Each semester we organize an overnight trip to the Stockholm Archipelago and optional weekend trips to the Arctic Circle and to the island of Gotland exploring Sweden’s rich culture, history, and geography beyond the capital city.
We end our orientation week with a boat trip to the island of Sandhamn in the Stockholm Archipelago. The Archipelago is a collection of thousands of beautiful islands surrounding Stockholm’s eastern coast in the Baltic Sea. This overnight trip gives students a chance to relax and get to know one another before classes begin. The cost of this trip is included in tuition.
Located about 56 miles east of mainland Sweden in the Baltic Sea, Gotland is one of the most unique and historically significant islands in the world. The first Stone Age settlers came to Gotland about 7,000 years ago and many traces of their dwellings can still be seen, including unique limestone picture stones covered with mythological scenes of ships and warriors. On this trip, we’ll stay within the 13th-century walls of the city of Visby, a UNESCO world heritage site and arguably the best-preserved medieval city in Scandinavia. We’ll explore the island with activities such as a tour of the Fornsalen Viking Museum, guided walks through medieval churches and burial grounds, a tour of local microbrewery Gotlands Bryggeri, a picnic among ancient stone formations, a visit to the cliffs and sandy beaches of the Gotland countryside, and more.
The cost for this trip is $550 and includes transportation, accommodation, meals and activities. Students who receive financial aid from their home schools should inquire if their aid can be applied to this optional trip. Please inform us whether your aid can or cannot be applied. You will receive additional information about this trip upon acceptance. We hope you will join this Viking adventure on the island of Gotland!
Sweden is the land of the midnight sun in the summer, but winter in the Arctic is breathtaking. The landscape is strikingly beautiful, from its sparkling frozen lakes to the snowy mountains where reindeer are herded by the indigenous Sámi people. During clear, cloudless nights, you might see the majestic Northern Lights streak across the sky. On this trip, we’ll stay in a village in Swedish Lappland and enjoy activities—assuming we have snow—such as dog sledding, ice fishing, and snowshoeing. We will also visit a traditional Sámi Village and tour the world-famous Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, and more.
The cost for this trip is $625 and includes transportation, accommodation, meals and activities. Students who receive financial aid from their home schools should inquire if their aid can be applied to this optional trip. Please inform us whether your aid can or cannot be applied. You will receive additional information about this trip upon acceptance. We hope you will join this once-in-a-lifetime experience in northern Sweden!
We recognize that students want to travel while studying abroad. Therefore, we provide two full weeks of vacation time to do so. Students find it easy to travel throughout Europe during this time and appreciate the opportunity to choose for themselves where they want to go! There are quick direct flights from Stockholm to many of Europe’s great cities:
Berlin: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Prague: 2 hours
London: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Paris: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Barcelona: 3 hours and 15 minutes
