Sweden

Narrow lanes and ochre-and-red buildings filling one island. The royal palace and the cathedral are inside it.

A ship that went down on its maiden voyage in 1628, lifted three centuries later and shown almost intact. The hall is kept dark and cool on purpose.

Cut from river ice every winter and allowed to melt in spring. A separate wing stays open year round.

The terrain keeps cloud cover low, which is why it is known for aurora watching. The season runs from late autumn to early spring.

An hour by boat from the centre puts you among forest and bare rock. It is the heart of the summer cabin tradition.

A nineteenth-century canal linking the east and west coasts through a long series of locks. Multi-day boat trips cross it.

A working royal residence with parts open to visitors, including an eighteenth-century theatre kept as it was. The approach by boat is the best one.

Medieval walls and ruined churches standing inside an island town. Busiest during the summer medieval festival.

Listed for nature and culture together, where reindeer herding continues. The mountains and bogs are wide enough that a guide is advisable.

A by-product of this mine became the red paint on Swedish country houses. Tours go underground.

Traces of a ninth-century trading centre on an island. Boats run only in summer.

Spread over fourteen islands, so you cross bridges constantly. Its museums are concentrated close together.

Canals and a seafood market, with an easy-going feel. Boats to the western islands leave from here.

Thirty minutes from Copenhagen over the Oresund Bridge. Full of modern architecture and parks.

The whole town is being moved because of the mine beneath it. It is the base for aurora and the ice hotel.

Coastline studded with sea stacks, plus a medieval town. Ferries and flights multiply in summer.

Snow goes in the south first and the days lengthen quickly. The north is still close to winter.

The archipelago and the lakes open, and midsummer is the event of the year. In the north the sun does not set.

Forests colour and it is mushroom and berry season. Aurora becomes visible again in the north.

Dark even in the south, close to polar night in the north. Ice activities and aurora are what the season is for.

Up to 90 days in any 180 across the whole Schengen area. The European travel authorisation scheme is being phased in, so check official guidance before you leave.

Not the euro, and many shops refuse cash outright. A single card covers almost everything.

You may cross private land as long as you keep away from houses, and pitch a tent for a night. Berries and mushrooms may be picked.

The habit of stopping work once or twice a day for coffee. It is why every cafe sells cinnamon buns.

The distance north is long enough that most people fly or take the sleeper. City transport is excellent.

The pan-European number reaching police, ambulance and fire, with English available. Coverage disappears across wide stretches of the northern mountains.