SWEDEN

Travel Tips

Kalmar Castle is not open weekends only, November to March - in fact it is open one weekend per month during that period. If you're in town for the wrong weekend, you are out of luck. Aggrieved tourists fronting up to the tourist office are met by anything from barely concealed impatience to outright hostility. "You are here at the wrong time of year" is the phrase winter visitors to Sweden hear most often.

Oland is a nice 18 kr bus ride from Kalmar. Graborg ring fort is 10 km from both Farjestaden and Algutsrum and 7 km from the windmills. Historical importance aside, the fort itself has suffered considerable depredation and is now little more than a tumbledown circle of rocks.

There is a bus service from Kalmar to Stockholm but some days, for no apparent reason, the bus simply doesn't materialise. Bus company officials themselves cannot explain this, preferring instead to shrug and tell you that this is the wrong time of year to be visiting. The train costs 520 kr.

Stockholm is a magical city that looks the way a capital city should look. Unfortunately, the boat tours of StockholmÆs myriad waterways had all suspended operations for the winter - odd, as the water here does not freeze.

People trying to get a Latvian visa in Stockhollm should be warned that the embassy is only open for two hours per day, 10 am until 12 pm. The Lithuanian embassy is no longer at Strandvagen 53. A double-entry Latvian visa costs 150 kr and takes three working days.
Matt Anderson,Canada (Mar 99)

Stockholm is often the first place that comes to mind when thinking about travelling to Sweden, but many Swedes prefer Goteborg. The Swedish call Goteborg the green city because of its many parks. Goteborg is only second in size to Stockholm, but it is the perfect size for strolls in the mildest winters and summers in Sweden. If parks aren't enough, Goteborg is the largest port in Sweden. A sightseeing boat tour through the city's intricate canal system only costs SEK 65. As the commercial and industrial centre of Sweden, Goteborg also has all the trappings of bustling city - complete with an opera house overlooking the harbour and the largest amusement park in Scandinavia.
Lindsey Zuckerman, USA (Oct 98)

If wanting to travel to the Baltics by ferry from Stockholm, don't waste time with travel agencies - go straight to the central station where Estline and Viking line both have offices where you can book tickets for same day travel.

Forget about purchasing a Baltic states pass from Campus Travel. It proved impossible to validate and nobody seemed to know what it was.

In Stockholm I had booked a ticket from Tallinn returning to Stockholm and had been told that I could pay for it in Tallinn. What I wasn't told however, was that paying for the ticket in EEK would cost around ú7 more than paying for it in SEK. Beware.
Lois Briard, UK (Sept 98)

Between Riga, Latvia and Stockholm, Sweden there is a (more or less) regular boat connection. For quite a while there have been several operators on this route but so far none have managed to remain in business permanently. The boat has been operating since December 1997, and I hope that this time it will survive. Service is Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Riga and Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday from Stockholm. In Latvia the best place to get tickets is the passenger port but if don't fancy the long walk to the port, most travel agents can get your tickets in a day or two. One way tickets start at 30 LVL for a four berth cabin. Reluctantly there are a few deck seats sold at 15 LVL. On tickets from 30LVL and upwards there is a 10% discount if you have an ISIC card.

If breakfast is included in the price, you can stuff yourself with "free" food and stock up before you reach expensive Stockholm. From Sweden Anedin Linjen the tickets. SEK 600: - is the cheapest fare, while a student fare is SEK 100:- discount. The boat is not spectacular, but with its 18 hrs at sea it is a slow but reasonable alternative to flights. More over one can still feel the spirit of Soviet days on the boat as it is chartered from the Russian run Far East Shipping Co. Service is in grand Soviet style and USSR freaks will definitely get a kick out of this boat. All in all a miniature Soviet era survivor afloat in the Baltic sea.
Ralf Znotins (Apr 98)

According to LP Scandinavia guide, the one and three day Stockholm tourist cards for public transit will not get you from the airport to the city and vice versa. This is only partly true. These cards are not valid on the Flygbussarna, the airport buses, but are valid on the commuter trains and red SL buses, which will also get you to the airport with no problems. Instead of the 60kr airport bus to the city centre, take bus 583 to Msrsta station. The bus is perfectly coordinated with the commuter train which will take you to the Central Station. The same thing works in reverse when heading to the airport. If you plan on getting a tourist card, use it for this trip. Even if you just pay the bus driver the cash, it still turns out cheaper than the airport bus. If you get the strip-cards with 20 punches, it can also be used. The price for the trip this way is only 26 kr.

There is a new special train line being put in straight to the airport, but don't expect it to be cheap.
Ramon Baker (Mar 98)

Travel from Stockhom to Finland. All the ferry lines running between Stockholm and Finland (Turku, Helsinki, Mariehamn) offer super cheap "cruises" (Kryssningar") for a couple of dollars. These are usually good for two nights on the ferry and a full day in Finland. If you're just looking for a one way ticket, you can book one of these and then just hop off in Finland. Cheaper than buying a one-way ticket.
Ray Baker (Mar 98)

While in Stockholm, make the most out of your food budget by eating the big meal at lunch time. Most restaurants have a choice of daily specials (dagens rStt) for about 50 kr. These offers are generally from 11 am to 2 pm and generally include all-you-can-eat salad, coffee, etc. Don't be tricked into eating at fast-food burger and kebab places. By the time you get the sandwich, drink, fries etc, it will cost just as much as a nice sit down daily special.
Ramon Baker (Mar 98)

Stockholm cabs offer a women's discount. That goes for Gothenburg as well. The Goteborgs taxi (031-650 000) offers a 20% discount from 10 pm to 6 am to women.
Annika (June 97)