Travel to Sweden (Europe)

Gotland, the largest island in the Baltic, lies almost equidistant from the Swedish east coast and the Baltic state of Latvia. This beautiful island, surprisingly unknown to foreigners, is a favorite vacation destination among Swedes. First-time Swedish visitors often comment that it feels like being abroad, perhaps somewhere in the Mediterranean. Having grown up on Gotland, I am perhaps biased, but from the medieval, walled-in cobble-stoned city of Visby to the stark, windblown, sheep-studded landscape of Faro, Gotland truly is a spectacular and fascinating place. From Sandhamn in the Stockholm archipelago, it is about a 24-hour sail to reach Gotland. There are no luxury yachts available for charter on Gotland, but many in Stockholm, so this is the way to go.

Visby, the only city on the island, gets quite crowded in the summer, and if you like an intense nightlife, you definitely want to check it out. "Everybody" in Sweden shows up in Visby at some point in July: celebrities, politicians and royalty alike. After mid-August, however, most of the tourists are gone, so if you have your heart set on Visby but don't want to fight the crowds, that's a great time to visit. September can also be beautiful, with summer warmth lingering well into the month. To the surprise of many, the water around Gotland gets quite warm in the summer - it can reach 80F and above in August and sometimes way into September as well. It is a lovely experience to go swimming when the water is warmer than the air and then treat yourself to a hot chocolate or a vin chaud afterwards.

But you can find quiet spots with very few visitors all over the island even in July (with varying degrees, or lack, of nightlife). There are several other ports around the island well worth a stop:  Lickershamn (about 13 miles north of Visby), a small fishing village with a few beaches, restaurants and shops, and the highest rock formation (of which there are many) on Gotland called "Jungfrun". Lauterhorn on Faro (a small island just north of Gotland, which Ingmar Bergman used to call home) has a large area of rock formations, an old viking harbor, bike rentals, and one restaurant, bar, cafe and shop. Farosund, the northernmost village on Gotland, is a tad more lively with a few restaurants and shops.

Slite, on the east coast, is often overlooked by tourists since it's mainly known for its cement factory, but the town (the second largest on the island after Visby) also has a nice, sandy beach, tennis club, and a few stores and restaurants, although not much in the way of nightlife. Katthammarsvik, further down on the east coast, is an old fishing village with a locally famous seafood smoke house (try the smoked shrimp), several restaurants, cafes, shops and sandy beaches. A bit further down the coast lies Ljugarn, one of the most popular vacation spots, and the one with the most active nightlife, on this coast. Ljugarn has a beautiful white sandy beach, a few museums and several restaurants, pubs and cafes.

If you go all the way down the coast and head back up on the west coast, you arrive in Burgsvik, the southernmost village on the island. Burgsvik has a nice, sandy beach, a few shops and restaurants, a farmer's market every Saturday in the summer, and several artisans with shops. A bit south of Burgsvik is one of the most well known rock formations on Gotland, Hoburgsgubben (The Hoburg Man), who, according to one American friend, looks like Richard Nixon. Gotland is also a popular biking destination, and most towns have bike rentals (in Visby you can also rent cars, scooters and motorcycles) so if you want to see more than the coastal areas, that's a fun way to do it. There are of course many more harbors and beautiful places to visit on Gotland, but these are some places to start with, and I hope I have inspired you to explore this unique island on your next yacht charter vacation.

The Aland archipelago, also called Finnish Ahvenanmaa locally, is situated between Finland and Sweden in the south end of the Gulf of Bothnia. It is an autonomous Swedish-speaking province of Finland which has its own administration, flag and stamps. Aland Sea lies in the west of the Aland Islands, which extends between the island and Sweden. Some 40km across to the east is the arm of the sea known as Skiftet. This group consists of around 6,554 islands and stacks, but you can find habitation in only around 80 of these islands. Aland Islands has an area of around 1, 505sq.km with a population of just 24,000 only.

Their main language spoken here is Swedish, even though it has autonomy, they are still a province in Finland. Aland Islands is a part of the crown of Sweden for hundreds of years, just in the same with Finland. Russia got possession of the Aland islands in 1809.  Finland has always accepted the autonomous status of the island and has always extended support, as now they can issue their own stamps. You will notice that the islanders have pride in their land and independence and do not want to be called Finns. The economy of Aland Islands is mainly based on shipping, agriculture and tourism. It is a very popular holiday destination especially with the Swedes.

In case you are planning to travel from Sweden, it's very simple; you just have to the ferry of your choice as there are many ferry departures. You can take it from Grisslehamn, Kapellskar or Stockholm. It is just a two hour ferry ride. In other words going to Aland is pretty speedy and convenient. Because of its location the movement to and fro the island is excellent, that means you can come here from the main cities in Sweden, Finland or Estonia. You have a choice between relaxed sea voyages, a quick flight, or you can even think of coming here on your own boat.

It is the best place for people who want to relax and rewind, but may not find it very suitable if you are looking forward to a very active holiday. Here you can enjoy all kinds of winter sports, boating, fishing, hiking, cycling, art shows and some more like just walking. You can find what you want from romance and relaxation to adventure and activities. This is a city where you can holiday first-class food, shopping and relaxed accommodation, in a hotel or you can even rent a cottage in the serene natural surroundings. It's up to you how you want to have a unique experience holidaying in Aland islands.

Spring is when the nature at the best. You can enjoy one or many of the activities available on the island. The popular activities associated with spring are; visiting museums or art galleries, fishing, paddling, shipwreck diving, cycling and many more. Any one who is a golf buff then he can really take pleasure and enjoy playing at the golf courses, the season begins by May 1st.If you choose to go in winter then skating is a great experience and you can also experience other winter sports here. Working too hard, forget the workdays! Enjoy life; treat yourself to a breathtaking holiday in the Aland archipelago staying in a luxurious holiday villa.

Travellers to Sweden would have no trouble finding things to do. It is a culturally rich and progressive nation that boasts of a very high standard of living. There are some great holiday chalets and self catering holiday apartments available to rent direct from their owners in Sweden.

Many tourists go on vacation to Stockholm and stay in self catering apartments. When there they can visit the Vasa museum. This museum in Stockholm houses the fruits of some ground breaking labour, the 17th century warship Vasa. The ship sunk during its maiden voyage in 1628, and was recovered in 1961. The resurrected skeletons and relics remain the only existing example of ship architecture from the period.

Stockholm, Sweden's capital city houses numerous museums, aside from the Vasa museum, you can check out the Nordic Museum, Museum of Natural History and Museum of Modern Art. The city is peppered with examples of historical architecture, like Riddarholmskyrkan, which is the oldest building in Stockholm, pretty much every district and neighbourhood in the city has its own unique charm and character. Families on vacation can rent self catering accommodation in Stockholm.

Gothenburg is the largest port in Scandinavia; about a million people live here and there is a plethora of attractions to keep the tourists busy. Take a leisurely saunter in the scenic Castle Wood Park, listen to a wide genre of music from Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, art enthusiasts can head over to the Museum of Art. Sweden features a stunning expanse of rugged beauty which is yet to be tarnished by commercialism, these makes for perfect hiking spots.

Lovers of the outdoors may rent a holiday cottage or log cabin and use them as a base to explore the beautiful countryside. The law provides rights of access for anyone, provided they respect the local culture and nature. Sweden comprises of over 24,000 islands and 100,000 lakes, so it's not much of a surprise that boating is an integral part of Swedish life. Most tours take you on a sightseeing trip around the Swedish archipelago. The Gota Canal is a favourite tourist haunt but there are loads of other places that interest the water-craft bound traveller.

Stop by the Linkoping Cathedral in Ostergotland to treat yourself to some splendid Gothic architecture. This massive cathedral is the burial site of a 15th century bishop, and is embellished with some priceless paintings which were gifted by King John III. Skiing enthusiasts would find no dearth for fun as Sweden offers some of the finest locales for the sport. There are some great ski chalets available to rent and many families rent them while on vacation. 

Hemavan, in Lapland is a great ski precinct with its vast open areas and mountains. Arefjallen resort is said to be the world's largest with a ski run of more than a hundred kilometers, the ski race in April draws hundreds every year. Riksgransen in the extreme north is famed for its snowboarding championships and non-stop skiing during the spring. During the spring it seems the sun never goes below the horizon, perfectly symbolizing the spirit of this country where the fun never seems to end.

Many families take a family holiday to Sweden and stay in self catering holiday accommodation. Sweden has a great selection of self catering holiday apartments in the city areas. There are also some beautiful log cabins and ski chalets available to rent in the mountainous areas of Sweden. Many families come back to Sweden year after year to spend there vacations and stay in a holiday home.