Signed coast paths, canal towpaths and lakeside lanes under the long light of a Nordic summer: self-guided bike tours across southern Sweden.
Highlights
- Three signed national routes along the south coast, mostly on cycle paths and quiet roads
- Kattegattleden: voted Cycle Route of the Year 2018 at Europe's biggest cycling fair
- Right to roam: swim from almost any shore
- More than 95,000 lakes, one for every bend in the road
Sweden Bike Tours & Cycling Holidays
Signed coast paths, canal towpaths and lakeside lanes under the long light of a Nordic summer: self-guided bike tours across southern Sweden.
Highlights
- Three signed national routes along the south coast, mostly on cycle paths and quiet roads
- Kattegattleden: voted Cycle Route of the Year 2018 at Europe's biggest cycling fair
- Right to roam: swim from almost any shore
- More than 95,000 lakes, one for every bend in the road
Why Cycle in Sweden
Sweden built its national cycle routes late and built them well. The Kattegattleden opened in 2015 as the country's first, and the Sydostleden and Sydkustleden followed within four years, all three signed end to end and laid mostly on cycle paths and quiet lanes. Add the Göta Canal towpath and the marked loop around Lake Vänern and the south of the country has more than a thousand kilometres of signed riding.
The land helps. The coast is flat, the canal is flatter, and the few hills sit around the headlands and the lakes. Surfaces are asphalt or fine, packed gravel, so a trekking bike or an e-bike is all anyone needs.
Then there is the summer itself: light until ten o'clock in June, sea water at its warmest in August, and a right to roam that lets you stop and swim from almost any rock or beach. Every stage ends by the water, at a harbour, a bathhouse or a lakeside meadow, and dinner is rarely more than a short walk from the hotel.
Hassle-Free
We take care of route planning, accommodations, luggage transfers, and all logistics, so you can focus purely on enjoying your ride.
Tried & Tested Adventures
Our cycling routes are hand-picked & tested, to ensure breathtaking landscapes, smooth roads, and maximum safety - giving you the perfect ride every day.
Unbeatable Support
Our 24/7 customer support is where we show our passion, ensuring your cycling holiday runs smoothly and your well-being is always our top priority.
Book with Confidence
We are a financially protected company, fully bonded and insured, keeping your money safe and allowing you to travel with confidence.
Local Experts
Our professional cycling guides in select locations know the local terrain and are trained to make this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity both safe and enjoyable.
Long Days, Easy Riding and Water at Every Turn
The season runs from mid-May to the end of September. June has the longest days and the quietest paths; Midsummer, in the last week of June, is the one weekend to book early.
July is the warmest month and the busiest on the coast, because Sweden takes its own holidays then.
August brings the warmest sea, and September ripe orchards, empty beaches and hotels that are easy to find.
Five routes, five characters:
Kattegattleden Bike Tour: beaches and bathhouses up the west coast, Helsingborg to Gothenburg
Göta Canal & Lake Vättern Bike Tour: locks, towpath and a loop round the top of Lake Vättern
Sydkustleden Bike Tour: orchards, fishing harbours and Denmark on the horizon
Sydostleden Bike Tour: lake forests and a national park, then the Baltic coast
Vänerleden Bike Tour: the eastern shore of the largest lake in the European Union
All five are self-guided, with the hotels booked and the luggage moved for you.
Signs stand at every junction, in both directions, so the route notes are a backup rather than a necessity. Surfaces alternate between asphalt cycle paths and fine gravel almost as fast as tarmac.
Traffic is light even on the road sections, and drivers give bikes room. Towns come every hour or two, so a café, a shop or a swim is never far away.
Fika is the afternoon pause with coffee and a cinnamon bun, and Swedes take it seriously; plan the day's ride around one.
The coast means fried herring, smoked fish from harbour smokehouses and crayfish parties in August. Inland it is game, chanterelles and cloudberries.
Breakfast buffets are generous and tap water is excellent everywhere, but kitchens often close by nine, so ride in with time to spare.
Riders who want scenery and a swim rather than a challenge:
Couples, with a hotel every night and long evenings to fill
Seniors, on flat routes with an e-bike option on every tour
Families with teenagers, on car-free paths with shorter stages on request
First-time cycling-holiday guests, because every Swedish route sits at activity level 1 or 2 on our scale of five
Every route starts at a railway station. For the two coast routes, fly to Copenhagen and cross the Öresund by train: Malmö in twenty minutes, Helsingborg in about an hour.
Gothenburg's airport serves the Vänerleden and the end of the Kattegattleden, while Stockholm connects to the canal and to Växjö.
Tickets for the whole country are sold in English by SJ, the national rail operator. Regional trains carry bikes and long-distance ones rarely do, so we deliver the bikes to your first hotel instead.
