Let me tell you a story. About 15 years ago I visited the Lofoten islands in early February. It was awesome but hard, an austere land of monochrome beauty. When I returned a few years later in early summer the islands had the brightly coloured brilliance of early Disney films. Acid-green leaves! Red cabins beside cobalt sea! No wonder so many happy Norwegians were outside.
Although thousands of Britons visit Scandinavia in winter, spring and summer are the seasons Scandinavians live for. That’s when they go for utepils (drinking beer outdoors) and embrace friluftsliv, the concept of “open-air living” best understood as the life-affirming value of being outside. I mean, who wouldn’t? Denmark, Norway and Sweden, as well as their Nordic neighbour Finland, have a helluva lot of outside to be in.
That’s why we’ve compiled this list of new spring and summer holidays (with a few new winter trips in case you can’t wait). Skim through and you’ll notice two things. First, our pictures seem to have been created by AI. They weren’t, honestly. You never quite get used to the scale and drama of the landscapes here, especially in Norway’s fjords and Svalbard. Though less exaggerated, Finland and Sweden have a calm, understated beauty — go north for low pine-forested hills or south to to take it easy among lakes and islands.
The second thing you’ll notice is just how many activities are on offer. Getting out and actually doing stuff is part of Scandinavia’s cultural DNA, encouraged by laws about the right to roam and enabled by endless summer days. That’s why even luxury hotels nudge you outdoors.
Do so and you’ll notice something else. To be in nature in Scandinavia makes you feel better. It’s something the Inuit call nanurevinja, a concept which combines ideas of wonder and reverence in nature. Think of it as awe. There’s not much awe on a Spanish costa in high summer, even if you can handle the temperatures. Indeed, I’d argue it’s only once you’ve experienced a Nordic summer that you appreciate the distinct awe of a Nordic winter. That, however, is another story.
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Norway
1. An Arctic wildlife cruise
Last January Svalbard’s authorities introduced a half-kilometre minimum distance from polar bears in summer. So while the archipelago’s apex species may put in an appearance on this seven-night wildlife cruise aboard a 94-cabin expedition ship, that’s not really the point of its west-coast journey. Instead the focus is on migrating humpback whales and walruses on ice floes, or the stupendous Northwest-Spitsbergen National Park, accessed on excursions ashore with expert naturalists. To the south, there’s Hornsund, Svalbard’s most beautiful fjord, where auks and guillemots screech on cliffs and reindeer roam the South-Spitsbergen National Park.
Details Ten nights’ B&B — including seven days’ full board on the ship — from £9,740pp, including flights (vjv.com)
- Discover our full guide to Norway
2. Rail and sail the length of Norway
Clear space in your phone memory because this Signature voyage up the length of Norway packs in the scenery. First up, one of the world’s most beautiful rail journeys, the three-day Bergen and Flam Railway from Oslo via Unesco-listed Naeroyfjord. You’re right: extraordinary. Also just a warm-up for ten days’ cruising up the Norwegian coast. When you’ve finished goggling at the scenery in Traena and Lofoten there’s a crossing of the Baring Sea to Svalbard. You’ll arrive at Longyearbyen by sea, like Arctic explorers of old. Unlike them you’ve a 14-course menu waiting at Huset restaurant.
Details Twelve nights’ full board from £4,326pp (hurtigruten.com). Fly to Oslo
3. Paddle the fjords
What a waste to experience Naeroyfjord from a cruise ship. If you’re in the market for awe — and if not you’re in the wrong country, frankly — experience Norway’s finest fjord at close quarters in a kayak. A full day’s paddling, potentially with porpoises, is one activity on a group trip that treats Jostedalsbreen National Park as a giant adventure park. There’s also a hike on the Briksdal Glacier Trail and bike rides around Lake Lovatnet and to Myrdal; the first is a leisurely loop, the second swings through farming valleys walled by peaks. Accommodation is in cabins — proper Norwegian.
Details Six nights’ room only from £2,145pp, including one lunch and activities (intrepidtravel.com). Fly to Bergen
4. Swim with Vikings
People call breaststroking across a Hampshire pond “wild swimming” so heaven knows how they’d describe this week around Solund, north of Bergen. Where you and I see a land shattered by Thor’s hammer into a maze of islets and skerries, the swim-holiday expert Swim Trek sees untapped potential for morning swims of up to two miles, all with a guide and safety escort, and afternoon hikes. Pick of the dips is Utvaer. As far west as it gets in Norway, the island where Vikings sharpened their swords before raids makes the West Highlands look like the home counties.
Details Six nights’ full board from £2,740pp (swimtrek.com). Fly to Bergen
5. Two-day hike for teens
Liddy Pleasants, the founder of family holiday specialist Stubborn Mule, is enthusiastic about its new Norway trip. “We’ve developed a two-day hike at the edge of Jotunheimen National Park that’s out of this world. You’re on an unmapped route with a specialist guide. You hike, swim (if you’re brave), cook over fires and spend the night in a hut in a mountain valley,” she says. It’s part of a bespoke trip that’s one giant TikTok opportunity for adventurous teens. Options include overnight stays on Tunsbergdalsbreen Glacier in traditional lavvu tents and in a cabin on Hille island near Bergen.
Details Twelve days’ B&B from £3,400pp, including flights, domestic travel and activities (stubbornmuletravel.com)
6. Cuisine and calm in the fjords
The Norwegian owners of the luxury operator 62 Nord want us to rethink their homeland. Their new Journeys portfolio reinterprets the coastline around Alesund from thrillseekers’ playground to destination for themed slow travel. In late summer/autumn the theme of private trips is Culinary Discovery. Sea-to-plate fishing, lunch with boutique cider makers and foraging with chefs showcase a thriving northwest food scene. Mind you, so do aperitifs flavoured with local herbs and dinners in stellar hotels such as Union Oye and Storfjord. A fjord cruise and sightseeing trip by helicopter provide gentle thrills.
Details Six nights’ full board from £8,532pp (62.no). Fly to Alesund
7. Slow cycling in Vesteralen
The cultural ebike operator The Slow Cyclist has picked the Vesteralen islands — the quieter alternative to the Lofoten islands — for its new guided tour. Good call. Why power heads-down through the miles on Andoya island when the fjords, cliffs and white beaches around Bleik beg you to dawdle? There are artists and Sami reindeer herders to meet in arty communities such as Bo on the island of Langoya, and there are whale and sea-eagle safaris to take. Interesting islanders host in charming guesthouses and routes average about 28 miles a day.
Details Six nights’ full board from £4,595pp, including bike hire (theslowcyclist.com). Fly to Tromso
8. Whales and lights in Tromso
All set for a quick blast of Arctic this winter? Then to Tromso we go for a bucket-list long weekend. After a day pottering around Norway’s polar town, 220 miles inside the Arctic Circle, you board a small ship for an overnight mini-cruise in search of the humpback, fin and orca whales that come to feed each winter. That’s the first bucket-list experience. The second is to see the northern lights at sea, where light pollution is at its lowest. The last night returns to Tromso, where you’ll stay at the comfortable harbourside Home Hotel Aurora — and I can recommend the world’s most northerly brewpub, Olhallen (mack.no/olhallen).
Details Three nights’ half-board from £1,570pp, including flights and some extra meals (best-served.co.uk)
9. High Arctic adventures
The chances are you’ll only visit somewhere as extraordinary as Svalbard once, so make it an extraordinary trip. Basecamp Explorer has launched a summer Uncharted Circuit expedition, staying at some of the region’s most evocative lodges: Longyearbyan’s Basecamp Hotel; the world’s most northerly stay, Nordenskold Lodge, which is like a supersized cabin; and coastal Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel. Each serves as an adventure base for the High Arctic: you’ll hike across glaciers, see reindeer grazing the tundra and ride a dog-cart through the wilds. People? Staff aside, you’ll probably only see the three to eight in your group. It’s polar exploration without the polar hardship. Terrific.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £7,329pp, including activities (basecampexplorer.com). Fly to Longyearbyen
10. Soundscapes in the Lofoten islands
Every list deserves one highbrow entry. Led by Michael Downes, the director of music at St Andrews University, this tour showcases the Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival, probably the most extraordinary synergy of scenery and sound in classical music. After concerts with world-class musicians such as the pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and the baritone Roderick Williams in intimate churches, you’ll step into landscapes that seem to have been created after reading Viking sagas. Expect two or three concerts a day between sightseeing, and a sharp pain as your jaw hits the floor.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £5,720pp, including domestic flights, transfers and concerts (martinrandall.com). Fly to Oslo
11. Remote luxury on the Traena
Before you read this, find the Traena archipelago on a map. Remote isn’t it? Now go to Google Images. Yup, those mountains and fishing villages are genuine. Its wild escapism will become more refined when Ytri Island Retreat opens in April. I’ve no idea what the fishing village of Husoy thinks of having a Relais & Châteaux stay in its midst, but it looks splendid: minimalist decor that doesn’t upstage the scenery, sea views from every room, a good restaurant and a spa, everything from kayaks to diving gear to borrow.
Details B&B doubles from £398 (ytri.no). Fly to Bodo
12. Hikes in fjordland
The big day in this walking week in the Hardangerfjord region comes early: a guided ascent up Trolltunga. Expect ten hours’ hiking to experience one of Norway’s social-media smashes. Things ease up considerably for the rest of this self-guided week in the “queen of the fjords”. Walking routes are tailored to your choice. I’d opt for a gentle trail from Ulvik and probably take up options to go kayaking as a change of pace, but it’s your holiday, your choice — the itinerary is bespoke. Local travel is by public bus and boats and you’ll stay in good hotels, most with saunas.
Details Seven nights’ B&B from £1,784pp, including some extra meals, (responsibletravel.com). Fly to Bergen
Sweden
13. Easy cycling from Stockholm
Lycra louts will hate this — the flat terrain of the route offers little challenge. Distances of 25 to 35 miles constitute a big day. And how are hardcore cyclists supposed to test their stamina when ferries punctuate routes? No, this self-guided pedal in the eastern Stockholm archipelago is one for easy riders. Over five days’ cycling it hopscotches between islands of Sweden’s summertime playground: backroads past waterside cabins; the gentle hum of life in villages such as Sandhamn; ferry crossings like mini-cruises through pine-fuzzed islets. Lovely. Accommodation is mostly in family four-stars.
Details Six nights’ B&B from £1,295pp (skedaddle.com). Fly to Stockholm
14. Through Sweden by train
When I travelled through Sweden by train recently I ate meatballs, scored hiking tips from passengers and drank a lot of coffee as scenery slipped past. The journey felt peak Swedish. Goodness knows why you’d self-drive. This guided trip to Stockholm embraces that ethos. After the fjord-side run of Norway’s Ofoten Railway, it crosses the border and the fun begins. At Abisko National Park it pauses for a day-hike on the Kungsleden and boards vintage trains for a photostop at the Arctic Circle. It also visits Sami guides for a traditional lunch. I suspect there’ll be a lot of coffee too.
Details Eight nights’ B&B, including some extra meals and train travel, from £2,646pp (intrepidtravel.com). Fly to Tromso
- Explore our full guide to Sweden
15. Strolls in the Stockholm archipelago
There are some solid hikes in this list. This island-hopping walk in the southern Stockholm archipelago is not one of them, however, although it may be as memorable. It’s best understood as a series of self-guided rambles along the new(ish) Stockholm Archipelago Trail. With just one to four hours’ walking required each day, there’s plenty of time to swim from good beaches on Uto and Alo. On bosky Orno you’ll watch yachts drift past and sip Spendrups beers in gentle little harbours like Gruvbyn. Luggage is transferred on longer days. Hotels are small four-star spots.
Details Six nights’ B&B from £1,090 (utracks.com). Fly to Stockholm
16. A gourmet break in Gothenburg
Heads up, food lovers. Hallsnas is a historic lakeside manor hotel 20 minutes from Gothenburg with a two-Michelin-star restaurant, Signum. It’s the sort of sophisticated dining experience Scandinavia does so well: effortlessly relaxed style with an 18-course new Nordic menu inspired, apparently, by air, water, earth and fire. You’ll experience all four elements in sauna suites which open in February — air and water can be enjoyed from private terraces that overlook Lake Landvettersjon, your wood-fired sauna ticks fire, and woodland walks take care of earth. Just add shopping in Gothenburg’s Haga district for a long weekend of dreams.
Details B&B suites from £398 (hallsnas.se). Fly to Gothenburg
17. Self-drive in Dalarna
When I asked a Swedish pal about the Dalarna region of central Sweden he told me about pine-forested mountains and rust-red houses beside lakes; the paint was a by-product of the local copper industry, he explained. He mentioned Sami culture and that Sweden’s wooden horse toys originated here. It’s as Swedish as it gets, he said. So see this good-value family self-drive as a deep-dive into Swedish culture. Staying at four hotels, from the mountainous north to softer south, it programmes 11 days of walks and zip wires, reindeer safaris and bushcamp walks, swims and kayaks. Friluftsliv indeed.
Details Eleven nights’ room only from £1,625pp, including flights and car hire (regent-holidays.co.uk)
18. Summer in the Swedish Arctic
When I visited Arctic Retreat in winter some years ago, when the Rane River was frozen and ambient temperatures of minus 22C casually numbed my face, I asked what it was like in summer. A guide told me how he took guests on hikes and fat-bike rides in the pine forest where we had taken a snowshoe walk. How people went canoeing and fishing on the river and swam beneath the midnight sun. The luxury log cabins with hot tubs and top-notch cuisine? Entirely unchanged. In short, it’s a similar wilderness escape but in T-shirts.
Details Four nights’ full board from £3,985pp, including flights and guided activities (best-served.co.uk)
19. Island-hop the world’s largest archipelago
It’s a tough decision: which of northern Europe’s loveliest archipelagos to visit, Stockholm or Finland’s Turku? The solution’s obvious: do both. That’s the thinking of a self-guided tour by ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki. It’s a two-nation trip where identities blur in Mariehamn, the cute capital of Aland island, then Turku, a medieval city of islets and saunas. Your time is yours to programme, but it would be a shame to miss the shore-hugging cycle ride from Mariehamn to Jarso. Bring a picnic and your swimming cossie.
Details Eight nights’ B&B from £1,576pp, including flights, ferries and trains (sunvil.co.uk)
Denmark
20. Denmark by rail
The rail-holidays specialist Ffestiniog Travel turns its attention to Denmark this year. It makes sense when you think about it: distances are short and the train network is efficient. Travelling by train throughout and bookended by two German rail marvels, Hamburg’s Miniatur Wunderland and the Rasender Roland steam train on Rügen island, this guided holiday bases itself in Aarhus and Copenhagen. It’s a smart choice to cruise aboard the world’s oldest coal-fired paddlesteamer, visit the National Railway Museum and take a spin on Denmark’s longest steam narrowgauge. The cities themselves aren’t too shabby either, and you’ll stay in decent hotels.
Details Eleven nights’ B&B from £3,050pp, including train travel from London (ffestiniogtravel.co.uk)
21. Spa retreat by the sea
A recent study in the Nature Medicine journal named Denmark as the world leader in anti-ageing. I expect we could all do with rejuvenating after the festivities, which is where the Sanse Retreat, which takes place in February at the Kurhotel Skodsborg, comes in. In collaboration with the DJ and slow-life guru Rob da Bank, it’s a three-day journey to invigorate the senses, with activities like contrast therapy, mindful movement, ecstatic breathwork, restorative yoga and late-night soundbaths. Lovely. Retreats later in the year focus on dance, yoga and crossfit. But why wait for a retreat? Whenever you go, this late-19th-century stay beside the Baltic provides Scandi elegance and a splendid spa just half an hour from Copenhagen.
Details Three nights’ B&B from £800pp (skodsborg.dk). Fly to Copenhagen
22. Stay cool on the Danish Riviera
The Danish Riviera, in North Zealand, is chic and, crucially, cool in both senses, so you won’t fry if you come in high summer. Stay in an authentic beach hotel, such as Liseleje Badehotel, where the simple but stylish rooms have been recently renovated. It’s five minutes’ walk from a beautiful dune-backed beach. Guests often head down to the water in their robes for a morning refresher and the hotel offers yoga classes on the sand in summer. On the east coast, 45 minutes’ drive away, is the brilliant Louisiana Museum of Art, whose gardens slope down to a beach. Next summer it has an exhibition of Lucian Freud’s drawings (adults £17, louisiana.dk).
Details B&B doubles from £140 (liselejebadehotel.dk). Fly to Copenhagen
Finland
23. Saunas and forest walks
Have you heard of Saimaa, Finland’s largest lake, which offers over 1,650 square miles of aquatic escapism? It has so many islets that maps look like blue-and-green marbled paper. In June one of Finland’s most anticipated luxury hideaways will open on a wooded shore here. Adults-only Kotona Manor will host just 22 people in streamlined villas where views of reeds and water fill glass walls. There’s a fine-dining restaurant and spa in the doughnut-shaped main building. This being Finland, there are saunas (plural), forest walks and paddleboards to borrow. This also being Finland, the mood is relaxed — the name means “at home”.
Details Three nights’ full board from £5,495pp, including flights (regent-holidays.co.uk)
24. Luxury cabins in Lapland
Although multigen breaks in the Arctic sound tempting, cabins in winter can be a bit, well, rustic. Wilderness Hotel Saariselka, which opened in Finnish Lapland this month, introduces luxe to the log cabin. Its spacious Kairapolanne Villas are sophisticated havens with five en suite bedrooms, a proper kitchen for relaxed nights in (there’s a restaurant on site) and picture windows should the northern lights shimmer. If they do, head to your terrace hot tub pronto. This trip includes a husky safari, aurora snowmobiling and snowshoeing — just some of the Arctic jollies available at an activity centre.
Details Seven nights’ B&B from £5,673pp, including flights, activities and some extra meals (sunvil.co.uk)
25. High summer in the lakes
We have long been fans of the Nordic countries as a high-summer alternative to sweltering southern Europe. And places like this great-value holiday at Lehmonkarki Resort on Lake Paijanne is a perfect example why. Don’t worry about that “resort” in the name. It simply means facilities to help you embrace the simple joys of a Finnish summer: morning swims from your cabin in a lake clean enough to drink; slow days of canoeing and strolls; a “Sauna World” with five options in a new(ish) wellness centre; quiet dinners in a beach restaurant. Who needs the Mediterranean?
Details Seven nights’ room only from £856pp, including car hire (discover-the-world.com). Fly to Helsinki
26. A Bothnian Bay road trip
Congratulations, Oulu in Finland, 2026’s European Capital of Culture. It’s the gateway for a two-nation road-trip circuit along the Gulf of Bothnia coastline. En route are Unesco-listed Gammelstad in Sweden, where hundreds of 17th-century cottages stand in neat rows, and a snug cabin stay on Rovogern after a fish dinner at Kvarkenfisk. There’s also a soaring bridge drive to access the low-lying Kvarken archipelago, Finland’s only world heritage site. Yet just as memorable are the quiet pleasures of a Nordic road trip, such as sunlit water strobing through trees and big skies.
Details Six nights’ B&B from £951pp, including car hire and ferry (discover-the-world.com). Fly to Oulu
27. Wellness in the Turku archipelago
Mention the Turku archipelago to Finns and they’ll talk about the special combination of granite islets and mercurial light where Finland fragments into the Baltic Sea. It’s a deeply restful place, which helps explain this small-group wellness trip. It’s badged as “multi-activity”, which is technically true, although refers to things like drifting through skerries in a traditional wooden sailing boat and gentle kayaking to have lunch on an uninhabited island. It also means daily restorative yoga classes in your guesthouse on Nagu island plus regular opportunities to swim and sauna.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £2,363pp (responsibletravel.com). Fly to Helsinki