Picturesque Biking in Sweden

Text Tor Kjølberg

Sweden is a great country for cycle tours. Enchanting landscapes and heavenly tranquility combined with endless landscapes and friendly people make your biking tour in Sweden an unforgettable experience. Here, we have picked 4 picturesque biking tours in Sweden for you.

1. Biking Along the «Blue Ribbon» Göta Canal, also called the “Blue Ribbon” of Sweden is a family friendly car-free biking route, which once was trafficked by horses pulling sailboats along the canal. Today, you can enjoy canal life from the seat of your bicycle. A stop at one of the many cafes and lunch restaurants serving freshly baked cinnamon buns is unavoidable.

Related: The Best Hiking Trails in Sweden

Brunneby Musteri in Borensberg offers both a farm shop and a restaurant. You’ll pass many locks on the way where you can watch boats slowly pass by. At some places you can even go for a refreshing swim.

Along the 87-km gravel path you can experience art in nature, crafts exhibitions and museums. 2. Mountain Biking in Dalarna Rörbäcksnäs in Dalarne is filled with wellmarked trails for terrain cycling, perfect for beginners as well for experienced cyclists. Volunteers have signposted nine trails totaling 115 km starting from the school in the middle of Rörbäcksnäs village, except for two starting at Hundfjället towards Rörbäcksnäs.

The trails attract both mountain bike and cyclocross enthusiasts from all over Scandinavia and offer challenging climbs interspersed with simpler gravel roads.

Tip: Stop for a lunch at Gustav Grill & Bar in Lindvallen.

3. Car-free Biking in Värmland With deep forests, beautiful lakes, mountains and valleys the 120 km path along a disused asphalted railway embarkment and the mighty Klar River is a heaven for bikers. There are 90 km of towns, beautifully located mansions, forests and Lake Vänern.

Tip: Stop at Gamla Kraftstationen in Deje for a cup of coffee or immense yourself in artist Monica Zetterlund’s life at the museum in Hagfors. The 30 km biking route from Hagfors to Sysslebäck takes you through thick forests with gravel roads and wilderness.

Related: Cycling in Sweden

Bike ride. Photo: Simon Paulin Biking in Gotland. Photo: Tina Axelson

4. Biking along the coast and cities in Skåne With long and winding country roads in the south of Sweden, the Sydkustleden (South Coast Route) stretches 260 km through cities and canola fields.

Families looking for leisurely rides as well as enthusiasts setting out to break personal speed records find Skåne the perfect place for life on two wheels. Biking from Simrishamn to Helsingborg gives you the opportunity to sunbathe on some of Sweden’s most beautiful beaches as well as experience historical and scenic environments.

Related: One Of The Most Visited Areas Of Sweden

Photo: Simon Paulin

Biking in the city. Photo: Anna Hallams

Tip: Enjoy Flädie Mat & Vingård with its beautiful setting outside Bjärred with its fantastic menu. Warmed by the sun, the cliffs there invite you for a swim in the sea, or head to quaint fishing villages like Kåseberga.

Wherever you decide to bring a bike in Sweden, learn the rules of cycling in Sweden.

Cycling rules in Sweden

• In Sweden, everyone must drive on the right-hand side of the roadway. Never ride your bike against the traffic flow. • You are not allowed to ride your bike in a pedestrian area, on sidewalks or on a pedestrian crossing. If there is no bike path, you must ride on the right side of the road. • Similarly, bike paths are only for cycling, so if you want to walk alongside your bike, you must get off the bike lane. • Obey the red light at intersections. If there are no cycle traffic lights at the road junction, follow the car traffic lights, not the pedestrian ones. • When you want to turn left at an intersection, follow these steps: keep riding on the right through the intersection while signaling with your raised hand that you’re stopping; stop at the corner of the street you want to join and wait with the traffic on the right-hand side for the green light to proceed in your new direction. • You must ride with both lights on during dark hours, as well as during daytime if the visibility is not optimal. • If a bus stops at a bus stop, you need to stop and wait until the bus doors close.

Bus passengers who cross the cycle path in or out of the bus have priority, unless there is a bus island on the left of the bike path. • You are not allowed to carry another person on a one-person bike, unless it’s a child in a child seat. • You are not allowed to use your phone while you cycle. • While riding, you are not allowed to hold onto another vehicle or to the driver or passenger of another vehicle. • Avoid riding side by side with your friend if the bike lane isn’t large enough to allow someone from behind to overtake you. • You are not allowed to ride a bike if you are drunk. While there is no legal limit for the alcohol volume accepted when riding a bike, the police can decide if you are not able to ride safely and fine you.