Andy Symington - Lonely Planet: Scandinavia

Effortlessly chic cities balance remote forests, enchanting style gurus and wilderness hikers alike. Endless day, perpetual night. Rocking festivals, majestic aurora borealis. Scandinavias menu is anything but bland.

Ice cave in Skaftafell ( )
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The great outdoors is rarely greater than in Europes big north. Epic expanses of wilderness forests, lakes, volcanoes and intoxicatingly pure air mean that engaging with nature is utter pleasure. A network of well-cared-for protected areas stretches across the region, offering some of Europes best hiking as well as anything from kayaking to glacier-walking to bear-watching. Spectacular coasts, whether rugged fjords, cliffs teeming with seabirds, or archipelagos so speckled with islands it looks like the artist who designed this canvas flicked a paintbrush at it, invite exploration from the sea. Its rare to find such inspiring landscapes that are so easily accessed.

Waterfront living in Sweden
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Stolid Nordic stereotypes dissolve completely in the regions vibrant capitals. Crest-of-the-wave design can be seen across them all, backed up by outstanding modern architecture, excellent museums, imaginative solutions for 21st-century urban living, some of Europes most acclaimed restaurants and a nightlife that fizzes along wildly despite the hefty beer prices. Live music is a given: youre bound to come across some inspiring local act whether your taste is Viking metal or chamber music. Style here manages to be conservative and innovative at the same time, or perhaps its just that the new and the old blend with less effort here than in other places. A side trip to seductive Tallinn will add an eastern Baltic kick to your Scandinavian city experiences.

They have proper seasons up here. Long, cold winters with feet of snow carpeting the ground and the sun making only cameo appearances if at all. Despite the scary subzero temperatures, theres a wealth of things to do: skiing, sledding behind huskies or reindeer, taking snowmobile safaris to the Arctic Sea, dangling a fishing line through a hole in the ice, spending romantic nights in snow hotels, visiting Santa Claus and gazing at the soul-piercing Northern Lights. Spring sees natures tentative awakening before the explosive summer with its long, long days filled with festivals, beer terraces and wonderful boating, hiking and cycling. Autumn in Scandinavias forested lands can be the most beautiful of all, as the birches and other deciduous trees display a glorious array of colours, offering marvellous woodland walking before the first snows.

Youll rarely come across the word ecotourism in Scandinavia, but those values have long been an important part of life here. Generally, green, sustainable solutions are a way of living, rather than a gimmick to attract visitors.

National Park Hiking

Scandinavias unspoilt wilderness areas are the finest in Europe. If you like dark pine woods populated by foxes and bears, head for northeastern Finlands Karhunkierros trail ( ).

Laugavegurinn Trek, Iceland
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Fjords, Norway

The drama of Norways fjords ( ) are prime candidates for Scandinavias most beautiful corner.

Geirangerfjorden ( )
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Lofoten Islands, Norway

Few visitors forget their first sighting of the Lofoten Islands ( ), laid out in summer greens and yellows or drowned in the snows of winter, their razor-sharp peaks poking dark against a cobalt-clear sky. In the pure, exhilarating air, theres a constant tang of salt and, in the villages, more than a whiff of cod, that giant of the seas whose annual migration brings wealth. A hikers dream and nowadays linked by bridges, the islands are simple to hop along, whether by bus, car or bicycle.

Svolvr ( )
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Aurora Borealis, Lapland & Iceland

Whether caused by the collision of charged particles in the upper atmosphere, or sparked, as Smi tradition tells, by a giant snow fox swishing its tail as it runs across the Arctic tundra, the haunting, humbling splendour of the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, is an experience never to be forgotten. Though it is theoretically visible year-round, its much easier to see and more spectacular in the darker winter months. The further north you go, such as the Lapland region ( ) in Finland, the better your chances of gazing on natures light show.

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Old Town, Tallinn

The jewel in Tallinns crown is its Unesco-protected Old Town ( ), a 14th- and 15th-century two-tiered jumble of turrets, spires and winding streets. Most travellers experiences of Tallinn begin and end with the cobblestoned, chocolate-box landscape of intertwining alleys and picturesque courtyards. Enjoy it from up high (climb one of the observation towers) or down below (refuel in one of the vaulted cellars turned into cosy bars and cafes), or simply stroll and soak up the medieval magic.

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Svalbard, Norway

The subpolar archipelago of Svalbard ( ) is a true place of the heart. Deliciously remote and yet surprisingly accessible, Svalbard is Europes most evocative slice of the polar north and one of the continents last great wilderness areas. It is blessed with shapely peaks, massive ice fields (60% of Svalbard is covered by glaciers) and heartbreakingly beautiful fjords. All this provides the backdrop for a rich array of Arctic wildlife (including around one-fifth of the worlds polar bears, which outnumber people up here) and for summer and winter activities that get you out amid the ringing silence of the snows.