All about Sweden

Land & people

Languages: Swedish and recognised minority languages such as Sami (Lapp), Finnish, Meänkieli (Tornedalen Finnish), Yiddish and Romani Chib (a Gypsy language). Most Swedes speak English

Sweden is Europe's fifth largest country in land area. It is surrounded by Norway (west), Finland (northeast), the Skagerrak, Kattegat and Öresund straits (southwest) and the Baltic Sea (east). It is connected to Denmark via the Öresund Bridge. With an ever-varying coastline stretching over thousands of kilometers, the Swedish landscape features countless lakes and waterways surrounded by forests, majestic mountains and glaciers, as well as wide-open countryside.

Useful addresses

- Embassy of Sweden
P.O. Box 31867, Abu Dhabi
B +971 2 6210 162
E +971 2 6394 941
jambassaden.abudhabi@foreign.ministry.se
8 www.swedenabroad.com

- Swedish Consulate
P.O. Box 9219, Dubai
B +971 4 3457 716
E +971 4 3452 439
j swecons@emirates.net.ae

- Swedish Business Council
P.O. Box 25906, Dubai
B +971 4 3371 410
E +971 4 3376 343
j sbc@swedchamb.ae

- Visit Sweden
Stortorget 2-4, SE- 831 30 Östersund, Sweden
j info@visitsweden.com
8 www.visitsweden.com

- Swedish Institute
Slottsbacken 10, Box 7434, SE-103 91 Stockholm, Sweden
B +0046 8 453 78 00
E +0046 8 20 72 48
j si@si.se
8 www.si.se; www.sweden.se

Passport/visa
Visitors require a valid passport as well as an entry permit to the country. For more information on entry requirements, check with the nearest Swedish embassy or consulate.

Business hours
Banking hours are generally from Monday to Friday 10am-3pm and Thursday 10am-4pm/5.30pm. Shops are open Monday to Friday 9.30am-6pm and Saturday 9.30am-2pm/4pm.

When to go

Thanks to the Gulf Stream, Sweden's climate is generally temperate. Its northerly position has a definite summer advantage in that temperatures are rarely extreme and humidity levels are not high. The sun brightens the night and lengthens your sightseeing days in the country from early May until late August. The Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis are the fluttering and bright lights that can be observed in the sky over the northernmost parts of the world. The best viewing areas in Sweden are above the Arctic Circle between September and March.

Getting there

- Sweden is serviced by several international air carriers and there are intercontinental flights as well as flights within Europe.

- Major airports include Stockholm Arlanda and Göteborg Landvetter.

- You can reach Sweden by train from Denmark, Norway and Germany. Both car and rail traffic is possible by the Öresund Bridge and tunnel which links Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, with Malmö.