When trying to plan out a holiday, what in particular do a traveller look for to make the vacation satisfying? Or should I say when the traveller has a couple of option and it includes Sweden, then what will be the turning point that will make it top of the list, aside from the beautiful green and blue city of Stockholm? Let’s figure it out and you can read on for a little information we can impart to know more about the country. Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. Sweden borders Norway and Finland, and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Øresund. Scandanavia has three kingdoms and a choice for a vacation to the largest kingdon will definitely worth it. If you have a bulky pocket for your tour, might as well visit the three. However, it is your pick and read ahead if you want to know more what Sweden can offer to make your vacation worthwhile. And among all the beautiful sights and destinations, it is well suggested if you will discover the seven wonders of Sweden. Based on Aftonbladet, a Swedish newspaper called upon all the readers to vote on for the country’s most favorite wonders and over 80,000 Swedes responded and proudly selected the Seven Wonders of Sweden which are highly recommendable and worth spending for to explore.
What comes in first place with most votes is the Gota Canal. It is time for cruising in one of the famous waterways in the world. A cruise in one of the ships is like having to travel from one world to another. It will take away all the stress and the beauty of nature refreshes the mind and discovers how beautiful the world is. For the cruise, you have four choices depending on how much time you have. This 150-mile canal was built in the early 19th century and is very popular. The canal extends from Gothenburg on the west coast all the way to Söderköping on the east coast of Sweden. Isn’t this amazing enough as a start? I advise though that mobile phones and other gadgets should be off while on cruise to appreciate more the beauty of it.
Secondly voted was the famous Visby’s City Wall: In discovering places you visit, it will always be interesting to know a piece of history, and your vacation in Sweden is not an exception to that. Proudly, Swedes wants to share with every traveller a UNESCO Heritage Site, the City Wall of Visby. It was built in the 13th century which encircled the entire Visby, located on the island of Gotland. While in Visby, it is a practice to walk on your feet to experience the cobbled streets, quaint homes, ancient churches, and many spectacular flower gardens. Visby is known to have 16 ancient churches, but all are in ruins although the walls of some of the churches are still standing and are a good reminder of ancient times and it is somehow great to witness the original pieces of the past. There is one church though that was beautifully restored as it is, the St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Rated third, for the Seven wonders of Sweden is The War Ship Vasa. Well, we can never get away with historic destinations, do we? It will always be a fact that history is what makes a place, thing, or event valuable and treasurable in a sense if we have managed to preserve them as a proof of what has actually taken place. The Vasa was built by King Gustavus Adolphus II in 1628. The king made his ship elegant and impressive warship of its time. On its first voyage, the Vasa sailed for twenty minutes and sank only 900 ft from the shore sighted by the public. It stayed where it was for 300 hundred years. It was only in 1961 when it was raised from the waters of the Baltic Sea, recovering 12,000 artifacts with it. The ship was perfectly preserved and Vasa Museum on the water’s edge was especially built to house the Vasa along with its artifacts.
Fourth, is what a Vacation in Sweden makes more captivating. The ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjarvi/Kiruna: Well, definitely this is something different to experience. Jukkasjärvi. The river Torne, the cold arctic climate, The Northern Lights, and the Midnight Sun are the sources of this ICEHOTEL as a work of art. It is build every year and is available between December til April before it melts back to River Torne. It is made up of 50 rooms available in Snow Rooms and Art Suites beautifully decored with stunning ice sculptures embellished with appropriate lightings that makes it more captivating. Ice pillared hallway are illuminated by dazzling ice sculptures and ice carved chandelier. Experience the ice bar for a total unwind where amazingly colored vodka cocktails are served. Well, don’t you think it is worth the pay?
Next in line, is the The Turning Torso: Turning Torso is a 54 story building, more than 600 feet high creatively designed to 90 degrees twist, inspired by the sculptured twisting bodies created by Santiago Calatrava. It was completed in 2005 and by far the tallest building in the Scandinavia. The skycraper became Malmo’s famous landmark. Although it is not one of those you can enter because Turning Torso is a building exclusively residential and for offices only.
Swedish Wonder number six is The Oresund Bridge: Well, we had cruises, historical sights, works of art, and now let us take in to the list a beautifully created infrastructure that brings closer and accessible two kingdoms of Scandinavia, Sweden and Denmark. The Oresund Bridge is the world’s longest single bridge carrying both road and railway traffic. It was well designed composing the major part of the bridge of identical spans. The high bridge with its record-breaking cable-stayed span of 490m is designed to harmonize both structurally and aesthetically with the approach bridges. The world-famous Oresund Bridge has 4 lanes, 2 rail tracks, and runs for almost 28,000 ft (8,000 meters). At 6 am on August 14, 1999 the final section of the Oresund bridge was placed in position by the floating crane, “Svanen”. Six hours later, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark met on the bridge to mark the fact that Denmark and Sweden are linked once more – 7,000 years after the Ice Age when they were landlocked. The project opened in the summer of 2000.
Seventh and definitely not the least among the Seven wonders is Stockholm’s Globa Arena: The Ericsson Globe is the national indoor arena of Sweden, located in the Johanneshov district of Stockholm. The Ericsson Globe is currently the largest hemispherical building in the world and took two and a half years to build. It is highly visible from all sides and hosts sporting and music events year-round.
There you have it, so what could be more interesting travel than a vacation in Sweden? Those are just seven, and surely there are more to look forward to like witnessing the Northern Lights, as you stay in Ice Hotel; experience the Dog Sled Adventure where trained huskies take you to a tour to the nature’s best; you can also visit the Drottningholm Palace, this royal domain is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and was originally built in the late 16th century. It served as a residence of the Swedish royal court for most of the 18th century, more to this you can explore the rest of the royal palaces in Stockholm and Riddarholmen to get a glimpse of grace. If you think you want to take a break from all these sights and experience the best beaches in Sweden, then you have the best five choices found in different locations of Sweden. In Stockholm, Langholmsbadet Beach & Smedsuddsbadet Beach, if you dont want to be away from the capital city yet still want to enjoy the beach. The Sudersand Beaches on Gotland is in South Eastern Sweden, it is themost popular beach in Baltic Sea. Varamon Beach in Östergötland, is located in the center of southern Sweden is very popular. Böda Beach on Öland, The Böda beach is located in southern sweden and is a long beach with lots of soft sand, water sports, camping and public facilities, and a nice golf course. The Beaches of Skåne, “the Swedish Riviera”, Skåne is known for its beaches like no other region in Sweden. It’s the southernmost county in Sweden and offers long, warm beaches. I guess, that completes a perfect vacation.