First time visiting Sweden

no yobs

be none here either at £17 a pint ...

Wont be like that for much longer, if they dont act quickly.

Pandora

I totally agree with everything you posted, although i guess it could appear to be a biased opinion.

I've lived in quite a few countries due to my line of work, but Sweden by far the longest with a total of over 21 years in 3 stints working at the Saab Aerospace company in Linköping, and another 7 years (2 stints) part-time living there if i count my time in Germany (where i am now) returning every 4-6 weeks for a long weekend.

Taking everything into consideration Sweden is definitely the best of those, although i'm not suggesting it's paradise, it isn't, but it's not meant to be. The positives are many including those you mentioned. The negatives are immigration policies that have created issues in recent years, but you could say the same for all of Europe. The winters are longer and can be cold, but you get used to it and at least the country functions well. Taxes are higher than GB, but so are salaries and the average Swede has a better standard of living and a pension allowing you to live comfortably.

I recommend anyone to visit.

Where in Sweden did you go ?

Hulk

be none here either at £17 a pint

Not even 50% of that (excluding hotels) and the exchange rate is very favourable to Brits now.

I can only speak about Stockholm and I can praise the city immensely. The people, the wonderful character of the marvellous city. I went with a group of family and friends and we all absolutely loved everything about it.
We have a Swedish family that come and stay with me a couple of times a year and we're going this Autumn hopefully to stay with them.

It's up there with any city break I've ever been to before. The Swedes themselves are magnificent in every way and I can dispell the theory that's it's an expensive city, I found it to be London prices and we had a decent pub within a 5 minute walk and a pint was a fiver.

See it for yourself, you will not be disappointed I can assure you of that.

Systembolaget is your only man otherwise you'll go broke if you like a beer up there.

How much actually is a pint or a glass of wine over there please ?

Company I work for are Swedish so have I been a few times although not recently as my job role changed, still work alongside and know quite a few.
Nice people and a very nice city to visit. Recommended for sure

Arent they a cashless society?
Im a cash man
myself

Most of the women are gorgeous….imo…

I met one on holiday in Torquay in the seventies…..ffs it took me years to stop thinking about her….

By the sounds of it you still haven’t

formoftheace 28 May 23 14:24 
Most of the women are gorgeous….imo…

I met one on holiday in Torquay in the seventies…..ffs it took me years to stop thinking about her….


was benny from abba.

What i wonder is how is someone who claims to be living in poverty, can't afford his energy bills etc, excluded himself from gambling etc, able to afford a soiree to Sweden, which by all accounts is a very expensive country to visit? Hopefully it's because his fortunes have changed and now has a well paid job.

Pandora gave up gambling and now he can go on holiday s abroad

Was there for a day as part of a cruise, plenty of blonde crumpet about.

Apart from the Scandanavian hotties there is nothing else i would want to see in Sweden.

Pandora nor ikea have even mentioned the violent gangs including the ethnics acey,can you not smell the odour your old mate was warning about before being banned from Tesco and here?

How does he know they weren't swearing in Swedish?

May 28, 2023 -- 2:24PM, formoftheace wrote:

Most of the women are gorgeous….imo…I met one on holiday in Torquay in the seventies…..ffs it took me years to stop thinking about her….

Jimnast/Punchestown

Although alcohol is probably cheaper in many GB cities, it's a misconception that Sweden is 'frighteningly' expensive and probably a remnant of the past although it depends where you drink it and what are you comparing it with of course. In Germany, they almost give beer away at 3.5 euros in some biergartens.

Strength of the currencies and subsequent GBP/SEK exchange rate also has an impact of course. When i first worked/lived up there in 1989 it was generally 1 GBP/10 SEK, and as with all currencies it's fluctuated over the years. About 10 years ago it actually went below 1/10 so great for Swedes coming to GB, albeit not so for Brits going over. In the last 5 or 6 years it's been steadily rising, today it's around 1/13.4 thereby making it much better for Brits.

Obviously drinking in hotels has a mark up, but that would be the same everywhere. Stockholm is a little more expensive than Linköping where i live (compare London to Bristol for example).

There are a couple of British 'theme' pubs in Linköping, Bishops Arms and Horse and Hounds, i drink in both, as well as a couple of the sports bars. Prices start around 56-59 SEK if you want local beer (less than a pint) and Guinness is also available, cheaper than Cheltenham racecourse. Wine is not much more expensive.

During weekdays you can get a special lunch menu for a tenner in some places, even in Stockholm. Eating out is on a par with London and as the poster Slippyblue mentioned above, he bought a beer for a fiver there.

I'm in Stockholm on Friday night, and Linköping on Saturday afternoon after a few hours in the capital (my usual monthly+ trip back home). I can take some photos of a typical bar menu in both cities and post here.

Like everywhere, Sweden can be expensive if you want it to be, but going for a city break is not going to a mega burden on the pocket by any means and there is a quality about the country and it's people that make it value.

ImSoLuckyLucky

Arent they a cashless society?

Almost, but cash is still taken at some retail outlets, although there will come a time when cash is a thing of the past and not only in Sweden. All cards are taken and we have a system called 'Swish' for electronic transfers.

I actually prefer cash, but the world is changing.

The Svenska Riksbank is also planning a digital 'E-krona' a central bank digital currency.

Thanks Andrew for such a detailed reply sounds fine cost wise around 1/2 the price of New York.

I went to Stockholm for a few days about 5 years back. Like others on here, I loved it and didn't find it any more expensive than London.

i hope you like soups and veg

Andrew,it's over 25 years since I visited Karlstad and even the Pizza and Burger places back then were about 14 Irish Punts which would be about 18 Euro now for a pint of beer and the Q in the Systembolaget (State run Off Licences) were sizeable for such a good living Country ,

Would love to see an updated Menu posted here from your visit.

OP has developed Stockholm Syndrome and can't help forking out for expensive Swedish beer.

Punchestown

Back in 1989, when i first lived in Linköping the local Systembolaget was only open certain hours and on weekdays, not weekends. It wasn't a walk around place either, we were served at a counter and the windows were screened. Obviously not so today, but even now you can't buy alcohol higher than 3.5% at any supermarket and you have to be over 20 years old, although oddly enough you can buy in a bar at 18.

Andrew,very similar when I was there,don't think it even opened every weekday,maybe 3 days a week but not 100% sure,I distinctly remember being there on a Friday lunchtime waiting my turn behind the Butcher,Baker and Candlestick maker who did their "Shopping" at lunchtime.

Very spartan place with only 1 person serving.

Good morning Guys,

I mentioned in my post (29 May 23 08:03) that i was back home in Sweden for a few days from Friday 2nd (late) and would take photos of prices (bar and restaurants).

If you go to new community, select my profile and PHOTO GALLERY, you will see a zillion new photos (not all related prices in Sweden) on pages 1-5 (since June 6th). The Best Western Menu photos were taken at Arlanda airport (Friday). The Viking Bar in Stockhom city (Saturday afternoon) and the remainder on pages 1 and 2 were taken in Linköping (where i live) Saturday to Monday. I even took some photos in the local ICA supermarket.

At least they should dispel any notion Sweden is mega expensive.

Punchestown, note the Linköping Systembolaget photo, a far cry from the 90's, now they are no different to Waitrose.

isnt sweden supposed to be the rape capital of europe, or is that just media propaganda?

i used to work for a swedish family about 20 years ago, nice people. they used to give me some snus that would spin me the **** out, i was never good with tobacco

JPSER

You're correct in part, although the way 'rape' is reported, and what constitutes it, differs to other countries. It has also increased in the past 20 years due to 'relaxed' immigration policy up there, like many countries sadly. I guess where you live in Sweden also has an impact.

I live in Linköping, albeit working in Germany at the moment, but i return 'home' every 4-5 weeks. A lovely, comfortable, University city with regular police patrols in the nightlife area and whilst i'm not suggesting it's 100% safe, it's probably the safest city i've lived in (over 2 decades) and i've lived in a few.

It's not paradise, nor is it meant to be, but there's a good quality of life up there and the average man/woman has a much higher standard of living than his/her counterpart in UK.

thanks.

Also do they have really strict gambling laws? or at least tightened things a few years ago? theres a Swedish slot streamer called Kim who i watch 'letsgiveitaspin' who had to leave Sweden a few years ago and move to Malta as he said it was impossible to continue his business in Sweden due to restrictions. The sae thing really that the UKGC are doing to UK players right now

Gambling regulations changed in Sweden a few years back, i used to have a legit Betfair.com account up there, but it was closed by them. 

Betting on trotting/ice-hockey/football is very popular up there, but trying to find an outlet isn't easy.

I can't comment about the slot streamer, simply as i don't know.

Was seeing a Swedish girl in the early 1990s,absolute beauty,who invited me over to meet her family.second day there we arranged to meet up in a local park for a picnic.was quite taken aback to meet her mum dad & sister for the first time all tucking into their smorgasbord totally starkers.no inhibitions those swedes!

at which point you wished you'd brought a bigger sausage ..