Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [274]
In summer, some tourist trains offer special rail experiences. The best is Inlandsbanan (0771-53 53 53; www.inlandsbanan.se), the slow, scenic 1300km Kristinehamn–Gällivare route, one of the great rail journeys in Scandinavia. Several southern sections have to be travelled by bus, but the all-train route starts at Mora. It takes seven hours from Mora to Östersund (Skr395) and 15 hours from Östersund to Gällivare (Skr918). A pass allows two weeks’ unlimited travel for Skr1450.
Costs
Travel on the super-fast X2000 services is much pricier than on ‘normal’ trains. Full-price 2nd-class tickets for longer journeys are expensive (around twice the price of equivalent bus trips), but there are various discounts available, especially for booking a week or so in advance (förköpsbiljet), or at the last minute (for youth and pensioner fares). Students with a Swedish CSN (Centrala studiestödsnämnden) or SFS (Sveriges förenade studentkårer; Swedish National Students Union) card if aged over 26, and people aged under 26 get a 30% discount on the standard adult fare.
X2000 tickets include a seat reservation. All SJ ticket prices are reduced in summer, from late June to mid-August. Most SJ trains don’t allow bicycles to be taken onto trains (they have to be sent as freight), but those in southern Sweden (especially Skåne) do; check when you book your ticket. Station luggage lockers cost Skr30 to Skr50 for 24 hours.
Train Passes
ScanRail no longer exists, but several other passes offer similar benefits. The Sweden Rail Pass, Eurodomino tickets and international passes, such as Inter-Rail and Eurail, are accepted on SJ services and most regional trains.
The Eurail Scandinavia Pass (www.eurail.com) entitles you to unlimited rail travel in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden; it is valid in second class only and is allows four, five, six, eight or 10 days of travel in a two-month period (prices start from US$255/335 per youth/adult). It also provides free travel on Scandlines’ Helsingør–Helsingborg route, and 20% to 50% discounts on the following ship routes:
Route Operator
Frederikshavn-Göteborg Stena Line
Grenå-Varberg Stena Line
Stockholm-Helsinki Viking or Silja Line
Stockholm-Turku Viking or Silja Line
X2000 trains require all rail-pass holders to pay a supplement of Skr65 (including the obligatory seat reservation).
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Health
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CONTENTS
Before You Go
Recommended Vaccinations
In Sweden
Availability & Cost of Health Care
Traveller’s Diarrhoea
Environmental Hazards
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You’re unlikely to encounter serious health problems in Sweden. Travel health depends on your predeparture preparations, your daily health care while travelling, and how you handle any problem that does develop.
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BEFORE YOU GO
Before departure, obtain travel insurance with good medical coverage. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, take a spare set and a copy of your optical prescription. If you require a particular medication, carry a legible copy of your prescription from your doctor. Most medications are available in Sweden, but brand names may be different, so you’ll need the generic name.
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RECOMMENDED VACCINATIONS
Immunisations aren’t necessary for travel to Sweden, unless you’ve been travelling somewhere where yellow fever is prevalent. Ensure that your normal childhood vaccines (against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus and polio) are up to date.
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IN SWEDEN
AVAILABILITY & COST OF HEALTH CARE
Sweden’s medical system is state run, so instead of visiting a private general practitioner for emergencies, go to a local medical centre (vårdcentral) or a hospital (sjukhus), where duty doctors are standing by. There are centres in all districts and main towns, listed by area under municipality (kommun) in the local telephone directory. Be prepared to show your passport.
Pharmacies (apotek) sell nonprescription (and prescription)