Småland, Sweden: 16 Things to See in the Glass Kingdom in 2026

For me personally, Småland in Sweden is the epitome of countryside idyll. Deep in its forests and lakes stand glassworks almost three hundred years old, and just a short drive away lie the villages that gave birth to Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga and the Children of Noisy Village. Here the rugged Nordic landscape blends perfectly with the magic of timeless children’s literature and world-class design.

If you’re looking for the best option for a road trip straight off the ferry, you’ve just found it. Southern Sweden serves up an archetypal landscape full of granite boulders and classic red cottages, without you having to drive thousands of kilometres to the harsh north. And honestly, for families with kids it’s hard to find a better spot in all of Scandinavia.

This guide walks you through sixteen tips that are truly worth it — from the Kosta Boda glassworks to historic Kalmar. I’ll also tell you where to stay, what to taste, and where you might rather not bother going.

TL;DR

• The heart of the Swedish countryside: Småland is home to red cottages by the lakes, endless forests and the phenomenon known as the stuga.
• The Glass Kingdom (Glasriket): Historic glassworks like Kosta Boda offer glassblowing demonstrations and huge outlet stores.
• A paradise for families: The Astrid Lindgrens Värld theatre park in Vimmerby ranks among the best family experiences in Europe.
• Historic Kalmar: The Renaissance castle serves as the gateway to the sunny island of Öland.
• The birthplace of IKEA: In Älmhult you’ll find the very first store and a fascinating design museum.
• Nature and lakes: Åsnen National Park and Lake Bolmen are ideal for canoeing and cycling.
• Prices and payments: Sweden is almost entirely cashless, prices are roughly double those in Central Europe, and 1 SEK is worth about €0.09.

When to visit Småland

The main summer season runs from late June to mid-August, when most Swedes take their so-called industrisemester (industrial holiday). During this time all the attractions, campsites and summer cafés run at full steam. Summer weather here feels more like northern Germany, with pleasant temperatures around 20 to 25 degrees and far fewer mosquitoes than up north. The days are gloriously long and the light lingers well into the night, which is absolutely perfect for evening barbecues by the lake. Even in July, though, pack a good windbreaker and a warmer sweater — evenings by the water can turn surprisingly chilly.

If you head out in May or September, you’ll enjoy wonderful peace and lower prices, but you’ll have to reckon with a few limitations. Plenty of seasonal castles, museums and smaller restaurants switch to shorter opening hours, or simply close up with a sign saying the owners have gone on holiday. Especially with amusement parks, always check the current opening days in advance, because in autumn they often run only on selected weekends.

The exception is the Glass Kingdom (Glasriket) and the local nature, where you can go year-round. Autumn Småland also turns into a paradise for mushroom pickers and blueberry gatherers, which you can pick perfectly legally anywhere in the forest thanks to the generous right of public access. The glassworks operate even in winter, when the hot furnaces offer a cosy escape from the Nordic frost and create a stunning contrast with the snowy landscape. It’s the perfect time for hot coffee and long evenings in the warmth.

Where to stay in Småland

💡 Tip for accommodation and experiences: We prefer to look for accommodation on Booking.com, which usually has the best cancellation terms. It then pays to compare and buy tickets, tours and activities through GetYourGuide.

Småland is made for renting a classic wooden cottage (stuga), ideally right on the shore of one of the thousands of quiet lakes. This style of accommodation gives you enormous freedom and your own little kitchen, which is an absolutely invaluable advantage given Swedish restaurant prices. Just watch out that bed linen and towels usually aren’t included in the base price — you either have to bring your own or pay a noticeable extra fee. Likewise, there’s often a surcharge for the final cleaning (slutstädning), unless you want to scrub the cottage spotless yourself before leaving 😅.

If you prefer hotels or fully equipped campsites, the choice here is genuinely wide and very high quality. For families with kids, it makes the most sense to stay around the town of Vimmerby, from where you have easy access to all the fairy-tale parks and don’t have to spend hours in the car with little travellers. Couples, on the other hand, often choose romantic guesthouses near the historic glassworks or right by the coast close to Kalmar, from where it’s an easy hop over to the sunny island of Öland.

Here are some specific accommodation tips that travellers consistently recommend and that have excellent reviews:

• Kosta Boda Art Hotel: A truly unique design hotel right in the heart of the Glass Kingdom, where everything from the chandeliers to the bar counter is made of glass. A double room with an excellent breakfast starts at around 1,800 SEK (approx. €160) per night.
• Smålandsbyn i Vimmerby: A great choice for families heading to Astrid Lindgren’s park, as the resort offers picturesque red cottages a short walk from the amusement park. A night in a furnished cottage costs roughly 1,200 SEK (approx. €110).
• Ödevata Gårdshotell: An eco-friendly rural hotel with a wonderful atmosphere set amid forests and lakes near Emmaboda, ideal for nature lovers and evening swims. Rooms range from 1,100 SEK (approx. €100) per night.
• First Camp Vimmerby: A large, perfectly equipped campsite offering caravan pitches as well as cottage rentals, often with a pool and a huge children’s playground. Cottages in high season start at 900 SEK (approx. €80).
• Hestraviken Hotell: A more upscale country manor on the Nissan River near Isaberg, which you’ll appreciate when you’re after peace and quiet close to outdoor activities. A night for two costs 1,600 SEK (approx. €140).

16 things to see and do in Småland, Sweden

The following list walks you through the very best of what southern Sweden has to offer, whether you’re travelling with small children or looking for quiet nature and immersive history. Småland is a huge region and distances can be a little deceptive on the map, so I recommend picking just a few specific areas and not needlessly spending whole days cooped up in the car. After all, a holiday here should be all about slowing down!

1. Astrid Lindgrens Värld in Vimmerby

This enormous Astrid Lindgrens Värld theatre park draws around half a million visitors a year and forms the absolute centrepiece of most family holidays in Sweden. Don’t expect any flashing roller coasters or noisy fairground rides here — the whole park is built around sprawling sets from Astrid Lindgren’s stories, spread across an incredible 180,000 square metres where kids can roam completely freely.

Throughout the day, live theatre performances take place constantly at various spots, after which the actors seamlessly hop off the stage and start playing directly with the children. You can clamber through the iconic Villa Villekulla, visit the huge Matt’s Castle full of singing robbers, or explore the tangled rooftops that Karlsson ran across. Everything is incredibly authentic, thought out down to the smallest detail, and set in a beautiful forest park that provides plenty of shade even on hot summer days. Incidentally, families from all over Sweden love to bring their own wooden wagons crammed with food for the whole day and hold picnics right on the grass.

The park is ideal above all for children aged three to ten, who know the stories and get instantly swept up in the action. Even though the performances are in Swedish, the visual side is so strong that the language barrier doesn’t matter at all. Entrance fees work dynamically depending on the season — in the busiest summer months you’ll pay over 450 SEK (approx. €40) per adult, while children under two get in completely free.

💡 Tip: The park really is huge and you won’t manage to walk through it all in a single day in a way that lets the kids enjoy it calmly and stress-free. Consider buying a two-day ticket, which works out considerably better value and lets you spread out the experience.

2. Vimmerby and the birthplace Näs

The town of Vimmerby itself is picturesque and very peaceful at first glance, but its main cultural draw is the writer’s actual birthplace, which you’ll find under the name Astrid Lindgrens Näs. The place offers an absolutely fascinating glimpse into where the famous author drew her earliest inspiration for all those timeless stories that the whole world knows today.

Part of the extensive grounds is a modern exhibition about her life, and you’ll be surprised at how openly it talks even about the harder chapters of her youth. Around the house spread vast gardens full of flowers and old trees that practically invite you to take a slow stroll. The gardens are carefully divided into different themed sections and reflect the writer’s lifelong love of nature and freedom. Inside the museum there’s also a lovely little shop where you can buy just about every book Astrid ever wrote.

Part of the complex is also an excellent café with outdoor seating, where you can treat yourself to a traditional Swedish fika (strong coffee with a sweet cinnamon pastry) and just watch the world go by. A ticket to the main exhibition and the adjoining gardens costs about 190 SEK (approx. €17) per adult. For adult visitors and literature lovers, this place is often a much more powerful experience than the nearby amusement park itself.

💡 Tip: Set aside at least three hours for your visit, because reading the personal letters and browsing the historical photographs can easily draw you in for longer than you’d originally expect.

3. Katthult and Gibberyd: The film farm

If you or your kids ever loved the TV series about mischievous Emil of Lönneberga, you simply have to see the little village of Gibberyd with your own eyes. This is exactly where all those famous films were shot in the 1970s, and the whole Katthult farm still stands here today in exactly the form you remember from your TV screen.

You’ll walk around the big yard, take a look at the red house with the flagpole (the one Emil hoisted his little sister Ida up instead of a flag), and farm animals graze around you in complete peace, exactly as you remember from the screen. During your visit you can of course peek right into Emil’s famous woodshed, where dozens of little carved wooden figures sit.

Admission to the farm is surprisingly cheap compared to other Swedish attractions (you’ll pay around 60 SEK, roughly €5) and the whole tour takes you about an hour. It’s a beautiful, easygoing stop on your route that instantly transports you back to the carefree days of childhood.

💡 Tip: The farm tends to be most crowded around midday, so I recommend arriving first thing in the morning right after opening, when you’ll have the whole yard and shed almost to yourself.

4. Bullerbyn and the real Sevedstorp

Just a short drive from Vimmerby lies the unassuming little village of Sevedstorp, the true historical model for the beloved Children of Noisy Village (Bullerbyn). Here stand exactly those three houses lined up side by side (the Northern, Middle and Southern farms) where Astrid Lindgren’s father grew up, and where the film adaptations that many of us remember from TV were later shot.

These iconic houses are privately owned by local residents, so you can’t go inside them, but you can wander completely freely around the village green. Kids can jump into the hay in the old barn, climb through hollow trees and soak up the incredibly peaceful rural atmosphere. You’ll feel just as if you’d stepped right into the middle of the book you’re reading. If you were searching for tranquillity in its purest form, you’ll probably find it right here.

During the summer season the place comes alive and is very welcoming to visitors. A visit to Sevedstorp is absolutely ideal for families looking for a quieter alternative to the big, busy amusement parks, because here time really has stood still a little.

💡 Tip: Right by the houses there’s a picturesque café, Café Sörgården, open through the summer, where they make wonderful fresh waffles with homemade jam. Have your afternoon coffee here, sit down on a wooden bench and enjoy the purest Swedish countryside.

5. Kosta Boda: Sweden’s oldest glassworks

When you say Glasriket, the famous Glass Kingdom, Kosta Boda is its absolute uncrowned king. This iconic glassworks was founded way back in 1742 and to this day represents the very pinnacle of modern glass design. Its rich history is a fascinating illustration of how a rough craft in the forests gradually became a globally recognised art form.

You stand just a few metres from the furnace, watch the master turn his blowpipe, and before you know it an hour has slipped by — and the heat radiating from the hall even in October is a pleasant bonus. You can even try blowing your own glass souvenir under supervision, which makes a great memory not only for families with kids but simply for anyone who enjoys creating.

Besides the working glasshouse itself, you’ll find a huge outlet with design glass, where you can pick up beautiful pieces for a fraction of the usual price. Look for goods marked andrasortering (second quality, occasionally with tiny bubbles). If you love clean Nordic design, set aside at least half a day for the whole of Kosta, because there are countless boutiques and showrooms.

💡 Tip: Part of the complex is also the beautiful Kosta Boda Art Gallery, where you’ll see the boldest glass sculptures and installations, sold for tens of thousands of euros.

6. Orrefors and the magic of smaller glassworks

While Kosta is genuinely huge and busy with tourists, the Glass Kingdom hides dozens of smaller glassworks with a far more intimate, low-key atmosphere. One of the most famous historic brands is Orrefors, whose sprawling grounds sit amid deep spruce forests a short drive from the town of Nybro and offer a lovely window into the industrial past of the whole region.

In smaller glassworks such as Målerås or Boda you often get into personal contact with independent artists and can chat calmly about their techniques. It’s a great and very soothing experience not only for adults but also for older children, who are fascinated by the process of turning sand into fragile beauty. They’ll often let you peek into the workshops too, places you’d never normally get into at the huge factories.

Each glassworks has its own absolutely distinct style, from classic cut crystal to wild colourful animal sculptures. A drive by car around these little forest factories is one of the best autumn road trips you can experience in all of southern Sweden.

💡 Tip: Most smaller glassworks offer free entry to the glasshouse — you only pay when you want to try blowing a glass ball yourself with the help of a master glassblower.

7. Hyttsill: A traditional glassworks feast

The history of heavy glassmaking gave rise in Småland to an absolutely unique culinary tradition called hyttsill, which translates as an evening feast right inside the glasshouse. In the old days the furnaces stayed hot all night and poor glassworkers gathered around them after their shift to warm up and bake food in the residual heat radiating from the glowing furnaces.

Today this beautiful communal custom comes alive for visitors and tourists. You take a seat at long wooden tables right beside the cooling furnaces and, to the sound of live Swedish music, a traditional menu is served. Historically, furnace-baked salted herring, potatoes and sausages are prepared here. Thankfully, though, an excellent vegetarian version full of roasted vegetables and local cheeses is now commonly served too, and you’re sure to love it.

The evening has an incredibly friendly atmosphere, people chat around the tables and the master glassblowers occasionally show off some funny trick with hot glass. It’s an experience you’ll never get in an ordinary restaurant.

💡 Tip: Hyttsill is held only at selected glassworks and only on certain dates during the main summer season. Table seats vanish in a flash, so booking well in advance is an absolute must.

8. Kalmar and its Renaissance castle

As soon as you emerge from the deep Småland forests towards the Baltic Sea, the historic town of Kalmar greets you with its magnificent castle. Kalmar slott is by far the best-preserved Renaissance castle in all of Scandinavia and looks incredibly majestic when its mighty towers mirror on the calm surface of the sea.

It was on this strategic spot in 1397 that the famous Kalmar Union was signed, uniting Sweden, Denmark and Norway into one enormous realm under the firm rule of the powerful Queen Margaret I. The castle’s interiors are now beautifully restored, and interactive tours instantly draw you into the ruthless intrigues of medieval and Renaissance politics, when the castle served as the main defence against nearby Denmark. The guides tend to dress in period costumes and really know how to bring the story to life.

Admission to the castle is around 170 SEK (approx. €15) and the whole complex offers plenty of great fun for kids too. They can join an exciting treasure hunt or complete special knightly quests right in the great courtyard.

💡 Tip: If you don’t want to pay the full admission, you can walk along the outer ramparts completely free and enjoy the beautiful views of the sea and the adjacent town park.

9. Gamla Stan in Kalmar

The town of Kalmar itself is well worth far more than just a quick visit to the famous castle. Its picturesque historic centre (Gamla Stan) is full of narrow cobbled lanes, preserved medieval town walls and old wooden houses that have survived long centuries without a scratch. The whole town is beautifully suited to walking, so you can happily leave the car at a park-and-ride by the harbour.

During your visit, be sure to stroll along the lively town marina, where luxury yachts and old sailing ships bob in the wind, and stop for an excellent coffee at one of the many local cafés. The atmosphere here is relaxed and seaside: in summer people sit on the terraces until late in the evening and the sounds of live music drift from the waterfront.

On the main square, Stortorget, you’ll find a beautiful Baroque cathedral and around it plenty of small independent boutiques and design shops. Kalmar is simply an absolutely ideal city stop full of great food before you set off to explore the wilder nature of the nearby islands.

💡 Tip: In summer the main square often hosts farmers’ markets, where you can taste fresh local produce and pick up great cheeses for an evening picnic.

10. The Öland Bridge and the gateway to the island

From Kalmar, the imposing Öland Bridge arches straight across the sea strait for more than six kilometres. When it was ceremonially opened in 1972 it was the longest bridge in all of Europe, and driving across it is still a huge visual experience to this day, especially when you go at sunset and the sea below glows beautifully.

Crossing this giant bridge is free and it takes you straight to Öland, which the locals consider Sweden’s summer riviera: a flat island famous for its hundreds of historic windmills, endless sandy beaches and the limestone steppe of Stora Alvaret, a UNESCO World Heritage site. While Småland is forested and a little rugged, Öland is essentially one big holiday beach full of caravans and sunbathing Swedes.

If you’re spending several days in Småland, take at least a full-day trip to Öland, or better yet, devote a separate multi-day part of your journey to it. The contrast between the deep, dark forests of Småland and flat, sunny Öland is absolutely fascinating and shows you two very different faces of Sweden in a single day.

💡 Tip: At the very south of the island you’ll find the Långe Jan (Long John) lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in Sweden, offering a stunning view over the Ottenby bird reserve.

11. The IKEA Museum in Älmhult

Småland gave the world one more global phenomenon: the blue-and-yellow furniture giant. In the unassuming little town of Älmhult, the young Ingvar Kamprad opened his very first store in 1958. Today this original, beautifully renovated building houses the superbly designed and very modern IKEA Museum in Älmhult. Whether you love this brand or can’t stand the sight of it, the history of how it came to be is simply going to entertain you.

The sprawling exhibition takes you engagingly through the company’s history, from its very humble beginnings, when Kamprad personally delivered goods to customers by bicycle, through the iconic printed catalogues right up to its biggest design blunders, which the company now owns with a smile and even pride. You’ll also learn the amusing fact that the furniture names came about because of Kamprad’s dyslexia. So he wouldn’t have to remember complicated numbers, he named the sofas and tables after real Swedish towns and lakes.

The museum of course also has the giant company restaurant, where you can have excellent vegetarian plant-based meatballs with lingonberries and mashed potatoes. Admission costs a very pleasant 60 SEK (approx. €5), and for fans of home and retro design it’s an absolute must.

💡 Tip: In the museum basement you’ll find a special section where you can have your photo taken as the cover of the famous IKEA catalogue and take it home as a funny souvenir.

12. Växjö and the Utvandrarnas Hus museum

The city of Växjö is rightly considered the capital of the Glass Kingdom and lies right on the shore of a beautiful lake of the same name. Its most interesting and most emotional landmark is Utvandrarnas Hus (the House of Emigrants), which tells the powerful and often very sad story of Sweden’s mass emigration.

In the 19th century Småland was an incredibly poor region and the stony soil couldn’t feed the large local families. Because of harsh famine and pervasive poverty, more than a million Swedes (often from Småland itself) left to seek a new life and hope in America. The interactive exhibition is full of personal letters, ship tickets and period diaries, and honestly, you’ll linger over some of them longer than you’d expect. The exhibition also does a great job of helping you understand why Swedes today are so proud of the welfare state they built practically from scratch.

Växjö itself is also considered one of the absolute greenest cities in all of Europe, full of cycle paths, parks and great modern restaurants. A stop here beautifully balances out days spent in the deep forests and adds a touch of pleasant urban comfort with excellent coffee to your trip.

💡 Tip: A beautiful circular trail about five kilometres long runs around Lake Växjö, ideal for a peaceful early-evening run or a long walk before dinner.

13. Åsnen National Park and the lakes

If you long to merge completely with pure Nordic nature, definitely head to the breathtaking Åsnen National Park. This unique lake labyrinth is made up of hundreds of tiny islets, deep deciduous forests and vast wetlands that are home to an enormous number of birds, including rare white-tailed eagles. If you have binoculars, don’t forget to bring them.

The best way to explore the whole of Åsnen in depth is from the deck of a rented canoe or a fast sea kayak. The water here is incredibly calm, safe and clean, and during quiet paddling you often won’t meet a living soul for several hours on end. Boats can be rented very easily and cheaply at campsites right on the lake shores, where the owners will even give you a basic briefing and life jackets.

Well-marked and carefully maintained hiking trails also run around the whole vast park. Most of them are beautifully flat and easy, so even smaller children or older travellers can manage them without the slightest problem. If you love to wander, Åsnen will be right up your street.

💡 Tip: There are several official entrances to the park, but the best facilities and the nicest views are at the Sunnabron entrance, where there’s also a modern information centre.

14. Lake Bolmen

While Åsnen park is more of a tangled labyrinth, Lake Bolmen is a huge, majestic body of water, the tenth largest in all of Sweden. Here you’ll find an incredible 365 forested islands, which the locals love to comment on by saying you have one island for every day of the year. If you enjoy swimming far from the shore and discovering your own little patches of land, you’ll be in your element here.

Bolmen is an absolutely ideal destination if you want to rent a solitary cottage by the water and enjoy the absolute Nordic silence. The surroundings of this giant lake are enveloped by deep forests, which in autumn are full of blueberries and mushrooms, and the water here is so incredibly clean that it supplies drinking water to the entire southern region of Skåne.

Along the long shores there are several small but superbly equipped campsites where you can easily rent bikes and ride around part of the lake on scenic forest tracks. After two days at Bolmen you’ll understand why the Swedes put down their phones every summer and simply sit by the water.

💡 Tip: If you don’t feel up to long cycling trips, rent a small motorboat at the campsite and set off to find your own deserted island for an afternoon picnic.

15. Isaberg and outdoor fun

Although southern Småland certainly has no high mountains, it offers top-notch facilities for all outdoor sports, especially in the hilly Isaberg area. This prominent hill is a very popular ski resort in winter, but in summer it turns into a giant adrenaline playground for mountain biking and active hikers from all over Europe. The resort is threaded with modern chairlifts and rental shops for every conceivable piece of gear.

Here you’ll find dozens of kilometres of perfectly prepared and marked mountain-bike trails. The offering ranges from simple family loops in the forest to technically very demanding descents full of jumps. Right at the resort you can easily rent all the top gear, including modern e-bikes, so you don’t have to bring your own bikes on the car roof at all.

If you like challenges and adrenaline, definitely don’t miss the local giant high-ropes course or the fast toboggan run, which entertains adults just as much as kids. For similar, if slightly more dramatic, natural scenery for hiking, head to the nearby Skäralid National Park, which is often woven into a single itinerary on the way south and offers stunning views from deep gorges.

💡 Tip: The high-ropes course at Isaberg has several difficulty levels, and the hardest black route will really put your physical fitness to the test up in the treetops.

16. Traditional fika and ostkaka

Småland’s cuisine is historically rustic, hearty and very meat-heavy, but thankfully today you’ll find plenty of great modern vegetarian options too. An absolute culinary duty is to taste the Småland speciality called ostkaka. It’s a warm, rich dessert made from curd, traditionally served with a generous helping of cloudberry or strawberry jam and a huge mound of whipped cream.

During an active day, always look out for signs in restaurants reading dagens lunch (the good-value daily menu). For about 130 SEK (approx. €12) you get a main course, a salad buffet, bread and coffee, and honestly, you probably won’t find a better ratio of price to quantity of food in Sweden. For lunch you can very often choose a great vegetarian option, such as a vegetable quiche, creamy soups or roasted root vegetables.

Although the region is historically famous for its kroppkakor (large potato dumplings stuffed with pork and bacon that the locals adore), what will win your heart on your travels is more likely the everyday ritual of fika. A big cinnamon bun with good filter coffee somewhere on a wooden jetty by the lake is the absolute best gastronomic experience you can treat yourself to here.

💡 Tip: Remember that alcohol over 3.5% (including wine) can only be bought in Sweden at the state-run Systembolaget shops, which are strictly closed on Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday.

Where to eat well in Småland

Although a typical Swedish holiday in a rented cottage tends to revolve more around evening barbecues by the lake and cooking from your own supplies bought at the local supermarket, it would be a huge shame to miss out on the local gastronomy. Småland cuisine is fundamentally very homely and filling, but nowadays restaurants complement it fantastically with modern Nordic influences. I’ve picked out a few specific spots for you that you should definitely save to your map.

Star gastronomy and rural comfort

If you’re heading for a wander around Växjö and want to treat yourself to something truly exceptional, head to the restaurant PM & Vänner. This award-winning establishment boasts not only a Michelin star but above all an incredible wine cellar and a local menu that proudly reflects the very best of the surrounding forests and lakes. It’s a slightly pricier experience, but it’s worth every penny.

A somewhat more relaxed atmosphere is offered by the cult café Café Sörgården, right in Sevedstorp (in the village of the famous Children of Noisy Village). They make absolutely wonderful fresh waffles with homemade jam, which are simply perfect for a summer snack. And if you want to test out the classic, drop into the restaurant right inside the IKEA Museum in Älmhult, where you can have the most famous meatballs, both meat and plant-based, in a modern and playful setting.

How to get to Småland and how to travel around it

Getting to Småland from Central Europe is surprisingly easy and you have several options for how to approach it. Most travellers choose their own car combined with a ferry, which is the most practical variant. You can go via Germany (from Rostock) or Poland (from Świnoujście) and disembark in the ports of Trelleborg or Ystad. From these southern ports it’s about 200 kilometres to the heart of Småland (for example to the city of Växjö), which you can comfortably cover in under three hours.

Another popular alternative for a road trip is the overland route via Denmark. You drive all the way to Copenhagen and then cross the famous Öresund Bridge straight into Swedish Malmö (the car toll is roughly 470 DKK, about €63). From there it’s just a short hop north to Småland along the excellent E4 motorway.

If you don’t want to spend days behind the wheel, you can fly directly to southern Sweden — carriers such as Ryanair, easyJet and Lufthansa serve the region. There are small airports right in Växjö or Kalmar, or you can fly into Copenhagen and hop straight onto a direct train at the airport, which will take you across the bridge to Småland in a couple of hours.

However you arrive, without a car things will be pretty tough in Småland: the nicest cottages lie deep in the forests, and don’t wait for a bus to the remote lakes. But if you stick to bigger towns like Kalmar, Växjö or Jönköping, the Swedish trains and buses are excellent. What’s more, in summer 2026 the Swedish government is massively subsidising public transport, so you can buy monthly train and bus tickets in the regions for exactly half the usual price.

A 5-day tour of Småland

If you have just under a week for Småland and want to see the best without needless rushing, this five-day itinerary offers the perfect balance between history, design and deep forests. The route assumes you’re arriving by car from the south (from the ferry or from Malmö).

Day 1: Historic Kalmar and the island of Öland. Start on the east coast. In the morning, explore Kalmar Castle and the picturesque lanes of Gamla Stan. In the afternoon, cross the Öland Bridge and take a look at the Stora Alvaret limestone steppe or the windmills. You can spend the night at a campsite right on the island, or return to Kalmar.

Day 2: The Glass Kingdom and Växjö. From Kalmar, head west into the deep forests (about 100 km). Stop at the Kosta Boda glassworks, watch the glassblowing and shop at the design outlet. In the afternoon, drive to Växjö, walk around the lake and visit Utvandrarnas Hus.

Day 3: In the footsteps of Astrid Lindgren. Drive north to Vimmerby (about 130 km from Växjö). If you’re travelling with kids, set aside the whole day for the Astrid Lindgrens Värld park. If you’re going without children, walk through the gardens at the Näs birthplace and in the afternoon drive to the film location Katthult. Spend the night in a classic stuga in the surrounding forests.

Day 4: The silence of the lakes. Drive from Vimmerby back south towards Åsnen National Park or the giant Lake Bolmen. Devote this day purely to slowing down. Rent a canoe, have a picnic on one of the deserted islands, and in the evening fire up a traditional wooden sauna on the shore.

Day 5: Design and the journey home. On your way back to the southern ferries, stop in the little town of Älmhult. Explore the fascinating IKEA Museum, have some vegetarian meatballs in the restaurant and stock up on your last cinnamon buns before you finally leave Sweden.

Where to go next from Småland

• To the sunny island of Öland: If Kalmar tempted you with island life, take a look at our detailed article Öland: 16 Things to See on the Swedish Riviera, where you’ll find beaches, lighthouses and limestone steppes.
• Discover the whole country: Want to continue north from Småland to Lake Vättern or Stockholm? Read the comprehensive guide Sweden: 30 Things to See and Experience.
• Practical accommodation tips: If you dream of your own red cottage, we’ve put together the guide Stuga: How to Rent a Swedish Lakeside Cottage, where you’ll learn what to watch out for before booking.
• Trip logistics: For planning your journey by car and boat, you’ll definitely find the article Ferry to Sweden: Routes, Prices and How to Choose the Right One useful.
• What else to taste: Tempted by Nordic gastronomy? Browse our list Swedish Cuisine: 18 Dishes You Must Try.

Frequently asked questions

Planning a trip north brings with it plenty of practical questions. Where do you actually pay in cash, who are the local parks suitable for, and how long should you set aside in your itinerary for this whole rural paradise?

So I’ve put together answers to the very most common queries, so you can head off on holiday completely relaxed and one hundred percent prepared.