Travel from the dazzling city of Stockholm through the beautiful countryside of south-eastern Sweden in 7 wonderful days. Enjoy highlights like Stockholm's Old Town, the ICEBAR, majestic castles, centuries-old towns, the birthplace of the candy cane, Pippi Longstocking’s village and the Göta Canal, one of Sweden's most popular attractions.
A day-by-day plan to guide your Swedish road trip.
Download PDFThe morning starts with a Stockholm sightseeing tour (2.5 hours), taking you to the most significant sights in the city, including the Old Town and Djurgården, the king’s ancient hunting grounds. This combined bus and boat tour really gives you Stockholm in a nutshell! After the tour we highly recommend spending more time in Old Town with its many narrow alleys, historic buildings and handcraft boutiques.
Spend another night in central Stockholm.
After breakfast it’s time to pick up your rental car and start you drive south towards the coastal town of Västervik. About 100 km south of Stockholm your drive takes you through Nyköping, one of Sweden´s oldest towns founded in 1187. Here, you can stop for a visit to the picture-perfect Nyköping Castle overlooking the river.
Your next leg of the journey takes you to the Göta Canal, the remarkable 190-km waterway that connects Sweden's two largest cities. At the small city of Söderköping, take a break to watch boats pass through the canal’s impressive locks and visit the Canal Harbour with its many boutiques, exhibitions, handicraft shops and Sweden's largest ice cream shop, Smultronstället—a real treat for the taste buds!
Afterwards, continue down the coast to Västervik, your final destination for the evening. This idyllic small town offers beautiful views of its archipelago, delicious locally-produced food and attractions like the Västervik-Hultsfred narrow-gauge railway, a living museum depicting how a rural train journey was undertaken some 40-50 years ago.
Spend the night in Västervik.
Driving distance approx. 285 km / 177 miles.
If your car rental pick up is on a Sunday or public holiday, please note that the car rental agency doesn´t open their office until 15:00 in the afternoon. We might be able to arrange pickups outside these hours against an extra fee or assist you in rearranging your tour to make it fit. Please contact us for details.
Drive west towards Vimmerby, the hometown of world-famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Here you will find a theme village featuring Pippi Longstocking and other famous characters from Lindgren's books. On the way north we also recommend a stop in Gränna, the town where the striped candy cane was invented in 1859. Visit one of the local confectionery shops and see how this delicious candy is made before heading to Vadstena, a small 12th-century town beautifully situated by Lake Vättern. In the centre of Vadstena, right beside the lake, you will find Vadstena Castle, one of Sweden’s best-preserved Renaissance era castles.
Spend the night in Vadstena.
Driving distance approx. 245 km / 152 miles.
Visit more of the sights around Vadstena Castle, including the Cloister, before starting your drive towards Örebro. We also recommend a detour to Linköping for a visit to the open-air museum of “Old Linköping”. Here you can visit the well-preserved old houses and see how Swedish people lived over 100 years ago. And if your stomach is growling you may want to make a stop in Askersund, a tiny town with a surprising number of cafes.
On arrival to Örebro, head to the open-air museum in Wadköping with its beautiful old buildings, craftspeople and shops. Another great option for history buffs is a visit to the 14th-century Örebro Castle, where you can join a guided tour to learn about its remarkable past.
Spend the night in Örebro.
Driving distance approx. 115 km / 71 miles (with detour to Linköping approx. 175 km / 109 miles).
For the last leg of your trip, drive towards Eskilstuna and pay a visit to Rademachersmedjorna, a 17th-century blacksmith community. We also recommend seeing the Sigurd rock carving, created over 1,000 years ago. Then continue east to Mariefred through an area famous for its many castles and manor houses, including the 16th-century Gripsholm Castle, famous for its exquisite art exhibitions and well-preserved interiors from different eras.
Upon return to Stockholm, drop off your rental car and check in to your centrally located hotel. Then the rest of the evening is yours to enjoy the capital city and its dazzling nightlife!
Spend the night in central Stockholm.
Driving distance approx. 210 km / 130 miles.
Enjoy one last Scandinavian breakfast before checking out of your hotel. When it's time to depart, transfer to Arlanda Airport is provided by private taxi. Passengers departing on an afternoon flight will have time for some last-minute shopping, a perfect way to end your holiday.
Note: We can add activities in Stockholm or extra days before or after the tour; contact us for details.
Don’t worry, we’ve got this covered.
These should tide you over until you can see Sweden for yourself.
We don’t like to brag, so we’ll let our happy customers do it for us.
The high-light of our European adventure was the week in Sweden doing the self-drive tour that you had arranged for us (Stockholm & a Slice of the Countryside). Everything in the tour was absolutely perfect from the transfer arrangements to the car and hotel accommodations and the tour format itself. I would highly recommend it to anyone! Thank you very much for all that you did to make this part of our holiday so enjoyable - even the weather cooperated.
We're glad we found you online - having Jennie arrange our hotels and rental car let us focus on where we wanted to go. Jennie put us in unique hotels outside of Stockholm that we would have never found on our own. Using your services relieved a lot of stress. We would be happy to use Nordic Visitor services again.
Sleep soundly, in the accommodation type of your choice, and wake up ready to enjoy another day of exploration.
Enjoy the journey, in the rental car of your choice.
Whether you have a single question or a special request, we're here for you.
