Sweden

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Quick Facts

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Capital

Stockholm

Population

8,878,000

Government

Constitutional Monarchy

Religions

Christianity (Protestant)

Languages

Swedish, plus five official minority languages including Sami.

Calling Code

+46

Nationality

Swedish

Local name

Sverige

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Introduction

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Once a dearly-expensive destination, travel in Sweden has become economically much more attractive in recent years. Now that the nation's midnight sun, slick cities and historical sites can be enjoyed at a more affordable price, tourism is likely to be on the way up for the Scandinavian state. Stockholm, the capital, hits all the right spots: at once modern and medieval, the city bears testimony to its 13th century origins, as medieval streets are woven together through a myriad of stairways, arches and lanes; and a fine collection of museums, including a hugely popular open-air museum, accent the city's appreciation of the past. At Gothenburg, however, we find Sweden's most popular destination: Liseberg, Scandinavia's largest - and one of the world's best - amusement parks.

Brief History

Geography

Sweden shares international borders with Norway, Finland and Denmark because of a bridge. There is also ferry service to Estonia and Finland

Regions

Sweden has 25 provinces.

North

• Lappland
• Norrbotten
• Västerbotten

Centre

• Ängermanland
• Jämtland
• Medelpad
• Härjedalen
• Hälsingland
• Dalarna
• Gästrikland

South

• Västmanland
• Värmland
• Närke
• Uppland
• Södermanland
• Dalsland
• Bohuslän
• Västergötland
• Halland
• Smäland
• Skane
• Blekinge
• Öland
• Gotland
• Östergötland

Cities

• Stockholm
• Malmö
• Gothenburg (Göteborg)
• Uppsala
• Kiruna
• Västerås
• Linköping
• Norrköping

Sights and Activities

Höga Kusten

Höga Kusten is one of the most beautiful coastline areas of Sweden. This stunning area is located between Härnösand to Örnsköldsvik, which are decent towns. Home to many glacial lakes and rolling hills one can spend days enjoying the fresh sea air and gentle breeze. There are also several nice traditional fishing villages to enjoy also.

Gotland

Gotland is the largest of the Baltic islands and one of Sweden's most important historic sights. This wonderful island is dotted with over a 100 medieval churches and home to countless prehistoric sites. A highlight is the medieval city of Visby and its magnificent walls.. There is also wonderful biking to be found between the churches and great day hikes. There are over 30 hostels to travel between that do get booked in the summertime.

Mount Kebnekaise

Mount Kebnekaise is the tallest mountain in all of Sweden and is located in Lapland. Its highest peak is 2,104 m (6,900 ft) and is glaciated. From the summit a traveller can see 9% of Sweden's surface area. After climbing the mountain there is a nice lodge to take a break at and have a coffee. Remember to take a break and try to spot some wildlife.

Trelleborg

Trelleborg is the collective name for six viking villages and forts that are located in present day northern Denmark and southern Sweden. Most of them were built in the late 10th and early 11th century. These impressive towns helped to rain havoc on most of the Northern Europe for several years. Many of the ones in Sweden are located near present day Borgedy and Trellebrog.

Other Sights and Activities

• Old Towns - Enjoy the traditional architecture in many of Sweden's older towns.
• Palaces - Explore the royal palaces in Stockholm and Riddarholmen to get a glimpse of grace.
• Turning Torso - Go see the tallest building in Scandinavia with is amazing design.
• Riksdag Building - Watch the social welfare state in action in the Swedish Parliament.
• Skiing - Get the thrill or peace of great downhill and cross-country skiing.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Sweden has continental climate in most of the country with generally warm summers and cold winters.
Only the southwestern coastal area between Goteborg and Malmo has milder weather during winter
because of the influence of the waters from the Atlantic Ocean.
Winters are much colder and from south to north temperatures decrease. The number of mean temperatures below zero increase from 71 in the south, 120 around Stockholm and close to 200 in the upper north.
Temperatures in the north are known to drop to around -50 degrees Celsius in extreme cases, though generally winterdays from December to March are between -10 and -20 degrees.
In the southern parts, Stockholm is around zero during the day, -5 degrees at night. Further south, temperatures are even several degrees milder.
Summers are warm throughout the country, with around 20 or 21 degrees Celsius in most of the country. Although on average a bit colder, warm days in the north are not less than in the south.
Precipitation is quite evenly distributed throughout the year, with some more rain in summer, when heavy showers can occur. Winters have snow, especially in the northern half of the country.

Getting there

Plane

Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) is the national airline of Sweden (and Denmark and Norway) and in Sweden it is based at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN). International destinations with SAS from Stockholm include several dozens of destinations in Europe, also served with many other airlines from European countries. The airport has 5 terminals. Cities served outside Europe are Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Guadeloupe, Doha, New York, Beijing and Chicago. Many charter airlines and lowcost airlines use the airport as well, like Norwegian Air Shuttle.
Several other cities in Sweden have international flights as well, including Gothenburg (Göteborg) and Malmö. TUIfly Nordic and Apollo have extensive networks from Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport (GOT).

By Train

Sweden has good train connections to Norway, Denmark and Germany, with onward connections further away, for example to London.
Norway
NSB (Norwegian State Railways) operates trains between Oslo and Stockholm. There is also a line south to Malmo, which connects to Copenhagen, Hamburg and Berlin. Trains also link Narvik in the north of Norway with Stockholm.
Denmark
Apart from the connecting lines mentioned above, there are trains roughly every 20 minutes or so between Malmo and Copenhagen, which stop at the Copenhagen Airport as well, travelling via the Öresund Bridge.
There are about 6-8 trains to and from Gothenburg in Sweden, as well as trains every two hours or so to Kristianstad and Karlskrona, all from Copenhagen.
Germany
Trains from Hamburg travel directly to Stockholm, via Copenhagen. Berlin Night Express has direct overnight trains to and from Malmo, via the Rodby-Puttgarden ferry, taking 9 hours each way. In Hamburg or Berlin, you can connect to places south, east and west in Europe.

By Car

You can enter Sweden from Denmark via the Öresund Bridge on the E20 motorway, paying toll (cash or creditcard). There are also several border crossings in the north of the country, connecting the country with the north of Finland. The main route between Sweden and Finland is the E4 from Umeå to Kemi. Road No 45 from Gällivare to Kaaresuvanto is another popular crossing. Five other minor roads also cross the border.
The main roads between Sweden and Norway are the E6 from Gothenburg to Oslo and the E18 from Stockholm to Oslo. To add, also the E14 from Sundsvall to Trondheim, the E12 from Umeå to Mo i Rana, and the E10 from Kiruna to Bjerkvik are the main crossings, though less used. Many secondary roads also cross the border.

By Bus

Eurolines, Säfflebusen and Swebus Express all have connections to and from Copenhagen in Denmark. There are also connections from Gothenburg and Stockholm to Oslo with these operators.
Frequent buses travel between Haparanda (Sweden) and Tornio (Finland) in the north of the country, while there are a few direct buses from Stockholm to Tornio each week, provided by Tapanis Buss.
In the north, buses run once-daily from Umeå to Mo i Rana and from Skellefteå to Bodø in Norway. Länstrafiken i Västerbotten and Länstrafiken i Norrbotten travel these routes respecitvely.

By Boat

Iceland
The Icelandic cargo ship Eimskip has two vessels, the Dettifoss and Goðafoss which travel the route Rotterdam-Hamburg-Göteborg-Århus-Fredrikstad-Tórshavn-Reykjavík. It takes 8 days in total and the return trip goes via eastern Iceland and Tórshavn only. The vessel can take a maximum of 3 passengers but only between mid-April and mid-October.

Finland

• RG Line travels between Vaasa and Umea in Sweden, in the central coastal parts of both countries. Boats also travel from Vaasa to the cities of Ornskolvik and Sundsvall.
• Silja Line and Tallink between Turku and Stockholm.
• Viking Line and Silja Line between Helsinki and Stockholm.

Aland

• From Grisslehamn (Sweden) to Eckerö (Åland) with Eckerolinjen
• From Kapellskär (Sweden) to Mariehamn (Åland) with Viking Line
• From Stockholm to Mariehamn with Viking Line, Silja Line, Birka Cruises and Tallink

Germany

• Stena Line between Gothenburg and Kiel.
• TT Line between Trelleborg and both Rostock and Travemünde.
• Scandlines between Trelleborg and Sassnitz.
• Nordö Link between Travemunde and Malmo.

Denmark

• Stena Line and Silja Line between Gothenburg and Frederikshavn.
• Stena Line between Varberg and Grena.
• HH Ferries and Scandlines between Helsingborg and Helsingor.
• Scandlines between Helsingborg and Copenhagen.
• Scandlines from Landskrona
• Bornholmstrafikken between Ystad and the island of Bornholm.

Norway

• Colorline between Stromstad and Sandefjord.

Estonia

• Tallink between Stockholm and Tallinn.

Latvia

• Stockholm to Riga with Riga Sealine.
• Terrabalt between Karlshamn and Liepaya.

Lithuania

• Lisco Baltic Service between Karlshamn and Klaipeda.

Poland

• Stena Line between Karlskrona and Gdynia.
• Pol Ferries between Nymashamn and Gdansk, between Ystad and Swinoujscie and between Trelleborg and Swinoujscie.
• Unity Line between both Ystad and Trelleborg and Swinoujscie.

Russia

• Lisco Baltic Service between Karlshamn and Baltysk.

United Kingdom

• DFDS Seaways between Gothenburg and both Harwich and Immingham.
• Stenaline between Harwich and Gothenburg.

Getting Around

By Plane

SAS is the main domestic carrier in Sweden and service about 30 airports in the country, mainly from Stockholm.

By Train

Swedish State Railways runs an excellent network of fast, reliable, comfortable and efficient trains throughout most of the country. Although most lines are concentrated in the south, there are services to the forested areas in the central and northern parts of the country. There are sleeper and restaurant cars on many trains.
There are X2000 high-speed trains from Stockholm to Gothenburg and other destinations include Jonkoping, Sundvall, Gavle, Malmö and Harnosand.
In summer, there are sleeper trains with services to bring your car from Malmo, Gothenburg and Vasteras in the south of Sweden to Kiruna and Lulea in the north of the country.
The Inland Railway is a popular and beautiful railway from Kristinehamn in the south to Gällivare in the north.

By Car

Sweden has a well maintained network of roads, although most highways are concentrated in the south and around Stockholm. All international companies have rental cars on airports and bigger cities and a national driver's licence is sufficient. Traffic drives on the right and headlights should be used at all times. Be careful with animals, like reindeer, especially when it's dark. Sufficient insurance (green card) is recommended.

By Bus

Connex and Swebus are the main operators on a number of efficient bus connections throughout the country. Even more remote smaller towns are linked regularly with bigger cities in the south. They also offer bus passes in the Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo areas.

By Boat

There aren't that many passenger ferries in Sweden, except from a number of lines useful when visiting the archipelago around Stockholm. The most useful route is the one between both Nynäshamn and Oskarshamn and the island of Gotland, served by Destination Gotland. The Gota Kanal travels from Gothenburg to Stockholm.
Note that some ferry services might not operate in winter.

Red Tape

If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you may enter without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. If you are not an EU citizen, you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.

• See http://www.migrationsverket.se/english.jsp for more (official) information on swedish visa and immigration policy

Money

See also: Money Matters

The krona (plural kronor, SEK) is the official currency of Sweden One krona is subdivided into 100 öre.

Banknotes are in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000 kronor.
Coins come in 50 öre, 1, 5, 10 kronor.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also: Travel Health

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

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