Lapland cuisine and handicrafts take center stage, attracting tens of thousands of international visitors. It’s one of Sweden’s best small towns to visit in winter and a must for travelers who are curious about the distinct cultures and cuisines of the Swedish Arctic.

Visby

When a town is granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status, it’s probably in for a renaissance, and that has been the story of Sweden’s “City of Roses.” Situated on an island in the Baltic Sea, Visby is one of the best-preserved Medieval towns in this region, and both the scenery and the culture await around every corner.

Start at the Gotland Museum for some context on the town’s Viking history and later heyday as a trading hub in the Baltic Sea region, then check out the roses that give the town its nickname at the town’s botanical garden. And in August, Visby hosts the largest Medieval festival in Europe during Medieval Week. During this time, Renaissance Faire fans, rejoice and imbibe in all the town has to offer. It’s more than worth the trek it takes to reach one of Scandinavia’s liveliest old towns.

Ystad

If you’re a fan of detective fiction, you may have already made the acquaintance of the fictional Kurt Wallander, resident of the southern Swedish town of Ystad. And while there aren’t really murders to solve in this postcard-worthy town, there’s plenty of history — and, of course, Inspector Wallander-themed tours for fans who want a glimpse into their favorite detective’s world.

Ystad is also a hub of the Swedish film industry, and it's easy to understand why when you walk its cobblestoned streets and stroll along the coast with the sparkling Baltic Sea in the background. Tours of Ystad Studios, one of Sweden's largest film studios, are another top attraction. Also not to be missed is the 800-year-old Ystad Monastery, both a museum and a monument, and a reminder that this picture-perfect town really does have a living, breathing history. Ystad makes an easy day trip from the city of Malmo.

Kiruna

Ever wanted to sleep in a room made of ice? This is reasonable to want and possible to achieve in Kiruna, another of Lapland’s most charming small towns. Dubbed the “Arctic Capital of Sweden,” it’s a favorite place for Aurora Borealis viewing in the wintertime.

But beyond the Northern Lights, Kiruna has much more to offer. Here, you can explore the world’s largest underground iron ore mine at the LKAB’s Visitor Center, meet a reindeer, and, of course, stay in the aptly-named IceHotel, a hotel carved entirely out of ice. Though the town of Kiruna itself has its small-town charms, the real scenic beauty here lies in the rugged Arctic surroundings, which never fail to impress.

Rattvik

The very first tourist-oriented hotel in Sweden was built in 1894 in the lakeside town of Rattvik, and that legacy of welcoming travelers has gone on uninterrupted ever since. Combining a bucolic lakeside setting with such modern tourist draws as Classic Car Week, the country’s largest gathering of vintage cars, and Dalhalla, an outdoor music venue where the views are as notable as the big-name acts who perform there, it’s a town with a little something for every traveler.

Also of note is Langbryggan, the longest pier in Sweden. But it remains, all the same, a lush lakeside town where green fields and traditional houses ground the setting thoroughly in the pastoral.

Must-See Swedish Towns

Picture Sweden and you might think of food-court meatballs, frigid winters, or Viking ruins, and you’re not entirely wrong about any of those. But Sweden is much more diverse than its reputation abroad implies, and if you do a little bit of digging, you’ll find a picturesque town to suit just about any taste. At once sprawling and safe, Sweden is the kind of place that rewards deep exploration, and these 11 breathtaking towns are proof of that.