Denmark & Sweden

About the destination: A decade ago, visitors came to Copenhagen just for its canals, cobbled squares, charming streets and pastel painted houses. Now this city is most known for its innovative design, cutting edge architecture and its top-rated restaurants. This historic city of canals has become trendy, cosmopolitan and exciting, without losing its old charms. The fairytale-like port of Nyhavn, the city’s legendary waterfront, is the most traditional sight of Copenhagen, where visitors enjoy the cobbled streets and colourful houses that contrasts with Langelinje quay, where the city’s most famous attraction, The Little Mermaid, is located. Walking along the Langelinje quay, the modern opera house appears on the horizon bringing tourists back into the 21st century. Another of the city’s new waterfront landmarks is the Black Diamond entertainment complex, an additional reason to travel beyond the tiny tourist-focused centre. The building itself is stunning and provides a unique opportunity to lounge in a deckchair overlooking the water. Two of the coolest areas of the city are Veesterbro and Norrebro, away from the herds of tourists. These vibrant neighbourhoods will allow the most adventurous travellers to mix with the locals and experience the buzzing atmosphere of places like the Norrebro Food Hall, a covered foodie market, or the Ralea, the restaurant where local chefs go to get food after work. Copenhagen’s coolest borough of trendy bars, design stores and eateries, where visitors can experience the culinary revolution the city has to offer, it's just a metro ride from the city centre. The less-travelled island neighbourhood of Christianshavn offers a tranquil glimpse of residential life and canal-side strolls. It’s also home to the “free town” of Christiana, a colourful alternative community built by hippies in the 1970s, which shines with galleries and cafés, and has its own, strict set of rules. Copenhagen is clean, safe and easy to get to know. It is also one of Europe’s greenest cities and its public transport would make New York green with envy. Its centre is reserved for pedestrians and strict anti-pollution laws enforced. It’s an environmentally idyllic spot with plenty of green space and bicycles often outnumber cars, so be careful of stepping out into bike lanes. Wander carefree to the world-famous Tivoli amusement park and the city’s delightful botanical garden, or take to the pavement cafés and restaurants in the summer alongside the locals. Whatever you decide to do in the Danish capital, whether you dig design and dine, or wander in wonder, Copenhagen will keep calling you back like a siren.

About the destination: Malmo is the third largest city in Sweden by population. Once a secluded city on the southern tip of Sweden, Malmo is quickly becoming a major multicultural hub. With the completion of the Oresund Bridge in 2000 connecting Sweden to Denmark, Malmo is now only a 30 minute car or train journey from the centre of Copenhagen. With canals, beaches, and historical sites, Malmo makes a fantastic tourist destination. Malmo is compact enough that you can walk to most of the major attractions. The historical city centre around the Main Square, Stortorget, offers an interesting blend of old and new buildings, which can be perfectly explored on foot. West of the main square of Stortorget, there is the old town, Gamla Staden. It's a pleasant area filled with bars, restaurants and some very fine old houses. Some of these include the famous and adorable little one storey houses which barely look big enough to house one lonely fisherman. Sankt Petri Kyrka, St. Peter's Church, is tucked away at the back of Stortorget, on Goran Olsgatan. It's a red-brick church, it’s the oldest building in Malmo, and an example of Baltic Brick Gothic from the 14th century. Pride of Malmo, its magnificent City Hall was the largest of its kind when it was built back in 1546. Today's town hall facade in Dutch Renaissance style was added in the 1860s and replaced a neoclassical facade from the beginning of the 1800s. On the facade you can see sculptural ornaments. Lilla Torg translates as "Little Square" and was built in the late 16th century as a commercial area for smaller market traders. Its present-day centrepiece is another of the city's quirky public artworks: the bedside lamp. The square is surrounded by some impressive medieval buildings and is also one of the top nightlife spots in the old city as it is home to many bars and pubs. In the pleasant green parks and coastal suburbs, such as Sibbarp, you get a good glance of the Swedish nature and landscape. Malmo is a creative and inquisitive city and Sweden's most multicultural metropolis. Once a grey industrial city, it has reinvented itself as a modern and cool city with a vibrant night life.

About the destination: Sweden's capital - a Nordic vision of waterways, parks and spire-filled skylines - is rightly celebrated as one of the most attractive cities in Europe. Spread across no fewer than 14 islands and surrounded by literally thousands of smaller, rocky islets, it blends the drama and open skies of Scandinavia with the energy, dynamism and urban cool of Western Europe. The soul of the place lies in its many facets: the stucco walls of the Old Town, the contemporary pulse of the galleries, the consumerist hum of the shopping districts, the deep tranquillity of the parklands, the thumping bass of the nightlife and, increasingly, the gourmet allure of the restaurants. Stockholm's location on the shores of the Baltic Sea means seasonal variations hit hard, and many locals will tell you that the only thing to rival the beauty of a summer's evening in Stockholm is the winter charm of its frozen lakes and snow-fringed skylines. It's certainly true that Stockholm's unique character is a major reason for its popularity among travellers and, in a continent where charismatic urban destinations are plentiful, it says a lot that the city's cultural scene is vibrant enough to rival anywhere else in northern Europe. In addition to its exhibitions, museums and concerts, it's also a deeply romantic setting in which to spend a long weekend - you'd have to be hard-hearted not to fall for the mix of preserved medieval architecture, sweeping water vistas and consistently intense nightlife. Most importantly though, it's worth emphasising just how much this is a city apart. It's the most populated urban area in Scandinavia, yet two thirds of it are still made up of water and greenery. And if this doesn't seem likely, well, you've got the perfect excuse to go and check.