By Plane
Flying in winter -- Scandinavia's off season -- is cheapest; summer is the most expensive season. Spring and fall are in between. In any season, midweek fares (Mon-Thurs) are the lowest.
The Major Airlines -- Travelers from the U.S. East Coast usually choose SAS (tel. 800/221-2350 in the U.S.; www.flysas.com). Another major competitor is American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300 in the U.S.; www.aa.com), which offers daily flights to Stockholm from Chicago, and excellent connections through Chicago from American's vast North American network. Travelers from Seattle usually fly SAS to Copenhagen, then connect to one of the airline's frequent shuttle flights into Stockholm.
Other airlines fly to gateway European cities and then connect to other flights into Stockholm. British Airways (tel. 800/AIRWAYS in the U.S. and Canada; www.britishairways.com), for example, flies from almost 23 North American cities to London/Heathrow, and then connects with onward flights to Stockholm. Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525 in the U.S.; www.nwa.com) also flies at frequent intervals to London, from which ongoing flights to Stockholm are available on either SAS or British Airways. Finally, Icelandair (tel. 800/223-5500 in the U.S.; www.icelandair.com) has proved to be an excellent choice for travel to Stockholm, thanks to connections through its home port of Reykjavik.
People traveling from Britain can fly SAS (tel. 0870/6072-77-27 in London) from London's Heathrow to Stockholm on any of five daily nonstop flights. Flying time is about 2 1/2 hours each way. Likewise, SAS flies daily to Stockholm from Manchester, making a brief stop in Copenhagen en route. Flight time from Manchester to Stockholm is about 3 1/2 hours each way.
Baggage Weight Allowance -- Effective September 2006, SAS is imposing a maximum weight allowance of 70 pounds per bag. If any piece of baggage exceeds this weight, it must be repacked or sent as cargo.
By Car from Continental Europe
From Germany -- You can drive to the northern German port of Travemuünde and catch the 7 1/2-hour ferry to the Swedish port of Trelleborg, a short drive south of Malmö. This route saves many hours by avoiding transit through Denmark. If you want to visit Denmark before Sweden, you can take the 3-hour car ferry from Travemuünde to Gedser in southern Denmark. From Gedser, the E64 and the E4 express highways head north to Copenhagen. After a visit here, you can take the Øresund Bridge from Copenhagen to Malmö.
From Norway -- From Oslo, E18 goes east through Karlstad all the way to Stockholm. This is a long but scenic drive.
By Ship & Ferry
From Denmark -- Ferries ply the waters for the brief run from Helsingør, a short drive north of Copenhagen, and Helsingborg, Sweden, just across the narrow channel that separates the countries. The 25-minute trip on a conventional ferry (not a catamaran) runs at 10- to 40-minute intervals, 24 hours a day. Operated by Scandlines (tel. 33/15-15-15 in Copenhagen; www.scandlines.dk), it's one of the most popular ferry routes in Europe. Round-trip passage costs 68€ ($88/£44) for a car with up to nine passengers; the ticket is valid for up to 2 months.
From England -- Two English ports, Harwich (year-round) and Newcastle-upon-Tyne (summer only), offer ferry service to Sweden. Harwich to Gothenburg takes 23 to 25 hours, Newcastle to Gothenburg 27 hours. Boats on both routes offer overnight accommodations and the option of transporting cars. Prices are lower for passengers who book in advance through the company's U.S. agent. For details, call Sea Europe Holidays, 6801 Lake Worth Rd., Suite 107, Lake Worth, FL 33467 (tel. 800/533-3755 in the U.S.; www.seaeurope.com).
From Germany -- Stena Line Ferries (tel. 031/85-80-00; www.stenaline.com) sails daily from Kiel to Gothenburg. The trip takes 14 hours and costs £171 ($308) for a one-way passage.
