Sweden with Kids: The Best of City Life and Outdoor Living

This stunning city is the largest in Scandinavia, but you would never know it. It encompasses 14 islands and more than 50 bridges on the extensive Baltic Sea archipelago, yet has a small town feel to it, with everything spaced out to allow people to enjoy its beauty.

Ferries and sight-seeing boats shuttle passengers between the islands and tickets from transport operator SL can be used on buses, trains, trams, metro and ferries, making travelling around a doddle.

Buildings are just Beautiful

The cobbled streets and ochre coloured buildings of Gamla Stan (the old town) are home to the 13^th century Storkyrkan Cathedral, the Kungliga Slottet Royal Palace and the Nobel prize museum and the Stockholm Pass is the best way to seeing everything and save money.

Families are spoilt for choice with Junibacken, a magical, fairy-tale themed children’s centre with a story train, Skansen, the world’s oldest open air museum, showing off Swedish culture and the Abba museum, paying homage to the fab four.

Hotel Heaven

Choosing the right hotel is a must and one of the coolest is the central Nordic Light Hotel. In 2017, designer John Tong, architect Todd Saunders and 10 experts created this wonderful place to stay and their interpretations of Nordic culture, values, shapes and culture shine through every room. Simple, clean slick designs with fabulously comfortable beds, bathrooms with sweet smelling toiletries and a breakfast buffet to die for, with lots of Scandinavian dishes to try.

The diverse staff from 170 different countries are young, modern and with it and like most Swedes, happy to help and the hotel has a real fun buzz about it. Socially aware, the hotel supports Talita, an organisation which helps women out of prostitution and human trafficking, pushes its no single plastic use and environmentally friendly policy and keeps its menus seasonal and full of local produce.

In this stunning part of Sweden, visitors are never more than three hours away from a vibrant city, wilderness teeming with wildlife or the rugged rocky coastline. Throw in picturesque fishing villages and thriving countryside and it’s a perfect place “begging to be explored”.

Lovely Lidköping

A 90 minute drive from Gothenburg and the scenery is so different entering the county of Västra Götaland and arriving in lovely Lidköping, perched on the edges of Sweden’s biggest lake, Vanern.

With the River Lidan flowing through its centre and traditional buildings and lots of greenery, it’s the idea spot for a summer visit and home to the famous Rörstrand porcelain factory which closed in 2005, but now houses a museum dedicated to its most colourful pieces.

Historic Stay

In this close knit community, the grand old lady, the Stadshotellet sits opposite the beautiful Gamla Staden Square and has all the mod cons, plus the added bonus of a sauna and basement nightclub to use while the kids are sleeping!

Classy Cuisine

Mellbygatans Restaurant, part of West Sweden’s Stepping up Sustainability project is where traditional food meets European and Asian twists, Run by Emil Årmarker, it’s a former bakery which has been lovingly restored and the dishes include such delights as  Arctic Char, a medley of potato puree, zucchini, crayfish Skagen and champagne sauce.

Walking Wonder

So keen to protect the planet are the locals, that 600 businesses in 46 out of 49 municipalities in West Sweden are signed up to the campaign.

Working hard to be the global leader in sustainable food systems, Sweden encourages organic farming and waste reduction is taken seriously, with great examples including Hellekis Säteri , where an old greenhouse on the country estate has been transformed into a top restaurant using the best of local produce.

It’s a welcoming stop off for walkers who tackle stage 5 of the area’s biosphere trail between Trolmen and Hällekis, on the northwestern part of the Kinnekulle mountain. To encourage ramblers, the walk begins and ends 600 metres from a railway line which links to nearby towns.

Hiking through quiet, still landscape, which link round Lake Vanern, it is one of West Sweden’s most valuable nature reserves and the country’s first UNSECO global geopark, with fabulous examples of old limestone quarries and flowering garlic

Ahoy There!

With underwater binoculars at hand, Naven Outdoor Experience, with a shipwreck adventure is ready to explore. Boarding kayak’s with guides Cecilia and  Bengt Åke Ström, paddlers are taken to an archipelago where tales of mermaids and witchcraft are told, while viewing old boats which have sunk over the years.

From there a visit to the  Vänerskärgården Nature Centre, which links into the Djurö National Park and has fairytale Läckö Castle majestically at its helm, is a must. The medieval castle is one of the country’s most beautiful and popular and sits on Lake Vanern, with the nature centre and a small hotel inside, a great place to learn about the area’s wildlife and landscape or simply sit and ponder or brave the water!