While there is a lot to see in Scandinavia, many travelers don’t have weeks and weeks to dedicate to exploring every single inch of this region. So, for those travelers, it’s a good idea to drill down into one specific region. In this itinerary, it will be a focus on Sweden and its two major cities. Between Stockholm and Gothenburg, you’ll find plenty of interesting museums and sights to keep you busy for this long weekend itinerary.
5 Day Scandinavia Itinerary
This 5 day Sweden itinerary starts in Stockholm and finishes in Gothenburg. Therefore, you’ll need to purchase a multi city ticket to avoid backtracking to your starting destination. This backtracking costs time and money (versus two one way tickets), so save yourself the headache and purchase a multi city ticket.
Now with that said, feel free to reverse this Sweden itinerary. If it’s cheaper to fly into Gothenburg and out of Stockholm, you should absolutely consider reversing this itinerary. Scandinavia is an expensive destination, so it’s a good idea to save money whenever you can.
Day 1 – Hello, Stockholm
This itinerary starts in Stockholm. Whether you arrive by plane or some other method, head to the city center and find your hotel. Ideally, you’ll arrive in the morning, which gives you a half day to explore the city. There’s two areas I’d recommend exploring today.
The first is modern Stockholm and it’s where I recommend you start. That’s not because it’s the best area of Stockholm, but because I’m a believer in saving the best for last. Here you’ll find pedestrian shopping streets. This part of the city feels much more modern (hence why I’ve referred to it as “modern Stockholm”). I personally wasn’t a huge fan but I think makes an interesting comparison to wander both modern Stockholm and the Old Town.
Obviously the second area I recommend exploring is the Old Town. With its charming lanes and classic architecture, this area is fun to wander. You’ll find museums and churches, but don’t worry about covering museums too much today. Tomorrow is a very heavy museum day, but you could easily get a head start today if you feel up to it. Since everyone will arrive into the city at different times, I don’t like to plan much for the first day.
The bottom line is don’t stress about museums today. We’ll cover a lot of that tomorrow, but again, if you arrive early and have extra time, take a peek at my list of the best museums in Stockholm. Pick a museum that won’t be covered tomorrow.
Sleep: Stockholm, Sweden
Day 2 – Exploring Stockholm
Today is museum overload in Stockholm. There’s no possible way that you can see every museum in Stockholm in just one day, so we’re going to cut to some of the best.
Start your morning off with a visit to Stockholm’s City Hall which must be visited on a guided tour. So, plan to take the first tour of the morning. You’ll learn about the building itself but also hear about how this building is used for the Nobel Prize banquet.
From City Hall, cross the city to visit the Vasa Museum. This was my favorite museum in Scandinavia. In the 1600s, the Vasa warship sank less than 1000 meters into its maiden voyage. In the late 1900s, the ship was salvaged and is now housed in the Vasa Museum which tells the story of the ship. I was skeptical if I’d like this museum, but I loved it. It’s an absolute must do when you’re in Stockholm.
Continuing on you have your choice of museum. Art lovers can visit the National Museum, for Sweden’s national art gallery. Highlights include paintings by Remembrandt as well as plenty of Swedish artists.
For those less interested in art, consider a visit to the Hallwyll Museum. This is a house from the 1900s that has been preserved and turned into a museum. It’s decorated in the rococo style and reminds me a lot of the mansions I’ve toured in the United States from our Gilded Age. This was pretty cool too and it feels like few English speaking tourists make it here. Admittedly, the Hallwyll Museum wasn’t on my initial list, but I received a recommendation from a friend of a friend and I did enjoy my visit.
Finally head into the Old Town to visit the Nobel Prize Museum. The museum itself is small but it’s still interesting. You’ll learn a bit about the history of the founder of the Nobel Prize, Alfred Nobel, but then you’ll learn a bit more about the recipients of the Nobel Prize. This museum holds items that the Nobel Prize recipients have deemed important. You’ll find everything from a researcher’s favorite pipet, to lab books, to beer bottles made in honor of a researchers best friend. Use the included audioguide to get the most out of your visit.
It’s been a busy museum day so I’m leaving the evening open to you. Wander the Old Town, find a good dinner, or head back to your hotel to relax. The choice is yours.
Sleep: Stockholm, Sweden
Day 3 – Stockholm to Gothenburg
It’s time to move to the next city on this mini Sweden itinerary. It’s time to transfer to Gothenburg. Trains take three to four hours, depending on which train you select. So, since you’ll spend half of your day in transit, it’s your choice where you want to spend that extra half day.
If you choose to spend your morning in Stockholm, there’s plenty of other museums that we didn’t cover yesterday. Go to a museum first thing in the morning before catching a train to Gothenburg.
If you choose to travel to Gothenburg in the morning (which is what I did on my larger tour of Scandinavia), you’ll get an extra half day to explore. I recommend finding some lunch on arrival. If none of the restaurants catch your eye, consider venturing to the Market Hall where I had one of my cheapest, most filling meals in Scandinavia (and yes, it tasted good too). After lunch, you can get stated on some sightseeing.
So should you spend more time in Stockholm or Gothenburg? While it’s true I took a morning train from Stockholm to Gothenburg on my larger Scandinavia itinerary, if I were to do it again, I’d give myself more time in Stockholm. Gothenburg is nice, but I felt like I was able to cover most of the highlights in one day, whereas there were more museums that I wanted to see in Stockholm that I ran out of time for. Ultimately though, the choice is yours.
Sleep: Gothenburg, Sweden
Day 4 – Exploring Gothenburg
As mentioned, I feel like Gothenburg has fewer sights than the other cities of this Scandinavia itinerary, but there’s a handful of sights you can look out for.
Gothenburg Cathedral – While not the most impressive cathedral in Scandinavia, and certainly not the most impressive cathedral in Europe, it’s free to visit and makes a quick stop.
Palm House – This seems to make it onto every Gothenburg itinerary and sure it’s cool, but I do think there’s a better item on this list if you’re into gardens. The Palm House is a green house in central Gothenburg that’s home to numerous plants, but don’t stop just at the greenhouse. There are gardens nearby that can be nice to walk through. The best part of all of this? It’s free.
Fish Church – Confusingly this is not a church, but a market. Unfortunately, I don’t have any first hand experience as the Fish Church was closed during my visit, but every single list of things to do in Gothenburg so I have to include it on this list.
Haga District – This is a fun little pedestrian only district full of shops and cafes. Stop here for a break during sightseeing. Either get a full meal or just break for a pastry and coffee.
Botanical Gardens – Similar to the Palm House, you’ll find a large, diverse collection of plants here. However, I found these gardens just so much more impressive and expansive. There’s so many different areas to walk, plus see if you can find the walk that takes you to a view of Gothenburg. And yes, this is free too.
Gothenburg Museum – This is one thing I didn’t do in Gothenburg, but if you’re interested in learning about the history of this city, add the Gothenburg Museum to your list.
Skansen Kronan – This castle tower sits atop a hill and a climb up here offers a fantastic view of Gothenburg. Plus, there’s the added benefit of the tower being at the top of the hill, so circle the tower and take in the city from all angles.
I split my visit in Gothenburg over two days, but with one day, here’s what I recommend for timing. Start at the Palm House and then head toward the Haga District, stopping by the Gothenburg Cathedral along the way. Swing by the Fish Church and head to Skansen Kronan before finishing at the Botanical Gardens. Note that this does skip the Gothenburg Museum, but if you’re interested, I’d suggest replacing the Botanical Gardens with the museum.
Sleep: Gothenburg, Sweden
Day 5 – Fly Home
This 5 day Scandinavia itinerary is complete. Head to the airport and catch a flight home (or on to your next destination).
5 Day Scandinavia Itinerary Recap
Day 1: Arrive in Stockholm. Sleep in Stockholm.
Day 2: Explore Stockholm. Sleep in Stockholm.
Day 3: Train from Stockholm to Gothenburg. Sleep in Gothenburg.
Day 4: Explore Gothenburg. Sleep in Gothenburg.
Day 5: Fly Home
Hotels Needed
Days 1-2: Stockholm, Sweden (2 nights)
Days 3-4: Gothenburg, Sweden (2 nights)
Transportation Needed
Day 3: Train from Stockholm to Gothenburg
When to Do This Itinerary
Winters have the fewest visitors and therefore you can expect a slightly lower price. However, winters have the worst weather (expect it to be cold) and have limited daylight. For example, in Stockholm, the sun can set as early as 3:00 pm.
Summers have long days with the sun not setting until 9:00 or 10:00 pm. You’ll also have the best weather. However, crowds are at their highest.
Typically, shoulder season can offer the best mix between daylight hours, weather, and tourist crowds. But I personally would recommend traveling very late spring to very early summer or very late summer into very early fall if you’re going to travel during shoulder season. Basically, try to catch that cut over between spring and summer or summer and fall.
I traveled in mid April. There were a handful of days with decent weather but other days were down right cold. Additionally, some sights still had limited hours which was not ideal when you’re trying to pack a lot in.
Budget Tips
Scandinavia, including Sweden, is notoriously an expensive place to travel. It absolutely can be, but there are ways to save money and minimize your costs. While I’ll have an entire post about budgeting for Scandinavia, here’s my big pieces of advice.
Book early, particularly for trains. The long distance trains are cheaper the earlier you book, which can save you a lot of money.
Budget extra money for sit down restaurants or be prepared to look for other options such as fast food, convenience stores, or supermarkets.
Be selective of your activities. Prices can add up quickly if you don’t pay attention.
Final Thoughts
Swedish cities don’t rank as high on the excitement scale as some other places in Europe. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t visit. Rather, you need to have realistic expectations. But, with five days in Sweden, I think you can put together a pretty great itinerary that covers the highlights of the major cities of this country.
Continue Your Adventure
Sweden: A visit to Sweden will generally include its capital city of Stockholm, which is full of awesome sights and museums. If you have extra time in Stockholm, consider a day trip to either Uppsala or Drottningholm Slott. But don’t miss Gothenburg, another great city that feels more relaxed than Stockholm. Continue your planning with my Sweden Travel Guide.
Scandinavia: Start planning your trip to Scandinavia with this 10 Day Itinerary or this 7 Day Itinerary, featuring stops in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Check out my Scandinavia Budget for a realistic look at travel costs and budgeting tips. Plus, here’s my top tips for traveling Scandinavia.