Surviving First Week in Stockholm

It’s always hard to get lost when your moving into a new country. Too many problems to solve. But they are only problems if you don’t know the answer. We will make your transition easy.

Travel from the airport: There are many options to travel from the airport.

You can opt for the Flygbussarna bus service which starts from the airport and reach T- central within 60 minutes. You can book the ticket through their website or on the bus and the charges are 129 SEK per person. You can also avail of a group discount for more than 2 travelers.
You can hire a taxi (Uber / Bolt / Stockholm Taxi) to reach T- central which will charge approximately 600 SEK by using the mobile app. Albeit expensive, a taxi is the most convenient way to move.
You can travel by Arlanda Express which takes 18 minutes to reach T- central station and will cost you 299 SEK per person. You can book the ticket through the website.
You can also use SL services by buying an SL card from Pressbyran in the arrival hall in Terminal 5. It will cost you 169 SEK per person to use the normal train from Arlanda. (READ: How To Use SL Card)

TIP Beware of getting in cabs which call out for passengers. They can charge a big amount as there is no upper limit. You can end up paying thousands of Krona for a ride that usually costs a few hundreds.

Accommodation: Nothing like it if your company has arranged accommodation. If not, get in an apart-hotel where you can stay for longer durations as you search for a rented place. If you prefer to stay in hotels, choose a central location such as T-Centralen, Ostermalm, Friedhemsplan or Kungsholmen – they have good public transport connectivity to the rest of Stockholm. (READ: Renting in Sweden)

Using money: Sweden is a cashless country so most places won’t accept cash. You can use a Forex card or an international credit/debit card. If you are reading this while in India, do not need to bring any big amount of cash in either Krona or Euro. A few hundred Krona in cash is enough for any potential emergency. Be aware that it might take some time before you can open a bank account.

Using a mobile phone: Make sure to convert your Airtel or Jio connection to a prepaid one. For making calls, you would need to activate international roaming. If you just want incoming SMS for notifications, you don’t need to activate any special services, just keep the number active with regular recharges. For Airtel, a Rs. 101 recharge works. While at the airport, you can buy local SIM cards – Telia, Tele2, or Telenor – from a 7-Eleven store there. It usually costs less than 100 SEK. From booking your cab to finding a location, it would be a big help.

Travel: Stockholm is a small city where you can just walk to many places. You can travel also by taxi or by using an SL travel card. Taxis are always expensive whereas an SL card can give you access to a bus/ train/tram/metro/ boat multiple times and will cost you 970 SEK a month.

Restaurants: There are many restaurants for meat eaters in Sweden but if you are vegetarian, then you need to check the restaurant’s menu online before booking. However, there are many Indian restaurants in Stockholm where you can get both non-vegetarian and vegetarian options. (READ: Indian Restaurants)

Food: If you are preparing food at home then there are many shops (like ICA, COOP, Willys, Lidl, etc) from where you can buy groceries, vegetables, fish, and meat. You can also buy frozen food which is hygienic and ready to cook. If you want to buy alcohol then Systembolaget is the only monopoly in Sweden where you can buy alcohol at a fixed price. (READ: Buying Groceries, Buying Indian Groceries)

Applications: After coming to Sweden you would need to apply for a personal number pretty fast from the Swedish tax agency as without a personal number you won’t be able to avail of most services in Sweden. (READ: Personal Number)

Things to do: Sweden is the most happening place in the world but depends on when you are coming to Sweden.

If you are in Sweden during summer when the sun stays over the horizon for nearly 20 hours a day.