Scandinavia is a region of Europe that tends to be ignored on people’s travel itineraries when they go to Europe – the main reason for this is that they fear it’s too expensive.

As a result, much of Scandinavia’s beautiful landscapes and picturesque villages are largely unexplored by travelers, who in my opinion are missing out on something really special.

The truth is that Scandinavia can dig a deep hole in your pocket – but if you know how and where to spend your money you can get away cheaper than you think.

As a local, I’ll show you how to decrease your food and transport costs in Sweden and survive on a backpacker budget …

How To Eat On Budget

Depending on where you go prices can vary quite a bit – if you’re in Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmö the restaurants in the main area tend to be a lot more expensive than those further from the city center.

Swedish Food

If you want to sample the Swedish culture and taste typical Swedish food, one of the cheapest and best places to go for this are the “gatukök” (street kitchens), basically small street side hot dog huts.

There you will find cheap fast food like Swedish meatballs with mash potatoes, or the favorite “halv special” sausage dish which was invented in Gothenburg in the 1930′s.

Pizza with a twist

Although nothing can compare with Italian pizza, the Swedish pizzas have some very unique toppings that are a must try … prices vary between 6 to 15 USD.

Lunch is Key

Swedes love going out for coffee (fika) and lunch, and during lunch hours you will find some great deals – by making lunch the main meal of the day and instead have something small for dinner you will end up saving a lot of money.

The Right Supermarkets:

Supermarkets are always cheaper than eating out, however, some are cheaper than others, and the price difference will surprise you.

Look for: Lidl, Willys and Netto supermarkets
Avoid: Hemköp, Coop and Ica

Getting Around

Local Transport

When it comes to transport in cities, you can easily walk around on foot – if you want to spend a few days, you can buy day passes for trams and subway.

Biking in Sweden is generally really easy and a great way of getting around, so hiring a bike or taking one of the city bikes that are placed around Gothenburg and Stockholm is definitely worth it.

Long Distance Travel

For long distance travel, there are two main ways of getting around Sweden if you don’t have a car: Train and bus – at first glance their prices look outrageous, but if you just plan ahead you can get away really cheap.

How to get the cheapest Train tickets:

• Book 90 days before departure – that’s when the tickets are the cheapest. Unless there is a special campaign going on, the closer to departure date you get the more expensive it becomes.
• Avoid traveling during rush hour, especially on Sundays and Fridays
• Look for tickets on Tradera (like e-bay) or for last minute deals on SJ’s (the train company) website.

GoByBus is one of the best budget bus companies in Sweden (which runs routes between Denmark, Sweden and Norway). Last minute tickets booked the same day are always the most expensive ones.

How to get the cheapest Bus tickets:

• Travel in the middle of the week
• Book tickets in advance on their website
• Buy a day trip ticket

Finally, a last tip for those truly dedicated to saving on accommodation: bring a tent and camp in nature – it’s free.

These are just a few of many ways to cut your costs when traveling in Sweden – do you have any tips you would like to add?

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Guest post: Maria from the popular Swedish interior design blog > www.inredningsvis.se

My name is Maria and I live in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second biggest city and also Sofia’s home town - Gothenburg has so much to offer, but my absolute favourite getaway is the archipelago.

It consists of some of Bohus county’s most beautiful islands, and is just far enough away to make it feel like a mini-holiday destination – if you’re visiting Gothenburg, I highly recommend a trip on the water – you won’t regret it

Each island has its own unique charm – here is a list of my absolute favorite summer getaways close to Gothenburg:

Styrsö – Where Time Stands Still

The first time I set foot on Styrsö it was love at first sight – when stepping off the ferry, the first thing you see is an adorable old-fashioned garden café – with beautiful white-washed villas from the turn of the 20th century lined up along the promenade.

There are two shops on the island, as well as a lovely place to go swimming called Utterviken – it’s an island with a hint of romance where time stands still.

Asperö – Picnic Perfect

Asperö is a recent discovery for me and a new favourite on my list – it is the island closest to the mainland – just 9 minutes from the port of Saltholmen.

Small, picturesque Summer cottages and newly built villas are huddled on a small land mass.

There is an ice-cream kiosk, and one shop on the island which is reminiscent of an old-fashioned Swedish country grocers.

If you walk towards the island’s sole swimming beach, you can take a short climb to a look-out – it has a stunning view over all Asperö and also parts of nearby Bränno.

Asperö is quite simply a perfect island for a Summer picnic with a Swedish sea view.

Brännö – For The Island Enthusiast

Brännö is one of the biggest of the islands with approximately 900 permanent residents – it is unique in that it is not a fishing island like the others, rather, agriculture is the biggest industry there.

The island has rich bird life and wonderful nature to walk in – you can also paddle sea kayaks from there.

There is a classic quay on the southwest side of the island called Brännö Husvik – every Summer, the classic Swedish “Dance at Brännö Quay” is held here and is a must for every true island enthusiast

Köpstadsö – The Hidden Gem

Köpstadsö is like a little sugar-sweet praline in a bag of island-candy.

There are only footpaths here – cars are not allowed on the island – you can see many of the 100 residents driving around on mopeds carrying tools on the narrow, winding roads.

There are many small picturesque houses and gardens. The genuine island feeling is made stronger by the fact that there is not one single shop on the island.

A tip is to take your own picnic with you to eat on the rocks, to the sound of the gently rolling waves and seagull serenade

For more Swedish inspiration make sure you visit > inredningsvis.se

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There are few places in the world like Stockholm, combining the best of both worlds – literally.

The city is a vibrant cosmopolitan place with great shopping, fashionable people, lots of bars and clubs and great little boutiques.

At the same time you’re always surrounded by water, as it’s situated on 14 islands, and the nature is just around the corner.

The water is perhaps the best example of combining the best of both; it’s salty AND sweet at the same time!

To read more about our time in Stockholm, make sure you check out:

• Stockholm, Sweden – The Best Of Both Worlds

We hope you enjoyed our Stockholm video, and stay tuned for next week, the FINAL STOP of our Europe Train Challenge = Finland!

(Our Stockholm Episode was Sponsored by InterRail & Zinkensdamm Hotell)

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The most famous song about Stockholm is one that every Swedish person knows, it’s called “Stockholm in my heart”, and is a song about the love locals have for their capital city.

And even as a girl born and raised in Gothenburg, its “little brother” who wants to think it’s the better city, I have to say that it’s hard not to love Stockholm.

Best Of Both Worlds

There are few places in the world like this, combining the best of both worlds – literally.

The city is a vibrant cosmopolitan place with great shopping, fashionable people, lots of bars and clubs and great little boutiques.

At the same time you’re always surrounded by water, as it’s situated on 14 islands, and the nature is just around the corner.

The water is perhaps the best example of combining the best of both; it’s salty AND sweet at the same time!

I love how a capital city can be so involved with nature, how you can just walk across a bridge and enter a huge park, or just hop on a ferry and escape the city within minutes to explore the ”country side culture” of Sweden.

I’ve never been to another capital city where people go fishing in the middle of the city next to the Parliament – here, it’s part of many peoples’ every day life.

The Old Lazy Town

The Old Town is so quaint, with houses in different shades of yellow and streets leading to everywhere or nowhere it reminds you of the villages you see in pictures in children’s books.

But walking around in The Old Town I realized for the first time how ”lazy” we are in Sweden – nothing here was open until 11 am, and most boutiques closed around 4 pm or earlier.

In most of Europe you’ll find shops being open from early morning to late evening.

In Stockholm, some places I wanted to visit, like the Knight’s House, was only open for two hours a day…

As Swedish As It Gets

The changing of the guard at the Royal Palace was perhaps the best example of Sweden in general.

While in other countries it’s something rather serious, in Sweden it was … different.

After all the serious drumming and marching through town, some man cleared his throat in the speakers and said with many ”uh’s and eeh’s” that the orchestra would be playing a few songs …

And they played… ABBA…!

It can’t get more Swedish than a man fumbling for words at the Royal Palace (our king is known for just that), and the tunes of ABBA during the changing of the guard.

The Most Beautiful Scenery In Stockholm

Leaving on the overnight ferry to Finland, we slowly criss-crossed for 4 hours through the archipelago with islands dotted everywhere around us.

Swedish red and white wooden houses and flag poles with the Swedish flag proudly blowing in the wind this was the perfect way to leave Sweden.

It’s a beautiful last photo I took of Sweden, a good memory – until we visit there again next time.

Have you been to Stockholm? What did you think of the city?

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Stockholm is unarguably one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, and everyone I’ve met who has been there has had a great time. There is however, nearly always one complaint – the weather.

“The people are friendly, the city is beautiful, the girls are stunning – but the weather is horrible!” – is usually how it goes.

Stockholm has a really harsh climate, but when the weather is nice, it’s absolutely amazing!

If you get there at the right time, you’ll get the best of everything, but if you’re there at the wrong time of the year – you won’t want to step out of the door..!

So When To Go?

June to August is typically the best months to visit Stockholm. This is during the summer, and the summer season in Sweden really is unlike most other countries in the world: the sun never sets!

In Stockholm it’s only gone for about an hour before it comes back again.

The dark months are long and cold in Sweden, so when the summer comes people want to do nothing else but being outside enjoying the weather.

The summers are packed with locals (and tourists) in Stockholm, and you can enjoy the best of Stockholm at this time of the year.

The fact that you can go swimming in the middle of the city is pretty special, but there are also hundreds of islands to take a trip to.

At this time of the year there are tons of things to do; island hopping, outside concerts, canoeing etc.

July is the hottest month in Stockholm, averaging between 24 – 26 degrees.

Visiting Stockholm in The Off Season?

Although the summer season may be hotter and sunnier, I would like to give a shout out to the off seasons as well.

Spring and early autumn can be nothing less than stunning. Stockholm is a very green city, and seeing the city come to flourish in spring time is amazing. This is a beautiful time to walk around in parks, and in the city.

It’s not packed with tourists, but you can still enjoy a hot chocolate on an outside seating at a cafe.

The early autumn is just as beautiful, with the color changes in the nature. Often the weather is really nice at this time of the year, chilly but clear skies.

Some people actually like the spring and autumn more than the summers. The best month to enjoy the springtime is in May, while the early autumn in September is amazing.

The winter season is cold and dark, and the sun is only up for a couple of hours a day.

Usually the temperatures average on -3 degrees.

Snow is common in Stockholm, and the old town looks really cozy at this time of the year.

If you go there before Christmas it’s especially nice since they have put up Christmas decorations everywhere and you can take a visit to the Christmas market.

The Swedish Christmas food is very special, and in Stockholm there are many places to go to get the best experience and tastes of the Swedish Christmas.

Another nice place to visit on a clear day is Skansen, which is open all year round. They also have a Christmas market, as do Gröna Lund (the theme park).

Have you been to Stockholm? What time of the year were you there?

( photo credits: mcaven – bnsd – mrlins)

The post Stockholm Weather – When Is The Best Time To Visit Stockholm? appeared first on Travel Videos & Travel Blog - As We Travel Blog.

Coming back to my home city of Gothenburg in Sweden last month, I decided to see the city from a new point of view: The tourist perspective.

It made me really appreciate Gothenburg and realize what a great city it is for tourists. Sweden is in general often overlooked as it is off the typical ‘beaten track’ of most backpackers’ Europe trip, which is a shame.

Quick Facts

Location: Sweden, west coast
Language: Swedish
Currency: Swedish Krona / SEK
Short History: After many failed attempts Gothenburg was finally successfully founded in 1621. It had been difficult to found since the place was a total swamp, but with help from Dutch city planners (who had the skills for that) it was possible. That’s why it looks so similar to Amsterdam.

City Guide – Gothenburg / Göteborg, Sweden

Overview / History

Gothenburg is known as the event city of Sweden or the city of culture, hosting heaps of music festivals and other cultural events every year (mostly in summer time).

The city is set right by the ocean on the west coast of Sweden.

It is the second largest city in Sweden, but it still doesn’t feel like a big city. There are practically no high rise buildings in the city center, and there are big parks and green alleys all over town, with a big canal flowing through the city.

The best park to visit for younger people is Slottskogen.  This is where the festival Way Out West takes place, and where the people go to hang out on nice days for picnics, outdoor games and sports or just sunbathing. The area is big and people also tend to stay around til late at night drinking and hanging out being social.

There are many nice walks there and the park is like an outside Zoo, but free of course. There you can find all from penguins and seals to typical Swedish animals like Moose.

If you’re more interested in flowers and plants, the Botanic garden (just across the road from Slottskogen) is a nice place to go.

If you’d like to get out of the city there are many places to go. There are quite a few lakes to go swimming in or just go for nice walks, and you can also take a bus or tram to go swimming in the sea or from the islands.

There are a few beaches but people in Gothenburg are quite fond of rocks… most people like to sunbathe on the rocks and jump off from them into the sea.

You can also go island hopping between the pretty islands right outside Gothenburg. There are two areas to choose between. One is only half an hour away with the tram nr 11, and from there you can explore the small islands and the idyllic life by the sea.

The main street in Gothenburg is the Avenue. It’s a long, wide street that reaches from the museum and concert hall all the way down past the shopping area down to the harbor and the Opera house.

Best time to visit is definitely in spring and summertime. I’d actually recommend you to avoid going there in Autumn/winter, the weather can be horrible.

Shopping

Shopping is easy and fun in Gothenburg. You don’t have to travel far distances between the shopping areas, they’re all really close to each other.

The most beautiful areas to go shopping is on Vasagatan and in Haga. Haga is the city’s old quarter, renowned for its well preserved and picturesque wooden houses, 19th century-atmosphere and cafés.

Shopping in the unique little boutiques along the cobbled stoned streets you will find handicraft, second hand shops, fashion, design and antique shops. There are often markets held here that are well worth a visit.

Vasagatan has even more Cafés and restaurants, but also plenty of small  boutiques. You walk along the road in a green alley, with the trees stretching over your head.

The houses in these two areas are renovated but kept in their 19th century style, which gives it all a nice touch.

As I hate shopping in malls and prefer each shop by itself so you can get some fresh air before entering the next shop, I won’t bother telling you about Nordstan and NK, the two shopping malls we have.

A better choice is shopping on Kungsgatan and the area around there, which is right next to the malls.

Where To Eat

Nearly every restaurant and Café have lunch offers, and the deals are pretty good.

I would really recommend eating at the Greek  Soup Kitchen in Saluhallen. The food is delicious and the price is cheap. My favorite Greek Lentil Soup costs 40 SEK.

Saluhallen is a nice place to visit, it’s like a big indoor market where restaurants, fruit stalls, butchers and chocolate factories all share the same roof.

My second favorite lunch place is the Indian restaurant ‘Tre Indier‘. It’s the best Indian restaurant in town but you can’t tell by their lunch offer prices at all. (lunch costs 65 SEK, and it’s a hearty meal, you can probably skip dinner after that if you want)

Pretty much all Sushi places have good lunch offers. The best Sushi I’d say is Chop Stix on a side street of the Avenue. 8 pieces for 50 SEK, including qreat service

It’s actually harder to find typical Swedish cuisine than most other cuisines. Restaurants serving Swedish food are usually quite fancy and expensive. The cheapest choice would be the “Sausage Stalls”. Sausage in bread with mashed potatoes is for Swedes what the hamburgers are for Americans.

If lunch time is over and you’re looking for some dinner, don’t hang around in the Central area looking for a cheap restaurant.

The best and cheaper restaurants are actually found closer to Järntorget. Indian and Thai restaurants usually serve cheaper food, but Pizzerias and Kebab places will always beat their prices.

If you walk along Linnégatan and the streets around there there will be heaps of restaurants to choose from.

Cafe & Fika Time

Cafés are extremely important for Swedish people, they’re part of the Swedish culture.

Swedish people love their cafés, they go for something called ‘fika’ almost every day. At home they have ‘fika’ a few times per day, it’s like Tea time in England I guess.

However, there are cafés around every corner here, but the best ones are definitely around the older parts of town like Haga, Linnégatan and Vasagatan.

These are my favorites:

• Le Petit, Haga – A French inspired very cosy and picturesque Café with a great Breakfast offer
• Café Ethels, Linnégatan – Very cosy and cute Café with delicious food.
• Egg & Milk, Linnéplatsen – An American morning café inspired from the 50′s.

If you’d like to see more Cafés in Gothenburg, there is a café map over the whole city. Click here to get there.

Events

There are always events going on in Gothenburg, but summertime is probably the peak with weeks of ongoing partying.

Way Out West, Metal Town and the Jazz festival are the three biggest music festivals during he year, where big artists from all over the world come to preform.
You can read more about these festivals at their websites:

www.wayoutwest.se
www.metaltown.se
www.gothenburgjazzfestival.com

There are just too many events to even write them all down, but here is an event calendar with all upcoming events this year:

http://www.goteborg.com – Event Calendar

Most Popular Attractions

1. Liseberg - Scandinavia’s biggest amusement park, is actually a lot of fun.
2. Gothenburg’s Botanical Garden – A nice park to stroll around in and have a picnic, or just look at some of the 16,000 species that grow here outdoors.
3. Universeum - The national science discovery center with rain forest, aquatics and such things.
4. Trädgårdsföreningen - One of he best preserved 19th century parks in Europe, right in the center of the city.
5. Världskulturmuseet (Museum of World Culture)
6. Gothenburg’s Art Museum
7. Göteborgs Stadsmusem
8. Paddan boat Tour – City Sightseeing from a waterside perspective
9. Maritime Museum
10. Göteborgs Naturhistoriska Museum

Getting Around

There are trams and buses going everywhere, and the same ticket is used for both. You can’t buy tickets from the driver, instead you have to buy your ticket from newsagents such as Pressbyrån, 7-Eleven or anywhere displaying the Västtrafik sign.

You can also buy tickets by text message (if you have a Swedish mobile phone operator).

These tickets are valid for 90 minutes, and you can travel as much as you like in any direction within that time.

If you are going to be doing a lot of travelling, then buying a short-term top-up card is the best option. This card enables you to travel wherever you want within specified areas, and as much as you want, within one or three 24-hour periods.

They are valid on all Västtrafik vehicles, including all trains except the X2000. On their website (check out the link), you can read more and check out the timetable.

How To Get There

There are two airports, Säve and Landvetter.

Säve is a tiny little airport where budget airlines such as Ryan Air flies. It takes about half an hour with the Airport bus to Gothenburg center. A ticket costs 110 return and 60 one-way.

Landvetter takes about the same time with Airport bus, and tickets cost 150 return and 80 one-way.

There is also a big harbor where Ferry’s go between Norway, Denmark, UK and Germany.

Stena Line is the major company that runs between the countries.

Where To Stay

GöteborgsVandrarhem – Most centrally located hostel in town, free wi-fi and a sauna (65 SEK for Breakfast buffet)
Kville Hotell Bed and Breakfast – Free breakfast, Free linen and Free internet.
SlottskogensVandrarhem – Right by Slottsskogen park, close to bars, cafés and shopping. They have free wi-fi, movie nights every night and access to sauna, pool table and … sunbed… (65 SEK for breakfast buffet)

Lastly, we will be living here for the next 5 months (before we travel again), so if this blog has inspired you to come visit Sweden, we would be more than willing to meet up and show you around – just send us an email!

The post City Guide – Gothenburg / Göteborg, Sweden appeared first on Travel Videos & Travel Blog - As We Travel Blog.