As the temperature drops, Sweden offers a holiday break with a difference. Annica Wainwright chills out in the country’s two coolest cities
Cool qualities
Stockholm Set across 14 islands, with the city centre split equally between water, parkland and built-up areas, the capital of Sweden is at its most beautiful on a crisp winter’s day when the water lies beneath a mirror of ice and the trees are covered in thick, glittering snow.
Make no mistake: Stockholm is a northerly city, which means you won’t see much more than five hours of sunshine in deepest winter. To compensate for all the darkness, the Swedes have developed a passionate love affair with candles and fairy lights and, from early December onwards, the warm glow emanating from just about every window creates a magical Christmas atmosphere.
It also gets very cold. The lowest temperature ever measured here was -32°C, and the winter average lies somewhere between -2°C and -7°C so don’t forget those mittens. If you’re lucky enough to visit after a period of prolonged low temperature, don’t miss out on the chance to try long-distance skating on the frozen waters of the archipelago. Skates and safety equipment can be hired from Playground Stores (Adolf Fredriks Kyrkogata 15; tel. (0)8 221515, playgroundstores.com). Check for suitable locations at the main tourist office (tel. (0)8 5082 8508) by the Kungsträdgården park, where an ice rink is set up for less adventurous skaters.
Gothenburg Until recently, Sweden’s second largest city was a summer destination best known for its coastal scenery, cheerful locals and the Liseberg theme park (liseberg.se). But a couple of years ago the Christmas at Liseberg programme was so successful that the marketers at City Hall decided to brand the entire town as The Christmas City.
From mid-November onwards, the whole city twinkles with fairy lights as a Christmas thoroughfare winds through the city, from the main square at Götaplatsen all the way down to the harbour. A Seasonal Slideshow is projected on to the façade of the art museum and there’s an ice rink, Christmas market and singing Christmas tree (which has to be seen to be believed) at the Bältesspännarparken.
Much of the seasonal action centres on Liseberg, which will be lit up by five million lights and will play host to a new Ice Gallery and Ice Bar, courtesy of the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi.
Liseberg is home to the city’s largest ice rink, and will be dotted with warming charcoal burners as well as beautiful stalls selling traditional food and handmade gifts. These should really get you in the spirit – particularly after a few mugs of glögg.
Chill in the city
Stockholm The main draw for tourists visiting in December is the daily Christmas Market on Stortorget Square, but savvy shoppers head south to the trendy district known as Sofo – short for South of Folkungagatan – on Södermalm. As the home of countless artists, designers and creative types, this is a laid-back area full of atmospheric cafés, bars and independent boutiques. It also has a great weekend market.
Among the top spots here is the quirky design shop Grandpa (Södermannag 21; tel. (0)8 643 6080; grandpa.se) and the Stockholm branch of London’s vintage haunt Beyond Retro (Åsögatan 144; tel. (0)8 641 3642; beyondretro.com), which has live music on Sundays at 3pm. The atmospheric record store Pet Sounds (Skånegatan 53; tel. (0)8 702 9798; petsounds.se) has an in-house bookshop and café, and recently opened a bar and restaurant down the road (Skånegatan 90; tel. (0)8 644 3910; petsoundsbar.se). There’s also the new neighbourhood restaurant Berlin Sthlm (Skånegatan 71; tel. (0)8 714 8661; berlinsthlm.se), with an innovative menu offering international grazing food.
Gothenburg The cobbled streets of Haga offer some of Gothenburg’s best seasonal shopping. Much of the architecture dates back to the 19th century, but this part of town retains an historic 17th-century feel thanks to the sympathetic restoration of the traditional wooden buildings.
Speckled with cosy cafés – check out the giant pastries on offer at Café Kringlan (Haga Nygata 13, tel. (0)31 130908) – Haga is also home to boutiques selling second-hand clothes, antiques and handicrafts. There’s even a fabulous day spa (Hagabadet, Södra Allégatan 3; tel. (0)31 600600; hagabadet.se) where you can warm up with a sauna or a swim in atmospheric surroundings.
Haga goes to sleep early so for nightlife you’ll have to head for the neighbourhood haunts along Linnégatan or towards the centre of town and all the entertainment options around Kungsportsavenyn (‘The Avenue’). The acclaimed gourmet restaurant Kock & Vin (Victoriagatan 12; tel. (0)31 701 7979; kockvin.se) has opened a basement bar, Björns Bar, where Gothenburg’s foodie crowd go for quality wine and nibbles. Another hotspot is the über-designed Peacock Dinner Club (Kungsportsavenyen 21; tel. (0)31 138855; peacockdinnerclub. com), with its modern Asian menu and cocktails.
Fresh escapes
Stockholm Stockholm is the gateway to northern Sweden, offering access to Jukkasjärvi Kiruna for visits to the Ice Hotel (icehotel.com) or the Arctic resort of Riksgränsen (riksgränsen.nu). Skiing is a popular past-time, but you can also try ice-climbing, scooter safaris, paragliding, dog sledging and horse riding trails through the snow.
ó There are also road and rail links to the winter paradise at Åre (skistar.com/ are), a favourite with fun-seeking weekending Stockholmers thanks to the Åretåget party train (aretaget.nu), which transports party crowds to the sounds of a resident live band and disco.
Rail is also the preferred mode of transport for visitors to the 2007 Alpine World Championships, held in Åre between 3-18 February 2007. With most hotels already booked up, the national train operator SJ (sj.se) is offering fans the chance to travel to and from the games via the sleeper train at a special price that also includes breakfast and entrance fees.
Right in the northern tip of Sweden, in Njarka Sameläger, you can step back in time and leave the otherwise ultra-modern Sweden behind when you enter the world of the Sami (also known as the Lapp), Scandinavia’s indigenous people. Only a few Sami still rely on reindeer herding for their livelihood but you can gain a unique insight to their lifestyle by visiting them in a Lapp cot – their traditional home – sleeping on a reindeer rug and feeding their reindeers.
Gothenburg The Swedish coast is almost as famous for its excellent food as its beautiful scenery, and you’ll find both in equal measure at Handelsman Flink (handelsmanflink.se) on the island of Flatön, about an hour north of Gothenburg. Originally a country store, this multifaceted venue still has a wonderful gift shop as well as a restaurant, spa and hotel, with 13 contemporary bedrooms boasting spectacular ocean views.
The drive here is pretty special too. From Gothenburg, take the northbound E6 motorway, exiting at Stenungsund, where you take route 169 across the breathtakingly beautiful bridge to the island of Tjörn. Here, you can visit the Nordic Watercolour Museum (akvarellmuseet.org) in Skärhamn, before heading across to Ellös on the island of Orust where you catch the ferry to Flatön – call the public transport information office (tel. (0)771 414300) to check the schedule.
La magie de l’hiver
Lorsque la température passe sous zéro, la Suède s’avère une destination hors du commun pour un break loin du quotidien. C’est ce que nous avons découvert, plein de frissons, lors de la visite des deux villes les plus étonnantes.
Stockholm est une ville nordique, ce qui signifie que vous ne verrez pas plus de cinq heures d’ensoleillement au plus fort de l’hiver. Pour compenser ce climat de ténèbres, les Suédois ont développé un amour immodéré des bougies et des éclairages, et à partir du mois de décembre, une chaude luminosité émane de presque chaque fenêtre, créant une atmosphère magique de Noël. Un des principaux pôles d’intérêts pour les touristes qui voyagent en décembre est le marché de Noël quotidien de Stortorget Square. Mais si vous êtes féru de shopping, allez directement dans le quartier branché, connu sous le nom de Sofo on Södermalm. Stockholm est également la porte d’entrée vers le Nord du pays, avec un accès à Kiruna pour la découverte de l’Hôtel de Glace, ou la station de l’Arctique de Riksgränsen, avec ses innombrables sports d’hiver depuis le ski jusqu’au traîneau à chiens. Vous trouverez également des connexions vers Are, un des lieux de prédilection des habitants de Stockholm pour un week-end de sortie, grâce aux Voitures de train Bar-disco.
Jusqu’à récemment, la seconde plus grande ville de Suède, Gothenburg, était une destination d’été, mieux connue pour ses paysages côtiers, sa population accueillante et le parc à thèmes de Liseberg. Mais cette vision a changé. A partir de la mi-novembre, la ville entière brille de mille feux alors que la féerie de Noël bat son plein depuis la place principale Götaplatsen jusqu’en descendant vers le port. On trouve même un arbre de Noël chantant au Bältesspännarkparken.
Et au-delà de Gothenburg, la côte suédoise est toujours aussi réputée pour l’excellence de sa cuisine que pour la beauté de ses points de vue, et vous aurez l’occasion d’apprécier les deux dans une égale proportion à Handelsman Flink sur l’île de Flatön, à une heure environ de Gothenburg.
Winter wonderland
Nu de temperaturen de dieperik induiken, nodigt Zweden uit voor de andere citytrip, zoals ook wij mochten ontdekken tijdens ons verblijf in de twee coolste steden van het land.
Stockholm is een noordelijke stad, wat betekent dat de zon er in de winter niet veel meer dan vijf uur schijnt. Om die duisternis te compenseren, ontwikkelden de Zweden een grote liefde voor kaarsen en lichtjes allerhande. Vanaf begin december schijnt er uit zowat elk venster een warme gloed en dat zorgt voor een magische kerstsfeer. De belangrijkste trekpleister voor toeristen is de dagelijkse kerstmarkt op het Stortorgetplein, maar shoppers trekken ook naar de trendy wijk die gekend staat als Sofo op het eiland Södermalm. Stockholm is ook de toegangspoort naar het noorden van Zweden, naar plaatsen als Kiruna voor bezoeken aan het Ice Hotel of het sneeuwparadijs Riksgränsen voor een waaier aan wintersporten, van skiën tot hondensleeën. Er zijn ook verbindingen naar Are, een favoriete weekendbestemming voor Stockholmers die de Aretaget partytrein nemen op zoek naar amusement.
Tot voor kort was Zwedens tweede grootste stad Götheborg eerder een zomerbestemming, gekend om zijn fraaie kusten, vriendelijke bewoners en het Liseberg pretpark. Maar daarin is verandering gekomen, want vanaf half november twinkelt de hele stad en de hoofdstraat is één lange kerstslinger vanaf Götaplatsen tot in de haven. Aan het Bältesspännarkparken staat zelfs een zingende kerstboom. De Zweedse kust is bijna even beroemd voor het lekkere eten als het prachtige landschap. Beide vind je in overvloed in Handelsman Flink op het eiland Flatön, ongeveer een uurtje ten noorden van Götheborg.
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