Nuts-and-bolts information to plan your trip, plus a checklist of essentials to include when you pack.
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Planning:
Entry Requirements: U.S. citizens need a valid passport to enter Sweden, but no visa is required.
Security: Apart from the odd politically motivated murder, no major terrorist act has been carried out in Sweden since 1975. As a tourist, you should feel safe anywhere in the country.
Time: Sweden is six hours ahead of U.S. eastern standard time.
Money: Sweden’s currency is the krona. For current conversion rates go to OANDA Currency Converter. www.oanda.com/convert/classic
Phone Calls: The international country code for Sweden is 46. The area codes for the major cities are 08 (Stockholm), 031 (Gothenburg) and 040 (Malmö). When calling from abroad, delete the initial zero.
When to Go : May through September is by far the best time to visit, with temperatures in the 60-80°F (16-22°C) range for Stockholm. Winter sports attract visitors to the north, but erratic weather conditions with rain and heavy cloud cover make Stockholm a discouraging winter destination.
Getting There: There are four airports with international connections in the greater Stockholm area. From Arlanda (ARN, www.arlanda.se), the largest, you can fly nonstop to Chicago (SAS), New York (SAS, Malaysia Airlines and Continental), and Boston (Finnair).
Getting Around: Because Stockholm opens wide to the Baltic to the east, there’s no easy way to build a ring road around it. Speed limits are about 30 miles per hour (50 kilometers per hour) inside cities and 43-68 miles per hour (70-110 kilometers per hour) on the motorway.
Checklist:
Passport: Sweden is a part of the Schengen passport-free zone. This means that once you’ve entered Sweden (or any other Schengen country) you don’t need to show your passport again when travelling within the Schengen area. Paradoxically, this also means that you must be able to prove your identity at any time while in Sweden if asked to do so by a policeman.
Immunization Papers: Sweden is not home to any epidemic diseases, so you don’t need any special vaccinations. The only exception would be if you are traveling from a temporarily infected area.
Insect Repellent: Especially if you venture into the archipelago (which you should), some sort of bug spray is a must in the summertime. Djungelolja (Jungle Oil) is a popular classic.
In Country: If you plan to leave the city for some hiking or biking, or even just a walk in the woods, ask a local to show you what brännässlor (burning nettles) look like. Sweden is only home to one dangerous snake— huggorm (the common European adder)—but its bite does require medical attention.
Ticks: If you’ve been to the archipelago, you should check yourself for ticks, which can give you Lyme disease or encephalitis (acute inflammation of the brain).
Moose Alert: Sweden is home to thousands of moose, and people are killed and severely wounded each year after smashing into them with their cars. If you venture out with a rental car, drive with caution, especially where there are no safety fences. Also keep in mind that wildlife move around mostly at dawn and dusk, and that moose will not move just because you honk.
Appropriate Dress: Since Sweden switched from Catholicism to Protestantism in the 1500s, there are no restrictions against entering churches with bare shoulders or short skirts. In general, not much in the way of modern dress will shock liberal Stockholmers.
Sleep Mask: Many summertime travelers to Scandinavia wake up thinking they have overslept when the sun wakes them up at 5 a.m. The farther north you travel, the earlier the sun will rise. To secure a good night’s sleep, bring along a sleep mask.
