Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mail
Traveller's cheques
are a safe and simple way of
carrying your money, although there can be a hefty
commission when you come to change them.
Some places charge per cheque, others per transac-
tion, so it's common sense to take large denomina-
tions with you, or to try to change as much as you
feel you can handle in one go.
Banks
(Mon-Wed & Fri 9.30am-3pm, Thurs
9.30am-4/5.30pm; in some cities, banks may stay
open to 5.30pm every weekday) have standard
exchange rates but commissions can vary
enormously. The best place to change money is at
the yellow
Forex
o
ces (
W
forex.se), which offer
more
kronor
for your currency though also charge
commission. You'll find Forex branches in Sweden's
main cities as well as at major airports.
The Swedish
post office
is a thing of the past. Postal
services are instead to be found in local supermarkets
and filling stations; look for the blue postal sign
outside (a yellow horn and crown on a blue
background) which are open longer hours than the
traditional post o
ce used to be. You can buy
stamps
(
frimärken
) at most newspaper kiosks, tobac-
conists, hotels, bookshops and stationers' shops, as
well as at supermarkets and petrol stations. Note that
Swedish addresses
are always written with the
number after the street name. In multi-floor buildings,
the ground floor is always counted as the first floor.
Maps
The most useful map of
Stockholm
can only be
bought in the city itself: the Stockholm Map (Stock-
holmskartan) is available from any of
ce of the local
transport authority,
Storstockholms Lokaltrafik. This
map has the advantage of showing all bus and
metro routes in the capital, and includes a street
index. For maps of the whole country, go for
Hallwag's Sverige/Sweden (1:8,000,000). There are
also regional maps produced by Kartförlaget
(1:250,00 and 1:400,000), which are excellent.
If you're staying in one area for a long time, or are
hiking
or walking, you'll probably need something
more detailed still, with a minimum scale of 1:400,000
- though preferably much larger for serious trekking.
The Fjällkartan series covering the northwestern
mountains are good; these maps, produced by
Lantmäteriverket, at a scale of 1:100,000, are unfortu-
nately rather expensive, both in Sweden and abroad.
Opening hours and public
holidays
Shop
opening hours
are generally from 9.30am to
6pm on weekdays and 9.30am to 4pm on Saturdays.
In larger towns, department stores remain open until
7pm or longer on weekdays, and some are also open
on Sundays between noon and 4pm. Museums and
galleries operate various opening hours, but are
generally closed on Mondays outside the summer
months. Banks, o
ces and shops are closed on public
holidays (see below). They usually also close or have
reduced opening hours on the eve of the holiday.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN SWEDEN
New Year's Day
January 1
Epiphany
January 6
Good Friday
March/April
Easter Sunday
March/April
Money
Easter Monday
March/April
Labour Day
May 1
The Swedish
currency
is the
krona
(kr; plural
kronor
). It comes in coins of 1kr, 5kr and 10kr, and
notes of 20kr, 50kr, 100kr, 500kr and 1000kr. There's
no limit on the amount of Swedish and foreign
currency you can take into Sweden. At the time of
going to print, the exchange rate was around
10.50kr to £1, 6.5kr to US$1 and 9kr to €1.
The cheapest and easiest way of accessing
money whilst you're in Sweden is from ATMs with
your
debit card
. There will be a flat transaction fee
for withdrawals, which is usually quite small, but no
interest payments.
Credit cards
are a good backup source of funds,
and can be used either in ATMs or over the counter.
Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Diners Card
are accepted everywhere for goods or cash.
Ascension Day
Fortieth day after
Easter Sunday
Whit Sunday
Seventh Sunday
after Easter
National Day
June 6
Midsummer's Eve
Always on a
Friday
Midsummer's Day
Saturday closest
to the summer
solstice
All Saints' Day
Closest Saturday
to November 1
Christmas Eve
December 24
Christmas Day
December 25
Boxing Day
December 26
New Year's Eve
December 31
