Country Guide
Sweden is a summer workation destination. From May to September, days are long and light, the archipelagos and lakes are right next to the cities, and working from a café or a coworking space is completely normal. Stockholm and Gothenburg are both excellent bases, with some of the best digital infrastructure in Europe.
Best for
Remote workers who love nature, design and long summer evenings
Best months
May to September
Cost per day
Roughly €150–€250 including a mid-range hotel
Internet
Excellent, both WiFi and mobile internet
Less suited if you want a cheap destination, or you are travelling between November and February, when daylight is very short.
Sweden's two biggest cities are both excellent summer bases. Here is how they compare, with where to work and where to stay in each, followed by the stays I list there.
Swedish cafés are made for fika, the coffee-and-cake break, and many are happy for you to work for a while outside the lunch rush.
Most popular🏙️ City · 🌿 Nature · 🏛️ Culture
Best months
Best value🏙️ City · 🌿 Nature
Best months
The capital, spread across 14 islands, with a beautiful old town, great museums, a big startup scene and the archipelago on its doorstep.
Where to work
A House (day passes from around SEK 175), Norrsken House and Epicenter, which focus on memberships
Where to stay
Södermalm for a creative, café-filled area, Vasastan for calm, Norrmalm for a central base near the main station
Sweden's second city on the west coast: smaller, more relaxed and known for its food scene and the islands of the southern archipelago.
Where to work
Mindpark, with a desk day pass around SEK 250
Where to stay
Linnéstaden and Haga for charming, walkable streets, or the centre around Avenyn
Sweden has some of the best internet in Europe. Hotels, cafés and coworking spaces have fast WiFi, and mobile internet is strong, even on many islands in the archipelago.
Sweden is in the EU, so EU roaming rules apply to your normal mobile plan. A European eSIM is an easy backup. Read my guide to eSIMs for workations.
Sweden is almost completely cashless. You can pay by card or phone almost everywhere, including for coffee and public transport, and some places no longer accept cash at all.
A rough week for one person with a mid-range hotel, excluding travel:
Stay
€800–€1,400
For a hotel room
Food
€250–€400
The weekday lunch deal (dagens lunch) is the best value meal
Coworking
€100–€140
For five days
Transport
A single SL ticket in Stockholm costs SEK 43 and is valid for 75 minutes
Some Swedish hotels include breakfast and even an evening snack in the room rate, which helps keep daily costs down.
In summer, the sun sets late, around 22:00 in Stockholm at midsummer, which gives you long evenings outdoors after work.
Nov–Feb
Cold and dark, with only around six hours of daylight in Stockholm in December
Mar–Apr
Spring arrives, days get longer quickly
May–Jun
Long, light days and green nature; Midsummer in late June is a national celebration
Jul
The warmest month, but many Swedes are on holiday and some businesses close
Aug–Sep
Still light and mild, a great time for a workation
Stockholm Arlanda is connected to the city by the Arlanda Express train in about 20 minutes (around SEK 340 for an adult single) and by cheaper commuter trains and buses. Gothenburg's Landvetter airport is linked to the city by an airport bus.
Both cities have excellent public transport, including ferries that are part of the local network. Trains connect Stockholm and Gothenburg in around three hours, so you can easily combine them.
Sweden is in the EU and the Schengen area, so EU citizens only need a valid ID card or passport. If you work remotely for an employer in another EU country, ask about an A1 certificate before you go.
Take a ferry into the Stockholm archipelago; some islands are less than an hour from the centre.
Wander through Gamla Stan, Stockholm's old town, in the evening light.
Visit the Vasa Museum and Fotografiska in Stockholm.
Take the tram and ferry to the car-free islands of Gothenburg's southern archipelago.
Enjoy allemansrätten, the right to roam: swim, walk and pick berries in nature, even close to the cities.
May to September, when the days are long and light.
Stockholm for a big city and the archipelago, Gothenburg for a smaller, relaxed city with a strong food scene.
Almost never. Sweden is nearly cashless; bring a card or pay with your phone.
Yes, especially eating out and alcohol. Lunch deals and hotel breakfasts help.
Sweden is part of my Europe workation guide. For another summer workation with lakes and mountains, see my Switzerland guide; for winter, my winter sun workation guide.
