Sweden Travel Guide - Getting Around

SAS (website: www.flysas.com) serves over 30 local airports. Travel by air is relatively cheap and efficient and there are a number of reduced fares offered; contact SAS for further details.

Unlike Norway and Finland, there are few domestic ferry services in Sweden. The various archipelagos on the southeast coast are served by small ferries, the most comprehensive network being within the Stockholm archipelago, for which you can buy an island-hopping boat pass. The other major link is Destination Gotland (tel: (0771) 223 300; website: www.destinationgotland.se) between the Baltic island of Gotland and the mainland at Nynäshamn and Oskarshamn, which are very popular routes in summer; booking ahead is strongly recommended. There are frequent coastal sailings to all ports and on the hundreds of lakes throughout the country, especially in the north. For details contact local authorities.

Canal: The Gota Canal (tel: (0141) 202 050; website: www.gotakanal.se), served by vintage steamer, connects Gothenburg and Stockholm.

The excellent and extensive rail system is run by Swedish State Railways (SJ) (tel: (0771) 757 575; website: www.sj.se). The network is more concentrated in the populated south where services run between the main cities, but routes extend to the forested and sparsely populated lake area of the north, which is a scenic and popular holiday destination. Restaurant cars and sleepers are provided on many trains. Reservations are essential for most express services. X2000 high-speed trains travel from Stockholm to Gothenburg; other destinations on the route include Jönköping, Sundvall, Gävle, Malmö and Härnosand. Motorail car-sleeper services are operated during the summer on the long-distance routes from Malmö, Gothenburg and Västerås to Kiruna and Luleå.

InterRail One-Country Pass: offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month within Sweden. Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Sweden Rail Pass: Sweden Booking (tel: (0498) 203 380; website: www.swedenbooking.com) offers passes giving unlimited travel for three to eight days in one month. Supplements for seat, sleepers, etc are not included in the pass. Up to two children under 16 can travel free with one adult and reduced fares are available for others.

Traffic drives on the right. Sweden's roads are well-maintained and relatively uncrowded, but watch out for animals crossing the road in remote areas.

Bus: Express coach services and local buses are run by Connex, trading as Veolia Transport Sverige (tel: (8) 629 5000; website: www.connex.se) and Swebus (tel: (8) 5463 0000; website: www.swebus.se). Cheap and efficient links are available to all towns. Many coach operators do special offers on tickets on weekends (Friday to Sunday). The Gothenburg, Malmö and Stockholm Passes (one-, two- or three-day) offer free public transport in those areas as well as free admission to selected museums and tourist attractions. Cards can be purchased from tourist information centres, train stations, camping sites or youth hostels.

Taxi: Available in all towns and at airports. Intercity taxis are also available. Taxi drivers should be tipped around 10%.

Car hire: Available in most towns and cities. All international agencies are represented.

Regulations: The minimum age for car drivers is 18; for motorcyclists it is 17. Speed limits outside built-up areas are 110, 90 or 70kph (68, 56 or 43mph) depending on road width and traffic density. In built-up areas the limit is 50kph (31mph) or 30kph (19mph) in school areas. There are on-the-spot fines for traffic offences. The use of dipped headlights is compulsory in the daytime for cars and motorcycles. Crash helmets are compulsory for motorcyclists. Seat belts must be worn at all times. Children under seven may not travel in a car if it is not equipped with a special child restraint or a normal seat belt adapted for the child's use. Emergency warning triangles are obligatory. Studded tyres are only permitted from 1 November to the first Monday after the Easter holiday.

Documentation: National driving licence is sufficient, but it must include a photo or it will not be recognised. The car's log book and written permission must be carried if driving someone else's car. A Green Card is not required by Swedish authorities, but it tops up the cover provided by a domestic policy. It is advisable to check the validity of insurance policies prior to departure.

Public transport is efficient, comprehensive and well-integrated. Stockholm has bus, trams, metro (T-banan) and local rail services. Pre-purchase multi-tickets and passes are sold, though single tickets can also be obtained on the bus. There are trams in Gothenburg and Norrköping. Taxis are widely available; large taxi companies are cheaper than independents. Several of the main cities, particularly Stockholm, have boat excursions and services.

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Stockholm to other major cities/towns in Sweden.

	Air	Road	Rail
Gothenburg	0.50	6.00	4.30
Malmö	1.05	8.00	6.45
Luleå	1.15	20.00	15.00
Mora	1.00	6.00	4.30