Hjo is Destination of the Year Sweden 2026!

Writer: Helena Bergström

Now it's decided! After a vote where visitors to Elmia Husvagn Husbil's website had their say, it is clear that Hjo is Destination of the Year Sweden 2026. The award was presented on Thursday at Elmia Husvagn Husbil in Jönköping, in front of an almost full Rydbergssal. Big congratulations Hjo!

Destination of the Year Sweden 2026

Every year at FREEDOMtravel we choose Destination of the Year, an award for a destination that has a lot to offer travelers and where you also feel welcome with a camper or caravan.

This year we chose to focus entirely on Sweden and nominated five destinations that we think have that little something extra. Then, visitors to Elmia Husvagn Husbil's website could vote for their favorite. The five nominated destinations were:

• Lysekil, with sea, cliffs, archipelago and seafood.
• Hjo, the charming wooden town by Lake Vättern.
• Söderköping, with Göta Canal, locks and classic small town idyll.
• Mariestad, with Lake Vänern, beautiful neighborhoods and great nature experiences.
• Piteå, with sandy beaches, archipelago and bright summer nights.

Five beautiful destinations with different characters, but only one could win.

And the winner is… Hjo!

On Thursday it was finally time to reveal the results. The awards ceremony took place at the Destinationsscenen in Rydbergssalen, directly after our lecture about traveling by motorhome in Norway.

In front of a nearly packed hall, we told you about the award and this year's five nominees. And then... drum roll... Hjo is Destination of the Year Sweden 2026!

The wooden town by Lake Vättern is charming

Before the prize was presented, we told a little more about the winner and showed pictures from our own visits to Hjo.

The small town by Lake Vättern has much of what we appreciate in a Swedish destination. Here you will find the well-preserved wooden town, the harbor and the beautiful views over Lake Vättern, but also restaurants, cafes and other dining experiences. For those coming with a camping vehicle, there is also a good selection of campsites and parking spaces.

When we asked how many in the audience had already been to Hjo, many hands went up in the air. In other words, it seems to be a city that many have already discovered and are happy to return to.

Hjo received the award at Elmia Husvagn Husbil

A delegation of four people had traveled from Hjo to Jönköping for the award ceremony. On stage, Ann-Charlotte Persson, place developer at Hjo municipality and Visit Hjo, and Gabriella Viotto, marketing coordinator at Hjo municipality and Visit Hjo, accepted the award.

The winners received a diploma and a glass statuette depicting a camper.

The representatives from Hjo thanked everyone for the award and especially everyone who voted. They also took the opportunity to welcome everyone to Hjo and told them that the town has things going on even after the summer season, including various events and a Christmas market.

And then there was that thing with Sweden's longest bench...

Of course, Peter couldn't help but mention a slightly more unusual attraction in Hjo: Sweden's longest bench.

The long bench at Söder measures a full 270 meters. Hjo already had the title of Sweden's longest bench when Kalmar 2024 extended its bench to 267 meters and thus overtook it. But Hjo obviously wasn't going to give up that easily. His own bench was extended by another four meters and Hjo was able to reclaim the title.

So yes, if you like to sit on a bench, there's plenty of room in Hjo!

That's why we nominated Hjo

We visited Hjo ourselves with a camper van and fell in love with the small town's charm. It's easy to walk between the sights, Lake Vättern is always close by and the harbor area is a natural gathering point.

At the same time, there is more to discover than the classic image of Hjo as a beautiful summer town. There is cultural history, nature, food experiences and excursion destinations, and for those traveling by motorhome or caravan there are several options for staying overnight.

These were some of the reasons why Hjo became one of our five nominees. But we didn't decide who would win. All of you who voted did!

Big congratulations to Hjo!

We would like to extend a big congratulations to Hjo, Destination of the Year Sweden 2026, and at the same time thank everyone who participated and voted.

And of course a big congratulations to the other nominated destinations Lysekil, Söderköping, Mariestad and Piteå. Choosing five candidates was not easy. Sweden is full of fantastic destinations to discover with a motorhome and caravan.

Have you been to Hjo? What do you like best about the city?

READ MORE: Things to do in Hjo – our best tips for the wooden town by Lake Vättern