Travel tips to European Countries: Sweden

About the county

Beautiful and clean, the peaceful Sweden is a land of cultural diversity with a mix of Danish and Wild Arctic North influences. One can also get the feel of urban living in its beautiful and sophisticated cities and at the same time one can feel the tranquility in the countryside. Sweden is full of charm with scenic medical villages, islands, lakes and forests dotting its landscape.

Most of Sweden抯 area is covered by forests and not to forget thousands of lakes. One of the beauties of Sweden is its islands and one cannot go without seeing these islands. They offer the most scenic and beautiful experience to any visitors. Stockholm is the capital of Sweden, a city with 14 islands dotted with great restaurants, nightclubs, pubs and artistic grandeur. Wherever you go most people speak English. If visitors want to have a taste of seafood the west coast is the place to be. Also it is popular for ancient city Uppsala. Do no miss a trip to the Ice Hotel which is sculpted from ice each winter in Lapland. Sweden is an exciting country with great roads and state of the art high speed train system.

Population & Languages

Sweden has a population of around 9 million and the official language is Swedish. Lapp is spoken by Sami people in the north. Most people speak English fluently and also many speak German and French.

Electricity

Voltage - 230 volts, Frequency - 50Hz. Standard European 2-pin plugs are used.

Geographic Location

Sweden is a Nordic country lying in the Scandinavian Peninsula and is the fifth largest country in Europe. Its west neighbor is Norway; Finland in the northeast, the southwest border is surrounded by Skagerrak and Kattegat straits and the west coast is surrounded by Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. Majority of the area is forest and there are thousands of lakes mostly in the Southern part of Sweden.

Local Customs

Like any other country Sweden has its own customs too. It is customary not to drink until the host makes a toast. Smoking is prohibited in most public areas. It is also customary to say Tack f鰎 maten to the host after having a meal which means thanks for the food. Casual dress is acceptable for everyday wear and formal wear for social gatherings. Also tipping up to ten percent is customary for service in restaurants and around same percent for taxis also.

Places to see

Stockholm ?The biggest city and capital of Sweden and is one of the most beautiful cities of the world. The old town is a treat for your eyes and a walk around city抯 waterways and parks is an experience to cherish. Most visitors prefer walking around on foot and visit the medieval part of Gamla Stan. The city is basically constituted by archipelagos which are outstandingly scenic and can be explored by cruises.

Gothenburg ?it is the second biggest city of Sweden. Not to be missed attraction in this city is Liseberg, a world class amusement park. It is home to popular museums like Ostindiska huset, Konstmuseet and Sj鰂artshistoriska museet.

Vadstena - The Renaissance castle Vadstena slot & klosterkyrkan.

Visby ?Port of Visby, ruins of Drotten, St Nicolai, St Lars and St Carin, cathedral of St Maria and Gotlands Fornsal historic musem.

Oland ?Fort of Graborg, Eketorp museum and ruins of Borgholm Castle.

Travel

By Air ?It is well connected to the rest of the world by air. Many international airlines serve Sweden apart from its national airlines SAS. The other airlines are Air Canada, Air France, Aeroflot, British Airways, Finn air, Lufthansa, Ryan air etc.

By Sea ?The ferries connect Sweden with other destinations such as New Castle, Copenhagen, and St. Petersburg etc.

By Rail ?Trains connect Ostend, Sweden to London. It is also connected to Denmark by Eurostar train.

By Road ?Visitors from UK can drive to Sweden through Demark or Germany

Duty Free Items

1. Up to 200 cigarettes or 250 gm tobacco

2. 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars

3. 1 liter spirit over 22% or 2 liter wine or 32 liter beer

4. Perfumes

5. Gifts up to SEK 1700.

Prohibited Items

Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, most meat and dairy products, eggs, plants, endangered species, fireworks and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty per cent alcohol.

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Sweden Weather - How Hot is it?

In Sweden, weather is a much talked about subject. That is how it usually is in many of the northern countries because the weather is often not very good, especially in winter. The country is long-shaped, roughly north to south, and because of this the weather can be very different at either end.

The Sweden weather you experience depends on where you are. It is actually possible to have snow in summer, but also sunbathe at midnight - all in the same country. The southernmost tip of the country is around 55 degrees latitude north and the northernmost tip around 69 degrees north, inside the Arctic Circle.
The Sweden weather in winter ranges from around -40 degrees Celsius to 2 degrees Celsius. In summer it tends to be from around 15 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius - sometimes even hotter.

January through to March is when snow can be expected, though in the far north this is more variable and less contained. It can rain at any time, and rather unfairly, it is the warmest months of July and August that gets the most rain.
The Sweden weather is mostly temperate. This is mainly because of the Gulf Stream waters that lap its shores and bring temperate winds from the west. Southern Sweden can be surprisingly warm and a lot less cold than many would expect for its northern position. In the mountains of the north, however, a bitterly cold sub-Arctic climate prevails most of the time.
Some 15 percent of the country is within the Arctic Circle. This means that from around the end of May until the middle of July that part has no night. This is the Midnight Sun. Any traveler who is not used with this amount of continuous daylight will most likely have difficulty in sleeping in the north of Sweden during the summer months.
The converse is true for the northern 15 percent; in winter they have perpetual darkness from the middle of December until the end of the first week of January. During this time, Stockholm, the capital to the south, has only five and a half hours of daylight.
The Sweden weather is enhanced by two major factors. One we have touched on already; the effects of the Gulf Stream, which brings pre-warmed winds over the land providing a temperate climate. The other factor is the continental high pressures that develop to the east. These create Sweden weather that is sunny, often quite hot in summer, and while cold in winter, they do relieve a dark days considerably.
In winter in the far north, the average Sweden weather temperatures can plunge to -40 degrees Celsius. In summer in the southern parts it can exceed 32 degrees Celsius on occasion. This is a vast temperature range that few countries can equal, and it aptly demonstrates the great diversity of weather to be found within Sweden.
The Sweden weather has a lot of precipitation throughout the year. The rainiest season is during late summer, especially in the southeast where they get around 24 inches of rainfall a year. By contrast, in Lappland in the north the annual rainfall is only half that amount.