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Midsummer, fika and the right to roam: planning a Swedish trip with Canadian dollars

Canadians who go to Sweden often say that the country feels oddly familiar. The long winters, the lakes and forests, the love of ice hockey, the habit of removing shoes at the door and the quiet courtesy of strangers all remind them of home. Yet Sweden has its own rhythms, such as the coffee-and-cake break known as fika, the white nights around midsummer when the sun hardly sets, and a legal right called allemansrätten that lets anyone walk, camp and pick berries on almost any land, so long as they treat it with respect. The bills are a different matter. Sweden is among the more expensive countries in Europe, almost everything is paid for by card, and the krona is a currency that moves independently of the euro. Use this page to Convert CAD to SEK with the daily reference rates published by the European Central Bank, in which the Canadian dollar and the Swedish krona are both quoted against the euro; the page combines them into a dollar-krona figure and prints its date under the result. The amount you type never leaves your browser.

Using the converter

Canadian dollars in, kronor out

Type your budget and Convert CAD to SEK, then write the date next to the answer, because the figure and its date belong together.

Enter an amount in Canadian dollars and the page shows the equivalent in Swedish kronor and öre, with the date of the fixing used. A Canadian dollar buys about seven to eight kronor, so the answer is roughly seven and a half times the number you typed. Fixings come once on each working day; on weekends and public holidays the page repeats the last one and says so. A table of round sums and a graph of the past thirty days sit below the box. To go the other way, from kronor into dollars, open Convert SEK to CAD.

How much of the number is yours

At a counter, Convert CAD to SEK first and divide the offer by the result to see the margin.

The rate on the screen is the mid-market price that banks use among themselves, before any consumer margin. Whoever serves you will shave something off, and the shaving is the real cost. A simple test is the ratio of what you receive to what this page shows: 0.99 is excellent, 0.97 is common for a card, under 0.95 is worth another quote. The examples below use an invented, tidy rate of 7.5 kronor to the Canadian dollar. It is not a forecast and not today's price, so swap in the live figure.

Northern habits

Fika, the sacred pause

A coffee and a bun cost a few dozen kronor, so Convert CAD to SEK for the daily habit and add it to the budget.

Fika is a break in the morning or afternoon with coffee and something sweet, taken with colleagues, friends or family. Most workplaces have a fika at ten and another at three, and cafes sell a cinnamon bun, kanelbulle, and a coffee for 70 to 95 kronor, or about 9 to 13 Canadian dollars. The coffee is often free to refill. Join a fika, and you will understand more about Sweden than any guidebook can say.

Midsummer

The biggest celebration of the year is Midsummer, held on the Friday and Saturday closest to 24 June. Families gather in the countryside, raise a flower-covered pole, dance in a ring, sing songs about little frogs and eat new potatoes with herring and sour cream. Alcohol flows, the sun barely sets and many shops close. If you want to take part, book accommodation months in advance and bring flowers for a wreath.

Dark season

In December, the sun sets at three in the afternoon in Stockholm and does not rise above the horizon at all in the far north. Swedes respond with candles in every window, advent stars, saffron buns on 13 December for Lucia and cosy evenings. Christmas markets in Stockholm's old town sell mulled wine, called glögg, and gingerbread.

Everyone's right to nature

Allemansrätten

The public right of access gives everybody the right to walk, cycle, ski, swim and camp on most uncultivated land, and to pick wild berries and mushrooms, with the one condition that you must not disturb or destroy. You may pitch a tent for a night or two out of sight of houses, make no fire in dry weather, take your rubbish with you and keep dogs on a lead. The right is widely respected and is part of the Swedish identity. National parks and nature reserves have their own rules.

Hiking, canoeing and berries

A hut bed and a map are modest costs; Convert CAD to SEK for a week of them to see the total.

The Kungsleden, the King's Trail, runs 440 kilometres through the mountains of Swedish Lapland, with huts every ten to twenty kilometres. A bed in a mountain hut costs 400 to 700 kronor a night, or 53 to 93 Canadian dollars at the invented rate. Canoe routes cross the lakes of Dalarna and Värmland, and in late summer forests are full of blueberries and chanterelles. Maps and a compass are advisable, as mobile coverage is patchy.

Northern lights

From September to March, clear nights in northern Sweden, around Abisko and Kiruna, show the aurora borealis. A guided tour costs 1,000 to 2,000 kronor, and a night in an ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi 3,000 to 6,000. Dress in layers, bring a thermos and expect to wait. The Aurora Sky Station at Abisko has a lift to a viewing platform, with a ticket of about 1,500 kronor.

Cities

Stockholm

Museum tickets are the largest items, so Convert CAD to SEK for each and consider a city pass.

Stockholm is built on fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic. The old town, Gamla Stan, has narrow lanes and a royal palace; Djurgården has the Vasa Museum, which houses a seventeenth-century warship raised from the sea floor, the ABBA museum and the open-air museum Skansen. The Vasa Museum costs about 190 kronor, the ABBA Museum 295, Skansen 220. Boats across the archipelago start at 150 kronor. A day pass for public transport costs about 175 kronor.

Gothenburg and Malmö

Gothenburg, on the west coast, has a canal-lined centre, fresh seafood and an amusement park; Malmö, in the south, is linked to Copenhagen by a long bridge and has a lively food scene. Trains link the three main cities in three to four hours, with tickets from 300 to 900 kronor depending on how early you book.

Food and drink

For a lunch, a dinner and a beer, Convert CAD to SEK and compare with prices at home.

A lunch of the day costs 125 to 165 kronor, a dinner main course 220 to 380, a beer 70 to 100 and a coffee 40 to 55. Meatballs with lingonberry jam, gravlax with mustard sauce and cinnamon buns are classics. Alcohol stronger than 3.5 per cent is sold only in state shops, with limited hours. At the invented rate, a 150-kronor lunch is 20 Canadian dollars. Convert CAD to SEK for each meal and compare with your usual bill.

Paying in Sweden

A nearly cashless country

Because you will pay by card, Convert CAD to SEK for your daily budget instead of changing cash.

Sweden has gone further than almost any other country in abandoning cash. Many shops, cafes and buses accept only cards or the mobile payment app Swish, and some banks do not handle cash at all. Canadian cards work well, and contactless payment is the norm. Carry a card with a chip and a PIN and a backup, and use cash only for emergencies. If a terminal asks whether to charge you in Canadian dollars, decline and pay in kronor.

Tipping and taxes

Tipping is not expected, as service is included. Rounding up or adding 5 to 10 per cent for good service in a restaurant is a kind gesture. Value-added tax is included in prices and is 25 per cent on most goods, 12 per cent on food and 6 per cent on culture. Visitors from outside the European Union can claim a refund on purchases above a minimum amount in participating shops.

Time and distance

Sweden is six hours ahead of Toronto and nine ahead of Vancouver. Convert CET to EST gives the step to the Canadian east coast. Distances are in kilometres; Convert km to mi turns them into miles. Swedish winters are cold, and Convert °C to °F translates the forecast.

Lagom and other Swedish ideas

Just the right amount

Lagom is a Swedish word that means not too much and not too little, the right amount. It describes a taste for balance in work, food, decoration and behaviour, and it explains why Swedes tend to dislike showing off. A lagom coffee is neither strong nor weak, a lagom flat neither large nor tiny. Visitors from Canada, where modesty also counts, will recognise the mood. In practice, it means that restaurants do not shout, dress codes are relaxed and conversations rarely become loud.

Equality and trust

Sweden has one of the highest levels of trust between citizens and institutions in the world, and one of the most equal societies, with generous parental leave, a strong welfare system and flat hierarchies at work. Fathers push prams in the middle of the day, and managers sit at the same table as employees. The system is paid for through high taxes, which explains some of the prices, and visitors notice that public services such as libraries, parks and transport are well kept.

Queue numbers and quiet

Swedes take queue tickets at pharmacies and state shops, wait in silence and speak softly on trains. A loud phone call in a carriage is considered rude, and people keep a respectful distance from strangers. Sunday afternoons are quiet, and many residential buildings have rules about noise at night. A visitor who follows these unwritten rules is welcomed.

Getting there and around

Flights and trains

Direct flights from Canada to Stockholm are seasonal; otherwise travellers connect through London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Reykjavik or Copenhagen. A return ticket costs 900 to 1,800 Canadian dollars, lowest in autumn and spring. From Stockholm's Arlanda airport, the express train to the city takes 18 minutes and costs about 300 kronor, or 40 Canadian dollars at the invented rate. Swedish trains are comfortable, often late in winter, and cheaper if booked early. Night trains link Stockholm with the north.

Cars, ferries and bikes

Driving in Sweden is on the right, with headlights on at all times. Speed limits are 50 in towns, 70 to 100 on country roads and up to 120 on motorways, and fines are issued automatically by camera. Winter tyres are compulsory from December to March. Petrol costs about 18 to 20 kronor a litre. Ferries link the islands of the archipelago and the Baltic, and cycling routes exist in all cities.

Moose and reindeer

In rural areas, moose and deer are a real risk on the road, particularly at dusk and dawn, and in the north reindeer roam freely. Reduce speed, watch the sides of the road and never swerve violently. In case of a collision, call 112 and stay away from the animal.

Where to sleep

Hotels, hostels and cabins

A bed in a hostel costs 300 to 500 kronor a night, a private room in a hostel 700 to 1,100, a mid-range hotel room 1,300 to 2,200 and a boutique hotel in Stockholm 2,500 to 4,500. Self-catering cabins are widely available in national parks and by the sea, at 600 to 1,500 a night for two. At the invented rate, a hotel room at 1,800 kronor costs 240 Canadian dollars. Breakfast is often included, and a Swedish hotel breakfast buffet is a meal to remember.

Staying the Swedish way

Some visitors rent a summer cottage, a stuga, with a red wooden house, a jetty and a sauna. Weekly rents run from 4,000 to 12,000 kronor in summer. Others stay in a floating hostel in Stockholm or a treehouse hotel in Lapland. A night in a sauna cabin by a lake is a good introduction to the local way of life.

Booking early

Summer is short and popular, and accommodation near the coast and in the mountains fills up months ahead. Winter in Swedish Lapland is also busy, with northern lights tours. Book as soon as you know your dates, and read the cancellation terms. Convert CAD to SEK for each option to compare it with your budget.

A week, with figures

Five cities and a forest

Imagine a week with a rental car and two travellers: three nights in Stockholm, two in a cabin by a lake in Dalarna and two in Gothenburg. Seven nights at 1,500 kronor are 10,500. Meals at 700 a day for two come to 4,900. Rental car and fuel cost 4,200, museums and tickets 1,600, ferries and trains 1,200, a sauna and a rowing boat 600 and small gifts 1,000. The total is 24,000 kronor, which at the invented rate is 3,200 Canadian dollars, excluding the flights. Convert CAD to SEK for each line and see where you can trim.

Saving money in an expensive country

Choose a daily lunch menu, which costs half of dinner. Buy groceries at supermarkets, where a picnic of bread, cheese and fruit costs 80 to 120 kronor. Use the free tap water, which is among the best in the world. Visit museums on free-entry days, and use the city pass, which includes transport. Walk and cycle, since Swedish cities are compact. A night in a hostel or in a cabin with a kitchen cuts the bill substantially.

Sweden's winter bargain

Hotels in city centres are cheaper at weekends, when business travellers go home, and in January and February. A winter trip to Stockholm, with its Christmas lights and its frozen waterways, costs a third less than a summer one, and the city is quiet. Dress warmly and enjoy the cosy cafes.

Safety, health and phones

Staying well

Sweden is safe and orderly. Tap water is excellent, pharmacies sell basic remedies, and the emergency number is 112. Canadian health plans do not cover care abroad, so take out travel insurance. Ticks can carry disease in the countryside in summer; wear long trousers in tall grass and check your skin. Mosquitoes in the north are fierce in July, so bring repellent.

Phones and internet

Mobile coverage is excellent in towns and fair in the countryside. A prepaid SIM with a large data plan costs 150 to 300 kronor, and roaming from a Canadian plan can cost 10 to 15 dollars a day. Public wireless is available in libraries, cafes and trains. Maps and public transport apps are useful, and ticket purchase is mostly done by phone.

Daylight and seasons

In June the sun is up for eighteen to twenty hours in Stockholm and does not set at all above the Arctic Circle. In December, daylight lasts six hours in the capital and not at all in the far north. Pack an eye mask in summer and a headlamp in winter. Spring and autumn are mild and colourful, and August brings crayfish parties with paper lanterns and hats.

Other conversions

If the trip goes on

Travellers who continue to Denmark or Germany can use Convert CAD to EUR, those who go to Poland Convert CAD to PLN, and those who fly on to Britain Convert CAD to GBP. For kronor against the euro, see Convert EUR to SEK.

A note to keep

Write down the rate and date each time you spend a large sum, and compare the note with the statement when you are home.

Mistakes to avoid

Arriving with only cash

Cash is of little use, so Convert CAD to SEK once for the whole trip and rely on your card.

Sweden is nearly cashless, and notes are of little use. Bring a card, and Convert CAD to SEK for your daily budget instead of changing money.

Accepting a dollar charge

A terminal that offers to bill you in Canadian dollars uses its own rate. Choose kronor.

Relying on an old rate

A rate from last month can be several per cent out. The date beside the result protects you whenever you Convert CAD to SEK.

In short

The only thing fetched from the network is the table of daily rates; your amount stays in the browser and no account is needed. From a midsummer pole to a fika in Stockholm, one habit pays: Convert CAD to SEK, read the date and weigh every offer against the figure on this page.