There’s nothing better than bringing home an excellent souvenir when you return from your holidays or travels, either to keep as a reminder of your time abroad or to gift to friends and family so they might appreciate a little of the experience you’ve just enjoyed.
Souvenirs are a way to bring back a small piece of a nation’s culture or history. Travelling through Scandinavia will undoubtedly leave you with plenty of opportunities for purchasing some unique reminders and gifts that will provoke wanderlust in your own country.
From the famous sweaters of Norway to the mittens of Sweden, from Copenhagen’s iconic Royal China, to interesting culinary items, there are a lot of potential souvenirs to be purchased in Scandinavia. Here are our top 10 favourites to bring back home.
- Norwegian Sweaters
For a country with such extreme cold temperatures as Norway, it’s no real surprise that one of the nation’s most iconic souvenirs will be a sweater. If you were to book a Norway trip in the winter you may quickly find that you need to purchase a sweater more out of necessity than anything else. But that extra layer will also give you a great item to return home with.
Norwegian Sweaters are traditionally heavy and woollen but designed with beautiful and colourful patterns that will brighten up any cold, dark winter day. The patterns are a representation of Norway’s northern climes and culture, and you can find sweaters with anything from snowflakes to trolls stitched across them.
- Lovikka Mittens
Another clothing item designed to keep out the chill during those long winter months are the Lovikka Mittens of Lapland in Sweden. These heavy-duty mittens are knitted to keep out the frost in one of the coldest inhabited settlements on the planet. That means that you can guarantee that Lovikka Mittens are going to do the job, no matter how low the temperatures get.
Although you can easily find mittens anywhere across Scandinavia – particularly as winter rolls around – Lovikka Mittens are unique to Lapland and can trace their origins back to the small community of Lovikka.
- Royal Copenhagen China
Royal Copenhagen China is a delicate souvenir to return home with for yourself or for loved ones after a trip to Denmark. The Royal Porcelain Factory in the country’s capital has been producing exquisite china items since the 17th century and their products have become world famous in the centuries since they began.
You can purchase their intricately designed and manufactured plates, bowls and cups amongst other more unique items when in Copenhagen, while every year the company brings out special edition porcelain designs that are snapped up quickly by buyers, particularly during the Christmas period.
- A Dala Horse
A rather less practical, but equally unique souvenir to bring home from Scandinavia is a Dala Horse. These famous Swedish figurines were traditionally carved from wood by hand in the region of Dalarna. During the cold winter months, children would learn to design their own Dala Horse, and over time they became an important symbol of Swedish culture that spread over the country and abroad.
These days, you can find enormous statues in many towns across Sweden representing the Dala Horse, and you can easily bring home your own small, hand-carved figurines from local villages that have been carved with the same techniques for centuries.
- Swedish Meatballs
Perhaps Sweden’s most famous export, however, isn’t horses or mittens, but meatballs. Eaten across the country and served in creamy sauces with jam on the side, Swedish meatballs are one of the best-known Scandinavian dishes. Although the popularity of Swedish institutions such as Ikea has spread Swedish meatballs across the known world, why confine yourself to only eating the most authentic meatballs when in Sweden?
Check your country’s customs requirements of course, but if you can, bring home for yourself and the rest of your family and friends some truly delicious Swedish meatballs right from the source.
- Lingonberry Jam
Traditionally, Swedish meatballs are served alongside lingonberry jam, a preserve crafted from the bitter yet sweet cranberry-style fruit that is common across Scandinavia. The jam was made to last the long winters, and today is used in many dishes across the region as a delicious accompaniment.
Although lingonberry jam is most famously associated with Swedish cooking, it’s used across the neighbouring countries too. You can find a jar of the preserve to return home with in any simple shopping centre or marketplace.
- Lucky Trolls
Trolls have long held a notorious place in Scandinavian folklore, being widely associated with evil and darkness during the long winter months, and having a reputation for causing trouble and mischief.
Lucky trolls though, took the world by storm in the 1960s, as a Danish toy maker decided that he wanted to give the troll a new look and a new, more kindly spirit. Troll dolls, with their unique tufts of bright hair, even have their own TV shows and movies these days, but not everyone knows the story behind the icon and their Scandinavian origins.
- Nisse Dolls
Nisse dolls are the more traditional version of the lucky troll. The Nisse was the evil spirit in Scandinavian folklore that was responsible for causing all the trouble during winter, so a Nisse doll is an interesting cultural souvenir to take home.
- Toms Skildpadde
One of the most iconic Scandinavian chocolate producers is Toms and their most iconic chocolate creation is the Skildpadde. This delicious chocolate is shaped like a turtle and filled with a creamy, caramel filling flavoured with a dash of rum. Toms Skildpadde originates from Denmark, and these turtle chocolates make for a great souvenir.
- Viking Souvenirs
Scandinavia’s most fearsome historical exports were the Vikings, and these days you can find their legacy across the region. Bring back some Viking souvenirs from your travels to Scandinavia, from history books to epic Viking literature, jewellery crafted in Viking styles or even a Viking drinking horn or mock sword and shield.
If you fancy seeking out your own Scandinavian souvenirs, book a holiday to this fascinating region with the Baltic Travel Company. Contact us today to discuss your Scandinavian holiday plans.
By Baltic Travel Company, all rights reserved.