The official slogan for Smaland in southern Sweden is ‘Sweden for real’. It's a dazzling area of dense old-growth forests, sparkling lakes and quaint red cottages, rich in culture and steeped in proud culinary traditions. It’s also the Sweden that brought the world IKEA, Bjorn from ABBA and the author Astrid Lindgren.

Click through this gallery to learn more about Smaland, and discover the best things to see and do in this authentic Swedish region...

The small town of Almhult is often the first place in Smaland visitors experience, especially if they're arriving by train from Copenhagen. It's here that you will find the IKEA Museum, set in the very first IKEA store and a temple to the vision of legendary Smalander, Ingvar Kamprad. You can learn about his life story and how he used Smaland values of thrift, durability and common sense to create furniture loved around the world. You’ll also see IKEA products from every era, including the cool 1950s range that wouldn't look out of place in the hipster hangouts of today.

Visitors can also sample the IKEA meatballs of tomorrow – simply head to KOKET, the restaurant attached to the IKEA Museum. It’s a surprisingly sophisticated eatery where chefs spend their days perfecting and serving new IKEA meatballs for diners. Choose between traditional meatballs, chicken meatballs and plant-based versions suitable for vegans and vegetarians. All meals are prepared fresh in a state-of-the-art, stainless-steel kitchen right in front of you. It’s quite a thing tucking into meatballs that literally melt in your mouth.

Just across from the IKEA museum you’ll find the world’s only IKEA Hotel. Each room is light and bright and tastefully decorated with IKEA furnishings, while the communal spaces include a fully equipped kitchen, a gym, sauna and a sparkling laundry where you can do your washing. The prices are low, naturally, and the hotel restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And don’t worry – each of the 250 rooms comes fully assembled.

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Beautiful lakeside Vaxjo is only 45 minutes by train from Almhult. The city has long been an important marketplace and crossroads, with a gorgeous twin-spired cathedral that dates from the 1400s. Vaxjo itself is small and compact, bursting with lively bars and cafes, and is surrounded by 23 nature reserves. Most are within walking or cycling distance of the centre, with a 26-mile (41km) cycle path linking the city with the best of Smaland's great outdoors. Atmospheric Teleborgs Slott, a castle completed in 1900, is also but a short bike ride away.

Vaxjo has a flourishing foodie scene that focuses on sustainably sourced ingredients from the surrounding lakes, forests and seas. That’s the underlying philosophy of PM & Vanner, a gastro hotel attached to a Michelin-starred restaurant that offers a sophisticated take on regional cuisine. You’ll find it elsewhere in the city too. At coffee bar Bonan & Mustaschen, Andreas makes it his mission to match his coffees to your mood, while Picnic de Luxe, a picnic-restaurant on a local allotment, serves delicious meals made with organic fruit and veg straight from their gardens. 

Tucked between the railway station and the lake, Vaxjo’s Kulturparken (culture park) is home to the Smaland Museum, the Swedish Glass Museum, the House of Emigrants and more. Each offers fascinating insight into the region and the outsized impact it has had on the Swedish psyche. The House of Emigrants, in particular, traces the stories of people who left Smaland in the 19th and 20th centuries for a better life in America. The Beach Boys, Michelle Pfeiffer and even astronaut Buzz Aldrin can all trace roots back to this unassuming corner of Sweden.

Herrgard de Luxe is a charming manor house overlooking a lake and surrounded by a nature reserve less than 10 miles (16km) from Vaxjo. It is run by the same family behind the Kafe De Luxe and Villa & Tradgard de Luxe restaurants in Vaxjo, and is decorated in the same retro maximalist style. Each room has its own distinct character and charm. Soak up the serenity and wait in anticipation for your evening meal – the menu is solely decided by the proprietors using the freshest ingredients available that day.

Glassmakers have been hand blowing glass in southern Sweden since 1742, and the tradition continues today in the tiny independent glassworks dotted around the forests between Vaxjo and Kalmar that have become known as Glasriket, the Kingdom of Glass. Here you can meet craftspeople and artists as they work in their rustic cabins and maybe even try the intriguing art of glassblowing yourself. At the very least you can pick up a unique glass souvenir, sometimes at a bargain price.

One of the most unique glassworks is Persson & Persson, operated by Elin and Morgan Persson on their family farm in the idyllic little village of Osjobol. They create new glass pieces from recycled bottles and jars, converting them into new bowls, drinking glasses and carafes. Check out their 'Smuggled Water' range, made from the bottles of contraband liquor seized by Swedish customs. Elin’s freshly made cinnamon buns are sensational too.

For a taste of coastal Smaland life, head to Kalmar on the region’s southeast shore. This seaside city is awash with history, particularly the stunning 16th-century Kalmar Castle. It was one of Sweden’s most important fortifications, known as ‘the key to the kingdom’ thanks to its strategic location. The city itself is packed with boutiques, cosy cafes and restaurants. Postgatan is a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike, famous for its menu mixing Swedish flavours with international twists.

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You can’t leave Kalmar without popping over to the stunning island of Oland. The Swedish royal family have summered here since the 16th century. And with white-sand beaches and endless hiking trails, stone circles and windmills, it’s a favourite summer escape for Swedes from all over the country too. There are plenty of things to do during the rest of the year as well, with a lively harvest festival in autumn, ice skating in winter and concerts at Borgholm Castle throughout the year.

Most of the world knows Astrid Lindgren for her children’s books about Pippi Longstocking. But on a visit to her childhood home, Nas, in Vimmerby, you’ll learn that she was also a fearless fighter for social justice, the environment, children’s rights, animal welfare, refugee rights and gender equality. Wander through the new 'Astrid Lindgren and the power of stories' exhibition and it’s clear the love Swedes hold for Lindgren is not just nostalgia. Many see her as a reflection of themselves and the values they hold.

Astrid Lindgren’s books have such an intense sense of place that many of the movies made of her books were filmed in the real places she set them in. Cykla I Filmlandskapet runs an e-cycle tour through the best-known locations, reliving iconic moments from the films from Bullerbyn (the Noisy Village) to Katthult. You don’t need to be a fan to enjoy the tour. The nine-mile (15km) ride takes you through forests and idyllic villages, past red cottages and glittering lakes, before finishing at the picture-postcard farm in Katthult. There you'll enjoy 'fika' (a moment of peace enjoyed with coffee and cake) at a long wooden table in the orchard.

Speaking of fika, make sure you try Smaland’s famous ‘ostkaka’ at least once. Ostkaka translates almost directly as ‘cheese cake’, but in Smaland rennet is traditionally added to a milk and flour mixture to give the cake a soft, curdy texture. Ostkaka is not as sweet as American-style cheesecake but has a slightly sugary, almondy taste that is perfectly complemented by local berry jam and a dollop of whipped cream.

Smaland’s gorgeous forests are, quite literally, legendary. One stretch between Granna and Husqvarna is so beautiful that it served as a muse to famous local painter John Bauer, best known for his landscape paintings with gnomes, trolls and other creatures from Swedish folklore. A 31-mile-long (50km) hiking trail, known as the John Bauer Trail, has been created in his honour, taking you through lush green meadows, deep patches of woodland, sparkling lakes and charming villages. It is best done over two days, and thanks to Sweden’s Right of Public Access, you can camp almost anywhere along the way.

The peaceful and historic property of Tofvehult, tucked away in the northeastern part of Smaland, is the perfect place to recharge and take stock. Completely surrounded by forests and lakes, its owners Peter and Lena will immediately make you feel at home. Beguiling forest paths invite you to take walks, the 'in-house' lake beckons you to swim and a hot sauna is waiting for tired hikers. In the late summer guests are invited to take part in a traditional crayfish party, feasting on crayfish from pots you helped pull in earlier that morning.

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Smaland has one of the densest moose populations in Sweden with around 30,000 of these magnificently ungainly creatures roaming the region's forests. For many, seeing one loping through the woods or drinking at a lake is a real highlight of their time in Smaland, but despite their massive size they aren’t that easy to encounter. To that end, Smaland has moose parks where you can spot them in a safari-style setting, including Skullaryd Moose Park in Eksjo, home to Karl, a young moose who became a social media star after his mother rejected him.

Red and white striped candy canes are a Christmas staple around the world, but Smaland has a good claim to having invented them. In Sweden they are known as ‘polkagris’ and legend has it that the first batch was whipped up in 1859 by Amalia Eriksson, a single mum in the charming town of Granna. Granna remains a gorgeous place to visit, even more so if you drop in on Grenna Polkagriskokeri, a delightful sweet shop where you can stock up on polkagris or make your own in their special candy cane kitchen.

Eksjo is one of Europe’s best-preserved wooden towns, with architecture and monuments spanning more than four centuries. Among its cobblestoned streets, pastel-coloured facades and cosy cafes are more than 50 listed wooden buildings from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Over the centuries it has felt the ravages of plague, famine, war and fire, but somehow survived. Wandering through the picturesque town centre – Gamla Stan – you feel as though you have stumbled upon a real hidden gem.

Made up of 5,000 islands, the Tjust Archipelago scatters along Smaland's Baltic coastline. It is the Sweden of your imagination – a seemingly endless network of rocky islands, forested coves and summer houses painted in Falu red. For Swedes it's an outdoor playground in which to kayak, fish, hike and relax. For visitors, it is best explored on an Eagle and Seal Safari with Ido Skargardskrog, filling your lungs with the restorative smell of brackish water, soaking up the incredible landscapes and spotting passing wildlife.

In many ways, the tiny island of Hasselo is Smaland in a nutshell. Here you’ll find red wooden houses, rocky coastlines, pine forests and meadows, all on a tiny speck in the Tjust Archipelago. The boat from Vastervik docks at Hasselo Sand, where you will find a village shop, marina, restaurant and a place to hire bikes and sea-kayaks – the only way to get around this car-free island. Make sure to drop by the Hagaslatt home bakery, set in a converted barn, for a deliciously fresh local lunch, and for a pint at the Sjokanten (pictured), a small community tavern right by the water.

The people of Smaland are famous for their love of flea markets and second-hand goods – partly due to their famous thriftiness, partly because of the nostalgic warmth these goods give. From homeware to decorative pieces, they make the perfect souvenir of your time in Smaland too. Look for signs saying ‘loppis’ (flea market) and prepare to be astounded by the selection. You’ll find them in the most unlikely places, like Hannanora’s roadside shack on Hasselo Island – themed by colour and utterly charming, just like its owner.

Vastervik is best known as the gateway to the Tjust Archipelago, and many visitors head straight down to the docks without exploring much of the city. Just at the back of the harbour and the hill leading up to the railway station, you’ll find a warren of colourful fishermen’s huts and houses dating back to the 1880s, all beautifully restored and exuding old world charm. Spend a night here, preferably in the charming Hotell Park, a restored wooden house with views over the archipelago and the crooked charm of Vastervik’s oldest quarter.

Another famous son of Smaland is Bjorn Ulvaeus from ABBA. He grew up in Vastervik and has said that the chug of the boats here inspired the beat of Does Your Mother Know? In 2020, he opened Slottsholmen on Water, a luxury hotel and restaurant right on the water. The walls of the restaurant are lined with photos from the town’s famous Visfestivalen music festival. And all the dishes use local ingredients which reflect Bjorn’s memories of growing up in Vastervik, combined with tastes taken from his travels across the globe.

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