To read more about the gardens and natural inspiration of Sweden, read our story, "Northern Star: A Journey Through Sweden's Gardens."
To best enjoy Sweden’s natural beauty, plan to visit between May and September (though be forewarned: Many Swedes take a month-long vacation in July, leaving the cities feeling empty and many of the restaurants shuttered).
For accommodations in Stockholm, consider the well-designed newcomer Hotel Skeppsholmen, located on a small island connected to the city center by a bridge. Neighbors include the Museum of Modern Art and the Swedish Museum of Architecture. Stallmästaregården is a 49-room inn dating from the 1600s abutting the Royal Park of Haga (Hagaparken), which features walking paths and a large tropical greenhouse. To sample Sweden’s take on the “new Nordic” cuisine, which favors naturalistic techniques and Scandinavian ingredients, head to Mathias Dahlgren at the Grand Hôtel, where one can sample a signature dish of raw and smoked reindeer with whitefish roe. At Restaurang Volt, the likes of lamb tongue, spruce, sea buckthorn, gooseberries, and ash are served in a cool, minimalist space.
If you’re traveling to Sweden, check into any of c/o Hotels’ impressive, unique properties scattered around the country, including Häringe Slott, Krägga Herrgård, and Grythyttan Inn, among others (careofhotels.com).
Limestone Nordic gods guard the grounds of Häringe Slott, a hotel located on a nature reserve south of Stockholm, Sweden.
