Product Description

Introduction

The mere mention of Sweden conjures up resonant images: snow-capped peaks, reindeer wandering in deep green forests and the 24-hour daylight of the midnight sun - not to mention notions of a standard of living that's one of the highest in the world. But beyond the household names of ABBA, IKEA and Volvo, Sweden is relatively unknown. The largest of the Scandinavian countries, with an area twice that of Britain (and roughly that of California), but a population of barely nine million, Sweden is still one of Europe's best-kept secrets. Its cities are safe, carefree places where the cheap public transport runs on time and life is relaxed. Sweden's countryside boasts pine and birch forest as far as the eye can see, crystal-clear lakes perfect for a summer afternoon dip, not to mention possibly the purest air you'll ever breathe; the country's south and west coasts feature some of the most exquisite beaches in Europe.

Forget anything you've heard about Sweden's reputedly high prices - over recent years, the Swedish krona has depreciated significantly against most other Western currencies, putting Sweden within the scope of many visitors' budgets. For accommodation, there's a range of decent hotels, guesthouses and hostels to suit every pocket, and many hotels drop their prices in summer (and at weekends all year round). What's more, Sweden is now one of the least expensive countries to reach from within Europe: air fares of just 99 from London to Stockholm have opened up the country as never before.

The Swedes

The other Nordic nations love to make fun of the Swedes. Witness the joke about the ten Nordic men stranded on a desert island. On day one, the two Finns have felled half the trees on the island for firewood. On day two, the two Norwegians have constructed a fishing boat from some of the wood to catch fish for supper. On day three, the Danes have set up a co-operative to organize all the work. On day four, the Icelanders decide to lift everyone's spirits with tales of the brave men of the ancient sagas. And on day five, the two Swedes are still waiting to be introduced to each other.

It is certainly true that the Swedes aren't the easiest of people to get to know, and are often thought of by foreigners as being distant and reserved. On the whole, Swedes are straight-talking, saying what they mean with a minimum of words and fuss. Many visitors interpret this as lack of interest in conversation or even downright rudeness, but both are unlikely to be the case; it's worth noting the fact that the Finns think the Swedes are too talkative. In short, overt expressions of emotion and raucous conversations punctuated with wild gesticulations are not the name of the game in Sweden - at least until the weekend when, in many parts of the country, beer and aquavit help people throw off their inhibitions. Many tourists come to Sweden looking forward to wild sex and easy pick-ups. Most return home disappointed. Somehow over the years the open Swedish attitude to nudity and sexuality has become confused with sex. Contrary to popular belief though, Sweden isn't populated solely with people waiting for any opportunity to tear their clothes off and make passionate love under the midnight sun. People may talk about sex openly, but when it comes down to it the Swedes can be rather puritanical. Nudity, though often seen, is not really looked at, and is quite unrelated to sex: go to a beach in Sweden on a hot summer's day and you'll doubtless see people sunbathing naked, but this state of affairs is certainly not an invitation for a love-in. However, the Swedes' liberal and open attitude to virtually every aspect of life is certainly one of their most enviable qualities; people are generally left to do their own thing providing it doesn't impinge on the rights and freedoms of others. In Sweden, rights go hand-in-hand with duties, and there's a strong sense of civic obligation (count how few times you see people dropping litter, for example), which in turn makes for a well- rounded and stable society.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1534864 in Books
• Published on: 2000-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Review
Best guidebook -- Telegraph, London

Best guidebook... proved invaluable -- Sunday Times, London

Review

''The best guide to the country with the most detail on Gothenburg'' The Telegraph, London, UK

About the Author

James Proctor is a former BBC Scandinavia correspondent and a presenter of ''Euronews'' and ''Global'', on BBC Radio Five Live. He is co-author of Rough Guides to Scandinavia and Europe.

James Proctor is a former BBC Scandinavia correspondent and a presenter of ''Euronews'' and ''Global'', on BBC Radio Five Live. He is co-author of Rough Guides to Scandinavia and Europe.

James Proctor is a former BBC Scandinavia correspondent and a presenter of ''Euronews'' and ''Global'', on BBC Radio Five Live. He is co-author of Rough Guides to Scandinavia and Europe.

James Proctor is a former BBC Scandinavia correspondent and a presenter of ''Euronews'' and ''Global'', on BBC Radio Five Live. He is co-author of Rough Guides to Scandinavia and Europe.

James Proctor is a former BBC Scandinavia correspondent and a presenter of ''Euronews'' and ''Global'', on BBC Radio Five Live. He is co-author of Rough Guides to Scandinavia and Europe.

James Proctor is a former BBC Scandinavia correspondent and a presenter of ''Euronews'' and ''Global'', on BBC Radio Five Live. He is co-author of Rough Guides to Scandinavia and Europe.

James Proctor is a former BBC Scandinavia correspondent and a presenter of ''Euronews'' and ''Global'', on BBC Radio Five Live. He is co-author of Rough Guides to Scandinavia and Europe.

Customer Reviews

Covers the big and small cities.
I have always wanted to go to Sweden. I started learning Swedish when I was 14, and I started a pen-pal friendship with a Sweden at the same time. When I was 21 I finally made a trip to Sweden (March 2002) for 2 weeks and I used the May 2002 edition of this book.

I spent my time in three cities: Stockholm, Umeå, and Skellefteå. Most guidebooks that I looked at covered the south of Sweden quite well at the expense of the North. This guidebook used 25% of its space to write about the two largest cities and 60% to write about the rest of Sweden. (The remaining 15% of the book deals with formalities of getting to/into Sweden, language, food, etc.)

The section on Stockholm was fantastic, and since the chapter was organized based on each island or section of the city, it was very easy to read. You could plot out which part of the city you wanted to visit each day with ease. The book specifies open/close times very well (although you always double check). As someone traveling in the winter, I appreciated that fact! Some guidebooks don't list the months that something is open!

Whereas some guidebooks have 2 paragraphs on Umeå and Skellefteå, this one had 6 and 3, respectively. The cities are described well and the information is as much as you'll probably need.

Another nice feature is that the guide features fairly detailed information about getting to/from each city, even the small ones.

The third section of the book, about history, food, money, language, etc was well laid out, and the history section was as complete as most general tourists would want it.

The book caters to a variety of tourists as it lists a wide (very wide) variety of accomodations, restaurants, activities, and methods of travel. Other guidebooks aimed at "poor college students" seem to cover mostly pubs and nightclubs at the expense of museums. Guidebooks aimed at the "one trip to Europe in a lifetime let's use all of our stock earnings" books seem to cover hotels at the expense of hostels. This book covers both.

Overall, a very good buy.

An excellent guide to a wonderful place.
Sweden is a wonderful travel destination. It is beautiful country that manages to be both very tranquil and very dynamic. However, like most Americans, I was totally ignorant about Sweden. In fact, I don't think I would ever have gone there if I hadn't found this book in the public library. It got me interested enough to spend a few weeks in Sweden, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I will definitely go back!

The book was very detailed and accurate, and went well beyond the average travel guide in the level of interesting detail about almost everything you could possibly encounter in Sweden. Although the book was published in 1997 and I went in 1999, most of the hotel and restaurant information was still accurate. The book also provides a good introduction to the history and culture of Sweden.

Accurate and with Attitude
I lived in Sweden for a year, and this book was hands-down the best guide to the place I found. In fact, when I traveled around the country I left the other guides behind and took this one with me. Not only is the Rough Guide small enough to cart around conveniently, it has consistently accurate information. I also admire the attention the guide gives to areas outside of the big cities. Sweden is a country of small towns, really, and the guide pays a lot of attention to their attractions. Rough guides have never been afraid to be candid, either. I walked into a coffeehouse in Lund one day, took a look around, and felt instantly at home. I looked in the Rough Guide, and read that this was the place to be if you were a pretentious intellectual and wanted to be among similar effette poseurs. Yep, that was me, and that was the place. I had a great time. Tak sa miket, Rough Guide.