Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
a comprehensive train network in the
south of the country; in the north
travelling by train isn't quite so easy, as
many loss-making branch lines have
been closed. However, it's still possible
to reach the main towns in the north by
train, and where train services no
longer exist, buses generally cover the
same routes.
Look out for city and regional
discount cards
,
which often give free use of local transport, free
museum entry and other discounts.
journey will involve changing trains four or five
times and takes around 24 hours.
RAIL CONTACTS
Rail Europe
UK
T
0844 848 4064, US
T
1 800 622 8600, Canada
T
1 800 361 7245;
W
raileurope.co.uk.
Swedish Railways (SJ)
T
0046 771 75 75 75,
W
sj.se. The general
agent for Swedish rail tickets.
Package holidays
Don't be put off by the idea of an inclusive
package
, as it can sometimes be the cheapest way
of doing things, and a much easier way of reaching
remote areas of northern Sweden in winter. City
breaks are invariably less expensive than if you
arrange the same trip independently. There are also
an increasing number of operators (see below)
offering
special-interest holidays
to Sweden,
particularly Arctic expeditions.
By train
Other than flying,
train
travel is the quickest and
easiest way of covering Sweden's vast expanses. The
service is generally excellent and prices are not that
high. At holiday times (see p.38) and between
mid-June and mid-August, trains are often heavily
booked; it's worth making reservations (often
compulsory) as far in advance as you can. The
national train operator is SJ (
T
0771 75 75 75,
W
sj.se)
which runs an extensive network across the whole
of Sweden. For train and connecting bus informa-
tion visit
W
resrobot.se. Many station names in
Sweden carry the letter C after the name of the city,
for example: Stockholm C; this is a “railspeak” abbre-
viation of Central.
SPECIALIST OPERATORS
Abercrombie & Kent
US
T
1 800 554 7016,
W
abercrombiekent
.com. Top-end tours of Scandinavia by land and sea.
Bentours International
Australia
T
1800 221712,
W
bentours
.com.au. The leading Australian specialist to Sweden offering air, ferry
and rail tickets and a host of (often upmarket) escorted and independent
tours throughout Scandinavia.
Contiki Tours
US
T
1 888 CONTIKI,
W
contiki.com. Budget tours of
Scandinavia for 18- to 35-year-olds.
Discover the World
UK
T
01737 214250,
W
discover-the-world
.co.uk. This long-established, professional and upmarket company
knows the country like the back of its hand. It is the only company selling
a direct flight from London Heathrow to Kiruna and the world's largest
tour operator to
Icehotel
in Jukkasjärvi.
Nordic Experience
UK
T
01206 708888,
W
nordicexperience
.co.uk/sweden. Mid-priced holidays to various regions of Sweden,
including Lapland and
Icehotel
, and trips out to lakes and mountains.
Scanam World Tours
US
T
1 800 545 2204,
W
scanamtours.com.
Specializes in mid-range Scandinavian tours and cruises for groups and
individuals. Also offers cheap weekend breaks.
Scantours US
T
1 800 223 7226,
W
scantours.com. Major
Scandinavian holiday specialists offering upmarket vacation packages and
customized itineraries, including cruises and city sightseeing tours.
Taber Holidays
UK
T
01274 875199,
W
taberhols.co.uk. A wide
range of Swedish holidays from this Yorkshire-based tour operator -
everything from tours in the Stockholm archipelago to trips on the
Inlandsbanan.
Tickets
Individual train tickets are rarely cost-effective and
visitors doing a lot of touring by train may be better
off buying a
train pass
such as InterRail. A
one-country InterRail pass for Sweden allows up to
eight days' travel in one month and starts at £161.
Full details can be found at
W
interrailnet.com. If
you do need to buy an individual ticket, it's worth
knowing that the sooner you buy it the cheaper it
will be. The cheapest tickets, limited in number, cost
99kr on most SJ routes (145kr on X2000 trains) and
are available up to ninety days before departure.
Reserved seats
on Swedish trains are not marked,
so although it may appear that a seat is free it may
not be so.
The Inlandsbanan
If you're in Sweden for any length of time, travelling
at least part of the summer-only
Inlandsbanan
(Inland Railway;
T
0771 53 53 53,
W
grandnordic
.se), which runs through central and northern
Sweden, is a must. The route takes in some of the
country's most unspoilt terrain - kilometre after
kilometre of forests, and several lakes (the train
Getting around
The public transport system in Sweden
is one of Europe's most efficient. There's
