syncretic-scathach:

artofmischief-deactivated201812:

Hiya! Thanks for liking my blog! ❤

This answer might be a long one, I hope you don’t mind.

First of all, there’s an important thing to know about the seasons here in Sweden. We’re really far north, which means several things for how we experience the seasons, but especially this: In the winter, it gets really, really dark. After the summer solstice (usually around June 18-24), the sun will keep setting earlier and earlier, and rising later and later, which means that there are very few daylight hours from ~November until March/April. So it’s important to be prepared for that. Many Swedes take extra vitamin D supplements during the winters, to help keep their mental health and well-being on the right track. Many Swedes aren’t bothered at all – but if you’re not used to it, it can be a bit of a shock to the system. 
Of course, once the winter solstice happens (usually around December 18-23), the sun will start rising earlier and setting later – which will, of course, mean longer and longer days. At this solstice, the sun rose at 04:11, and set at 22:17 – but it’s still light for at least an hour after that, and it gets light before the sun has actually risen. So the problem is the opposite from the winter. It never really gets dark, so investing in those curtains that block out light is a good thing if you’re sensitive to light when you’re trying to sleep.
Swedish houses are generally built for two specific needs: keep the cold out, and keep the warm in. This is great in the winter, beacuse you won’t freeze, but in the summer, it can get really warm indoors. Invest in a couple of good fans, because apartment buildings and suchlike don’t have AC. Not even all regular houses have that. We have winter for ~9 months per year, so our houses are built for that.

Okay, now onwards!

We don’t tip in restaurants/bars/pubs/cafes. It’s an option in many restaurants if you want to, but then the tip goes to the entire staff, not a specific person, because they’re already paid salaries that are set to a certain standard, and so have usually little need for tips. If there are tip jars in bars/cafes and stuff, you can always give some change if you have any – they usually dedicate it to extra coffee, or some specific purpose which they tend to state on a note next to the jar. So don’t worry if there’s no one giving tips when you’re out for dinner – it’s just not a thing here.

Swedes are great at English, so don’t worry about talking to people if you need help with anything – most of us are damn near fluent in it, and we’re generally happy to help if we’re asked to. (Little old ladies, or young people of all sorts are usually the best bet in terms of friendliness, tho).
With that said! Swedes are not social creatures. We don’t like other people very much, and so getting to know people can be a bit of a delicate operation. We don’t like small talk. We absolutely do not talk to one another on public transport, or in any public situation if we don’t have to. But especially not on public transport – I cannot stress this enough. You’ll never get hated faster than you will if you talk to someone you don’t know, or, G-d forbid, talk loudly on your phone or to someone else while on public transport. We seem to have reached some sort of consensus where public transports are quiet bubbles of me-time that must not be disturbed. 

Also, public transport is so notoriously unreliable in the winter that ti’s become a national joke. On the good side, you can go pretty much anywhere in Sweden by train or bus, and it won’t kill your wallet. And if there’s one thing Sweden has in abundance, it’s nature. Usually, you can just hop on a local bus, and it’ll take you to a park or nature reserve or beach. We also have the allemansrätt (Right of Public Acess), which means that we’re allowed to move about in forests/fields/on beches, etc., and pick mushrooms and berries, and even go camping for a night, without having to ask anyone for permission, which is great. Obviously, it doesn’t apply if you’re literally in someone’s garden, but they usually have fences, so that shouldn’t be a problem. So if you have the time, definitely go on adventures! 

The legal drinking age in Sweden is 18. The same goes for voting and driving. Most pubs/bars/clubs have a minimum age requirement of 20, but not all of them. You also have to be 20 to buy alcohol. Which you can do in two places: 
supermarkets/stores, but only up to 3,5%, and usually the more mainstream brands of beer. Or you go to Systembolaget, which is the only place in Sweden where stronger alcoholic beverages are sold, because we have a state monopoly of selling alcohol. Systembolaget does, however, also have a glorious and ever-growing selection of non-alcoholic stuff – most of which is absolutely fantastic! Me, I don’t drink alcohol at all, but I still go there for the non-alcoholic stuff. Be prepared to show ID, tho! They’re very strict on that.

We do have McDonalds, Burger King, and Subway over here too. I think Stockholm even has a Dunkin Donuts. We don’t have Starbucks. Or, well, we have them in, like, three places (last time I checked); Stockholm Central station + Arlanda Airport, Gothenburg Central Station + Landvetter Airport, and Malmö Central Station. 
For coffee/tea, and yummy treats, we have a metric fuckton of cafes and coffeeshops, because one of the corner-stones of Swedish life is fika. Our workdays have one to two breaks dedicated to fika, we will often fika in the afternoons and evenings when we get home. We fika as a social activity, and when we want some me-time. We go out for a fika as a date thing, as an interview thing, as a work meeting thing. We fika when we celebrate stuff, and when we’re sad about stuff, or when we need to think about stuff – or, sometimes, when we’re just not sure what to do.
Fika can be just a plain cup of coffee/tea (or a glass of lemonade/soda), or there can also be some biscuits/cookies, some pastries/cake. Sometimes it’s coffee + sandwiches – it depends. But be prepared; fika will be a thing you will encounter a lot. And it’s a great way to start up a friendship. We often invite someone out to fika as a way of making friends with them. And even among younger Swedes, it’s pretty standard that you bring something with you when you go visit someone, so you have something to eat for fika. This is considered the polite thing to do, even though we’ll get very awkward and nervous if a new person asks what they should bring, because we don’t want to come across rude or greedy. So just bring somenthing – cinnamon buns pretty much always work.

Also, a note on the coffee thing. I’ve heard this issue from many non-Swedish friends, so I figure a warning can be a good idea: Swedes brew their coffee strong. Very strong. Not just at home, but in our cafes and coffee shops too. Just be prepared. 

Sweden has a long history, and thus also a whole bunch of cool museums and histocial sites that are soooooooo worth checking out. If it’s a state-owned museum, there’s no admission fee. The privately owned ones do charge admission fees, but even most of them are pretty okay – in a lot of places you can buy a full-year ticket, which lets you come back as many times as you like, and is often valid at other museums too. 
Stockholm has a bunch of cool museums and churches and buildings and stuff, and generally really good guides on their tours. I’m very rarely in Stockholm, so I’m not up to date on stuff there, but it should be very easy to find out.

Hm… There are so many peculiarities about Swedish culture, but I’m not sure what would be the most important stuff to know.

One thing you should definitely know, tho, is this: Stockholm may be the capital of Sweden, but pretty much the entire rest of Sweden hates Stockholm, and the people living there, because they’re generally considered really arrogant and unpleasant. A little high and mighty, I guess you could say. It’s a bit like that part in Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail:  

“I’m Arthur, King of the Britons!”

“Well, I didn’t vote for you.“

Stockholm being Arthur, and the rest of Sweden being the other guy. 

My brain came to a standstill here, but seriously, if there’s anything else you’re wondering about regarding Sweden (and Swedes), don’t hesitate to drop me an ask or a message. I’m happy to help! 

Thank you so much for a very thoughtful response! I had to laugh out loud at your “we’re an entire country of people who don’t like other people” tag. My grandfather and his family were/are Swedish and…yeah.

Though I clearly inherited something beyond the last name, because I’m in Southern California right now and so, so ready to be done with random strangers making small talk in public.  Seriously, why do people DO that?