This map has been on my mind for sooo long! I’m super excited to now be able to present it to you.
So here it is! A road trip map of Sweden, to guide you through all the amazing places there is to see!
UNESCO World Heritage sites in Sweden
Of course, this road trip includes a lot of UNESCO World Heritate sites. You know me!
If you follow this itinerary, you’ll get to visit 10 of the 15 Swedish sites! That’s not bad. Here is the list below with the links to the ones I’ve already talked about.
- Royal Domain of Drottningholm
- Birka and Hovgården
- Engelsberg Ironworks
- Rock Carvings in Tanum
- Skogskyrkogården
- Hanseatic Town of Visby
- Naval Port of Karlskrona
- Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland
- Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun
- Grimeton Radio Station, Varberg
There are other places to visit of course. Let’s see what this itinerary includes…
A road trip in Sweden: the itinerary
You can start this road trip anywhere, but I imagine that if you’re coming from abroad, you’ll arrive first in Stockholm. Now, I must mention that another good starting point is Malmö, as you can easily reach it from Copenhagen.
Anyway, we’ll start in Stockholm!
Personally I would head North first! The further North you’ll go, the more you’ll feel remote from civilization. And coming back to civilization is always a bit hard so I would start there, to ease the return!
Starting in Stockholm
Stockholm is best explored on foot, with a bit of cycling and lots of boat hops! Don’t miss taking the subway though, because the city has some amazing subway stations.
There is plenty to do in Stockholm but the Vasa Museum was surprisingly one of my favorite, with the Skansen museum, the oldest open-air museum in the World. The Abba Museum is also on top of many lists.
Strolling through Gamla Stan is great but strolling through Södermalm is a must. It is home to the best vegan restaurants and best places to have fikka, amongst other things. The Fotografiska museum should not be missed !
Before you rent a car and decide to head out, you can go to Skogskyrkogården, the Woodland Cemetery and the first UNESCO site you get visit. It’s easily accessible by train.
Next you should start your trip by visiting the Royal Domain of Drottningholm. This Royal Palace is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Do stroll in the park and go to the Chinese Pavilion. It is perfectly & uniquely delightful. On the map, the Palace may look in the middle of nowhere but it’s actually very close to Stockholm! I had space issues with my design, as there is so much to do around Stockholm!
Next head over to Birka and Hovgården for some immersion into the Viking age ! The 3rd UNESCO site on this trip !
Now it’s time to head North…
Do consider heading toward Upsalla and at least visit its cathedral.
Continue your trip North, as far as you wish ! Open roads, myriad of lakes, pristine nature with scattered red houses and little towns… Stop by the Engelsberg Ironworks UNESCO site. It is a very nice area to explore.
If you are heading to Mora, then do consider visiting the Copper mines of Falun. You know I’m usually not a fan of industrial UNESCO sites but I’m slowly changing my mind.
If you don’t want to go that far, do head toward Östra Silvberg. Blue waters worthy of Instagram are awaiting !
The lakes & Gothenburg
If you feel like it’s time to go back South, head to the Göta Canal for maybe a river boat trip. You can also stop on your way to Tilas Stoll (if these pictures don’t convince you, I don’t know what will!). Do not miss Läckö Castle on your way to Gothenburg. If you are looking for an unusual place to stay near by, I recommend Baverli Hills.
Before reaching Gothenburg, do consider some more hiking and waterfall chasing. The Trollhättefallen are close by. Later, follow your GPS to Lysekil and later go up North just a little bit more, to explore the Rock carvings site in Tanum, another UNESCO World Heritage site.
Head back South to Gothenburg and do not miss the Haga neighborhood when there.
From Gothenburg to Malmö
Visit the Grimeton radio station ! It’s an order ! OK I really enjoyed this particular UNESCO site. I didn’t think I would.
More water falls ? Look for the Danska Fall. And then head to Hovs Hallar to walk on the Seven Seals beach.
In Malmö
Malmö was the first Swedish city I ever visited. It holds a special place in my heart.
Do look for the little mice houses ! And the knotted gun and the Malmö castle !
Direction Visby !
If you wish to go all the way South, do check out the Ales Stenarstone ship. A viking place full of magic ! If you do, then stop to admire the Hjularöd Castle. It’s not open to public but it’s so pretty, I couldn’t resist drawing it !
Then head over to the Naval Port of Karlskrona, another UNESCO Site. Before going to Kalmar. There you can visit its castle and decide if you want to see the Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland. It is a UNESCO site but I’ll let you decide.
To reach Visby, you need to take a ferry. With or without your car, it’s up to you. Depends how long you want to spend in this next UNESCO site ! There is so much to see. Visby is the best preserved Medieval city of Scandinavia and the island of Gotland has a lot to offer including a secret cave and stone ships…
It also depends if you want to take the same ferry to go back onland or if you want to take the one that goes to Stockholm.
Whatever you decide, when close to Stockholm, you should visit the Gripsholm Castle. Its lion is World famous !
Just so you know, there are a couple interesting places to see along the Vattern lake East side, including a pyramid, the ruins of an Abbey and the Rök runestone.
In conclusion
With this road trip itinerary, you get the opportunity to see 10 different UNESCO World Heritage sites, as well as castles from the Medieval period to 18th century. You also get to experience the most vibrant cities of Sweden, the most prestine nature, waterfalls, lakes and maybe you’ll even get to see mooses ! You get to explore the country from the bronze age to today. That’s over 3000 years of history!
Such trip will be between 2000 to 3000 km depending on the choises you make. You probably need 2 to 3 weeks to enjoy fully. The more, the better!
Driving in Sweden
Driving in Sweden is easy. Swedes are cool and it shows in their driving!
Roads are well maintained and road signs are equivalent to what you find in other parts of Europe.
Speed limits are pretty much in the European norms, apart from highways which are limited to 110 kph, a bit slower than usual but so nice, to admire the landscape and to get lost in your thoughts.
It is not difficult to get around, despite what you may think at first. And it’s mostly free.
Please note that drinking and driving is a big no-no in Sweden. Like it should be everywhere else really.
How to get the Map
Easy, click below!
You can click on the link to the pdf file here or on the picture above. It will open in a new window from where you can print or save.
Additional freebies
I have added some of the individual drawings on my postcard page like the ones below. As usual, on such specific page, you will find high resolution version of such drawings. These are specifically saved for optimum printing.
The page might be a bit slow to load because of this! Sorry.
There you will find a all in one montage as seen below:
And then some individual postcards, like those:
Pin this for later
This map is perfect for your next summer plans’ board, isn’t it?
