Sweden is an enchanting country, not as cold as one might imagine situated as it is in the high latitudes, and is well worth exploring whether along the meticulously maintained roads or on the extensive high-speed train system.

The capital city, Stockholm , encompasses 14 islands on the shores of the Baltic Sea . It is a high-tech city with a small-town feel, filled with top class restaurants, pulsating nightclubs, cosy pubs and a full array of performing arts. Best of all, nearly everyone you meet is fluent in English. Few visitors to Stockholm can resist an excursion to discover the offshore islands: the Stockholm archipelago offers some of the most beautiful coastal scenery in Europe , and can be enjoyed from the city on a day cruise.

How to Get In

Visa

Passport/Visa Note: The borderless region known as the Schengen area includes the following countries: Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , Iceland , Italy , Luxembourg , The Netherlands, Norway , Portugal , Spain and Sweden . All these countries issue a standard Schengen visa that, in principal, allows the holder to travel freely within the borders of all. All visitors are required to have visible means of support.

Note: Passport and visa requirements are liable to change at short notice. Travellers are advised to check their entry requirements with their embassy or consulate.using air travel.

By plan

Major airports:

* Stockholm Arlanda [4]: Serves most major airlines (SAS, Lufthansa, AirFrance, etc.). Located near Stockholm and easy to reach by direct train connection "Arlanda Express" (around 30 min) to central station.

* G?teborg Landvetter: Serves different bigger airlines (SAS, AirFrance, etc.) and provides convenient bus transfer (~20 min) to town center.

* Copenhagen Kastrup ( Denmark ): Serves most major airlines (SAS, Lufthansa, AirFrance, etc.). Located on an island between Copenhagen and Malm? and is ideal for travelling in southern Sweden . Train connections leave from the airport to both cities.

Cheap airports:

* Stockholm-Skavsta [5]: Serves cheaper flights and located quite a bit (about 100 km) outside of Stockholm , near the town of Nyk?ping .

* G?teborg City Airport : Serves cheaper flights (e.g. Ryanair from UK and DE) located conveniently near Gothenburg and has bus transfer.

* Malm?-Sturup: Serves domestic flights and cheaper flights with Ryanair and Wizz Air.

Most airports can be reached by bus Flygbussarna - Airport coaches for tickets around 70 to 100 SEK. Copenhagen airport is best reached by train. See Sk?netrafiken for schedules.

Domestic airline companies:

* Stockholmsplanet - flies from Palanga via Ronneby to Stockholm and then directly back to Palanga.

* Skyways - the largest number of domestic routes, several from Copenhagen

By train

You can reach Sweden by train from three countries at present:

* Denmark : Trains depart Copenhagen and Copenhagen 's airport for Malm? every 20 minutes, and cost only about SEK 85 ("?resundst?g / ?resundstog" regional trains). The train goes over the magnificent ?resund Bridge to get to Sweden in less than 30 minutes. Furthermore direct trains (X2000) leave from Copenhagen to Stockholm . The Elsinore-Helsingborg connection, known as one of the busiest ferry routes in Europe , might also be used (change to ship).

* Norway : Main connections between Oslo and Stockholm and Gothenburg as well as connections between Trondheim - ?re - ?stersund and Narvik - Kiruna - Boden - Stockholm .

* Germany : Berlin to Malm? with " Berlin Night Express".

* Finland : Travel via Kemi-Tornio-Haparanda-Lule? / Boden by bus. The train line has been discontinued but there are plans to re-open it in the future.

By car

In Svealand and G?taland driving takes you quickly from one place to the other. In Norrland the distances tend to be bigger between the different sites so the time spent driving may be long. Unless you really like driving, it is often more convenient to take the train or fly to the sites, particularly in Northern Norrland . Traveling by night can be dangerous due to unexpected animals on the roads and the cold nights during the winter. Collisions with moose, roe deer, or other animals are a not uncommon cause of car accidents. See also Driving in Sweden .

By bus

Get into Sweden by "Eurolines" or "S?fflebussen" . All connections here go via Copenhagen .

"Swebus Express" takes you to many destinations in G?taland and Svealand, while bus companies such as "Y-buss" and "H?rjedalingen" operate between Stockholm and Norrland.

By boat

Belgium

* From Ghent to Gothenburg by DFDS Torline (cargo line with limited passenger capacity)

Denmark

* From Grenaa to Varberg by Stena Line

* From Frederikshavn to Gothenburg by Stena Line

* From Elsinore to Helsingborg by Scandlines and HH-ferries

Estonia

* From Tallinn to Stockholm (via Helsinki ) by Viking Line

* From Tallinn to Stockholm (direct connection) by Tallink

Finland

* From Helsinki to Stockholm (via ?land) by Silja Line and Viking Line

* From Turku to Stockholm (via ?land) Silja Line and Viking Line

* From Vaasa to Ume? by RG Line

Latvia

* From Riga to Stockholm by Tallink

Germany

* From Travemuende to Trelleborg by TT-Line

* From Travemuende to Malmo by Nord? Link

* From Kiel to Gothenburg by Stena Line

* From Sassnitz to Trelleborg by Scandlines

* From Rostock to Trelleborg by Scandlines and TT-Line

Norway

* From Kristiansand to Gothenburg by DFDS Seaways

Poland

* From Gdansk to Nyn?shamn by Polferries

* From Gdansk to Visby by by Polferries

* From Gdynia to Karlskrona by Stena Line

* From ?winouj?cie to Ystad by Polferries

Russia

* From St. Petersburg to Stockholm by Silja Line.

* From Baltijsk, Kaliningrad to Karlshamn by DFDS Tor Line.

UK

* From Newcastle to Gothenburg (via Kristiansand ) by DFDS Seaways.

* From Immingham and Tilbury to Gothenburg by DFDS Torline (cargo line with limited passenger capacity)

Get around

Sweden has an extensive railway network. Most major lines are controlled by SJ. Regional public transport is usually operated by private companies contracted by the counties. For instance, when travelling regionally in the province of Scania (Sk?ne in Swedish), one should refer to Sk?netrafiken. Connex provides affordable railroad transportation up north. Trains, especially those operated by Connex, tend to have quite significant delays (up to 1-2 hours). The national public transport authority is called Rikstrafiken whose online timetable (trains, buses and ferries) includes an English language version and is called Resplus. Swebus Express runs a number of bus lines through the middle and southern parts, they tend to be a little cheaper if you can't take advantage of SJs youth discounts. To buy a railway ticket, or to obtain information, phone +46 771 75 75 75 or check the SJ site.

By thumb

Sweden has a reputation for being a pretty difficult country to hitch in, though it's still quite possible to hitchhike ( but risk assence is no way assured ) . Ordinary people are often afraid to pick up strangers, unless they're not women with babies in desperate conditions, after the dark maybe ( when it's probable that letting them there means killing them for a hypotermia matter ). Truck-drivers are probably most likely to pick up hitchhikers, so target them. Asking at gas stations works pretty well. Bus-stops are common places to attract attention, position yourself before the actual bus-stop so the vehicle can stop at the stop. This works best if the road is widened at the bus-stop, allowing cars to pull off easily.

What to Eat

Swedish cuisine is mostly hearty meat or fish with potatoes, derived from the days when men needed to chop wood all day long. Traditional everyday dishes are called husmanskost (pronounced whos-mans-cost). This could be meatballs (k?ttbullar) with potatoes and lingonberry jam, fried diced meat, onions and potatoes (Hash, or "Pytt i Panna") or pea soup followed by thin pancakes. Besides the ubiquitous potatoes, modern Swedish cuisine is to a great extent based on bread.

Pickled herring ("sill"), available in various types of sauces, is commonly eaten with bread or potatoes for summer lunch or as a starter. Adventurous diners might want to try surstr?mming, which is (coastal) central and northern Sweden 's entry in the revolting-foods-of-the-world contest. It's herring which is fermented in a can until it's about to burst, and so foul-smelling that it's eaten only outdoors in the summer so as not to stink up the house. It is considered bad form not to notify (or invite) the neighbours before having a surstr?mmingsskiva, a party where the delicacy is consumed. It is said that the only way you could stand the stink is to take a deep breath of it just when you open the can - to as quickly as possible strike out your smelling sense. Surstr?mming is mostly available in August.

What to Drink

Access to alcoholic beverages is, as in Norway and Finland , quite restricted and more expensive than in other countries. The only place to buy liquor over the counter is in one of the state owned shops called Systembolaget. Though the Systembolaget shops sometimes seem to be closed more often than they are open, they do have a fantastic selection and a knowing staff. The most famous Swedish alcoholic beverage is the Absolut Vodka, which has been voted as the best vodka in the world, but there is a wide range of other Swedish vodkas, usually spiced aquavits and schnapps. Sweden does produce some outstanding beers like the dark Carnegie Porter, but most beers are rather nondescript lagers. The beer you get in shops is called Folk?l and has 3,5% alcohol. The wine production is miniscule.

The age limit is 18 to bars and beers in shops, but 20 in Systembolaget. Many bars have an age limit of 20, but some have age limits as high as 23-25, a few places even 30.

The prices at clubs/bars are often very expensive compared to other countries, a large beer (half a liter) costs usually as much as 45-55 SEK (~US$7). For that reason many Swedes have a small pre-party ("f?rfest") before they go out, to get started on their buzz before they hit the town and go to nightclubs.

Stay Safe

You are not likely to be exposed to crime, although, keep a watch over your hand-bag in major cities. Unlocked bikes are likely to be stolen. The phone number to dial in case of fire, medical or criminal emergency, is 112. Almost all stores and resturants accept MasterCard and Visa so there is no need to carry alot of cash around. Generally, Sweden is one of the calmest countries of Europe ; it's very rare to be in real danger, even, and especially, at night.

Stay Healthy

The pharmacies are controlled by state monopoly and carry a sign spelled "Apoteket". For small medical problems the pharmacy is sufficent, they carry almost all household medical supplies like band aid, antiseptica and painkillers. Major cities carry one pharmacy open at night.

Swedish health care is usually of a very high quality, but can be quite challenging to receive. Virtually all medical facilities are state-owned, and have problems with funding. Therefore, getting a time within a week at a medical center is very rare. In case of a medical emergency, most provinces (and of course, the major cities) have a regional hospital with an around-the-clock emergency ward. However, you can expect a very long wait, up to 24 hours, before getting medical attention. If your problem isn't deemed severe, expect to be sent home without treatment.