Sweden

Sweden stretches from the medieval lanes of Stockholm all the way to the Arctic, and it rewards you at every latitude. In the south you get elegant cities, cosy cafes and the ritual of fika. Along the west coast, rocky islands and fishing harbours are dotted with red cabins. Further north the forests thicken, the lakes multiply, and in winter you can sleep in a hotel made of ice and watch green lights ripple overhead. Add the right to roam, which lets you walk, swim and camp almost anywhere in nature, and you have a country built for slow, outdoorsy trips with excellent coffee and cinnamon buns waiting at the end of the day.

Talking points

• Stockholm is spread across islands, so even a city break feels like a boat trip.
• Fika, the daily coffee-and-pastry pause, is practically a national institution.
• The right to roam lets visitors walk, swim and pick berries across most of the countryside, respectfully.
• Swedish Lapland offers midnight sun in summer and northern lights in winter.
• The Gothenburg and Bohuslän coast is a maze of granite islands and seafood harbours.