Travel in Sweden

If you ever go to Sweden, be prepared to travel on every mode of transportation you can imagine.

There are a myriad of ways to get around the country: Bus, car, taxi, tram, subway, plane, boat, ferry, moped, train, bike, horse...





If you rent a car, it simplifies things, but it's not a requirement. A good thing about Sweden is, you can get almost anywhere without a car. It might not be as convenient, but you'll get to where you want to be.

Travel is rather efficient and mostly on time. It's pretty easy to navigate through the timetable and route if you speak Swedish. And if you don't, there are help desks along the way.

The only difficulty I have is understanding the pay systems on local transportation. All the bus and train companies seem to have changed over to a card system in the past few years, so you can't pay with cash any longer. You have to buy a card, a specific card for that specific area. It's easy to see how this can become a problem for tourists.

Add to that the fact that Västtrafik in Gothenburg has instituted some type of Draconian torture puzzle when it comes to figuring out how much your trip will cost you when you travel on a bus or tram. You almost need a degree in higher math to understand the pay plan. The new brochure is fifteen pages long.

The old system was pretty simple: Put your card in the machine, press a number for central Gothenburg (or another for the outer zones), and out pops your card. No longer. Now you have to take into account the check in/check out procedure, where you'll be riding, how many zones you'll be crossing into, if you're riding with more than one person, and so on.

Thankfully, Anna taught me the basics of the new system before I had the opportunity to venture out into the wild blue yonder that is Gothenburg. "Remember to check out before you leave the tram or it will keep taking money off your card. If you don't, the next time you get on the tram, you won't have any money left in your account," she explained. Good to know.

Other than the various local travel authorities wanting to institute these reloadable cards, traveling is fairly straightforward. Prices are reasonable. Timetables are easily available and understandable. There are big electronic notice boards posted with train and bus updates. You can easily see when your bus or train is leaving and where it will leave from. And your transportation is almost always on time.

Being on time is good if you're an on time type of person. If you're not, it can be real trouble. If the bus schedule says the bus leaves at 6:23 PM, it leaves precisely at 6:23 PM. Everyone will be on the bus and ready to go at that time. You don't start loading up your luggage and getting on the bus at that time. You're on the bus and ready to head out. If you're not on the bus, they will leave you behind. Most stations are in the center of town, or quite near the center, which makes it even more convenient.

The trade off for traveling with collective traffic is that you won't always get the most convenient schedule, of course. You don't have as many options when it comes to the travel times. The scheduled departure and arrival times may also be a bit unusual. It helps if you're a night person. Many long haul buses leave late at night. And sometimes, you have a pretty long wait if you need to change buses in another city. So remember to bring something to make the wait time fly by. Maybe a CD or a book. I can recommend two very good ones...

Driving a car is also straightforward. The road signs are clearly marked and plentiful. There are rest stops along the way. The highways are in excellent condition. If you get into the countryside, all bets are off on the roads. You could be cruising down a gravel road or a dirt path in the middle of a forest. But that's only in smaller places. If you stick with the bigger cities, you won't really see that. But you might see a traffic jam or two. If you do choose to drive, watch out for those parking meters and parking signs. It can get costly if you're unaware or forgetful.

Airports are quite small, which makes the process a breeze. You're able to get through security, to the gate and on the plane in a flash. The only drawback is the higher cost of flights in comparison to ground travel. But it's a fast way to get around if that's what you need.

Another perk about travel in Sweden is, once you get to your destination city, you can almost always get anywhere by walking or riding a bike. The cities are small enough to do this, if you're not in much of a hurry at least. Just grab a map from the local tourist office and off you go. It's even possible to do this in Gothenburg and Stockholm if you stick with the downtown areas. You'll find a lot of walkways and bike paths in nearly every city as well.

Overall, the transportation system in Sweden is a a reflection of the country itself: practical, efficient, environmentally friendly, and on time.