While more than two-thirds of Sweden (68 percent) is covered in forest, the overwhelming majority is evergreen pine: perfect for fungal forays but no good for autumnal leaves.
The best and biggest displays of golden beech woods and oak forests are to be found in the south of the country, with Skåne, Halland, Blekinge and Småland dominating. But Stockholm and Gothenburg also offer some autumn gems.
The beech forest in Djurgården
The island of Djurgården in Stockholm might be better known for the Skansen zoo and open-air museum and the Gröna Lund amusement park, but it also hosts the capital's largest expanse of beech forest. You can reach the woods in 20 minutes by foot from the main amusement park area.
Another good place in the capital to enjoy blazing beech leaves is the Ulriksdal nature reserve in Solna.
Outside of Stockholm, there are some decent beech forests near the Margretelund and Östanå castles near Åkersberga.
Slottsskogen park in Gothenburg
Slottsskogen in central Gothenburg may be at least as much a park as it is woodland, but it has enough deciduous trees such as linden, beech, oak, and maple to present some fairly spectacular sights during the autumn weeks.
Bokskogen in Torup
The closest patch of beech forest to Malmö, easily accessible by bus (number 148) and bike, is a great place for an autumnal weekend afternoon, with nice cafés near the castle where you can relax over coffee, cake and soup afterwards.
There are five short signposted walks of 1.7-3 kilometres, which are perfect for families with small children (there's also a very good adventure playground), and signposted jogging tracks of between 2-10 kilometres, two of which are illuminated for night jogging.
Hikers can use Torup as the starting point for four different Skåneleden trails (five including the rather urban one back to Malmö), Torup to Ekholmssjön, Torup to Glamberga, Torup to Svedala, and Torup to Sturup.
The castle itself is worth a visit, with its well-tended garden dotted with sculptures, and several rooms open to visitors.
The Surö beech woods
The Surö beech forest, two and a half hours northeast of Gothenburg near the shores of Läke Vänern, rank as Sweden's most northerly large expanse of beech forest.
The forest was originally planted in the 18th century, meaning some of the trees are around 300 years old.
There are two shorter walking trails to choose from and if you want to go further there is the Surö-Harnäs-Sjötorp hiking trail.
While it lacks the dense beech forest of Surö, the Munkängarna nature reserve in Kinnekulla north of Lidköping offers a rich variety of different deciduous trees, making it a fantastic spot for autumn walks.
Lake Åsnen
The area around Lake Åsnen, south of Växjö in Småland, boasts several rich patches of beech forest, such as the Torne beech forest and the beech forest in Bjurkärr.
The Åsnen national park offers six marked trails of between 0.3km and 2.6km long. The 1.7km Bokslingan, or "beech path", takes you through the thickest areas of beech forest.
The main Bjurkärr entry to the park is about a 40-minute drive from both Ikea's Älmhult HQ and from the city of Växjö.
Ryssberget Nature Reserve
Ryssberget, a hilly area outside Sölvesborg in Blekinge, is home to one of Sweden's largest uninterrupted expanses of beech forest, making an awe-inspiring site come mid-October, when the leaves turn a fiery gold.
The beech forest, called Näsums bokskogar, is situated to the north of the nature reserve. There is a 2.6km walk marked out in light green, a 1.9km walk marked out in yellow and white, and a red and white 1km route, all of which will take you through stunning autumn scenery.
You can walk to Ryssberget through the woodland that starts just outside Sölvesborg, but it's a 10km hike to the main beech forests. You can drive to the village of Näsum for direct access.
Söderåsen National Park
A 45-minute drive north of Malmö, and an hour by train and bus if you get the right connections, Söderåsen National Park claims to be "one of the largest uninterrupted expanses of deciduous forest in northern Europe", meaning it is perhaps the best place in Sweden to experience the autumn colours to the full.
The landscape is unusually hilly for the southern region of Skåne, with steep slopes and ravines, flowing streams, high cliffs and panoramic views.
More intrepid walkers could attempt the 18-kilometre hike from Röstånga to Klåveröd, which takes you through Skäralid, which offers some of the park's best views, as well as past the viewpoints of Hjortsprånget and Kopparhatten. There is also a deep ravine which claims the title of "Skåne's grand canyon".
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