Three climate zones means varied nature

Then there’s the coast, from the sandy beaches of Skåne’s Österlen and the rocky outcrops of the Stockholm and Gothenburg archipelagos. The many unusual hotels make great launch pads for discovering Sweden’s nature.

From the Icehotel, Treehotel and others in Swedish Lapland, guides from the indigenous Sami people will take you on husky or snowmobile safaris deep into the frozen tundra, where you can meet reindeer, fish through the ice and experience some of their unique culture.

At the Aurora Safari Camp in Swedish Lapland, activities offered include fishing for perch and pike, kayaking on the river or hot air ballooning.

At the Kolarbyn Eco-lodge, around two hours north-west of Stockholm, guides will take you on elk and beaver safaris and then teach you bushcraft techniques, such as how to chop wood and light fires.

”Do the North”, in Sankt Anna, a 2.5 hour drive from Stockholm via Norrköping, combines trips in the St Anna and Gryt archipelagos with showing guests how to forage and cook wild food.

Söderåsen National Park, a 45-minute drive north of Malmö in southern Sweden, is one of the largest uninterrupted expanses of deciduous forest in northern Europe, making it stunning in autumn when the leaves turn into a blaze of gold, and in spring when it’s the freshest green. Riders can hire horses at Söderåsens Turridning in the village of Svenstorp.

Sweden also boasts several fine sandy beaches, such as Sudersand and Böda on the islands of Gotland and Öland, Tylösand on the west coast and Knäbäckshusen in southeast Skåne, to name just a handful.

Trouville beach on Sandhamn (or Sandön), one of the most outlying islands in the Stockholm archipelago, has a Mediterranean-like feel, particularly in the peak summer season when the sands are populated with locals and the waters with kite surfers.