Planning a summer vacation for your family starts early, because before you know it, the most coveted spots on the globe will be taken. You are busy searching for the perfect destination, transportation and accommodation. After all, it should be a little relaxing for mom and dad, and the kids should not be bored there. None of this is an easy job with school-aged children, so planning must be done in time. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone think with you? Or make a suggestion? I’m going to show you below what a summer vacation in Sweden at Hovra Vandrarhem could look like:
Summer vacation in Sweden at Hovra Vandrarhem
A few preliminary comments regarding the trip. You can fly to Stockholm and take a rental car for the entire vacation. This is by far the fastest, but also a very expensive option in the summer vacations. And the least environmentally friendly. You can go all the way by car, which has advantages because you can bring a lot of luggage and you won’t need a rental car at your vacation spot. This is a lot more environmentally friendly and cheaper than flying in high season, but you will be on the road for at least two days, and you just have to feel like starting your vacation with two full days behind the wheel (you can also divide the trip into smaller pieces and make it a round trip). Two other options are the train or boat. With the former, you have the disadvantage of not having a car with you, but the advantage of being environmentally friendly and very affordable, even in high season. Trains run from Amsterdam with a change in Hamburg to Stockholm. From there, you could take a rental car. If you go by boat, you can take your car and (with most crossings) you also have an excellent overnight stay. This option is again slightly pricier than the train. Therefore, for the simple fact that I cannot peer into someone else’s family composition, transportation preferences, climate priorities and wallet, I hereby leave the round trip for what it is.
Day 1: Arrival at Hovra Vandrarhem.
You arrive at Hovra Vandrarhem somewhat tired from the trip, let’s say around 3 p.m. in the afternoon. Your summer vacation in Sweden has begun. After a warm welcome, the children immediately want to go outside to play in the large garden. You yourself may be more in need of a Swedish waffle with a good cup of coffee. You plop down comfortably, relax first! Then it’s time to get your things out of the car and into the vacation rental. The children, of course, do not feel like it and would much rather have an ice cream or Swedish fika in the café or on the terrace or greet the busily wagging huskies in the garden. Then it’s time for a short walk, because of course a little exercise after such a trip can’t hurt. From the backyard you can walk right into the forest and before you know it, you won’t hear anything or see anyone. Except for your own family members, of course. Back at the Hovra Vandrarhem, stomachs began to growl. Since you already had a feeling that you didn’t feel like cooking or shopping on the first day of vacation, you contacted us in advance and an evening meal is now waiting for you in the café. The children want to play outside for a while and then it really is bedtime.
Day 2: Swimming in open water, the most Swedish start to your summer vacation in Sweden.
You sleep in a bit (if your kids allow it, of course) and slide into the café around 9:30 a.m. for a deluxe breakfast. Today you will want to do some shopping anyway, because the new kitchen in our hostel does invite you to put something delicious on the table yourself tonight. You combine shopping with something cozy and typically Swedish. Swimming in open water. This time you have chosen a seaside resort near Ljusdal with some facilities such as restrooms and a kiosk. After a few wonderfully relaxing hours by the water, head back to Hovra Vandrarhem. While you prepare dinner, the children play outside. After dinner, cozy up and light a campfire by the fire pit.
Day 3: Zip & Climb, do you dare?
You get up on time today and walk around the garden and the adjacent forest. Our huskies see you step outside from a distance and stand wagging happily. You’ve seen them before but today you take a moment to go see them. They are happy with the attention! After your morning walk, have breakfast and get ready for an adventurous day with your family. You will go to adventure park Zip&Climb in Orbaden. Since you are a smart traveler, you have already booked this activity in good time (possibly through us). After all, it is high season and this is an activity that should not be missed in a family adventure vacation. You have chosen an activity on the website that suits your family composition (there are activities from 3 years old!) and together you experience a great day with the most beautiful views. You arrive back at your vacation rental and decide to have a nice chat on the terrace with a waffle and ice cream. What a day!
Day 4: Rest and grill day, because you can always rush.
After yesterday’s activity, you are a little sore and decide to take it easy today. The children want nothing to do with that and run around outside all day. Playing, climbing, building in the garden. You have reserved the grill cabin and preparations for cooking over fire begin early. You want to make a delicious piece of fish or meat, a vegetable stew or a pizza and do the shopping for it in the morning. The stuga will be at your disposal all day, so after lunch at the café, light the fire. You looked up a good recipe, so it’s going to be just fine. And should you need any tips, we are always at your disposal. And the dirty dishes? You just turn those in to us. Night falls and it gets a little cooler outside. After an evening stroll through the woods, crawl back by the fire in the grill hut. The ultimate experience during a summer vacation in Sweden.
Day 5: Hike with outdoor overnight, exciting and beautiful at the same time!
You take it easy and have a luxurious breakfast at the café this morning. Afterwards, Axel will give you some more information about the activity you have booked with us: a guided hike with outdoor lodging. Of course, for this, you brought some luggage according to the packing list we shared with you in advance. He will tell you what and how you should pack your things, what is handy to wear, and he will go through a few scenarios with you. The route you will take with him is tailored to your family. After lunch it is time to pack gear and get ready for the hike. Along the way, various outdoor skills will be covered such as shelter making and fire. Of course, it is also possible for you to spot (traces of) wildlife. Bring your camera! You find out that nowhere do you sleep so well and nowhere do you wake up so wonderfully as in the great outdoors.
Day 6: Return at Hovra Vandrarhem
After a special night in nature and a simple breakfast in a breathtakingly beautiful place, all camping gear will be packed again. Of course, you also take back all the trash, because you don’t want to disturb and pollute this beautiful nature. Today’s hike is slightly shorter than yesterday’s, and by late morning you will arrive back at Hovra Vandrarhem. After lunch on the terrace, the children go their own way in the garden and pick up materials in the café for children’s experiments in nature. With this, they will be nice for quite a while, giving you the chance to start on that one book you haven’t gotten around to for so long.
Day 7: Vildriket
The plan today is to go to the zoo. Not one with zebras and elephants, but a park where you can see in real life all the animals that are also found in the wild in this part of Sweden. So in their own habitat, if you haven’t already encountered them over the past few days. The construction of the animal park is very Swedish done with an eye for nature and the environment. You will always find plenty of shelter from the sun during your summer vacation in Sweden, as the park is made against a mountain slope with (how could it be otherwise) many trees. During the hike with Axel, you learned how to make fires quickly, and you understood that there is a fire pit in the zoo where, enjoying the view, you can roast your own sausages or marshmallows. You must have done that, of course. The whole family effortlessly entertains and relaxes all day at the zoo and in the evening you go out for dinner at La Banca, a very small but great Italian restaurant in Ljusdal.
Day 8: Kayak tour, the activity for summer vacation in Sweden
Today you are looking for the water again. This time by kayak. After all, if you’re in Sweden during summer vacation, a kayaking trip is part of the deal. At Upplev Järvsö you have a guided kayak tour booked (whether through us or not). From the water you contemplate Sweden’s beautiful nature and find mental peace, while still being physically active. Once back on dry land you will make your way to Järvsö Creperie for a delicious meal and at the end of the day the children (if they still have energy left) can have some fun in Hovra Vandrarhem’s garden.
Day 9: Gnome search and to Hudiksvall
From a distance, the children have obviously seen it for a long time, but actually walking the gnome trail with puzzle assignment has not happened in recent days. So today you will pick up the gnome pack at the café and start the day with this gnarly fun route through the forest adjacent to our garden. Still gives a new dimension to a morning walk. The children watch their eyes looking for the gnome doors or are frantically searching for the solution to the puzzle. Upon returning, it’s time for a waffle with whipped cream, jam and ice cream. In the afternoon you will visit Hudiksvall, a small but cozy town on the east coast of Sweden. It is already evening when you return to Hovra Vandrarhem. As agreed, we have lit the campfire for you to finish your last evening by roasting marshmallows over the fire.
Day 10: Time to go home, the end of summer vacation in Sweden
Just because you can, you booked the deluxe breakfast one last time. After that, it really is time to start packing your bags and getting ready for the trip home. While the kids play outside or entertain themselves in the café, you can quietly gather the last of the goodies. The children pick out another small souvenir in the café, say goodbye to their new husky friends and then the time comes for the return trip. Everyone gets into the car relaxed and satisfied and looks back one last time before the car navigates back home.
There are so many things to do, see and experience in Sweden that I could describe an endlessly long vacation. I have chosen here to describe a ten-day vacation, but of course your stay can be as long or short as you wish. Contact us if you want to know how we can make your family vacation unforgettable and how to best prepare for a trip to Sweden.