A former major player on the world stage, with wide-ranging armies, American and African colonies; Sweden has, since her defeat at Poltova in 1718, been content to stay neutral, create a massive quasi-socialist welfare state and become one of the most prosperous countries in the world. Oft nay-sayed as an expensive and boring destination, Sweden gets far fewer tourists then it deserves, and is well worth a trip.

Essential Facts

The national language is Swedish, a Germanic language, distantly related to English and fond of complex grammatical structures. If you speak German, Dutch or any other Scandinavian language, you�ll understand some Swedish, but regardless, most Swedes speak many other languages besides Swedish; you�ll be unlikely to have many problems communicating. The currency is the krona, worth about 8 to the USD. ATMs are ubiquitous, which is fortunate, since Sweden is rather expensive. Alcohol in particular will destroy your budget, but you have to play it careful no matter what.

Getting there and away

Most populous of the Scandinavian states, Sweden still remains surprising wild.

Traveling to Sweden is relatively painless, if potentially expensive and time-consuming. SAS and many other carriers fly regularly into Stockholm from around the world. Land-wise, trains and buses regularly travel between Sweden and the rest of the continent; the rest of Scandinavia; and into Russia and far beyond. By car, the bridge linking Copenhagen and Malmo should be finished by now, which saves a car-ferry ride. These ferries (and catamarans, for the shorter journeys) regularly ply the waters between Sweden and many other countries: including Finland, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Russia.

Malmo

A small and personable city across from Copenhagen, Malmo makes a pleasant enough stop in itself or to break a trip between Copenhagen and Stockholm, though there�s not a ton to see or do.

Attractions

There�s a castle, with the obligatory museums inside, as well as the standard church or two. Nothing really remarkable, although granted, I didn�t visit any.

The empty streets of Malmo. (It's not really that desolate)

Food and Lodging

We had planned on staying at the youth hostel, but either LP gives the address wrong or it has ceased to exist. Instead, we stayed at the Hotell Pallas. A pleasant enough place, with clean doubles, with standard amenities. Food-wise, it was the joys of self-catering, with foodstuffs bought from the supermarket located near the main square (Stortorget).

Stockholm

I regret that I didn�t spend any significant time in Stockholm, as my time there consisted or arriving at Stockholm Central, walking across the street to get tickets for the Viking line overnight ferry to Helsinki (deck passage free for Eurrail pass holders), and taking the Viking shuttle out to the ferry docks for the boat. I�ve heard it�s a great city, and plan to return and actually see the city.

Stockholm fading into the distance.