Sweden

NEED TO KNOW

GOOD TO KNOW

Books and Movies
Ingmar Bergman's films, such as The Seventh Seal and Persona are among the most enduring classics ever to grace the silver screen. But watching Death play chess may give prospective visitors an unrealistically morbid view of Sweden. For a less existentially maddening experience, try the work of Sweden's most famous leading ladies: Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman.

Cuisine
Sweden's hearty cuisine is best experienced through the traditional smorgasbord, a table overflowing with pickled and smoked fish, meatballs, potatoes and even reindeer. Even if you're not about to be chopping wood all day, crayfish, wild berries, and sweet bread are hard to resist. It may be easier to resist the appeal of surströmming—canned fermented herring that even locals find daunting—though the northern Laplanders do love it.

Good Buys
Even ignoring the twenty-five percent VAT tax (tourists can get this refunded), shopping in Sweden is expensive. Exquisitely designed crystal, ceramics, and silver are some of the best items to pick up. The Scandinavian gift for design also makes Sweden a mecca for Po-Mo home furnishings, severe clothing, and weird architect eyeglasses. A more traditional gift would be a heavy woolen sweater. Although itchy, these have kept out the Arctic chill for generations.

Money
A hefty VAT tax of twenty-five percent is added to all goods in Sweden, but non-European Union residents can get a refund on this for most purchases.

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS