Sweden Travel Facts & Tips

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Captial City	Stockholm

Dialing Code	(00) 46

Emergency Numbers	Ambulance, police and fire 112

Weather	Sweden’s climate is relatively mild although it varies greatly, depending where in Sweden you are. Summers can be very hot but the further north you get the shorter the summers. Average temperatures in summer are usually around 20°C - 25°C, although it sometimes gets even warmer. Between mid-May and mid-June you can see the midnight sun above the Arctic Circle. Winters are often really cold, especially in the north of the country; the days there are shorter and heavy frosts and snowfalls can be expected, especially from January to March. In winter, temperatures normally range from -7°C to 2°C. July and August tend to be the wettest months.

Tourist Board website	http://www.visitsweden.com

Most Famous For	Vikings, IKEA, Volvo, meatballs

Useful Phrases	Hej (hello), hej da(goodbye), tack (thank you)

Accommodation	Hotels are generally of a high standard with a good variety to be found in almost every Swedish town. You get private hotels as well as hotels operated by large hotel groups. All over Sweden there are independently run country hotels, which offer good, often traditional food and in many cases they’re located in stunning settings, such as in manor houses or old farmhouses. There are working farms throughout Sweden which offer accommodation either in the main farmhouse or in a cottage near the main building. Accommodation is normally on a bed & breakfast basis, with self-catering facilities. Bookings can be made through local tourist offices. Forest cabins and chalets are another option, generally set in beautiful surroundings, near lakes, quiet forests or on an island. Family camping holidays are very popular in Sweden and there is a huge range of attractive sites. There are over 600 campsites, most are located on a lakeside or by the sea. Most sites are open from 1st June to 15th August. Many sites are also open in April or May; in winter, 200 sites remain open, particularly in the winter sports areas in central and northern Sweden. Rough camping is tolerated in many areas. A useful alternative to the usual tent or caravan camping is renting one of 4400 camping cabins which are available at many sites. They generally contain bunk beds and kitchen equipment. There are more than 300 hostels in Sweden, most have two to four beds per room or family rooms. There are no restrictions on who may stay in which of Sweden’s hostels, which means you don’t have to be a member of any hostel related organization. The majority of hostels are open during the summer and many stay open for the whole year.

Business Hours	Banks will open Monday - Friday 09.30-15.00 or until 17.30 in some larger cities. Shops are generally open Monday-Friday 09.00/09.30-17.00/18.00, although this will be until 20.00/22.00 for larger stores. On Saturdays shop opening hours are typically 09.00/09.30-13.00/16.00 and some of the bigger shops also open Sundays from 12.00-16.00.

Visas	EU nationals are only required to produce evidence of their EU nationality and identity in order to be admitted. Sweden is a signatory to the 1995 Schengen Agreement. For further details about passport/visa regulations within the Schengen area, see relevant embassy website.

Tipping	Tipping is not mandatory, however, if you were happy with the service you received, it is common to round the amount of the bill up or simply to leave 5-10% of the price behind. Taxi drivers will also appreciate it if you round the bill up and give a couple of kronor extra, but insofar as hairdressers, beauty therapists, etc. are concerned, tipping is not the norm.

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