Must-see attractions in Scandinavia

  • Outer courtyard at Stockholm's Royal Palace

    Kungliga Slottet

    Gamla Stan

    A massive structure with more than 600 rooms on 11 levels, Kungliga Slottet (the Royal Palace) dominates the north end of Gamla Stan. The official…

  • The Vellamo Maritime Centre.

    Merikeskus Vellamo

    Turku & Finland's South Coast

    In a tanker-sized, wave-shaped building with walls of metal and printed glass, this state-of-the-art dockside museum recounts Finland’s seafaring life…

  • Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) Fortress in Helsinki, Finland

    Suomenlinna

    Helsinki

    Suomenlinna, the ‘fortress of Finland’, straddles a cluster of car-free islands connected by bridges. This Unesco World Heritage site was originally built…

  • Kronborg castle, Helsingor, Denmark

    Kronborg Slot

    Helsingør

    Best known as the Elsinore Castle of Shakespeare's Hamlet, this Unesco World Heritage Site is a vast Renaissance masterpiece topped by baroque green…

  • Park and Palace Frederiksborg Slot, Hillerod, Denmark
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    Frederiksborg Slot

    Zealand

    One of Denmark's most impressive buildings, this gigantic, Dutch Renaissance–styled fortress-palace rises proudly out of photogenic moat-lake Slotsø…

  • December 04, 2016: The Replicas of Viking longboats in the Viking Ship Museum of Roskilde, Denmark

    Viking Ship Museum

    Zealand

    Five original Viking ships, discovered at the bottom of Roskilde Fjord, are displayed in the main hall of this must-see museum. A short walk away, the…

  • Legoland in Billund

    Legoland

    Billund

    Mind-blowing Lego models, fun rides and the happy-family magic associated with great theme parks have transformed Legoland into Denmark’s most visited…

  • Greta Garbo's gravestone at Skogskyrkogården in Stockholm.

    Skogskyrkogården

    Stockholm

    One of Stockholm’s most unexpected attractions, Skogskyrkogården (the Woodland Cemetery) is an arrestingly beautiful graveyard set in the soothing pine…

  • Trondheim, Norway - June 6, 2017:  View of the world's northernmost medieval cathedral national sanctuary of Norway, built over the grave of St. Olav. The sculptures and church in romanesque style; 
Nidaros Domkirke

Shutterstock ID 659296807; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Nidaros Domkirke

    Trondheim

    Nidaros Cathedral is Scandinavia's largest medieval building, and the northernmost Gothic structure in Europe. Outside, the ornately embellished, altar…

  • Royal Mounds - large barrows located in Gamla Uppsala village, Uppland, Sweden (70 km from Stockholm).  Beautiful Viking graves covered by grass. Gamla Uppsala is area rich in archaeological remains.; Shutterstock ID 1138429115; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Gamla Uppsala

    Uppsala

    One of Sweden’s largest and most important burial sites, Gamla Uppsala (4km north of Uppsala) contains 300 mounds from the 6th to 12th centuries. The…

  • Path leading to the historic church of Jelling, Denmark.

    Jelling Kirke

    Central Jutland

    Inside this small whitewashed church, erected around 1100, are some vividly restored 12th-century frescoes; the main attractions, however, are the two…

  • Atlantic Ocean Road, passing through the several small islands in Norwegian Sea, is part of National Tourist Routes of Norway.

    Atlanterhavsveien

    The Northern Fjords

    The eight storm-lashed bridges of the Atlantic Ocean Road buck and twist like sea serpents, connecting 17 islets between Vevang and the island of Averøya…

  • Hótel Skaftafell overlooking a prime section of the mountainous Vatnajökull National Park.

    Vatnajökull National Park

    Iceland

    Vast, varied and spectacular, Vatnajökull National Park was founded in 2008, when authorities created a megapark by joining the 8300-sq-km Vatnajökull ice…

  • Famous swedish pit Falu Gruva, once a major source for copper.

    Falu Gruva

    Dalarna

    Falun’s kopparbergs gruva was the world’s most important copper mine by the 17th century. Called 'Sweden's treasure chest', it drove the small country's…

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    Louisiana

    Zealand

    This extraordinary museum of modern and contemporary art should be high on your 'to do' list even if you're not normally a gallery-goer. Along with its…

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    Christiansborg Slot

    Copenhagen

    Christiansborg Slot is home to Folketinget (the Danish parliament), the Prime Minister's office and the Supreme Court. Visitor highlights include the…

  • Hammershus Slotsruin - the castle played an important part in the struggles and wars which found place in the middle ages in Europe.
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    Hammershus Slotsruin

    Bornholm

    The impressive ruins of Hammershus Slot, dramatically perched on top of a cliff 74m above the sea, are the largest in Scandinavia. The castle was thought…

  • Tivoli Gardens.

    Tivoli Gardens

    Copenhagen

    Dating from 1843, tasteful Tivoli wins fans with its dreamy whirl of amusement rides, twinkling pavilions, carnival games and open-air stage shows…

  • Sitting on Trolltunga rock overlooking the fjord.

    Trolltunga

    Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords

    A slender spur of rock projecting into the void above Lake Ringedalsvatnet, Trolltunga is one of Norway's most-photographed features, and – along with…

  • Roskilde Domkirke

    Zealand

    The crème de la crème of Danish cathedrals, this twin-spired giant was started by Bishop Absalon in 1170, but has been rebuilt and tweaked so many times…

  • AARHUS, DENMARK - APRIL 12, 2015: Medieval houses the streets of  the old town Den Gamle By in Aarhus Denmark; Shutterstock ID 271673486; Your name (First / Last): Emma Sparks; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Best in Europe POI updates

    Den Gamle By

    Aarhus

    The Danes’ seemingly limitless enthusiasm for dressing up and re-creating history reaches its zenith at Den Gamle By. It’s an engaging, picturesque open…

  • Detail of unicorn graffiti inside Christiania.

    Christiania

    Copenhagen

    Escape the capitalist crunch and head to Freetown Christiania, a hash-scented commune straddling the eastern side of Christianshavn. Since its…

  • Drottningholm Palace and garden.

    Drottningholm Slott

    Around Stockholm

    Home to the royal family for part of the year, Drottningholm's Renaissance-inspired main palace was designed by architectural great Nicodemus Tessin the…

  • Snæfellsjökull national park lies in the westernmost part of Snæfellsnes peninsula ; 
Snæfellsjökull National Park 
Shutterstock ID 1701342907; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Snæfellsjökull National Park

    Snæfellsnes Peninsula

    Snæfellsjökull National Park encompasses much of the western tip of Snæfellsnes Peninsula, and wraps around the rugged slopes of the glacier…

  • Trollstigen, Norway, Sunset over the Trollstigen valley road
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    Trollstigen

    The Northern Fjords

    This twisting, sky-topping corkscrew of a road is the most famous stretch of tarmac in Norway. Completed in 1936 after eight years of labour, the Troll's…

  • Ruins of the fortress Bomarsund.

    Bomarsund Fästningsruin

    Åland Archipelago

    Following the war of 1808–09, Russia began building this major military structure as its westernmost defence against the Swedes. The fortress was still…

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    Rosenborg Slot

    Copenhagen

    A 'once upon a time' combo of turrets, gables and moat, the early-17th-century Rosenborg Slot was built in Dutch Renaissance style between 1606 and 1633…

  • A woman hikes in Hornstrandir Nature Reserve.

    Hornstrandir Nature Reserve

    The Westfjords

    Craggy mountains, precarious sea cliffs and plunging waterfalls make up Hornstrandir, one of Europe’s last true wilderness areas, covering some of the…

  • Denmark, Jutland, Aarhus-Hojbjerg, Moesgard Museum, new exhibition buildling designed by Henning Larsen, exterior and roof

    Moesgaard Museum

    Aarhus

    Don't miss the reinvented Moesgaard Museum, 10km south of the city, housed in a spectacularly designed, award-winning modern space. The star attraction is…

  • Heddal Stave Church

    Heddal Stave Church

    Southern Norway

    This fairy-tale church is the largest and one of the most beautiful of Norway's 28 remaining stave churches. As always, it's constructed around Norwegian…

  • The home of Swedish artists Carl and Karin Larsson in Sundborn, Sweden.

    Carl Larsson-gården

    Dalarna

    Don’t miss Sweden's 'most famous home', located 13km northeast of Falun in the picturesque village of Sundborn. After their deaths, the early-20th-century…

  • Black sand beach, Dyrholaey, Iceland

    Dyrhólaey

    The South

    One of the South Coast’s most recognisable natural formations is the rocky plateau and huge stone sea arch at Dyrhólaey (deer-lay), which rises…

  • Akershus Fortress Oslo Norway; Shutterstock ID 553892116; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiT Destination Page Images

    Akershus Festning

    Oslo

    When Oslo was named capital of Norway in 1299, King Håkon V ordered the construction of Akershus, strategically located on the eastern side of the harbour…

  • Old fortress town in Fredrikstad

    Gamlebyen

    Southern Norway

    The timbered houses, moats, gates and drawbridge of the Fredrikstad Gamlebyen are simply enchanting. The perimeter walls, once defended by 200 cannons,…

  • AARHUS, DENMARK âÂ?Â? JULY 15, 2015: Panoramic walkway created by Danish Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, in the rainbow colors on the roof of the art museum in Aarhus on July 15, 2015; Shutterstock ID 299623619; Your name (First / Last): Emma Sparks; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Best in Europe POI updates

    ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum

    Aarhus

    Inside the cubist, red-brick walls of Aarhus’ showpiece art museum are nine floors of sweeping curves, soaring spaces and white walls showcasing a…

  • Saynatsalo Town Hall designed by Alvar Aalto.

    Säynätsalon Kunnantalo

    The Finnish Lakeland

    One of Aalto's most admired works, this town hall was conceived as a 'fortress of democracy' and constructed between 1949 and 1952. Its sturdy brick tower…

  • The old viking cemetery in Aalborg in Denmark, Lindholm Høje.

    Lindholm Høje

    Aalborg

    The Limfjord was a kind of Viking motorway providing easy, speedy access to the Atlantic for longboat raiding parties. It’s not surprising, then, that the…

  • National Museum interior.

    National Museum

    Reykjavík

    Artefacts from settlement to the modern age fill the creative display spaces of Iceland's superb National Museum. Exhibits give an excellent overview of…

  • Exterior of Nationalmuseet, Ny Vestergade 10.

    Nationalmuseet

    Copenhagen

    For a crash course in Danish history and culture, spend an afternoon at Denmark's National Museum. It has first claim on virtually every antiquity…

  • Recreated Viking Age settlement at Foteviken Museum.

    Fotevikens Museum

    Skåne

    If you mourn the passing of big hairy men in longboats, find solace at the fascinating Foteviken Viking Reserve, an evocative ‘living’ reconstruction…

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