Destinations/Sweden

From music, design, brands and games, the contributions from Sweden to the world are extraordinary! Maybe you do not know some brands are Swedish but for sure they are part of your life.

IKEA, founded in Sweden in 1943 has become the largest furniture retailer in the world since 2008 and it has been the furniture revolution everyone needed! The concept of self-service applied to home decoration and design presented by IKEA conquered not just the Swedes but every nationality where it is present. Giving the possibility to people to buy affordable furniture and have access to so many decoration items without effort made of IKEA a huge success. More than a shop, it brings the Swedish culture to people, sharing their simple way of living and their gastronomy – who never heard about the famous IKEA’s meatballs?

The contribution from Sweden to the music has been massive! Passing from generation to generation who will resist to not sing to “Mamma Mia” or “Chiquitita” from ABBA? And it is not surprising that one of the most popular music streaming services in the world is Swedish! We are talking about Spotify! Downloaded millions and millions of times, you probably have it in your phone too!

Contributions from Sweden will extend to all industries – fast-fashion stores as H&M, car companies as Volvo, video games as Minecraft, the Nobel prize… among so many others!

Unlike the other Nordic countries, Sweden can actually have 4 different seasons. Thanks to being located along the Gulf of Bothnia stream, the climate is milder and not as cold as we may think. However, the climate varies from area to area, while in the north we may find the weather we associate to Sweden, going south the degrees will go up, however going southwest the humidity will strike!

Although it is mainly a winter destination, as we saw it can be pleasant in summertime and most of the south area of the country offers beach areas for the hot days, including in Stockholm, the capital.

Swedes have the common expression “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes”, so you just need to be prepared!

Lagom means just enough/just right, and it is a philosophy of life for Swedes. It is a way to face life and to find the perfect balance that creates a sense of harmony and serenity – not too much and not too little. It is an individual feeling since what can be enough for one might not be enough for other. This way of living can perfectly illustrate the Swedes and how simple they are, finding happiness in the small things.

As you could expect, Swedes love being outdoors doing any kind of sports and activities that will allow them to enjoy their magnificent natural patrimony. On the longest day of the year they do the midsummer celebrations, a full day of dancing and outdoor activities greeting the arrival of summer.

Sweden as a Nordic country is known for its high-exigence education system, however Sweden’s secret for high quality passes through its unconventional education method. Focused on group work and students/teachers relaxed and informal relationships will allow students to have an active role and see their opinions being valued. Also, the fact that the studying path is always a mix of theorical, and practical work permits that students finish their degrees with a higher know-how. Along with this, students can easily conciliate working with studying what combined with no tuition fees for European and more affordable tuition fees for non-European students will help to balance the living costs.

It is said that 89 per cent of Swedes are bilingual and this is a game changer for students coming to Sweden. Not only they will feel more integrated but working opportunities will come along easier. Sweden is a hub for innovation and internships in the main companies are often offered, to after progress to careers. Students coming out of the university are expected to find job opportunities within the next 6 months or even to be bold and create their own.

Sweden flavors are varied and unlike the other countries that are more of fish lovers, Swedes love both fish and meat! Here some of must-try dishes:

Smorgasbord, this a dish made of several dishes! Quite like the Spanish tapas, you will have small portions from different thigs to taste, the more traditional choices include meatballs, salmon, pies and salad.

Meatballs (IKEA coming to your mind!), traditional called Köttbullar, served with potato purée, boiled potatoes or any of your favorite sides.

Crayfish, these are so famous that have their own festival in august! So, if you are a seafood lover do not miss the opportunity to have it!

To finish the meal and if you over 18 and like strong drinks you can have Brännvin, a traditional Swedish vodka!

Sweden is a great place for shopping lovers! In the main cities you will easily find international and local brands all over the cities. Hennes & Mauritz, more known as H&M is one of the most famous clothing brands that was born in Sweden in 1947 and nowadays is present in 74 countries.

Nightlife is a popular thing among the Swedes and Stockholm is home for some of the most famous house music DJs in the world, we are talking about Avicii, Aban, Steve Angelo, among others. The busiest night of the week is Tuesday and young people like to have pre-parties and then go to clubs. Swedish clubs are known for being very selective and restrict with the guests’ age, normally it is required to have at least 18, but some clubs won’t let you in if you are under 20 or sometimes even 23 years old. When visiting the capital, the best nightlife areas will be Östermalm, Södermalm and Gamla Stan.