The very first thing to do in your new life in Stockholm is to apply for personnummer (personal ID number). Without this number, you cannot open a bank account, set up a telephone line, subscribe to an internet service provider, etc. However, it takes two to more than a month to obtain it. So you should apply as soon as possible after your arrival.
See this article by Your Living City for how to obtain it.
Showing posts with label 03 What to do in the first weeks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 03 What to do in the first weeks. Show all posts
20140609
20120520
Buy a travel card (and learn about T-bana and Buses)
Tunnelbana (T-bana for short), Stockholm's underground railway, is a convenient and efficient way to get around in the city. The official route map can be seen here. (The route map including overground train services can be found here.)
To start your journey, buy a travel card at a kiosk (most likely called Pressbyrån) near the ticket barriers in your nearest T-bana station. You cannot buy one from the ticket gate officer or at a ticket vending machine. Don't worry. A shop attendant will understand what a "travel card" is. The price as of June 2008 is 690 krona for 30 days, 260 for 7 days, 200 for 3 days, 100 for 1 day. A travel card allows you to take any T-bana lines and buses in Stockholm for an unlimited number of times while the card is valid.
Alternatively, you can buy a single ticket (the price for a single journey within Zone A is 40 krona if you buy one from the ticket gate officer and 30 krona from a kiosk, as of July 2009) or a pre-paid strip of coupon tickets that allow you 8 single journeys within Zone A (the price is 180 krona, as of July 2009, both at the ticket gate or at a kiosk). Beware, however, that the ticket gate officer is often absent.
When you exit from a T-bana station, you don’t need to show your ticket. Just push the bar of a ticket barrier to exit.
Many T-bana stations feature art installations, particularly Tekniska Högsoklan and Kungsträdgården. At Solna Centrum, the whole decor of the station is art. Here is the official guide for art in T-bana.
Stockholm buses:
You cannot buy tickets from the bus driver (another reason for why a travel card makes your life simpler). Bus lines 1, 2, 3, and 4 run frequently (every 5 minutes) and can be very useful depending on where you live. For bus route maps, see this post.
To start your journey, buy a travel card at a kiosk (most likely called Pressbyrån) near the ticket barriers in your nearest T-bana station. You cannot buy one from the ticket gate officer or at a ticket vending machine. Don't worry. A shop attendant will understand what a "travel card" is. The price as of June 2008 is 690 krona for 30 days, 260 for 7 days, 200 for 3 days, 100 for 1 day. A travel card allows you to take any T-bana lines and buses in Stockholm for an unlimited number of times while the card is valid.
Alternatively, you can buy a single ticket (the price for a single journey within Zone A is 40 krona if you buy one from the ticket gate officer and 30 krona from a kiosk, as of July 2009) or a pre-paid strip of coupon tickets that allow you 8 single journeys within Zone A (the price is 180 krona, as of July 2009, both at the ticket gate or at a kiosk). Beware, however, that the ticket gate officer is often absent.
When you exit from a T-bana station, you don’t need to show your ticket. Just push the bar of a ticket barrier to exit.
Life with a travel card is much simpler. First, a travel card allows you to swipe the ticket to pass the ticket barriers. Second, you don't need to worry about anything when the station staff at the ticket gate is absent.
If you go for single tickets or a strip of coupon tickets, you need to understand the following rather complicated system of Stockholm public transportation:
A single journey requires two tickets within the same zone, three for two zones, and four for three zones. (See this route map for zone boundaries. As long as you take T-bana, it's always within Zone A.) One ticket costs 20 krona at the ticket gate or 15 krona at a kiosk. The prepaid strip of coupon tickets gives you 16 tickets.
When you pass the ticket gate, you need to have your tickets time-stamped by the staff at the gate. Since there is only one person at the gate in most stations, there is often a queue for having a ticket stamped. What's confusing is that this stamp guy or lady is often absent. In such a case, you can simply pass the gate which is unlocked. But you need to remember what time you enter the station. In a very rare occasion, you'll encounter ticket inspectors at a station exit. If you don't have a valid travel card or a stamped ticket, you'll be fined with a hefty amount of money. By reporting the time you enter the station, you can avoid the fine even with an unstamped ticket (according to my Swedish colleague).
Once you have your ticket stamped, it's valid during the following 60 minutes. So, for example, you can take a bus immediately after getting off from a T-bana station without having more tickets stamped.
Understand? Life with a travel card is much simpler, isn't it? For more details on tickets and fares, visit SL's website in English. (SL is in charge of Stockholm public transportation.)One good (or bad?) thing about T-bana is that you can make and receive a call with your mobile phone.
Many T-bana stations feature art installations, particularly Tekniska Högsoklan and Kungsträdgården. At Solna Centrum, the whole decor of the station is art. Here is the official guide for art in T-bana.
Stockholm buses:
You cannot buy tickets from the bus driver (another reason for why a travel card makes your life simpler). Bus lines 1, 2, 3, and 4 run frequently (every 5 minutes) and can be very useful depending on where you live. For bus route maps, see this post.
20080906
Book a laundry time slot (and get used to this)
Most Swedish apartments do not have a washing machine even if they are not budget apartments. There is a laundry room usually in the basement of the apartment building that is shared by every resident in the building, even if you don't live in a student dormitory. The room has two or more washing machines, a tumble dryer, and a drying cabinet. What may perplex foreigners is the rule that you need to book the laundry room in advance. Using the room in a time slot you didn't book usually causes hostility from other residents. (When I couldn't finish washing within the booked slot, the resident in the next slot ruthlessly emptied the washing machine before spinning was over and left my soaking-wet clothes nearby, to wash his or her own clothes.)
Time slots, especially the morning and evening ones, are fully booked for next five days or so. It's better to book your first laundry time slot on the day of your arrival. And get used to this way of daily life in Sweden.
Paddy Kelly, an Irish contributor to The Local online newspaper, reports this Swedish custom.
Time slots, especially the morning and evening ones, are fully booked for next five days or so. It's better to book your first laundry time slot on the day of your arrival. And get used to this way of daily life in Sweden.
Paddy Kelly, an Irish contributor to The Local online newspaper, reports this Swedish custom.
20080614
Buy a pocket-sized Stockholm street map
Since you are new to Stockholm, you need a map of the city to carry with you.
Buy Stockholm Pocket Map published by Liber. It's a thin, pocket-sized booklet of maps of inner Stockholm. (If you have lived in London, think of it as Stockholm's equivalent of the London A to Z map). It's better than other portable maps of Stockholm because you don't need to spread it out to read as if you were a tourist.
The easiest place to buy this map is Kartcentrum, a shop for maps and travel guidebooks. Take T-bana to T-Centralen station. Follow the exit sign to Vasagatan. Once you pass the ticket barrier, take the first exit on your left. When you are up at the street level, turn left and walk for 15 seconds. You will be in front of Kartcentrum, where you can buy a pocket-sized Swedish-English dictionary, too.
For online street maps for Sweden, see this post.
Buy Stockholm Pocket Map published by Liber. It's a thin, pocket-sized booklet of maps of inner Stockholm. (If you have lived in London, think of it as Stockholm's equivalent of the London A to Z map). It's better than other portable maps of Stockholm because you don't need to spread it out to read as if you were a tourist.
The easiest place to buy this map is Kartcentrum, a shop for maps and travel guidebooks. Take T-bana to T-Centralen station. Follow the exit sign to Vasagatan. Once you pass the ticket barrier, take the first exit on your left. When you are up at the street level, turn left and walk for 15 seconds. You will be in front of Kartcentrum, where you can buy a pocket-sized Swedish-English dictionary, too.
For online street maps for Sweden, see this post.
Buy a pocket-sized Swedish-English dictionary
Although every Swedish person speaks English, you probably need a portable Swedish-English dictionary to go shopping. In Stockholm, shop attendants are rarely available to you (due to the chronic shortage of staff). You need to figure out the meaning of Swedish terms describing items on your own.
The best pocket-sized dictionary is Norstedts Engelska Fickordbok (or Norstedts Amerikanska Fickordbok if you are more familiar with American English). It contains 32,000 words, the largest among the available pocket-sized dictionaries. It's on sale at Kartcentrum. A book shop chain Akademibokhandeln also sells it.
There is no electronic Swedish-English dictionary in the market as of 2007. Teknikmagasinet sells an electronic dictionary containing 12 languages including Swedish and English. But the number of words is too small to be useful in daily life.
See this post for online dictionaries.
The best pocket-sized dictionary is Norstedts Engelska Fickordbok (or Norstedts Amerikanska Fickordbok if you are more familiar with American English). It contains 32,000 words, the largest among the available pocket-sized dictionaries. It's on sale at Kartcentrum. A book shop chain Akademibokhandeln also sells it.
There is no electronic Swedish-English dictionary in the market as of 2007. Teknikmagasinet sells an electronic dictionary containing 12 languages including Swedish and English. But the number of words is too small to be useful in daily life.
See this post for online dictionaries.
Buy a prepaid SIM card
If you have an unlocked mobile phone handset, you can buy a SIM card at The Phone House, a mobile handset shop chain. Your handset will then become a prepaid mobile phone. (See here for where to buy a new handset.)
As of September 2007, the cheapest prepaid SIM card is Comviq Knock-Out. The price of a card is 49 krona. The minimum top-up fee is 125 krona. And the call rate is 0.69 krona per minute. Comviq is Tele2's brand name for its mobile service. Other mobile carriers in Sweden include Telia, Telenor, and 3. The price comparison chart is available at The Phone House stores (just grab a free booklet).
You can top up the fee at a till of any supermarkets and Pressbyrån branches (station kiosks). In the case of Comviq Knock-Out, by paying 125 krona, you will receive a receipt with the code (säkerhetskoden). Then call *110*xxxxx# (insert the code number in place of xxxxx). Nobody will answer, but a message appears on the handset screen, and 125 krona will be automatically charged to your account. To check the balance, call *111#. Again nobody will answer, but a message appears on the handset screen, telling you how much you still have.
If you are a heavy mobile phone user, you may prefer subscribing to a monthly payment plan. Wait until you get the ID card, which could be three months later.
As of September 2007, the cheapest prepaid SIM card is Comviq Knock-Out. The price of a card is 49 krona. The minimum top-up fee is 125 krona. And the call rate is 0.69 krona per minute. Comviq is Tele2's brand name for its mobile service. Other mobile carriers in Sweden include Telia, Telenor, and 3. The price comparison chart is available at The Phone House stores (just grab a free booklet).
You can top up the fee at a till of any supermarkets and Pressbyrån branches (station kiosks). In the case of Comviq Knock-Out, by paying 125 krona, you will receive a receipt with the code (säkerhetskoden). Then call *110*xxxxx# (insert the code number in place of xxxxx). Nobody will answer, but a message appears on the handset screen, and 125 krona will be automatically charged to your account. To check the balance, call *111#. Again nobody will answer, but a message appears on the handset screen, telling you how much you still have.
If you are a heavy mobile phone user, you may prefer subscribing to a monthly payment plan. Wait until you get the ID card, which could be three months later.
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