Sweden

Sweden is situated in the north of Europe, it is also known as one of the Scandinavian or Nordic countries.

With an area of around 500.000 km2 (3rd largest country in Europe) and a population of over 9.000.000 people, it is a low density country. 84 percent of the population lives in urban areas, which take up only 1.3 percent of the total land area. So be prepared for large spaces!

Language: The official language is Swedish. However, thanks to good foreign language schooling, international media and the possibility of going abroad for studies, most people speak at least English fluently and/or another foreign language.

Coming to Sweden to learn Swedish, as an English speaking person, can be tricky, as most people would think of it as an opportunity to improve on their English. Further, in the typical Swedish humbleness over themselves most Swedes will find it odd that someone cares to learn their language. Don't give up though, you just have to be a bit stubborn!

A note for travelers, or those planning to stay for a few months - the Swedish language is very direct, and Swedes tend to use English as directly as possible. This can sometimes result in perceived rudeness - ie, the word 'please' (snälla in Swedish) is not as commonly used in Swedish as it is in English.

Government: Constitutional Monarchy, Member of the European Union

Currency: Swedish krona (SEK)

Sweden in CouchSurfing

The Sweden Group

The Sweden group currently consists of 840 members, and it continues to grow. The group is currently working hard to create a strong and welcoming community

The Sweden CS Organization Group

Is a group created to strengthen the communication and collaboration between local CS communities around Sweden. This through discussions on how to improve the CS community, through arranging meetings, inspiring each other and giving support. The group consists of all the Swedish Ambassadors, all the moderators of all the Swedish groups and other devoted members.

Country Ambassadors

• James Daykin
• Magnus Simonsson
• James Yuen

(9,677 members)

City Ambassadors

• Gnosjö
  • Stefan & Linda

• Göteborg
  • Tota & Fhein

• Lund
  • Björn Berndin

• Stockholm
  • Amy and Jonathan Lindgren
  • Belinda Bäckman
  • Elina Pesonen
  • Erika Fagerberg
  • Gunilla Gustafsson
  • Gustav Sjöstrand
  • Håkan N ("invinoveritas")

• Sundsvall
  • Eva ("Eaze")

• Umeå
  • Jonas Paulsson

• Uppsala
  • Gabriela Velasquez

• Västerås
  • Adam Stone

Nomadic Ambassadors

• Kiruna / Jukkasjärvi
  • Tomas Henriksson

• Lund
  • Loren Everly

• Stockholm
  • Edgard Antunes Dias Batista
  • Tim ("Timmy_Tofu")

• Uppsala
  • Michael Berggren

Places in Sweden

Stockholm

Sweden's capital and largest city.

Göteborg

The second largest city in Sweden. Also known in English as Gothenburg.

Malmö

The third largest city in Sweden. The Swedish door to the continent.

Uppsala

The fourth largest city in Sweden. Religious center of Sweden since 1164. Big university town and plenty of history

Lund

Another big student town

Dalarna

One of Sweden's 25 historical regions situated in the middle of the country.

Göteborg to Strömstad

The Swedish northern west coast with its archipelago and islands.

Nyköping

Cozy small town with the third largest airport (Skavsta) located just outside the city

Örebro

The 7th largest municipality in Sweden.

Being a Guest in Sweden

• In Swedish homes everybody takes off their shoes at the door.
• Swedes tend to be practical and to the point, do not mistake that for rudeness.
• The custom in Sweden is that everyone pays for exactly what they have ordered in a restaurant or a bar. However it is never bad to pay for someone if one cares to do a nice gesture.
• Because of the high price of alcohol, when invited to a party everybody brings their own alcohol, some share it but most don't. If you are not offered a drink, assume the bottle is off limits.
• Smoking inside homes is very uncommon, even smokers go outside from their own apartment to smoke.
• You can drink the tap water.

Sweden Threads

Tips on things to avoid doing while visiting Sweden

Language

BBC Languages Quick Fix Swedish - Essential holiday phrases. Now with mp3 downloads.

Language Kompis - A language exchange community.

Lexin - A Swedish-English dictionary.

Svenska utifrån - A book in Swedish to learn Swedish.

Useful Words

Lagom - word that lacks a counterpart in most languages. It basically means "not too much, not too little, but just the right amount." This explains the Swedish desire to live a normal, pleasant life, without standing out from the crowd too much.

Tack - the very handy equivilant of 'thanks!'

CouchSurfing in Swedish Media

• Aftonbladet - Newspaper article, in Swedish, January 2007
• Expressen - Newspaper article, in Swedish, January 2007
• Sveriges Radio P4 Sjuhärad - Radio show, in Swedish, January 2007
• Dagens Nyheter - Newspaper article, in Swedish, January 200
• Nya Wermlands Tidningen - Newspaper article, in Swedish, March 2007
• Aftonbladet Travels - Newspaper article, in Swedish, March 2007
• DN Travels - Newspaper article, in Swedish, July 2007
• SVT Uutiset - TV news in Finnish (Swedish Subtitles), from around minute 6, July 2007
• GT - Newspaper article, in Swedish, July 2007
• Sveriges Radio P4 Örebro - Radio show, in Swedish, July 2007
• Metro - Newspaper article (page 18), in Swedish, September 2007
• NSD - Newspaper article, in Swedish, March 2008
• Aftonbladet - Newspaper article, in Swedish, April 2008

Work

• See Stockholm

Links About Sweden

Wikipedia

Lonely Planet

Visit Sweden - Sweden's official travel site

The Swedish Tourist Organization

Other useful links

Swedish train website

The Right of Public Access