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Knights Island, Stockholm, Sweden

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Getting around in Sweden

Air: 

Sweden’s vast size means that air is an easy and convenient option when travelling long distances, and the country’s 45 airports give you plenty of choice. SAS (tel: (0770) 727 727; www.flysas.com) serves over 30 local airports. Other domestic airlines include state run operation, Luftfartsverket (tel: (011) 192 000; www.lfv.se), Skyways (tel: (0771) 959 500; www.skyways.se), Malmö Aviation (tel: (0771) 550 010; www.malmoaviation.se) and Norwegian (tel: (0770) 457 700; www.norwegian.com).

Air passes: 

SAS (tel: (0770) 72 7727; www.flysas.com) offers the cheapest air passes in Scandinavia with plenty of options costing less than £50, although its Swedish domestic pass does exclude the Stockholm to Kiruna route.

Road: 

Sweden has an extensive road network, with over 210,000km (130,000 miles) available for public use. In very rural areas, getting around by car is often the only option available, while in cities, intense rush hour traffic means that cars are usually better avoided. Apart from the Öresund and Svinesund bridges, Swedish roads are toll-free. Road signs usually follow European standards, although it’s worth watching out for elk, reindeer or deer signs in the country – these mean that a lot of the animals are around and that a collision is possible. The risk is particularly high early in the morning between 0500 and 1000 and at night, when visibility is poor.

Side of road: 
Right
Road quality: 

The vast majority of Sweden’s roads are well maintained, although quality tends to be less impressive in very rural areas. Outside of city rush hours, traffic is usually minimal.

Road classification: 

Roads are either europavägar (European motorways), riksvägar (national roads) or länsvägar (country roads).

Car hire: 

Along with the main international agencies such as Avis and Hertz, a couple of local options are available. These are OKQ8 (tel: (020) 850 850; www.okq8.se) and Statoil (tel: (0770) 252 525; www.statoil.se). Special weekend deals are usually available, but given Sweden’s long distances, options that include unlimited mileage are usually your best bet.

Taxi: 

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

Bike: 

In Stockholm, Stockholm City Bike (tel: (077) 444 2424, www.citybikes.se) is the main source of tourist bikes, while in Malmö and Gothenburg, try Styr & Ställ (tel: (031) 227 227; www.goteborgbikes.se) and Travelshop Europe (tel: 4033 0570; www.travelshop.se) respectively. It’s also worth bearing nearby Copenhagen’s plethora of bike rental services in mind if you’re planning to take to two wheels in Malmö. Outside of the main cities, bike can be hired from some campsites, hotels and hostels.

Coach: 

The main bus operator is Samtrafiken (tel: (0771) 757 575; www.resplus.se), which operates both city and intercity services. Samtrafiken, along with Swebus Express (tel: (0771) 218 218; www.swebus.se), also offers express intercity coach services – a cheaper, if longer, alternative to air.

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 and winter (studded) tyres must be used from the beginning of December until the end of March. Crash helmets are compulsory for motorcyclists and seat belts must be worn at all times. Children under seven cannot 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.

Breakdown service: 

Assistancekåren (tel: (020) 912 912; www.assistancekaren.se) and Falck (tel: (020) 383 838; www.falck.com) are the main roadside breakdown service providers.

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.

Getting around towns and cities: 

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

Rail: 

The excellent and extensive rail system is run by Swedish State Railways (SJ) (tel: (0771) 757 575; 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.

Rail passes: 

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; www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

By water: 

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; www.destinationgotland.se) between the Baltic island of Gotland and the mainland at Nynäshamn and Oskarshamn. Both 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;www.gotakanal.se), served by vintage steamer, connects Gothenburg and Stockholm.

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