The Swedish country code is 46. The area code for Stockholm is 08 (where, as always, you leave out the zero when calling from abroad). Cell phone numbers typically start with 07.
The currency in Sweden is the Swedish Krona (SEK). In English you can also say "Swedish Crown", since that is what the word "krona" means. Prices in shops are usually written with the abbreviation "kr", like in "50 kr", which can alternatively be written "50 :-" . The smallest coin is 1 kr, but prices may still be given in the now abolished smaller unit "öre" (1/100 krona).
You can find currency converters on the web for instance at forex.se and valuta.se. The value of the krona is roughly 8-10 SEK for one Euro, 10-12 SEK for one GB Pound and 6-8 SEK for one US Dollar. For more details on the time dependence of the exchange rates:
Except for at Arlanda Airport and some tourist-oriented shops in the city, you cannot expect to be able to pay with any other currency than Swedish Kronas.
You can exchange your money for the Swedish Krona at most banks or at special foreign exchange bureaus, where the most widespread is Forex Bank, easily recognized by their bright yellow shops. There are branch offices in Arlanda and Skavsta airports, at the Stockholm Central train station and City Terminal bus terminal, as well as some dozen other places in the city.
The transition from cash to card payment has progrssed far in Sweden, to the extent that some shops or restaurants don't even accept cash (like the restauratn at the AlbaNova campus where Nordita is situated). All major credit cards are accepted in virtually all places, including taxis. You might occasionally experience difficulties with Diners Club and possibly also with American Express (these companies extract very high service charges which makes some shops unwilling to accept them).
Cash or ATM machines in Sweden are called Bankomat (see this Swedish Wikipedia article for pictures of the blueish signs identifying bankomats). They accept most international credit cards.
The climate in Stockholm is rather moderate, with mild temperatures all year round. Temperatures range from -7°C to 2°C (19F-36F) in winter, and 20°C to 25°C (68F-77F) in summer. Rainfall occurs year round, though July and August are the wettest months. Snowfall usually occurs from December through March-April.
Some winters are colder than others. You should definitely bring gloves and a hat to cover your ears. Boots are an advantage if there is lots of new snow. People from southern countries have remarked that there is an important difference between -1°C and -12°C, and even -20°C is not impossible in the morning hours.
The power in Sweden is 220 Volts, and the plugs used are the ones with the two round prongs, used in most countries in Europe:
Ungrounded CEE 7/16 Europlug (plug type C) |
Grounded CEE 7/4 (plug type F) |
You can drink the tap water in Sweden.
The water in lake Mälaren (next to which the western parts of Stockholm lie) is quite clean, and there are some very nice open air baths right in the middle of Stockholm.
A useful online English-Swedish dictionary is Lexin.
This page was printed on 2025-05-25 from old.nordita.org/intranet/sweden/general_info