Camping With Kids in Sweden

Sweden is one of the easiest countries in Europe to camp in with children. The rules don’t change because you have kids, but the margins do: how many tents you pitch, how cold the night gets, and who is watching the water.

When you need this

You’re planning a tent or car-camping trip with children, or you’re already at a lake wondering how far to let a six-year-old wade. Maybe two families want to pitch together on a beach, or a child has just found a tick. This page covers what is specific to camping with kids. The general rules live in our guides to camping in Sweden and wild camping.

Campsite or wild camp: where to start

Sweden gives families two very different options, and both are legal by default.

Campsites are private businesses. Since the start of 2019 you no longer have to buy a camping card: at campsites affiliated with SCR Svensk Camping, the industry association, a free Camping ID gets you checked in, and the paid Camping Key Europe card is optional. Allemansrätten doesn’t apply inside a campsite; the site’s own rules on quiet hours, fires and swimming do.

Wild camping under allemansrätten (the right of public access) lets a family pitch a tent for a night or two on most land that isn’t farmed and isn’t near a home, free and without asking.

For a first night with small children, a campsite is the low-risk test: toilets, a tap and the car within reach. Many families also keep a campsite cabin (stuga) in mind as the fallback when the weather turns.

What family campsites offer

Facilities vary site by site, so describe what you need and search by it. Campsite pages on the national campsite portal list facilities in a standard form. Labels worth knowing:

• lekplats — playground
• barnskötrum — baby-changing room
• beach type, such as sandy beach or sea bathing
• pool or indoor swimming hall
• barbecue places
• toilets and showers for people with reduced mobility
• washing machine and dryer

Some campsites also run children’s clubs and activity programs, with or without staff, plus minigolf and pool areas. These depend on the site and the season, so ask before you book if a kids’ program matters to you.

Allemansrätten with children

The right of public access treats a family like anyone else. Three points catch families out.

Tent count. Naturvårdsverket, the Swedish EPA, describes the right as tenting “with a few tents, such as two or three” for a night or two. Children’s own small tents count. Two families with five tents on one beach for three nights are beyond the right; ask the landowner, who can say yes.

Dens and branches. Children love building dens, and that’s fine with what lies on the ground. The county board’s guidance is blunt: you may never break twigs or branches off living trees. Protected plants may not be picked or dug up; berries and most flowers may.

Toilets. Dig human waste down. Toilet paper is buried, burned only if there is no fire risk, or taken with you. Pitch away from homes, off crop fields and pasture with animals — the more secluded, the better.

National parks and nature reserves often allow tenting only at marked sites, or not at all, so check before you pitch.

Water: the rule that matters most

Summer is when Swedish families camp, and it’s also when most people drown in Sweden. According to the Swedish Life Saving Society, 103 people drowned in Sweden in 2025, more in July than in any other month.

1177, the regions’ joint health service, gives rules that fit a lakeside pitch exactly:

• Under two to three years: within grabbing distance at water.
• Non-swimmers: never bathe without supervision.
• Five- and six-year-olds: an adult with them, however well they swim.
• Jetties and play near water: a life jacket approved for children and CE-marked, sized by the child’s weight.
• Boats: everyone wears a life jacket, children and adults.

The reason is in 1177’s own words: drowning often happens fast and silently, and someone drowning rarely shouts or waves. A parent reading in a camp chair twenty meters away won’t hear it. The simplest fix is to agree which adult is watching the water, and hand over explicitly when that changes. Our water safety guide covers life jackets in more depth.

Cold nights in summer

Swedish summer days can be warm; the nights are another matter. SMHI’s normal July mean is 18.7 °C in Stockholm and 14.4 °C in central Lapland, and those 24-hour averages include the nights.

In July 2026, SMHI’s monthly summary reported night frost at more than a dozen stations in Lapland, Jämtland and Härjedalen, and 0.0 °C at Kiruna airport on 19 July, its lowest July reading since 1972. The same month reached 33.2 °C in the south. Pack for both.

Children feel it first. 1177 says small children can’t shiver or move enough to keep warm the way adults do, and their hands and feet cool faster. What works in a tent:

• Layers, not one thick bag. 1177 recommends layering for children.
• Wool, not cotton. Wool is good; cotton cools.
• The neck test. Feel the back of the neck: cold there means too cold.

If you’re heading north, pack a sleeping bag rated for near-freezing nights and a hat for each child, or plan a cabin night in reserve. Our cold safety guide explains hypothermia signs.

Ticks, mosquitoes and adders

Ticks are reported from every Swedish municipality, densest in the south and centre. Check every child every evening; 1177 notes children are often bitten on the head and upper body, so start there. Folkhälsomyndigheten recommends TBE vaccination from age three for anyone at risk of tick bites in risk area 1 municipalities. The dosing takes weeks, so read our tick guide well before the trip.

Mosquitoes in the mountains peak from mid-June to early August and fall off clearly in August; wind and open fell keep them down. For babies and toddlers, 1177 suggests nets over prams and beds and light, covering clothes — mosquitoes are drawn to dark colors. Repellents sold in Sweden must be approved by Kemikalieinspektionen and can carry an age limit, such as “not on children under 3”. Labels can also say not to put repellent on small children’s hands, which go in the mouth. More in our mosquito guide.

Adders (huggorm) are Sweden’s only venomous snake. 1177 says children, the elderly and pregnant women are especially sensitive. Its page, updated in June 2026, is clear: call 112 immediately if you suspect a bite. Keep the bitten limb still and let the child rest. Don’t suck out venom, cool or warm the bite, or tie anything around the limb. Some older guides still say to call the advice line first; follow 1177’s current advice.

Fire and cooking

A campfire is part of the fun, but a fire ban (eldningsförbud) applies to families like anyone else. Bans are issued by the county board or municipality and stop open fires and solid-fuel grills. Gas and liquid camping stoves stay legal under both tiers of the national model regulation, though the local ban text is the one that counts. That makes the stove the reliable family fire.

Never run a stove inside the tent or a shelter while children sleep: carbon monoxide and fire. Cook outdoors. See camping stoves and fire bans for what each ban level allows.

Practical information

FAQ

Is Sweden good for camping with kids?

Yes. Campsites are family-oriented, check-in needs only a free Camping ID, and many sites list playgrounds, baby-changing rooms and a beach. Wild camping for a night or two is free under allemansrätten. The things to plan for are water supervision, colder nights than you expect, ticks and, in the north, mosquitoes. None needs special permits.

Can we wild camp in Sweden with children?

Yes, under the same rules as anyone: a night or two, away from homes, off fields and pasture, and outside reserves that ban tenting. Naturvårdsverket’s guideline is a few tents, such as two or three; a larger family group or two families together should ask the landowner. Children’s own tents count. Many families try a campsite night first.

How cold does it get at night when camping in Sweden in summer?

Colder than the day suggests. SMHI’s normal July mean is 18.7 °C in Stockholm and 14.4 °C in central Lapland, and those include the nights. In July 2026 SMHI reported night frost at over a dozen stations in Lapland, Jämtland and Härjedalen. Children cool faster than adults, so pack wool layers and a warm sleeping bag.

How do I keep kids safe at a Swedish lake while camping?

Keep children under two to three within arm’s reach, never let non-swimmers bathe unsupervised, and stay with five- and six-year-olds whatever their swimming. Drowning is often fast and silent. Children on jetties and near water should wear a CE-marked life jacket approved for children, and everyone wears one on a boat. July is the peak drowning month.

What mosquito repellent can I use on children in Sweden?

Only products approved by Kemikalieinspektionen, which carry a registration number, and only within the age limit on the label; some may not be used on children under three. Avoid putting repellent on small children’s hands. For babies and toddlers, 1177 suggests mosquito nets over prams and beds plus light, covering clothes.

What do I do if my child is bitten by an adder?

Call 112 immediately. 1177 says children are especially sensitive to adder venom. Keep the bitten limb still and let the child rest, since venom spreads faster with exertion. Do not suck out venom, cool or warm the bite, or tie anything around the limb. The emergency operator will tell you whether to go to hospital.

Do we need a camping card to stay at Swedish campsites with kids?

No. The obligation to buy a camping card ended at the start of 2019. At campsites affiliated with SCR Svensk Camping you check in with a free Camping ID, from the campsite or the association’s app. The paid Camping Key Europe card is optional and adds discounts and insurance.

Related guides

• Swedish campsites — the Camping ID, the optional card and campsite cabins.
• Wild camping in Sweden — the full rules before your first night outside a campsite.
• Sweden with kids — fares, museums and the laws that bind visiting families.
• Ticks in Sweden — tick removal, TBE risk areas and vaccine timing.
• Renting a stuga — when a cabin beats a tent for a family week.

Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Naturvårdsverket, Länsstyrelsen, 1177 Vårdguiden, Folkhälsomyndigheten, Kemikalieinspektionen, SMHI, Myndigheten för civilt försvar, Svenska Livräddningssällskapet and SCR Svensk Camping — full register in this topic’s source file. We never publish campsite prices or current fire-ban status; check those on the day. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.