Practical information

Transportation
Travel to and from Stockholm

Stockholm Arlanda International Airport is served by flights from 167 destinations in total around the world, 128 international destinations and 39 domestic.

According to the LFV, the Swedish civil aviation administrations, the numbers of international arrivals daily in the year of 2001 were 214. The domestic arrivals were 164.

Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) has the most non-stop flight connections around the world to and from Stockholm.

Sweden has a comprehensive railway system including direct connections to the major Swedish cities as well as to destinations abroad.

Daily ferry departures and arrivals from Finland and Estonia.

Bus, train or taxi to and from Stockholm / Arlanda International Airport

With the airport rail link, the Arlanda Express you can travel between the Central Station and Stockholm Arlanda International Airport. The trip takes approximately 20 minutes and departures every 15 minutes. When arriving at the airport you can easily make your way to the terminal from the platform. At the airport, you can buy tickets for the train at the information counters or from the ticket dispenser machines located next to the escalators/lifts leading down to each station. Outside the Arlanda Express terminal at Stockholm Central Station is a taxi rank. It’s only 5 minutes walk from the terminal to the City Conference centre. Ticket price SEK 220 (in weekends SEK 240 for two people)

There is coach-service to and from the City Terminal located next to the Central Station in Stockholm every 10 minutes. The trip takes 35 minutes. The coach-service offer a broad range of alternatives: there are 36 stops throughout Metropolitan Stockholm, and there are more than 300 departures from Stockholm to Arlanda every working day.  You can by the tickets in the terminal or from the bus driver. Price SEK 99.

Taxis are available directly outside all terminals at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. Speak with the taxi rank officer if you want taxi with a fixed rate – which we recommend. The fixed rate to city of Stockholm is around SEK 500. Taxis that are registered as environmentally “clean cars” have a separate queue. At the airport terminals, these “eco taxis” are always at the front of the queue of taxis. This system is used outside all the terminals. If you want to travel in an environmentally friendly way, ask the taxi rank officer for an ecotaxi.

Travel within Stockholm

Click picture for bigger format.Stockholm has an extensive and well-organized public transport system of buses, subway lines and commuter rail lines as well as numerous companies providing private transport services. It is easy to reach points throughout the city and outlying areas.

From the central station to the conference venue it is merely a five-minute walk along the central streets of Stockholm. At the central station you can catch long distance trains, buses, the underground trains as well as the Arlanda Express train, which takes you to Arlanda Airport in 20 minutes.

You can travel with SL – the Stockholm Public Transport Company – throughout the County of Stockholm. The area covers a distance of several kilometers outside the actual city centre and includes all services on the subway, commuter trains, suburban railways such as the Roslagsbanan, Saltsjöbanan and the Lidingöbanan trains and hundreds of bus lines.

Subway

The Stockholm subway is almost 110 km long and consists of three lines, the green, red and blue. Subway stations are marked with a blue T. The Stockholm subway has been called the world´s longest art exhibition, since so many stations are richly decorated, particularly along the blue line. A comprehensive guide is available at the SL-Center and from tourist offices (guided tours are arranged regularly).

Buses

In the city centre the ordinary red buses have recently been joined by several even more modern blue main lines. Many buses use fuels that are easy on the environment, such as ethanol. Two lines popular with tourists are no 47 (to Gröna Lund, Skansen and the Vasa Museum) and no 69 (to Kaknästornet). Buses are a great way to discover Stockholm.

Commuter railways

The commuter rail system serves the entire county, from Märsta in the north to Södertälje in the south.

Tickets and travel cards for public transport

There are tickets and travel cards for short and longer periods of time. Show your ticket to the bus driver or ticket inspector and if you have a card with a magnetic strip you can use the automatic barriers in the Metro and at the commuter train stations. It is always cheaper to buy prepaid tickets and the longer the period of validity of the ticket, the cheaper it will be. If you are just visiting temporarily there are travel cards for 1, 3 or 7 days. You buy your travelcard or single tickets/pre-paid single tickets in advance at SL Center or ticket agents. SL Centers are located in the ticket halls of the T-Centralen station at Sergels Torg and at the Central Station in the lower hall and at five other main metro stations. Other ticket agents, mostly news agents, have the SL logo clearly visibly displayed.

You can always buy one single ticket from ticket machines or ticket collector when you travel with metro or train. Notice that when you travel by bus you need to have a ticket before you board the bus.

There are three zones in Stockholm county; A (inner city and suburbs), B and C. The price for traveling one hour in one zone is if you buy a

  • Cash single ticket 40 SEK
  • Pre-paid ticket 30 SEK
  • – Prepaid ticket slip with 16 units for SEK 180 – SEK 22.50 per trip in one zone.

Prices for travel cards are:

  • 24 Hour Card SEK 100
  • 3 Day / 72 Hour Card SEK 200
  • 7 Day Card SEK 260.

For more information and journey planner www.sl.se.

The Stockholm Card

The Stockholm Card gives you free entry to 75 museums and attractions, free travel by public transport, free sightseeing by boat as well as several other bonus offers. You decide whether you want a card that is valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours. The card will not be valid until it is stamped with the time and date the first time you use it. Three child cards can be purchased per adult card. The card is valid once per attraction and entitles you to unlimited travel by metro, bus and commuter train.

Prices of the Stockholm Card:

  • 24 h SEK 330
  • 48 h SEK 460
  • 72 h SEK 580.

You can buy your Stockholm Card from the registration desk at Norra Latin.

Information to Participants

Internet access

There is free wireless internet available in Norra Latin. Passwords available from the Information Desk of the conference centre. Three free internet booths available in the lobby area on 1st floor.

Identification badge

Each registered participant will get a name badge from the registration desk. The badge must be worn at all times to gain admission to technical sessions, exhibition, lunches and dinners and social and technical tours. All paid events are recorded in the badge that will be read electronically at the entrance to halls.

Technical sessions

Please see the map of the conference centre for location of rooms. If you are a speaker contact the chair of your session the day before your presentation. Please also contact the organisers and submit your presentation in advance to the technical support.

You are not allowed to use your own lap top for presentation. There is technical assistant available in each room. Presentations will be collected for publishing on FIG web site after the conference.

Official language

Conference language is English.

No smoking policy

Public places, conference venues, restaurants and workplaces in Sweden are smoke free.

Time

Sweden, like most of Europe, has Central European time, Greenwich Mean Time +1.

Currency

The Swedish monetary unit is the Swedish Crown, abbreviated to SEK. One Swedish Crown is 100 öre. The coins are from the lowest to the highest: 50 öre (half a crown), 1 krona (crown), 5 kronor and 10 kronor. The paper money is 20 kronor (crowns), 50 kronor, 100 kronor, 500 kronor and 1,000 kronor.

Exchange rates: 1 EUR = 9.30 SEK and 1 USD = 6.00 SEK (May 2008).

National holidays in June

Saturday 21 June Midsummer’s Day. Also on Midsummer´s Eve on Friday 20 June are many Swedes on holiday.

Banks

Most banks are open Monday to Friday 10:00 to 15:00 hours. Cash machines are available for VISA, MasterCard and similar cards.

Electricity

230v and European standard sockets.

Language

Swedish is the common language, but you could without problem communicate in English.

Shopping

The biggest shopping areas in Stockholm stretch from Hötorget to Gamla Stan, via Drottninggatan, and from Hamngatan, Kungsgatan, and Biblioteksgatan down to Stureplan. Normal business hours are 10 to 18 Monday–Friday and around 10 to 15 on Saturdays. Some stores are also open later and on Sundays. If you want to buy a lot and are short on time, go to NK, Åhléns, PUB, Gallerian or Sturegallerian. They stay open 7 days a week, with longer hours during the week than on weekends. Special opening hours during Midsummer weekend.

Tipping

In principle, the price of a service includes the gratuity. In theory, therefore, you do not have to leave a tip, but in practice many does tip for good service.