Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe with an area of 878,258 km2. This historical and cultural ensemble is made up of three sovereign states: Sweden, Norway and Denmark. It has a combined population of 21 million inhabitants.
Centered on the Scandinavian Peninsula, this region is bordered to the north by the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Baltic Sea. Its climate is oceanic temperate in Denmark, tundra in the Scandinavian Alps, continental in the southern Swedish valleys and subarctic in the north.
A cultural region
Scandinavia is above all a cultural construction that brings together three countries that share a common history and an ethical and linguistic homogeneity. From the Viking period to the Union of Kalmar, the three Nordic kingdoms were periodically reunited under the same crown.
A mountainous peninsula with large valleys
The Scandinavian Peninsula is formed by Sweden and Norway. Denmark does not have any more territories there since the beginning of the 19th century. The north side is crossed by the Scandinavian Alps. Very marked by glacial erosion, this massif culminates at 2 469 meters. Of a rather modest average altitude, it is however home to many glaciers, including the largest in Europe: the Jostedalsbreen.
The main cities of Scandinavia are Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Bergen, Gothenburg, Malmö, Trondheim, Stavanger, Uppsala and Västerås.
The most important tourist destinations in Scandinavia
Scandinavia contains many pearls to be discovered at all costs. Here is a selection of the must-see destinations in this region of Northern Europe.
Oslo
Oslo is a city that surprises the most jaded traveler. Capital on a human scale, it enjoys a special closeness to nature. Built between a fjord and an immense forest, it has a special atmosphere that its architectural diversity only reinforces. Oslo also has museums of great quality as well as unmistakable monuments such as the Vigeland Park, the Citadel of Akershus or its Opera House.
Stockholm
Built on 14 islands, the "Venice of the North" is a city of history with an absolutely fantastic historic center. Old Stockholm - the Gamla Stan - is a maze of alleys lined with listed buildings. It is also the district where you will find emblematic monuments of the city such as the Royal Palace, the Stockholm Cathedral or the Nobel and Post Office museums.
Copenhagen
Capital of Denmark, Copenhagen has many places and monuments worth seeing, such as the Tivoli Gardens, Rosenborg Castle or the area around the Nyhavn canal.