The Swedish people may appear distant, but that is just a natural reserve and dignity. Swedes welcome visitors, and in fact, have done a great deal in recent years to encourage incoming tourism.

If you have read Strindberg ’s plays, or seen an Ingmar Bergman film, or listened to any of the Swedish rock groups, you already know a little about the breadth and variety of the Swedish personality. Who goes there? The more venturous seem less enthusiastic than others. That is a little puzzling considering how many opportunities visitors have for enjoying relatively unpopulated areas of great natural beauty and to be actively involved in sports or other diversions. All of Scandinavia is popular with cruisers. When do they go? Sweden is most popular in the summer, except for those who go specifically to pursue winter sports.

Go horseback riding in Sweden’s mountains. Take a multi-day journey and overnight in mountain cabins.

Run the Stockholm Marathon, or run a half-marathon between Sweden and Denmark, both in June.

Take a sled journey behind a team of dogs or of reindeer. Guides will give you instruction on how to drive the dog or reindeer team yourself.

Go canoeing or kayaking on the waters of the 150-mile-long Dalsland Canal; camp along the way. You can travel the canal by passenger boat, as well.

Test your skiing and snowboarding skills at the Are alpine resort, which is host to the 2007 Alpine World Championships. Heli-skiing is an option, too, as are dog sledding and ice climbing. (Are is noted for its hard-partying after-ski scene, too.)
If you visit in summer, options at this multifaceted resort include canoeing, climbing, fly-fishing, hiking, mountain biking and river rafting

Try your hand at 14th century archery, cooking, fencing, handicrafts and jousting. For this, go to Salvestaden which recreates 1397 Kalmar, recalling the trading town that was destroyed in the 17th century. (The rebuilt Kalmar is nearby.)

Go diving. There are so many wrecked vessels in Swedish seas, you could discover one never seen before.

Undertake a so-called top tour at the Arctic Circle. This involves a walk of several hours up a mountain, then a long (but much faster) ride down.

Travel the wilderness by snowmobile. Follow clearly marked trails, and overnight in hostels along the trails.

Stay at the Icehotel in Jukkasjarvi. The season runs from mid-December until the roof starts dripping, around the end of April.

Go ice skating on any of many frozen lakes.

Sample a real Swedish smorgasbord. Plan to eat herring, salmon, Swedish shellfish (Swedish oysters come highly recommended), as well as some game, berries and mushrooms.

Bicycle on the towpath beside the Gota Canal, which links the Baltic to the North Sea. Alternatively, view the canal — which stretches nearly 120 miles and has 58 locks — from a passenger boat.

See the Northern Lights when you attend the Kiruna Snow Festival, in the land of the Sami (aka Lapp) people, in January. See snow sculpted into art. Watch reindeer racing.

Build a timber raft (or rent a ready-built raft), and float down a river on a one-day or multiday journey. Overnight in tents on moored rafts or on land. Fish from your moving island, and beware of a little whitewater.

Take a multiday hiking trip. Sweden has staked out 400 trails, many built around specific themes. Camp on the way or stay in mountain cabins.

Dress as a Viking, eat Viking food and help with chores that fit the Viking period, even learn a period trade. Stay for the day or overnight on site. You can do this through the summer months at Foteviken, a Viking village in the south of Sweden. Visits end with a huge Viking feast.

Sail Sweden’s coastal waters. Go ashore to visit small villages, and buy fresh or smoked fish directly from the fishermen.

Shop in Sweden’s Christmas markets. The larger cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo have several. See the coronation of Lucia, the Queen of Light, in any one of these cities (the date varies by city). In Stockholm, take a boat to markets on islands of the Stockholm Archipelago.

Take guided sightseeing tours in the larger cities to spot the castles or museums you would like to return to on your own.

Go fly-fishing for salmon, trout and grayling in any of several rushing rivers. Or, fish in calmer lake waters, or opt for ice fishing.

Attend a medieval festival, and there are several, including those in Sigtuna, Hova and Visby. Visby, on the island of Gotland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visit the Skansen open-air museum in Stockholm. Make that coincide with Walpurgis Night, when Swedes welcome spring with bonfires, choral singing and fireworks. Or go to Skansen on Sweden’s National Day (June 6) and, effectively, celebrate with the king and queen.

Shop for a few specifically Swedish products, such as ceramics, glass and crystal, plus examples of traditional needlework and wood carving.

Visit the so-called Kingdom of Crystal in southeastern Sweden. Tour any of up to 11 different glassworks. Test your skills at glass blowing, glass engraving and glass painting. Then buy a few pieces to take home.

Watch your seasons, and visit Sweden to see the midnight sun (being certain to see midsummer celebrations) or experience days up north when there is no sun.

For more information, consult Visit Sweden at www.visitsweden.com

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