The best hiking in Sweden takes you through wild greenery, by dreamy lakes and into idyllic, sprawling forests. Sweden has an outdoor culture like few others. This means the hiking infrastructure is extremely good. There are hundreds of established walking trails across the country, and a lot of it is waymarked well.
Many trails are also served by mountain huts, hostels or campsites. Wild camping is legal in Sweden as part of the wonderful Swedish Allemansrätten (Everyman’s Right), which means you can more or less camp wherever you want as long you don’t disturb local residents and leave things as you found them. These camping rules differ in some national parks and reserves (occasionally bivouacking is legal where camping is not), but by and large, they're very welcoming.
So, in such a large, long country – Sweden runs roughly 977 miles (1,572km) from north to south – where do you start? There is great hiking all around the country. With the list below, we’ve just aimed to provide just a few trail suggestions that show off the diversity of the country; and what the Swedish outdoors can be.
These route descriptions are short summaries, designed to inspire, but not to serve any navigational purpose. They are not intended to guide you on the route and further mapping and planning, as well as hiking experience, will be required to safely walk any of the trails featured. While we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee completeness, and as always, the outdoors comes with its risks.
While walking routes are aplenty here, you will often need to carry your own food and water. The Svenska Turistföreningen (Swedish Tourist Association or STF) is an excellent resource, which we'll be linking to throughout this feature.
1. Hike Abisko-Nikkaluokta on the Kungsleden (The King’s Trail)
- Start/Finish: Abisko/Nikkaluokta
- Distance: 65 miles (105km)
- Duration: 5-7 days
- Best for: Arctic wilderness
The King’s Trail is unavoidable when you're talking about hiking in Sweden. The trail runs for over 280 miles (450km) between Abisko and Hemavan in Swedish Lapland. Of course, not everyone has the time to walk the whole thing, so we've plucked out one of our favourite sections of the route.
Walking from Abisko to Nikkaluokta is hiking the northern part of the Kungsleden. The route passes various cabins on the King’s Trail and is full of beautiful Lapland scenery. You’ll start and end in birch forest. Along the way, you'll have views over the Abiskojåkka and Alesätno rivers, you'll look on to the high Lapland peaks, pass green-tinted lakes and cover some much rockier terrain. You'll reach the Tjäktja Pass at 1,150m (3,772ft), high point of the Kungsleden.
Expect to see snow even in summer - though the warmest seasons also come with midnight sun. The Swedish Tourist Association website has an excellent guide to this walk which includes stage breakdowns, and specifics on the cabins. Note that not all of the cabins have shops, so you will need to bring your own supplies.
2. Climb Kebnekaise (2,106m)
- Start/Finish: Kebnekaise Fjällstation, out-and-back
- Distance: 11 miles (18km)
- Duration: A full day climb (approx. 10-15 hours)
- Best for: Summit baggers
There’s something about going up big mountains, isn’t there? Kebnekaise is the the tallest mountain in Sweden at 2106m, and one of the best hikes in the country.
To climb the mountain, you first of all need to get to Kebnekaise Fjällstation (mountain station), the starting point for the climb up the mountain. The mountain station has a restaurant and 200 beds, so you may want to book in to stay in the station before and after your hike, as well.
The most popular route up Kebnekaise is to ascend via the Western Route in summer. It’s a straight-up hike. The Østra (East Route) is a much tougher climb. There’s a scramble, and even a via ferrata - plus a glacier to cross.
For summer 2026, the STF were only guiding on the Western Route while they worked with researchers "to improve our understanding of how climate change is affecting the route and its safety." So do check out their latest route evaluation while you're planning. Rockfalls and glacier crevasses are becoming a bigger issue.
Climbing Kebnekaise in winter is a completely different skillset and is not possible for hikers. It a fully-fledged, challenging winter mountain challenging.
3. The Rösjö Trail in Fulufjället National Park
- Start/Finish: National Park main entrance
- Distance: 12.4 miles (20km)
- Duration: 5-6 hours
- Best for: Waterfalls and wolverine country
Fulufjället National Park is located in the north west of Sweden around the eponymous mountain of Fulufjället (1,044m). Even by Sweden's lofty standards, this is an area of virtually untouched nature, with a great trail network. It’s also home to the Njupeskär waterfall, which reaches 93m (305ft) in total and has a free fall of 70m (230ft), making it one of the highest waterfalls in Sweden.
The Rösjö Trail is a brilliant trail, in part because it gives you choice along the way.
The route can be 5.5 miles (9km), 9.3 miles (15km) or 12.4 miles (20km) depending on what you fancy. Each of the routes is a great exploration of the park which will take you to forest lakes. The longest route is the most challenging and involves some rocky and boggy terrain. There are splendid views.
4. Walk the Bohusleden trail
- Start/Finish: Älvsåker to Kungälv/Fontin
- Distance: 51 miles (82km)
- Duration: 6 days
- Best for: A wild walking route near Gothenburg
The Bohusleden Trail is another of Sweden's mega-trails, running 217 miles (350km). This STA signature trail is a six-day excursion on the southern part of the route. You'll walk along the outskirts of Gothenburg, and discover just how much wilderness and beauty can be hidden near such a famous city.
This walk passes through a full seven nature reserves. You'll pass through ravines and rockland - keep your eyes open for moose - walk through beech forest, moorland, farms and pass swim spots every day. There are also moments with far-reaching views which include Gothenburg. There is public transport from the Kungälv back to the city, from where you can head on to explore the islands.
5. Sample the Skåneleden Trail, Skåne
- Start/Finish: Åstorp/Höör
- Distance: 55 miles (90km)
- Duration: 5 days
- Best for: Ravines and peaks
The Skåneleden Trail is a 990-mile (1,600km mega-trail) through southern Sweden, which is divided into six sub-trails. The trail is one section of that. It runs from Åstorp and Höör and passes through a real variety of landscapes.
The early stages of this route pass through deciduous forest and marshlands before entering the beech landscape of the Klöva Hallar Nature Reserve. There are caves and scree slopes, plus untouched bogland. Certain sections are rocky, and as you enter Söderåsen National Park you'll be close to streams, breaking up woodland.
Odensjön lake is surrounded by greenery, while the terrain has a volcanic origin at Jällabjär. The viewpoint at Natthall looks over the Rönne River, while the final stretch passes old volcanic craters and the flora that comes with it. Spruce forest and mixed woodland will guide you to the final springs and on to Höör.
This is one of the signature trails of the STA, who have detailed stage breakdowns.
When is the Best Time to Go Hiking in Sweden?
How big is your coat and how much do you like darkness?
Sweden is a country of true seasons. It’s also a large country though, and particularly given how elongated it is, and the fact that part of it is inside the Arctic Circle, those seasons will be very different depending on where you go.
In general though, visit in the summer and you’ll get lush greens and long days. You’ll also be able to follow the signposts and marked trails easier, as they won’t be covered in snow. For obvious reasons, more daylight, visibility and better camping conditions make the summer (June-Aug) the best time to go hiking in Sweden.
That said, the winter time is mighty beautiful. It’s just a different experience and requires a lot of different gear and careful preparation. Visit in the winter and you’ll get very little light at all. If you go far enough north, you’ll experience the polar night and see no sunshine at all. You might spot the northern lights. Many of the trails above will simply not be possible in winter due to heavy snowfall.
The Autumn and Spring have beautiful colours, and are likely to have less tourists than summer. We'd still say the long days of summer are hard to beat for hiking.
Check out our full range of adventure holidays in Sweden.