Today – Planning a trip to Sweden
My son has always been fascinated by the colder countries. He has ticked Iceland off his bucket list and he adored his visit. Sweden is in his sights now, so I have been doing a little research. I have to tell you – it sounds the most fascinating place to visit.
Planning a trip to Sweden – what you need to know
You may not know too much about Sweden as it keeps a fairly low profile but oh, my goodness it really is a fascinating county. It is the 16th richest in the world and generally, people there have a high standard of living.
Sweden borders Finland and Norway and is connected via a tunnel to Denmark. Sweden is a Scandinavian county but has 4 distinct seasons and the weather is generally mild.
Swedish currency is not the euro! Currently in Sweden is the krona SEK (or“kronor”) and is equal to 100 öre. 1 krona is equal to about 8 pence in GBP.
Travelling in Sweden
There are a lot of ways to get around Sweden that don’t involve you hiring a car Each region of Sweden has its own transport operator. When you buy transportation cards it will include your travel on buses, trams, boats and tourists passes are available. This can be so much more relaxing than trying to navigate driving in an unknown country.
Pin Planning a trip to Sweden for later….
Swedish Food
As you might probably expect fish makes up a large part of the Swedish diet along with cultured dairy products, like cheese and yoghurts. Berries are also very popular as are cold cuts of meat, open sandwiches and pea soup and pancakes!
Something for everyone.
Swedish Culture
Sweden is known for being clean and safe, for being liberal and easy-going.
It is also known for Ice Hotels which are exactly what you imagine hotels made of ice.
Sweden is also known for being the home of Abba and Ikea and those very famous meatballs.
It is an interesting and unusual culture.
Let me tell you about 2 things you may not have heard of particular to Swedish culture
Snus is a big part of Swedish culture, it is a moist powder smokeless tobacco product that dates back to 18th-century Sweden. It is placed in the upper lip for extended periods. Nicotine pouches (which are very similar to Snus but do not contain tobacco) are a new thing that has become very popular. Nicotine pouches are little pouches that are placed on the top lip and they are much cleaner than smoking. They come in a variety of flavour such as mint or liquorice or fruity! You can find out more about it here.
But I think one of the things I most like about Swedish Culture is FIKA. Fika translated as a “coffee and cake” break. It doesn’t have to be cake and coffee but it is all about getting together with a friend to have a bit to eat and drink and take a break. It’s considered a crucial part of Swedish daily routine.
Apparently princess cake to cinnamon rolls are the most favoured Fika treats.
I love the sound of that!
Planning a trip to Sweden – Things to see and do
- The thing I would most want to see in Sweden is the Northern Lights and I have to say I think it would be right up there n most peoples things to see in Sweden List. The best time to experience the Northern Lights is between November and March.
- I would also like to see the Swedish royal palace – it looks spectacular!
- I also fancy the design museums and the textile museums – Swedish design is world-famous
- There are little islands to visit dotted around Sweden each with unique features so we would be catching a few boats too!
- The cold bathhouses of Sweden (followed of course by a hot sauna) look fantastic. bathing in cold water in winter would be a new experience indeed! Some are found on the coastline with direct access to the sea, though some are located at the edges of lakes of which Sweden has many.
- And of course, there is Skiing, Kayaking, Forest Hiking – so many sporting opportunities if you get bored of relaxing and absorbing the culture.
So there you go a whistle-stop tour for anyone planning a trip to Sweden.
If you have enjoyed my pst n planning a trip to Sweden you might also like my post on creating a travel photo album
