Best Time of Year to Visit Sweden

Seasonal Planning for Sweden Travel

Sweden can be chilly during winter, but at around 27°F (-2°C), the average winter temperatures in Stockholm are milder than you might expect. Fewer daylight hours mean fewer opportunities for outdoor activities, but the darkness offers better conditions for viewing the aurora borealis (northern lights). 

Meanwhile, with warm and comfortable summer temperatures (72°F/22°C), flock international and domestic travelers to popular attractions leading to pricier flights and hotels. Now is the best time for city walks, outdoor festivals, and swimming at beaches and lakes. Rainfall is heaviest during late summer, so remember to pack an umbrella or rain jacket if you plan to be outside. You can experience another natural phenomenon north of the Arctic Circle: the midnight sun. Casting golden colors and shadows, the midnight sun doesn't set at night, offering more daylight hours to roam the national parks and enjoy Swedish nightlife. 

The shoulder season months of spring and fall are the best time to score a deal on flights and hotels and to experience fewer crowds while the temperatures are still moderate. If you want to get out of the city, the landscapes are expansive, and you will have plenty of room to explore the forests or visit the countryside during the fall. Spring has the least rainfall, clearer days, and marks the beginning of the hiking season. 

Spring in Sweden (March to May)

Spring transitions from winter toward the end of March. With little rainfall yet a chance of snow or hail, springtime in Sweden has the least predictable weather. However, you can catch some of the best wildflower blooms, so immerse yourself in the Swedish countryside to enjoy nature in its prime and without the crowds that other seasons bring. From mid-April to May, the sun starts to peek out, and people emerge from their homes with the promise of catching the first few rays of sunshine.

It may be around a cool 60°F (16°C), but it's the perfect temperature for walking and outdoor exploration. Take a boat ride to Gällnö island, where the dense pine forest entices you to get lost exploring the woods, and a designated nature preserve educates on the local flora and fauna. Drive through Skåne, the southern region, to witness the fields blanketed in little yellow blooms of rapeseed flowers and to walk beneath a canopy of trees in a beechwood forest.

Stop at Lake Hornborga, a bird-watching hub and temporary home to cranes on their migratory route, or do some foraging on Kinnekulle, a mountain plain where the forest floor becomes clad in wild onion. Gothenburg, a picturesque city in the southern region, boasts botanical gardens abundant with crocuses, snowdrops, and cherry blossoms this time of year. Take time wandering in Vitsippordalen, or the "wood anemone valley," and have a picnic among the sea of tiny white flowers. To relax from your walks in the woods, visit a spa or the vineyards in Halland, a county in Sweden's southern region.

Events in Spring

Valborgsmässoafton (Valborg), nationwide. On the last day of April, celebrate the beginning of spring with bonfires and songs, as this is one of the country's most important festivals. 

Stockholm Culture Night, Stockholm. More than 300 free cultural events are offered throughout the city in late April. 

Easter, nationwide. Easter is usually celebrated in mid-April with Swedish food, candy, crafts, and customs. 

Kristi Himmelsfärdsdag ("Ascension Day"), nationwide. This public holiday (on a Thursday, 40 days after Easter) is the invitation locals need to plan a long weekend away.

Summer in Sweden (June to August)

When the average temperature rises to 73°F (23°C), people flock to coastal towns for lake activities, hiking trails, and to national parks to enjoy the long summer days. Summer is the high season, so prices are up for airfare and accommodation, and you'll be sharing the city and experiences with like-minded tourists and locals who also want to take advantage of the year's warmest weather. 

The cultural experiences are well worth it, though. Stockholm offers food tours where you can sample surströmming, a Baltic herring known to be a bit smelly but true to the Swedish dining experience. Stroll by cafés and galleries, and even catch an outdoor concert at Kungsträdgården, a central park in Stockholm. 

Hiking is best this time of year as Lapland in the north is snow-free. Wander along rivers and up the rocky terrain of The King's Trail in northern Sweden or on Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea, with its open meadows, limestone cliffs, and grazing sheep. You can also hike, birdwatch, and boat at Ängsö National Park, one of the oldest national parks in Sweden and one that is only accessible by water. Meanwhile, Lake Vänern, a large lake in southern Sweden, is ready for swimming, sailing, and camping. Book a boat to ferry you through the many tiny islands or relax with a picnic on its sandy beaches. 

Events in Summer

Swedish National Day, nationwide. On June 6, the main events are at the open-air Skansen Museum in Stockholm, where Sweden's king and queen often make an appearance, and large parts of Stockholm Palace are free to enter.

Midsummer, Dalarna and nationwide. Celebrate the midsummer solstice in late June with maypole dancing, flower headdresses, feasts, and singing.

Pajala market, Pajala. This is one of the biggest markets in northern Sweden, selling everything from food to handicrafts, toys, and clothes in early July. 

Musik vid Dellen, Hudiksvall. At the beginning of July, enjoy a 10-day cultural festival with folk music. 

Crayfish Parties, nationwide. Held in August, crayfish parties are a farewell to the short Swedish summer with competitions for the season's best and tastiest crayfish.

Malmöfestivalen, Malmö. In August, Malmö offers eight days of free music and entertainment.

Fall in Sweden (September to October)

The autumn months in Sweden bring cool, cloudy weather of about 50°F (10°C). The southern regions can be warm and pleasant during the day, but in the north, there are fewer opportunities for outdoor activities as snowfall and frost begin to take hold. Because of the falling temperatures, prices for flights and hotels are moderate and fewer tourists are likely to take a chance on the weather. 

The fall season is great for being more active outdoors, whether it's fishing, kayaking, biking, or horseback riding. Lake fishing in Lapland is popular for catching a dinner of salmon, grayling, ocean trout, pike, or Arctic char and for adventuring at a nature reserve in Glaskogen, where you can rent cabins or canoes and paddle around while admiring the fall foliage. Pajala village is a culturally vibrant town in northern Sweden. Though it starts to get snowier and chillier in the fall, it is alive with festivals and natural wonders. View the rapidly flowing Storforsen Waterfall or visit the "romp week" festival for live music and food stalls.

If you prefer less chilly temperatures, take a bike tour farther south to see Stockholm's highlights, like the Old Town, Royal Palace, and National City Park, or set out on the scenic biking trails in Klarälvsbanan along agricultural landscapes and forests. Afterward, warm your bones in a bastu (sauna). For a more thrilling experience, Liseberg, an amusement park in Gothenburg, offers roller coasters and Halloween attractions during the fall. 

Events in Fall

Römpäviiko, Pajala. The "romp week" cultural festival features live music and street stalls selling food and handicrafts in late September. 

Kivik Apple Market Festival, Skåne. In late September, for two days, Skåne, the apple-producing capital of Sweden, celebrates the apple harvest with events, including the production of large-scale artworks made out of apples.

Stockholm Jazz Festival, Stockholm. Jazz and blues listeners visit this festival in mid-October at the Skeppsholmen, near the city's harbor.

Gotland Truffle Festival, Gotland. A whole weekend dedicated to truffles, this extravaganza on Gotland island includes truffle lectures, truffle tastings, truffle-themed restaurant menus, and more.

Winter in Sweden (November to February)

Cold winter temperatures, snowy weather, and few daylight hours mean Sweden's cities are less crowded in the winter, but this is also the perfect opportunity for snow and ice-related sports, Christmas activities, and viewing the northern lights.

Dress warmly, and you'll enjoy everything Abisko, Lapland offers. Due to its position right under the aurora oval, Abisko is a prime spot to watch the northern lights present a natural magic show from above. Åre is the best place to tear up the ski slopes, with its perfect-looking pistes and natural cross-country ski trails dressed in powdery white. In Kiruna, you can scramble up rocks and over glacial parts to climb Kebnekaise, the highest mountain in Sweden. 

If you're in the mood for a wintery cultural experience, visit a Sami village, home to one of the world's oldest nomadic cultures. Plenty of mushers and huskies are waiting to go dogsledding, popular around the ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi. Leading up to Christmas, you'll find markets all around Sweden selling hand-crafted goods and Christmas decorations out of wooden stalls. Enjoy a steaming cup of glögg (mulled wine) and a fresh piece of pepparkaka (gingerbread) to stay warm.  

Events in Winter

Nobel Prize Day, Stockholm. Official ceremonies are held in Stockholm in early December as the winners of the annual Nobel prizes are awarded.

St. Lucia's Day, nationwide. This day is celebrated with a procession of children singing songs in mid-December. 

Kiruna Snow Festival, Kiruna. Snowy frivolity comes to Arctic Kiruna in late January with snow-sculpting competitions, dog sledding, figure skating, and live music.

Great Winter Market, Jokkmokk. In early February, this famous 400-year-old winter market opens for people to buy and sell their wares. It includes reindeer races on the frozen Talvatissjön Lake.

Winterfest, Dalarna. This classical music festival takes place each February.