HOLIDAYS TO SWEDEN

SWEDEN IS traditionally regarded as an expensive country to visit, but recent changes in exchange rates means it is presently more affordable than usual. For many tourists visiting for the first time, it may come as a surprise that the country has so many beautiful hotels. Often these have been converted from historic buildings such as castles, mountain lodges, medieval inns and 18th-century manor houses. They can provide excellent accommodation in beautiful surroundings. Many of the best places are members of two hotel marketing organisations: the Countryside Hotels and the Historiska Hotell groups. In Stockholm – which was European City of Culture in 1999 – we also have some exceptional entries.

SWEDEN REGION BY REGION

SWEDEN CAN be divided into five regions: south, southwest, central, north and far north.

South and Southwest

These regions are relatively flat. Apart from the capital, the main towns are Gothenburg, Malmö and Helsingborg. Gothenburg has an elegant city hotel, a useful first stop before heading for the region’s attractive beach resorts, often based around old, fortified towns. The Baltic islands of Öland and Gotland are both popular, relaxed beach holiday places – relatively uncrowded, with attractive seaside hotels. Stockholm, Sweden’s capital, makes a welcome urban interlude. It mixes brutalist modern design with medieval and Beaux-Arts architecture, and its reputation for open-mindedness is well founded. There are woods and water on its doorstep and an archipelago of islands a ferry ride away.

Central and North

The forest and fjords don’t begin until you get some way farther north of the capital, and here there are many excellent places to stay – many in beautifully remote settings – served by the main highways or the ‘Inland Railroad’. The choice ranges from an inn built on the site of a Carthusian monastery to manor houses dating from the 16th century and country house hotels in peaceful lakeside settings. These last are flourishing concerns, with tremendous atmosphere and very good food. Many have a dual personality: in summer they offer walking, windsurfing, fishing and boating; in winter, cross-country skiing. The winter months, especially around Christmas, are a sensible time for breaks if you can put up with the short days, as are May and September, because there are fewer mosquitoes than in July and August.

Far North

The tundra and forest of the far north, above the Arctic Circle, is the home of the nomadic Sami people. In June and July it never properly gets dark. Here hotels are few and far between; among them is the ultimate one-off hotel, the Ice Hotel near Kiruna, which operates in winter, carved each year out of ice. In fact, it’s more comfortable than you might imagine and is popular for weddings and christenings. Its phone number is (0980) 668 00.

Other favourites include Stockholm’s Mälardrottningen, converted from heiress Barbara Hutton’s former yacht ; and Tällberg’s Åkerblads , a much-loved family property run, amazingly, by more than 20 generations of Åkerblads.

FOOD AND DRINK

BOAR AND BERRIES are the traditional staples of Swedish food, the former roasted or made into sausages, the latter, hjortron (cloudberry), served with fresh cream or ice cream. Meatballs with gravy and cranberry sauce, and gravad lax – raw salmon marinated with dill and served with mustard dressing – are also delicious. The standard of food in the hotels listed here is generally very high, and will include game in season, along with international dishes.

The only drawback is the expense. You may find that after a few days of hotel dining that stocking up for a picnic lunch becomes a necessity. Lunch at a restaurant is usually not as expensive as dinner, especially if you go for the set menu (dagens rätt).

Another economical option is the smörgåsbord served at lunchtime in restaurants or hotels – a mouthwatering all-you-can-eat collation of herring, cooked meats, hardboiled eggs, potato, salads, desserts and fruit.

Alcohol is also notoriously expensive in Sweden. The beer served in bars is classed according to strength. Class III or starköl is the strongest, weaker is class II or folköl, and the class 1 beer, lättöl, is virtually alcohol-free – and great for drivers. There is zero tolerance of drinkdriving in this country and a few glasses of wine with dinner followed by a brandy could take you over the limit to drive, even the following morning. Outside bars and restaurants, class III beers can only be bought from government liquor stores – whose Swedish name is Systembolaget. Akvavit, a herb-flavoured spirit, is traditionally served ice-cold with beer chasers – a potent combination. Swedes eat lunch from 11am onwards (generally finishing by 2pm). Dinner starts from around 6pm and restaurants close from around 11pm to midnight.

BEDROOMS AND BATHROOMS

IF YOU WANT twin beds, ask for them specifically when booking. The Swedish have a tradition of being health and environment conscious so some hotels, including larger chains, are switching to anti-allergenic bedding and biodegradeable cleaning products. As well as sparkling bathrooms, many places will have a sauna (usually open to both sexes).

OTHER PRACTICAL INFORMATION

BREAKFAST

 AT most hotels is lavish – a buffet with cheeses, including the sweet, brown mesost, hams, yogurt, muesli, an array of rye and ‘black’ breads, crispbreads and fruit. The standard of housekeeping is outstanding: everything is immaculately clean, and it works. During the summer business shutdown hotel prices drop considerably. Year-round, luxury hotels become much more affordable at the weekend, when substantial discounts (often 40–50 per cent on the usual room rate) come into effect. Ask what the ‘special prices’ are. Language Swedes are true polyglots and often sound like native speakers of whichever language they are using – including English. Currency The Swedish krona, written ‘SEK’. Shops Open 9am–6pm Mon– Fri, and 9am–1pm Sat (department stores till 4pm). Large shops in the cities are sometimes open until 8 or 10pm and on Sunday. Tipping Hotel room rates and restaurant menu prices are inclusive of service charges. Tipping isn’t expected, but if bills come to an odd amount they are often rounded up to the nearest 10Kr, or you can leave a tip of around 10 per cent if you want to.

Telephoning

As well as the usual call boxes there are Turist Telefon payphones in summer in the major cities, offering half-price calls. To make a phone call within Sweden, dial the full number. To phone Sweden from the UK, dial the international code 00 46, then the phone number, omitting the initial zero; from the US, dial 011 46. Public holidays 1 January; 6 January; Good Friday and Easter Monday; 1 May; Ascension Day; Whit Monday; Midsummer’s Day; 1 November; 24, 25 and 26 December.

USEFUL WORDS

Breakfast Frukost

Lunch Lunch

Dinner/supper Middag/ supé

Free room? Ledigt rum?

How much? Vad kostar?

Single room Enkelrum

Double room Dubbelrum

SWEDEN PRICE BANDS

SWEDISH HOTELS are classified by stars, from one to five, but don’t be too swayed by this. Our price bands are simpler, and as elsewhere in the guide refer to the price of a standard double room in high season (but don’t forget to ask about discounts, which can be substantial). Breakfast is usually included in the room rate; prices include all taxes.