How to enjoy the coolest of coolcations in Sweden

If you find yourself dreaming of a chilly escape during hot weather, you are not alone: Travelers are increasingly looking into "coolcations," visiting destinations with mild temperatures and fewer crowds. For summer 2025, there is already a 263% year-over-year increase for travel booked to Iceland, Finland and Scandinavia, according to Virtuoso data. Sweden is an especially appealing choice, thanks to its 100,000 lakes, open-air baths and plentiful aquatic activities. These are some of the coolest things you can do there during summer.

Hike the Stockholm Archipelago Trail

Sweden has 267,500 islands — more islands than any other country. Most are tiny, uninhabited dots in the sea, but several are reachable by ferry and have forests and fishing villages to explore. For a slower experience, consider the new 170-mile-long Stockholm Archipelago Trail. Open since late 2024, it lets hikers go on a meandering journey across 22 islands, "offering clearly delineated routes" so visitors can "safely explore" the area and its "rural beauty," Condé Nast Traveler said. Start and stop on any island, and see wildlife like boar in the forests and wild swans in the Baltic Sea. All but two islands have public saunas, and a session after a day of hiking is a relaxing treat.

Savor a beach day

You can, of course, hit up the beach during a coolcation. Skane in southern Sweden "boasts nearly 250 miles of coastline, long sunny days and abundant swimming opportunities," Vogue said. Sandhammaren Beach in Osterlen stands out with its soft white sand, large dunes and 1860s lighthouse open for guided tours, while nature lovers are drawn to Rorum Beach near Stenshuvud National Park, a serene stretch of sand surrounded by pine trees. Windy conditions in the region are a boon for surfers, who head to Skalderviken and Molle for high waves and Lomma Beach for wind and kite surfing.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Visit Asnen National Park and Lake Asnen

Covering just seven square miles, this preserve is wee and feels "suited for Scandinavian fairy tales," Men's Journal said. It is "mostly pine forest and water," and also home to Trollberget, or Troll Mountain, whose "hidden corridors are said to hold untold treasures." Birdwatching, kayaking and exploring the old deciduous forests blanketed by moss, lichen and fungi are popular activities.

If you plan on being here for multiple days, consider paddling the 75-mile-long Varendsleden Canoe Trail. It will have you "navigating fast-flowing rivers and glassine fjords en route to an archipelago of more than 100 freshwater islands."

Try forest bathing

Skogsbad, or forest bathing, is a way to connect with nature by becoming fully immersed in it. This is a "contemplative and exploratory" act, Afar said, involving "all five senses" and soaking up sights like "sunlight glittering through a canopy of foliage" and feeling the "crunch of fallen leaves beneath your feet." Because 70% of Sweden is covered in pine, spruce, beech, oak and other trees, it is relatively easy to access a forest from any part of the country. Set out on your own or book a guided experience.

Head underground to a mine

A quick cooling solution is a descent into one of Sweden's historic underground copper and iron mines. Some are closed to the public and others have strict rules on where you can go. But there are a few, like Adventure Mine in Tuna-Hastberg, where "almost nothing is off limits," Atlas Obscura said. Dating back to the 1600s, the mine is a "paradise for explorers, divers and spelunkers" and feels like a "time capsule," with furniture and signs from when it closed up shop in 1968. For a true feel of the place, book the guided Adventure Tour that wanders to the deepest parts and a one-of-a-kind sauna session, which includes dips in the mine's turquoise waters.