Some Interesting Facts About Sweden

Public Holidays

Sweden’s main public holidays are holidays pertaining to the Christian calendar; these are holidays for all public and private enterprises, and some offices may close early on the previous day.

Date 2005 Occasion
January 1 New Year's Day  
January 5 Eve of Epiphany (banks close early)
January 6 Epiphany
March 24 Maundy Thursday (Half Day)
March 25 Good Friday
March 27 Easter  
march 28 Easter Monday
April 30 Valborg's Eve (banks close early)
May 1 May Day
May 5 Ascension (Officially 1 day but often two in practice)
May 16 Whit Monday
June 24 Midsummer's Eve (bank holiday)
June 25 Midsummer Day
November 4 All Saint's Eve
November 5 All Saint's Day
December 24 Christmas Eve (bank holiday)
December 25 Christmas Day  
December 26 Boxing Day
December 31 New Year's Eve (bank holiday)

Weekend: Saturday, Sunday

Electricity

220 Volts, 50 Hz is used in the country, so if you have gadgets of other specifications, bring those adaptors along.

Post & Communications

The postal system in Sweden is efficient, and post offices in even small villages can guarantee that your letters will get to their destination within a reasonable period.

Most post offices open from 9.30am to 3pm, Mondays to Fridays, and stay open till 5.30pm on Thursdays, and most offer ‘poste restante’ and international mail services besides the basic services. Stamps can, in addition, be bought from hotels, newsstands and some tobacconists. 

Sweden is known for the excellence of its telecommunications system- and public phones, as is to be expected, are very reliable. Coins or phone cards may be used in public phones (from which you can also make long distance and international calls). For other communications facilities, such as fax, telex and internet services, you could go to a hotel business centre.

Weights and measures

The Metric system is used, which means that weight is measured in kilograms, distance in metres and liquids in litres. 

Tipping

Sweden’s an expensive country, and can be hard on the budget traveller. Take heart, though: at least you’re not expected to leave tips for all and sundry. Salaries for service staff are, by and large, high, and few depend upon gratuities for making ends meet.

Restaurant staff need not be tipped, and neither need taxi drivers. The only staff that you might leave a tip for, are hotel porters who carry your bags, in which case about SEK 7-8 is enough.