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4 relaxing things to do in Swedish nature

Want to climb a mountain only to have a great view with the coffee? That's okay.
Last updated 10 March 2022
Coffebreak in the wild
Coffee brewing over an open fire.
Photo: Håkan Vargas S/imagebank.sweden.se

Campfire coffee in the wild

If you are a coffee lover, how to get your coffee fix in the wild? You are in good company, us Swedes drink more coffee than just about any nation in the world. Take a kettle and coffee grounds, pour in water, place over the fire, bring it to the boil and hey presto - a cup of wild coffee. 

Apparently, Swedish soldiers perfected this method of getting their coffee hit back in the 18th century. And it still works. There is just one rule – never, ever wash the kettle – it spoils the taste of the coffee. 

PS: Do be careful lighting fires in the summer months and please use designated fire places.

Firewood
In the Swedish countryside, a lot of people use firewood for some or all of their heating needs. Even though district heating, electric heating and wood pellets are gaining ground, many older homes and summer houses rely on their fireplace wintertime. To manage the long, cold Swedish winters, one needs to stack up on plenty of fuel before the first snow.
Photo: Jerker Andersson/imagebank.sweden.se

Meditative exercise

Chopping, stacking and drying wood - in Sweden we call it ‘therapy’. If you are renting a summerhouse in Sweden, the cost of buying firewood for the fire or stove can get expensive. So what to do? As long as you have the owner’s permission, why not chop, stack and dry your own. Nothing sounds like that satisfying ‘thwack’ as the head of the axe splits the wood. And it is great exercise. But there is an art to chopping wood, so check out how to do it properly before getting started.

Timber!

For additional inspiration about staying at a Swedish summer cottage, visit the Swedish summerhouse experience

Evening swim
A nice swim as the midnight sun slowly descends is a great way to enjoy summer.
Photo: Heléne Grynfarb/imagebank.sweden.se

Wild about swimming

There are 100 000 lakes in Sweden and countless rivers and canals. And a 3 200 km long coastline. You know what comes next. When summer arrives in Sweden, Swedes reach for their swimwear and head out for a day by the lake, or a day by the sea. It is part of the lifestyle. Join them for some city swimming in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö.

Standout wild swimming spots include quarry swimming on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, ice swimming in Swedish Lapland and archipelago swimming in the Stockholm and Bohuslän archipelagos. Don’t forget the swimwear.

Take an evening swim in 360 / VR

Nature reserve
The Korrö nature reserve in Småland.
Photo: Tina Stafrén/imagebank.sweden.se

At one with nature in Sweden

How soul warming would a meditation or yoga session be on a deserted island in the Stockholm or Bohuslän archipelagos? Or waking to a dawn chorus of birdsong in a cottage in a forest glade in the province of Värmland?

These are things that money cannot buy. There are others; skinny-dipping in a lake, picking wild berries, lying on a springy bed of moss, or warming yourself on sun-heated rocks overlooking the sea. These and thousands of other little moments can only happen in Sweden. All you have to do is be here to capture them.