Ever been to sweden?

[r0g3r]

Hey so I'm planning to goto Sweden and I was wondering, what are some cool places to check out? I will be going to Stockholm, specifically.

Also...what are the prices like? Do I need to take lot more money cuz of expenses..or ..how much?

Any hotel(s) you'd recommend?

Thanks for your input!

[Guillermo]

i've been twice, it's fucking awesome. unfortunately i can't help you with advice for stockholm as I was only there for about 4 hours. i spent most of my time in the north, Sundsvall, Umea, and in the bush.

food is known for being pretty bad... but people are really cool!

[r0g3r]

How much $$ did you end up spending on average day??

[Kobe]

I was in Stockholm and Malmo, both really nice spaces, however I had a place 2 stay, but god damn is it ever expensive there..

It was around $10 a beer at the airport, the "super train" was $30 from the airport to downtown.

I think Mcdonalds was around $10, they have a very good burger place "MaxBurger" I think it was called which was only in Sweden which was good, but damn it was all expensive.


Can't help out on hotels I stayed at my buddies place.

[Kobe]

Malmo seemed more "Modern"



Stockholm




The backroads in stockholm are super cool, def check it out









I dont know where all my pics are, but those are what I had on facebook

[Guillermo]

I don't recall how much I spent per day. Last time I was there was 2007 so it's been awhile, plus I was there for work so my hotels etc. were paid for. I don't remember the food being outrageously expensive, but then again I typically don't pay much attention to those things when i'm traveling out of the country. sorry I can't be more help, but I would REALLY recommend going since it's a great country!

[cycosis]

I was there in 2010. Shits not cheap. I visited a friend in Gothenburg so I dont know about hostel/hotel prices.

If you get the chance, visit Marstrand. Its a little locals secret. Its a race yacht hub and absolutely beautiful.

[r0g3r]

Hey so question,


did you guys carry your passports with you the whole time or did u leave them at the hotel/firends place?

I'm not sure if hotel staff or whatever are trust worthy or not lol kinda sketchy.


btw have any of your experienced hostels? Any safety issues?

[Guillermo]

I usually carry my passport with me, but only because I want some form of ID in case something happens (you never know). I've never had issues with cleaning staff stealing from me, ever, whether I've used the room safes or not (I know those can be opened with a management code anyhow).

I stayed in hostels quite a bit when I was younger, mostly because I "thought" that I couldn't afford hotels but really because I was just being cheap. Hostels are great for meeting people, but other than that they suck IMO. These days I get hotel rooms, it's totally worth it to take a shit and shower in peace you know? I never had any major security issues, but I have had awkward/uncomfortable situations and keep in mind that hostels contain a lot of losers and professional bums.

if you're on a budget check out Easy Hotel, they are super cheap and modern/clean/private.

[chkolny541]

i carry my passport on me when traveling, good to have ID in case anything happens. Hostels arent terrible for safety issues, but lots of shit can get stolen if u leave stuff out, try to get lockers if they are offered, completely required for me.

In amsterdam this girl got all her souvenirs stolen from her luggage while it was left out, she was super pissed. Crap like that.

But i may be moving more towards discount hotels from now on, its super frustrating when at 5 am some drunk losers stumble into the room making a ton of noise, fucking hate it. Can usually find cheap 1 star hotels for like 30-40 euro a night alot of the time.

[Guillermo]

Originally posted by chkolny541
its super frustrating when at 5 am some drunk losers stumble into the room making a ton of noise, fucking hate it.

this LOL.

one time i was getting up in the morning, some guy next to me wakes up, does a rail of blow off the nightstand (right in front of me), then grabs an apple and lays back down in his bed and starts eating it. it didn't bother me since i'm "cool" with coke (lol), but i was still wondering what kind of weird dude would do that in front of a bunch of strangers at a hostel.

[r0g3r]

Originally posted by Guillermo


if you're on a budget check out Easy Hotel, they are super cheap and modern/clean/private.

lol just checked their site, they don't have anything for stockholm. Fuck!


What site do you guy use for airfare??

My friend was telling me it's beter to get into europe, and then to book to another euro city using a euro airline; that it would be cheaper.

any ideas?

btw i'm avoiding hostels lol i will be super pissed with others around

[core_upt]

Hej!

I lived in Sweden for a year, just got back a few months ago. I lived in Malmö and spent some time in Stockholm too.

As mentioned, it's fucking expensive there. Anything service based is pricey. For rough ideas on cost:

• Beer in a pub = ~50-70 SEK, roughly $8-$10; they have happy hour after work, so watch for that and you will find ‘Stor Stark Öl’ for around 45 SEK ($7)
• Cover to a club can easily be 150SEK (over $22) but the girls go all out, and Swedish girls are, well, Swedish girls! Expect club dirnks to be 70-100 SEK ($10-15)
• The liquor store (Systembologet) is only open limited hours, and closed early on Saturdays. This is the only place to buy hard liquor and beer with more than 3.5% ABV. Convenience stores sell cold beer, but not with more than 3.5% ABV (called folköl)
• Food is pricey too! “Cheap” lunched (Dägens lunch) is around 70SEK which usually includes a decent amount of food plus a dirnk and coffee; there is no ‘casual dining’ (ie Moxies, Earls, etc), so dinner out is a 150-300SEK affair for a proper restaurant; the plus side is Sweden has a huge immigrant population, so cheaper ethnic food options exist. There is literally a falafel/donair place on EVERY block in Malmö and almost as many in Stockholm – these are a good bet for cheap eats plus they are open late. Expect max 70SEK for more food than you need.
• Groceries are cheaper in Sweden than Canada, and grocery stores are plentiful; another good bet for cheap food
• Buses/trams are very efficient and run on time; around $3 per trip, or buy the day card if you need to get around. Stockholm is very spread out, and there are tons of bridges, so it can take a while to get places
• Hotels: ‘cheap’ hostels can run you around 500SEK ($75) per person/per night, plus sheet rentals. Budget hotels are in the 700SEK range per night, so if you are with someone, don’t bother with a hostel. We stayed here: http://www.hotelmicro.se/ - your room is TINY – literally a bunk bed, small table and enough room to turn around, and there are no windows BUT it is super clean, bathrooms (shared common bathroom) is SPOTLESS. If you are there in summer, you’ll be thankful for no windows as it is sunny around 20-22 hours a day. If you are checking the normal hotel sights, be aware that the cheaper hotels are in the middle of nowhere and it is inconvenient to get around. Try and stay downtown.
• Most things have a 25% tax on them, and if it costs over ~$30, you can get your tax back at the airport. There are some nice stores in Sweden, (Tiger of Sweden, Bjorn Bjorg, Fjallraven) but they $$$; also, if you do go shopping, every mall has the same stores, over and over, they are all the same, so just do one mall or shopping street, ‘cause they don’t change!

Things to Do:

• Archipelago Cruise! Definitely worth it – Stockholm is comprised of thousands of islands, and there are ferrys/boats that take you around for a few hours. We did a cruise to the island of Grinda – a small nature spot not far from the city – totally nice get away.
• There is a Viking museum built on a former Viking ship that is supposed to be nice – we didn’t go though (Vasa museut??)
• Walk around the old town (Gamla Stan); lots of cool shops, though parts are a bit touristy, but its still nice.
• National Museum is supposed to be nice, but Swedish history is sort of boring
• Go to a Swedish Elite game – great hockey, but when I lived in Malmö, the team was shit and playing in the second level league. Elite League is way better!

Other tips:

• DO NOT take the ‘express’ train from Arlanda airport to the city – you are better off taking the regular train, or even better off using Swedbus to get into town. The main bus station is very central.
• Do NOT drive in the city – there are congestion charges for entering certain areas at certain times, parking is limited and pricey, and it’s just a pain in the ass if you don’t know exactly what you are doing.
• Bike! You can rent bikes all over the place, there are very clear bike lanes and bike traffic signals and you can get everywhere quickly
• Every Swede speaks impeccable English – there is no language barrier; also don’t shit talk people in English, they’ll understand!
• Swedes come across as very cold people – they are direct and do not sweeten or sugar coat anything; don’t expect people to say hello and don’t surprised if people look at you strange if you smile at them on the street. It’s weird, but that’s how they are.
• Don’t worry about hotel staff stealing shit – they make a fair amount of money and don’t care about your stuff
• If you get a chance, get up north, to Umea or Kiruna – it’s amazing!
• If you get a chance, get to Gothenburg – really cool rocker town – where you can see doctors and lawyers with Mohawks and full sleeve tattoos!
• Cheapest way to Sweden is probably to Copenhagen, then a flight on Norwegian Air, or SAS, or maybe Cimber Sterling…. all have really good websites

Let me know if you have any questions, and I’ll see if I can answer them.