Sweden or Finland?
The practical differences, drawn from our own write-ups rather than from a brochure. We are not going to tell you which is better - they are different trips. What follows is what actually changes between them.
Places written up here 55 56
UNESCO listings among them 11 7
Cost level High High
Busiest month in our write-ups August June
Currency Swedish krona (SEK) Euro (EUR)
Plugs and voltage C, F - 230 V C, F - 230 V
Everyday languages Swedish Finnish, Swedish
Driving side right hand side right hand side
Region Northern Europe Northern Europe
Capital Stockholm Helsinki
Sweden
Lagom - just the right amount - governs taste; queue-number tickets govern shops.
What we have written up
- ABBA The Museum museum
- Abisko National Park national park
- Ales Stenar archaeological site
- Allemansratten tradition
- Astrid Lindgren's World theme park
- Birka archaeological site
Worth knowing before you go
- Cards or Swish handle everything; some places refuse cash outright
- The right to roam applies here too - wild camping is legal with care
- Lunch specials, dagens ratt, are the affordable restaurant window
Finland
Silence is comfortable, sauna is sacred, and personal space is a national treasure.
What we have written up
- Aland Islands island
- Alvar Aalto's Jyvaskyla old town
- Arktikum museum
- Aurora Hunting in Lapland viewpoint
- Crayfish Parties dish
- Everyman's Right tradition
Worth knowing before you go
- Cards work everywhere including market stalls
- Everyman's right allows camping, berry and mushroom picking almost anywhere
- Lunch buffets are the affordable way to eat well
Counts describe this site, not the countries: "places written up here" means how many pages we have finished, and it keeps growing. Currency, plugs and languages are practical facts and change rarely; check anything visa-related with the relevant official source before you book.