Insight Guides Scandinavia

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight
• Print ISBN: 9781780050355
• eBook ISBN: 9781780055954
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Insight Guide Scandinavia is illustrated throughout with hundreds of specially commissioned colour photographs. Our inspirational Best of Scandinavia section picks out the top attractions and activities not to be missed.

Stretching from mainland Europe to the North Pole's backyard, Scandinavia's vast territory covers all manner of environments. From well-tended Danish farmland to Norway's wild and breathtaking fjords; from Sweden's great lakes and islands to bear-filled Finnish forests; from the cosmopolitan capital cities to the remotest islands - there's a Scandinavian habitat to suit every mood, and Insight Guide Scandinavia will help you discover them.

Our History and Culture chapters cover Scandinavia's past and present with accessible essays on the people, the art and culture, the food and drink. Special features cover the Vikings, Danish design, Finnish saunas and the Hurtigruten, the post boat which cruises through Norway's fjords.

All major sites are cross-referenced with the maps, and the travel tips section provides a wealth of practical information on how to plan your trip, as well as carefully selected hotel and restaurant listings.

Sweden: Travel Tips

A

Activities

Outdoor Sports

Sweden is a health-conscious nation, offering copious sports facilities nationwide. Visitors who wish to centre their holiday around sport can order the brochures Outdoor Activities, Summer Activities and Winter Activities from VisitSweden (www.visitsweden.com).

Cycling

There are some pleasant bike trails in Sweden, and bikes are available to rent around the country. Gotland is a cyclists’ favourite, as is the scenic towpath alongside the Göta Kanal. For more information contact:

Svenska Cykelförbundet

Idrottens Hus, Fiskartorpsvägen 15A, 114 73 Stockholm

Tel: [phone]

Email: [email protected]

www.scf.se

Fishing

You can fish in the sea with rod and line free of charge around the Swedish coastline. Fishing is also free from the shores of the five largest lakes: Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren, Hjälmaren and Storsjön; elsewhere a permit is required, available from local tourist information offices. For special conditions regarding permitted equipment, close seasons, minimum size and catch limits, check with tourist offices. Poaching is severely punished. For further information:

Swedish Angling Federation

Svartviksslingan 28, 16739 Bromma

Tel: [phone]

Email: [email protected]

www.sportfiskarna.se

Golf

Golf is played at more than 300 courses. The best are located in the south, but you can even play a round in the light of the Midnight Sun at several courses inside the Arctic Circle: the world’s most northerly golf course is at Bjorkliden. The more popular golf courses can be extremely busy in the summer, so booking is advisable. For information contact:

Svenska Golfförbundet

Box 84, 182 11 Danderyd

Tel: [phone]

Email: [email protected]

www.golf.se

Hiking

In the countryside, serious walkers will find plenty of long-distance paths, including the Kungsleden (King’s Trail), which traverses the high peaks of Lapland. The Swedish Tourist Federation (Svenska Turistföreningen) maintains a network of cabins for overnight accommodation and also operates Sweden’s youth hostels.

For more details contact:

Svenska Turistföreningen

Box 17251, 104 62 Stockholm

Tel: [phone]

Email: [email protected]

www.svenskaturistforeningen.se

Sweden’s National Parks

Valhallavägen 195, 106 48 Stockholm

Tel: [phone]

www.naturvardsverket.se

Horse Riding

Almost every town has riding stables or a riding school, and more experienced riders can enjoy a pony-trekking safari in the Kebnekaise mountain range. For further information contact:

Svenska Ridsportförbundet

Ridsportenshus, 734 94 Strömsholm

Tel: [phone]

Email: [email protected]

www.ridsport.se

Husky Safaris

Winter tourism is really taking off in Sweden, and one of the most popular icy activities is a husky safari. Long and short trips are available from mid-November to late April; the weather is generally best towards the end of the season.

Sailing

Right on the city’s doorstep lie 24,000 islets and skerries which provide some of the most sheltered waters in Europe. No wonder, then, that the Swedes are such keen sailors. Opportunities for sailing adventures abound, with ma...

Table of contents

• How To Use This E-Book
• Introduction: Northerly Neighbours
• Scandinavia’s Top 10 Attractions
• Editor’s Choice
• Introduction: A Wild Land
• Decisive Dates
• History: Beginnings
• Insight: Medieval Thugs or Merchant Traders?
• History: War and Peace
• History: The Modern Age
• Feature: The Danes
• Feature: The Norwegians
• Feature: The Swedes
• Feature: The Finns
• Feature: The Active Life
• Feature: Art and Culture
• Feature: Food and Drink
• Introduction: Places
• Introduction: Denmark
• Copenhagen
• Insight: A Flair for Design: Function with Form
• Zealand
• Bornholm
• Funen
• Jutland
• Greenland
• The Faroe Islands
• Introduction: Norway
• Oslo and Its Fjord
• Southern Norway
• Bergen
• The Heart of Norway
• Insight: Norway’s Most Beautiful Voyage
• The Northwest Coast
• Norway’s Far North
• Introduction: Sweden
• Stockholm
• Insight: Steaming out among the Skerries
• Southern Sweden
• Sweden’s West Coast
• Sweden’s Great Lakes
• Dalarna
• Central Sweden
• Northern Sweden
• Introduction: Finland
• Helsinki
• Insight: The Traditional Finnish Sauna
• Southern Finland
• Turku
• Finland’s Lakeland
• Finland’s West Coast
• Karelia and Kuusamo
• Finnish Lapland
• Denmark: Travel Tips
• Denmark: Accommodation
• Eating Out
• Norway: Travel Tips
• Norway: Accommodation
• Eating Out
• Sweden: Travel Tips
• Accommodation
• Eating Out
• Finland: Travel Tips
• Accommodation
• Eating Out