Sweden Travel Tips

Social Conventions
Normal courtesies should be observed. It is customary for the guest to refrain from drinking until the host makes a toast. The guest should also thank the host for the meal by saying ‘tack för maten’. Casual dress is acceptable for everyday occasions; smarter wear for social occasions, exclusive restaurants and clubs. Evening wear (black tie) will usually be specified when required. Smoking is prohibited on public transport and in most public buildings.

International Travel:

Getting There by Air
The national airline is SAS Scandinavian Airlines System (SK) (website: www.sas.se).

Main Airports
Stockholm (STO) (Arlanda) (website: www.lfv.se) is 42km (26 miles) north of the city. To/from the airport: There are frequent bus services operating between the airport and the city (journey time - 40 minutes). Arlanda Express trains leave for the city frequently throughout the day (journey time - 20 minutes). Trains travel to a range of destinations, including Sundsvall, Falun, Mora and Uppsala from the airport. Taxis are also available. There are regular buses to the city center.
Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, banks/bureaux de change, ATM, restaurant/bar, coffee shop and tourist information.

Gothenburg (GOT) (Landvetter) (website: www.landvetter.lfv.se) is 24km (15 miles) east of the city (journey time - 25 minutes). To/from the airport: Coach services are frequent between the airport and the Central Station. Buses and taxis are available into Gothenburg, as well as to and from Copenhagen (journey time - 50 minutes).
Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change, restaurant/bar and coffee shop.

Malmö Sturup (MMX) (website: www.sturup.com) is 31km (20 miles) east of the city(journey time - 35 minutes). To/from the airport: Bus and taxi services link the airport with the city.
Facilities: Bureau de change and a duty-free shop.

For more information on the airports, contact LFV (Swedish Airports and Air Navigation Services) (website: www.lfv.se).

Getting There by Water
Main ports: Gothenburg (website: www.portgot.se), Sundsvalls Hamn (website: www.sundsvallshamn.se), Hargs Hamn (website: www.hargshamn.se) and Trelleborg (website: www.tralleborgshamn.se).

There is no longer a direct ferry link between the UK and Sweden, but DFDS (tel: (042) 266 000; website: www.dfdsseaways.se) operates services from Newcastle to Norway and from Harwich to Denmark. There are also ferry connections from Swedish ports to other destinations including Copenhagen, Gdansk, Helsingør, Kiel, Klaipeda, Oslo, Riga, St Petersburg and Tallinn.

Öresund Runt Card: This pass enables visitors to travel on both sides of the Öresund sound (Sweden and Denmark) on boats or trains. The ticket can be bought from the Malmo Tourism Office at Central Station.

Getting There by Rail
One UK-Sweden route is from London to Hook of Holland or Ostend, and onwards via Copenhagen (journey time - 22 to 25 hours). There are connections by ferry from Denmark and through rail routes from Norway (Oslo, Narvik and Trondheim). However, the quickest route is to take the Eurostar train to Brussels, and then to catch a connection to Hamburg and on to Stockholm.

The Swedish high-speed train x2000 travels from Oslo to Stockholm/Gothenburg. Inlandsbanan (inland railway) (tel: (0771) 535 353; website: www.inlandsbanan.se) is a route from Kristinehamn (Mid-Sweden) to Gällivare (North). It is a privately-owned company offering tours during the summer months. Bicycles can be taken on the trains.

Connex AB operates trains from Stockholm to Gothenburg. Other destinations on the route include Kiruna, Luleå, Umeå and Sundsvall.

Rail Passes
InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).


Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people traveling together. The Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The Eurailpass Flexi allows either 10 or 15 travel days within a two-month period. The Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The Eurail Regional Pass allows four to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of nine regions (usually two or more countries). Children receive a 50% reduction. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or the Russian Federation. Available from The Eurail Group (website: http://www.eurail.com/).

ScanRail: allows unlimited travel within Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Valid for five, eight or 10 days in two months or 21 consecutive days. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk/railpasses/scanrail.htm).

Getting There by Road
From the UK visitors can either drive to Sweden through Europe via Denmark or Germany.

The Øresund Fixed Link, spanning 16km (10 miles) of waterway, joins the cities of Malmö (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark). The link comprises a suspension bridge and an underwater tunnel, joined in the middle by an artificial island. It was designed to provide better connections between the Scandinavian peninsula and the European continent.

Coach: There are services from London to a number of Swedish cities throughout the year, taking approximately 30 hours (restricted service in winter). Eurolines (tel: 0870 514 3219, in the UK; website: www.eurolines.com) runs regular coach services to Sweden. Passes: Travelers can either book a 15- or a 30-day pass.

Overview
The following items may be imported into Sweden from non-EU countries without incurring customs duty:
• 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco*.
• 1l spirits over 22% or 2l fortified or sparkling wine, 2l wine and 32l beer*.
• A reasonable quantity of perfume.
• Gifts up to a value of Kr.1700.
*Travelers must be over 18 years of age to import any cigarettes or tobacco products, and over 20 years of age to import any alcoholic beverages. These regulations are strictly enforced. 

Abolition of duty-free goods within the EU
On 30 June 1999, the sale of duty-free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all of the original 15 EU member states. Of the 10 new member states that joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and the two states that joined on 1 January 2007, these rules already apply to Cyprus and Malta. There are transitional rules in place for visitors returning to one of the original 15 EU countries from one of the other new EU countries. But for the original 15, plus Cyprus and Malta, there are no limits imposed on importing tobacco and alcohol products from one EU country to another. Travelers should note that they may be required to prove at customs that the goods purchased are for personal use only. Member states may follow the EU’s guide levels of: 10l of spirits; 20l of fortified wine; 90l of wine; 110l of beer; 800 cigarettes; 400 cigarillos; 200 cigars; and 1kg of tobacco.

Prohibited Imports
Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, most meat and dairy products, eggs, plants, potatoes from outside the EU, endangered species, fireworks and alcoholic beverages of over 60% alcohol.

Internal Travel:

Getting Around By Air
SAS (website: www.flysas.com) serves over 30 local airports. Travel by air is relatively cheap and efficient and there are a number of reduced fares offered; contact SAS for further details.

Getting Around by Water
Unlike Norway and Finland, there are few domestic ferry services in Sweden. The various archipelagos on the southeast coast are served by small ferries, the most comprehensive network being within the Stockholm archipelago, for which you can buy an island-hopping boat pass. The other major link is Destination Gotland (tel: (0771) 223 300; website: www.destinationgotland.se) between the Baltic island of Gotland and the mainland at Nynäshamn and Oskarshamn, which are very popular routes in summer; booking ahead is strongly recommended. There are frequent coastal sailings to all ports and on the hundreds of lakes throughout the country, especially in the north. For details contact local authorities.

Canal: The Gota Canal (tel: (0141) 202 050; website: www.gotakanal.se), served by vintage steamer, connects Gothenburg and Stockholm.

Getting Around by Rail
The excellent and extensive rail system is run by Swedish State Railways (SJ) (tel: (0771) 757 575; website: www.sj.se). The network is more concentrated in the populated south where services run between the main cities, but routes extend to the forested and sparsely populated lake area of the north, which is a scenic and popular holiday destination. Restaurant cars and sleepers are provided on many trains. Reservations are essential for most express services. X2000 high-speed trains travel from Stockholm to Gothenburg; other destinations on the route include Jönköping, Sundvall, Gävle, Malmö and Härnosand. Motorail car-sleeper services are operated during the summer on the long-distance routes from Malmö, Gothenburg and Västerås to Kiruna and Luleå.

Rail Passes
InterRail One-Country Pass: offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month within Sweden. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Sweden Rail Pass: Sweden Booking (tel: (0498) 203 380; website: www.swedenbooking.com) offers passes giving unlimited travel for three to eight days in one month. Supplements for seat, sleepers, etc are not included in the pass. Up to two children under 16 can travel free with one adult and reduced fares are available for others.

Getting Around by Road
Traffic drives on the right. Sweden’s roads are well-maintained and relatively uncrowded, but watch out for animals crossing the road in remote areas.

Bus: Express coach services and local buses are run by Connex, trading as Veolia Transport Sverige (tel: (8) 629 5000; website: www.connex.se) and Swebus (tel: (8) 5463 0000; website: www.swebus.se). Cheap and efficient links are available to all towns. Many coach operators do special offers on tickets on weekends (Friday to Sunday). The Gothenburg, Malmö and Stockholm Passes (one-, two- or three-day) offer free public transport in those areas as well as free admission to selected museums and tourist attractions. Cards can be purchased from tourist information centers, train stations, camping sites or youth hostels.

Taxi: Available in all towns and at airports. Intercity taxis are also available. Taxi drivers should be tipped around 10%.

Car hire: Available in most towns and cities. All international agencies are represented.

Regulations: The minimum age for car drivers is 18; for motorcyclists it is 17. Speed limits outside built-up areas are 110, 90 or 70kph (68, 56 or 43mph) depending on road width and traffic density. In built-up areas the limit is 50kph (31mph) or 30kph (19mph) in school areas. There are on-the-spot fines for traffic offences. The use of dipped headlights is compulsory in the daytime for cars and motorcycles. Crash helmets are compulsory for motorcyclists. Seat belts must be worn at all times. Children under seven may not travel in a car if it is not equipped with a special child restraint or a normal seat belt adapted for the child’s use. Emergency warning triangles are obligatory. Studded tires are only permitted from 1 November to the first Monday after the Easter holiday.

Documentation: National driving license is sufficient, but it must include a photo or it will not be recognized. The car’s log book and written permission must be carried if driving someone else’s car. A Green Card is not required by Swedish authorities, but it tops up the cover provided by a domestic policy. It is advisable to check the validity of insurance policies prior to departure.

Getting Around Towns and Cities
Public transport is efficient, comprehensive and well-integrated. Stockholm has bus, trams, metro (T-banan) and local rail services. Pre-purchase multi-tickets and passes are sold, though single tickets can also be obtained on the bus. There are trams in Gothenburg and Norrköping. Taxis are widely available; large taxi companies are cheaper than independents. Several of the main cities, particularly Stockholm, have boat excursions and services.

Journey Times
The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Stockholm to other major cities/towns in Sweden.

	Air	Road	Rail
Gothenburg	0.50	6.00	4.30
Malmö	1.05	8.00	6.45
Luleå	1.15	20.00	15.00
Mora	1.00	6.00	4.30

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