How Swedes spends their vacation in Sweden
 
Sweden is known for many things: meatballs, IKEA, fika, ABBA, fashion, and the famous five weeks long summer vacation.
 
Summer in Sweden means that many workplaces are completely empty for a few weeks during the warmer months, and many Swedes get to take a much-needed break from the everyday grind. With a vacation of five weeks, there is a lot of time to explore and relax. The question is, how do Swedes like to enjoy their vacation days? 
 
Annual Vacation in Sweden
Annual vacation in Sweden is actually regulated by law, the Swedish Annual Leave Act. In everyday speech, people often refer to it as Semesterlagen, or the vacation law, in English. The law permits employees to at least 25 days off work per year, but many get up to five weeks.
 
How to vacation like a Swede in Sweden
Many people in Sweden use their vacation days for a trip abroad. A trip to the warmer weather in southern Europe is not uncommon. But summer is actually the best time of year to stay in, or take a trip to, Sweden. 
 
The Swedish Summer House
Even if some Swedes decide to take a trip abroad, many stay and enjoy the beautiful Swedish summer. It’s popular among Swedes, especially among those who live in bigger cities like Stockholm, to own a summer house, or sommarstuga in Swedish. The first thought that comes to mind for many when you mention a Swedish summer house is a red-painted cottage close to nature, and often also close to water. The Swedish summer house paints the perfect picture of the Swedish idyll, far from busy city streets and everyday have-to's.


 
The most popular areas for summer houses in Sweden are Skåne and Småland, in the south of Sweden, the islands Öland and Gotland, the west coast, and the Stockholm archipelago.
 
You don’t have to buy a house to experience the Swedish summer house lifestyle, in many of these places you can rent a house for the summer and enjoy the ultimate Swedish summer vacation.
 
Explore Sweden with a caravan or mobile home
Another popular way to vacation in Sweden for Swedes and others is with a caravan or mobile home. Sweden is filled with beautiful nature and campsites, it’s the perfect way to explore the country without breaking the bank.
 
If you visit Stockholm you can decide if you want to live close to the pulse of the city, or close to nature and the water. Campsites in Sweden usually cater to tents, mobile homes and caravans, and some offers cottages for rent.
 
The Right of Public Access, or Allemansrätten in Swedish, gives everyone free access to the outdoors. Good things to remember is that you have to respect private property and that you have to respect the nature around you. ”Do not disturb, do not destroy”, are words to live by if you decide to camp in the beautiful Swedish nature.