Everyday practical information for Sweden

Alcohol, which needs planning

Anything above 3.5% must be bought from Systembolaget, the state monopoly. This catches people out every single weekend.

• Systembolaget opens roughly 10:00 to 19:00 on weekdays, 10:00 to 15:00 on Saturdays, and is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Regional hours vary; check before you rely on it.
• Supermarkets sell only folkol, beer up to 3.5%.
• The age limit is 20 in Systembolaget and 18 in bars and restaurants.
• Bars and restaurants are unaffected and serve normally, at Swedish prices.
• If you want wine for a Sunday dinner, buy it on Friday.

Power and connectivity

• Plug types C and F at 230 V, 50 Hz, the standard European two-pin. UK, US and Australian plugs need an adapter.
• Free Wi-Fi is universal in cafes, hotels, trains and public buildings.
• Sweden is close to fully digital. Museum tickets, parking and restaurant menus are increasingly QR codes.

Customs and manners

• Take your shoes off when entering a Swedish home. Always, without being asked.
• Fika is a real institution, not just a coffee break: a pause with coffee and something sweet, taken with other people, often twice a day.
• Personal space is larger than you are used to. Do not sit next to someone on an empty bus.
• Queueing is by numbered ticket in pharmacies, post offices, Systembolaget and many shops. Take a number on the way in or you will never be served.
• Lagom means "just the right amount" and explains a surprising amount about the country.
• English is spoken at near-native level by almost everyone under 60.

The calendar

• Midsummer, the Friday between 19 and 25 June, is the biggest day of the year. Cities empty, everything closes, and if you have no invitation to a country house you will find Stockholm shut.
• July is the holiday month and small businesses close for weeks.
• Public holidays: New Year, Epiphany, Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May, Ascension, National Day (6 June), Midsummer, All Saints, and Christmas from the 24th to the 26th.
• Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day, is the main event.

Small things

• Sweden uses the krona, not the euro, and always has.
• Recycling is taken seriously and bins are sorted everywhere.
• The pant is a deposit on cans and bottles, reclaimed at supermarket machines.
• Smoking is banned in outdoor restaurant seating, on station platforms and at playgrounds, not just indoors.