Stockholm – Jönköping – Vimmerby – Kingdom of Crystal – Älmhult – Växjö – Norrköping – Stockholm
Day 1, Aug 12 Arrival Stockholm

Arrive in Stockholm by flight. Stockholm is the capital and largest city of Sweden. Founded around 1250, Stockholm has long been one of Sweden´s cultural, media, political and economical centre. It´s strategic location on 14 islands on the south-central east coast of Sweden at the mouth of Lake Mälaren has been historically important. Stockholm is known for its beauty, its buildings and architecture. It is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North or simply, Beauty on Water.
Pick up by coach and guide. Transfer to restaurant for welcome dinner. After dinner transfer to your hotel.

End of coach service upon arrival and guide service after assisting with check in.

Day 2, Aug 13 Stockholm

After a sumptuous Swedish breakfast you will be picked up by coach and guide for a sightseeing tour of Stockholm. This extensive tour shows you the most famous places in Stockholm including a stop at Fjällgatan, where the view of Stockholm’s islands and waters is truly wonderful. You will also pass Old Town, the Royal Castle and City Hall – constructed in the National Romantic style, where each year on December 10th the Nobel price banquette takes place.
Lunch at restaurant in Old Town.

After lunch cross the bridge to Djurgården and visit Skansen. Spending time in the nature and living close to nature and animals has always been a part of the Swedish way of life. In Skansen you can stroll around houses and environment inspired from the whole country and meet animals such as bear, seal and the king of the forest him self – the elk. This huge outdoor museum has a lot to offer for all ages.
Continue the day with a visit to Vasa Museum for a guided tour about the historical ship that sank on it´s maiden voyage in 1628.

End the day with a nice dinner.
Transfer to hotel after dinner. End of coach and guide service upon arrival at hotel.

Day 3, Aug 14 Stockholm

Breakfast at hotel. Pick up by coach and guide and transfer to Tom Tits Experiments.
Tom Tits Experiment is an experience for all ages, both adults and children. Here are 600 different experiments to try. No previous knowledge is necessary to take part. You look, test, feel, ride, bounce and balance at your own speed and anyway you like. Find out more on: www.tomtit.se
Have lunch at Tom Tits and continue experimenting..

In the afternoon, transfer back to the city to visit a Swedish kindergarten. The children in the group will get the chance to interact with Swedish kids and also take part in some of their activities which are especially constructed to encourage the children’s creativeness and innovativeness. The pedagogics used at the kindergarten focus on stimulating the interaction between the kids as well as teaching them how to handle conflicts and learn to respect each other.

Dinner served at restaurant in the evening.

Transfer back to hotel after dinner.

Day 4, Aug 15 Stockholm – Jönköping

This morning is free to spend as you wish. Stroll along shopping street Drottninggatan which leads you to “Kulturhuset” which offers many nice exhibitions and a library free of charge. The view from the rooftop is fantastic.

Lunch will be served at restaurant in central Stockholm.

After lunch it’s time to go to Jönköping by coach. Your private guide will follow you. Arrive in Jönköping in the evening and have dinner.
After a long day it will be nice to relax at your hotel in Jönköping.

Day 5, Aug 16 Jönköping – Vimmerby

09.00 This morning you have some time to rest before coach and guide picks you up.
At 10.45 coach will take you to visit the John Bauer museum.
John Bauer is probably best known for his fairy tale paintings of princesses, goblins and giants. Here you can get even closer to them. In John Bauer fairytale world you literally walk in to the saga and you take the leading role. The beautiful stories and illustrations have always allured both young and old.

Lunch in Jönköping.

Transfer in the afternoon to Vimmerby (2 h) and “The World of Astrid Lindgren”, the hometown of the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren who has written many famous stories for children such as Pipi Longstocking or “Chang wazi Pipi” in Chinese. This is a beautiful place, full of adventures and you will meet all the famous characters from Astrid Lindgrens books in “real life”

Before heading to the hotel we stop at a local, family run inn were you will get acquaintance with both sheep and horses living on the farm. Sometimes there are some lambs that won’t be fed by their mother. The children get to try feeding them with nursery bottle.

Have dinner in this picturesque town and spend the night at your hotel in Vimmerby. Coach service ends upon arrival and guide service after assisting with check in.

Day 6, Aug 17 Vimmerby – Kingdom of Crystal – Älmhult – Växjö

Have breakfast at the hotel and prepare for a day full of activities.

Check out and transfer to Kosta (2 h), or the Kingdom of Crystal. Here you can visit the small traditional huts were beautiful glasswork has been made with the same methods for hundreds of years and is now being exported all over the world. There will even be opportunities to try glass blowing yourself. Have lunch at the spectacular Kosta Boda Art hotel and maybe a drink in the glass bar.

Transfer to Älmhult in the afternoon (1-2 h), for a guided tour at IKEA to see where it all started. The people from this part of Sweden, the Smalanders, are known as hardworking people who use their wits and mind to make the most out of limited resources. Maybe it was this that gave Ingvar Kamprad, the founder, the idea to develop the concept of IKEA.
The classical Swedish meatball dinner is served at IKEA Restaurant.

After the visit, and maybe some shopping, transfer to Växjö (1 h) to spend the night. Take the opportunity to do as many of the locals and take an evening walk around the lake. Växjö is known as “the greenest city in Europe” not only for its beautiful surroundings but also because of the environmental projects carried out and implemented here. When travelling through the beautiful landscape of Sweden, you can really understand the Swedes’ effort to maintain the environment.

Spend the night at Scandic Växjö.

Day 7, Aug 18 Växjö – Norrköping – Stockholm

After breakfast transfer back to Stockholm.

On the way stops can be made in the old town of Linköping. Together with a nature guide you can go on an adventure in the Valla Forest area and learn about the inhabitants, trees and flowers in the forest and how to cook a real wild-lifemeal.

In Norrköping there is possibility to visit Norrköping Visualization Center opening in May 2010. A dome theater, cinema, exhibitions focusing on the latest visualization research, media pedagogy programs and much more. Now imagine a spectacular expanding universe created by the children. A universe where every planet in every solar system has a fantastic story to tell. “KIDS” is a project that allows children to become creators of their own virtual universe. Their drawings and stories become the foundation of a show created for domes and other immersive display systems.

Pass the famous Göta Kanal on the way to Stockholm – Sweden’s largest cultural works and a monument and attraction with the same importance as the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Panama Canal.

Arrive in Stockholm in the evening. Transfer to your hotel after dinner.

Day 8, Aug 19 Stockholm departure

Breakfast and check out. Transfer to the airport and time to say goodbye to Sweden for this time.

If you’re interested in booking this tour or want to know more, please contact:

Scandinavian Perspectives
Shanghai office:
Per Dong
per@scandinavianperspectives.com.cn
+ 86 1300 415 65 14

Stockholm office:
info@scandinavianperspectives.se
+ 46 8 545 281 80