Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [257]
Along the motorways (primarily in the south), you may see ‘Rum’ or ‘Rum & frukost’ signs, indicating informal accommodation (frukost means ‘breakfast’) from around Skr250 to Skr350 per person. Kitchen facilities are often available, and those who bring their own sheets or sleeping bags may get a discount.
The organisation Bo på Lantgård (035-12 78 70; www.bopalantgard.org) publishes a free annual booklet on farmhouse accommodation (B&B and self-catering), available from any tourist office. B&B prices average about Skr300 per person in a double room. Prices for self-caterers range from Skr300 to Skr850 per night, depending on the time of year, facilities and number of beds.
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BUSINESS HOURS
General opening hours are listed here, but there are variations (particularly in the largest cities where opening hours may be longer). Hours are listed in individual reviews where they differ substantially from these.
Banks Open 9.30am to 3pm Mon-Fri; some city branches open 9am to 5pm or 6pm.
Bars & pubs Open 11am or noon to 1am or 2am.
Department stores Open 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday (sometimes later) and noon to 4pm Sunday.
Government offices Open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
Museums Generally museums have short opening hours, even in July and August; see individual museums for more details.
Restaurants Open for lunch from 11.30am to 2pm, and dinner between 5pm and 10pm; often closed on Sunday and/or Monday.
Shops Open 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm Saturday.
Supermarkets Open 8am or 9am to 7pm or 9pm.
Systembolaget Open 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 2pm (often until 5pm) Saturday, sometimes with extended hours on Thursday and Friday evenings.
Tourist offices Usually open daily Midsummer to mid-August, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday mid-August to Mid-summer; see individual destinations for specific hours.
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CHILDREN
If you’ve got kids, you’re guaranteed an easy ride in Sweden as it’s very family-centric. In general, get the kids involved in your travel plans: if they’ve helped to work out where you’re going, the chances are they’ll still be interested when you arrive! Remember, don’t try to cram too much in. Lonely Planet’s Travel with Children, by Cathy Lanigan, is a useful source of information.
Practicalities
Hotels and other accommodation options often have ‘family rooms’ that sleep up to two adults and two children for little more than the price of a regular double. Campsites have excellent facilities and are overrun with ecstatic, energetic children. They get very busy in summer, so book tent sites or cabins well in advance.
High chairs and cots (cribs) are standard in most restaurants and hotels. Swedish supermarkets offer a relatively wide choice of baby food, infant formulas, soy and cow’s milk, disposable nappies (diapers) etc. There are nappy-changing facilities in most toilets (men’s and women’s) and breastfeeding in public is not an issue.
Car-rental companies will hire out children’s safety seats at a nominal cost, but it’s essential that you book them in advance. Long-distance ferries and trains, hotels and some restaurants may even have play areas for children.
Sights & Activities
Swedes treat children very well, and domestic tourism is largely organised around children’s interests. Many museums have a kids’ section with toys, hands-on displays and activities, and there are numerous public parks for kids, plus theme parks, water parks and so on. Most attractions allow free admission for young children – up to about seven years of age – and half-price (or substantially discounted) admission for those up to about 16. Family tickets are often available.
Liseberg amusement park Click here in Göteborg is Sweden’s largest; other major places for kids include Junibacken, Skansen and Gröna Lund Tivoli, all found in Stockholm’s Djurgården Click here; Göteborg’s Universeum ; and Astrid Lindgrens Värld Click here