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Sweden
,added some links to other hitchwiki pages
{{infobox Country|country = of Sweden|map= <map lat='6263' lng='1517' zoom='54' view='0' floatwidth='270' height='350' country='rightSweden'/>|language = none (Swedish ''de facto'Sweden''' is a member state of the )|capital = [[European Union]] as well as the [[Schengen Agreement]]. Many say that hitching in Sweden sucks. But it works too! As anywhere in Western [[EuropeStockholm]]|pop = 9,234, the motorways are the holy temples of car driving religion and someone standing on them is committing blasphemy. But you can 209|currency = Swedish krona (SEK)|hitch on the on ramps. Better bring a good map, so that you won´t find yourself in an impossible place.= <rating country='se' />}}
== Cities ==
* [[Åmål]]
* [[Dals-Ed]]
*[[Gävle]]
* [[Göteborg]]
* [[Halmstad]]
* [[Jönköping]]
* [[Karlskrona]]
* [[Kristianstad]]
* [[Luleå]]
* [[Lund]]
* [[Malmö]]
* [[Mellerud]]
* [[Mora]]
* [[Norrköping]]
* [[Nyköping]]
* [[Örebro]]
* [[Stockholm]]
* [[Strömstad]]
* [[Sundsvall]]
* [[Söderhamn]]
* [[Trelleborg]] with ferries to Germany and Poland
* [[Trollhättan]]
* [[Umeå]]
== Landscape ==
Sweden is a rather large country, with very desolate areas in the northern part. Instead of knowing every little city, especially when hitch hiking in northern Sweden, it is more meaningful to have a sense of the different regions or landscapes:
* [[Dalarna]]
* [[Härjedalen]]
* [[Lappland]]
== Language & Communication ==
There is no special need of practicing your Swedish since almost everyone speaks English there. Although it can still be useful to speak a couple of words of Swedish for the few people who don't speak English – some immigrants for example, who are more likely to pick up hitchhikers even so. Check out the [[Northern Europe phrasebook#Swedish|Swedish phrasebook]]. Hitchhiking means ''liftar''.
Also, when asking for lifts at petrol stations, some people don't understand that you are hitchhiking and start to explain you the way as if you had an own car.
When people talk about the amount of miles they are doing with their car, it's actually Swedish Miles, which equals 10 kilometres.
[[File:Nannaliftarilappland.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Öresund hitchhiker Nanna knows how to attract the locals in southern Lappland.]]
[[File:2002 Lodging for the night.jpg|thumb|280px|right|Ready to sleep – a pitched tent outside the road in northern Sweden.]]
== Useful info ==
There's a quite useful '''[[maps|map]]''' ("vägkarta") which you can get at ''OKQ8'' petrol stations for 15 swedish crowns. It's for whole Sweden and has all ''OKQ8'' petrol stations on it, which can be quite handy when hitchhiking and looking for a good place to be dropped off. At ''Statoil'' gas stations you get a free map with statoil gas stations. The OKQ8 one might actually also be free now?
It is quite usual to send a '''thanksaying-message''' the day after a party or after a meeting − saying something like "Thanks for yesterday". When one '''enters a flat''' or an apartment (or go further into a truck cab than the passenger seat), it is a must to take off ones shoes!
It is recommended to bring insect repellent if you hitch during the summer.
For the best chance of getting "lift", go to the petrol stations or were people stop for food along the road. Some Swedes can be quite reserved and for this reason it helps to introduce yourself (with a smile), instead of just being a stranger on the side of the road. Just a thumbs up will work, but might take longer. After 18.00 in the afternoon hitching is difficult here.
== Links ==
* [http://www.skjutsgruppen.nu Skjutsgruppen.nu] - [[rideshare]] network within the social networks. Also on Twitter: twitter.com/skjutsgruppen
* [http://www.samakning.se Samåkning.se] - [[rideshare]] network (for Sweden and [[Northern Europe]] in general)
* [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5889849780 facebookgroup] for for Swedish hitchhikers
* [http://www.okq8.se/Pa-stationen/Bensinstationer map with the petrol stations of Q8/OK]
* [https://www.trafikverket.se/trafikinformation/vag/ trafikverket.se] - online map with up to date information on accidents, closed roads and road works
== Personal Experiences ==
Blackratsplo : I hitchhiked from [[Malmö]] to [[Nordkapp]] in july 2022. The hardest part was to get to [[Stockholm]]. if you can do it, you'd better do it from the ferry to [[Helsingborg]]. I had a rough time getting to the capital city because after a misunderstatement I accepted a lift to 50km away from Helsingborg. Only accept rides of 80km or more, in that area and for that destination. I had to get back and hitchhike at the exit of the ferry. An elder sweddish motor biker and traveller offered to let me in an hotel with his customer card so I could get a free breakfast and just after that and a relatively long wait, a lovely Swedish man drove me to Stockholm, bought me a piece of Princess cake and hugged me for saying goodbye. These are just examples of how kind people have been to me all along the way. Be relaxed, be kind, be open minded, speak a good english and Sweden will open its arms to you. After Stockholm, it's easy street. you can easily accept 50km rides. Some people will sometimes offer you to drive you 30km further to a better spot. Kindly ask if they can let you the time to check you map and accept if that's a good option -it often is. Most drivers who stopped were Swedish. I'd say you shouldn't fear of getting lost in the northen part of the country, as long as you have adapted food and equipment. If you're still on the big roads, even with low traffic it's so easy to get a car that you should wait and walk a bit if you want to have a little dive into the beautiful scenery. My last car to Nordkapp was in the middle of nowhere, on the main road, with 2 or 3 cars every 5 minutes. He drove me for 733km right to Nordkapp. He was a German guy. But 10min before that, I had been dropped by a Swedish father driving his two kids home. He picked me in the most remote place and took me 50km further. So don't think too much about places and nationalities. I actually regretted getting so much big rides after Stockholm as I ended crossing the whole country in 3 days and some extra hours. Making lots of 50 to 100km rides and walking 30min in between is a lot of fun and lets you get a real feel of what Swedish people are like.
(End of Blackratsplo personnal experience.)
Hi there! I had an amazing time hitchiking (and back) to [[Kiruna]] from the [[Netherlands]]. I went via the east side up and via the west side back.
I would definitely say hitching at petrol stations is a lot easier as you get to approach the Swedes, if you are polite most of them are open to listen to what you have to say, some might brush you off but as already mentioned about everyone speaks English so they won't look at you weird for that at least! Yes thumbing also works but expect longer waiting times, I would say maximum 2 hours (eventhough I was stuck in Storuman for 6 hours with the thumb).
What worked best for me is to just go from petrol to petrol and sleep in the woods next to the station if it didnt work. The more north you go the more abonded roads tend, expect a lot less traffic the more north you go. Also most petrol stations are going to be around smaller towns instead of on the road when you reach the northern part of Sweden. Especially to the west.
Going the west road up is definitely more beautiful in my opinion but will take you a bit longer (a lot less trucks), but it is more chill as you can get just get dropped off at every small town because the road ([[E45]]) goes through every town and the traffic needs to slow down. So when going west you can really land in beautiful little towns next to big lake and rivers withouth even compremising your travel time!
== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
{{nomadwiki}}
{{hitchbase_country|185}}
{{IsIn|Scandinavia}}
[[Category:Northern Europe]]
[[Category:Sweden| ]]
[[de:Schweden]]
[[es:Suecia]]
[[fi:Ruotsi]]
[[fr:Suède]]
[[tr:İsveç]]