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With new and quirky hotel openings, gourmet menus and Hollywood filming and new airline routes popping up over the next few months, Sweden has a lot to offer British visitors. What's more, with a new survey highlighting Sweden to be far less expensive than most people assume, as well as lots of new flights direct from the UK, there's never been a better time to visit.

Sweden - more affordable than you thought
A recent survey by Skyscanner has shown that Brits are rather misguided when it comes to deciphering ‘affordable' holiday destinations. When Skyscanner asked over 1,500 UK consumers to score 30 popular holiday destinations on whether they believed them to be expensive or cheap, Sweden was perceived to be the most pricey. However these assumptions were proved incorrect when Skyscanners then analysed the costs involved in visiting the countries: including flights, Sweden ranked down at number 21, cheaper than Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, France, Italy, Spain and even India and Thailand. For more ideas on things to do in Sweden on any budget visit www.visitsweden.com

New routes from the UK open up Sweden this autumn and winter
Luleå in Lapland (www.visitlulea.se) is set to become more popular with UK tourists this winter, thanks to the launch of the first ever direct route from the UK. SAS (www.flysas.co.uk) is launching a flight from London Heathrow every Saturday from 6 November, and is expected to run the route year-round.

West Sweden and Gothenburg are also becoming even more accessible with the launch of new routes to Sweden's west coast city this autumn and winter. New flights are being introduced from London, Manchester and Edinburgh through easyJet, British Airways and Ryanair. EasyJet (www.easyJet.com) will fly twice daily from both London Gatwick and Manchester to Gothenburg Landvetter Airport, commencing on 6 September and 10 December respectively. British Airways (www.britishairways.com) will start flying from London Heathrow to Gothenburg Landvetter Airport twice daily on 28 November and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) is also going to launch a new flight from Edinburgh to Gothenburg City Airport commencing on 5 November. With all these additional services, a visit to Sweden's second largest city is more attainable than ever before.

In addition to this, British Airways is extending its network from London City Airport with a new double-daily weekday service from the London Docklands airport to Copenhagen in Denmark, providing a direct air link between the two capital cities. Sweden's third city, Malmö is then just a short distance away over the Øresund Bridge that links the two cities. The new flights will commence on 12 September.

Hollywood comes to Sweden
Following the storming success of Steig Larsson's Millennium trilogy of books last year, Hollywood has arrived in Sweden to make a new film of the first book, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The Swedish version of the film was released earlier this year to huge critical acclaim, taking more than $100 million in Europe and the Hollywood version is set to follow suit. Rumours surrounding the leading actors are rife with Kristen Stewart linked to the role of Lisabeth whilst Daniel Craig has been confirmed for the role of Mikael. Fans can delve further into Steig Larsson's world with a guided tour of historical Stockholm taking in the key points of reference from his book, or buy the Millennium map from the city museum and explore the city at their own pace. For more information or to book a Millennium experience visit www.visitsweden.com/citybreaks.

Alternatively hard-core Larsson fans can indulge in a complete Millennium package with Arena Travel on selected dates in 2011. As well as experiencing the Stockholm of Larsson's internationally acclaimed novels with guided tours, this special Millennium Trilogy exploration delves further into the literary world with two exclusive meetings: one with the film scriptwriters responsible for bringing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire to life on screen, and another with Stieg Larsson's publisher. Three night breaks with four-star accommodation is available from £969pp based on two sharing and travelling 29 April - 2 May 2011 or 16 - 19 September 2011. For more information or to book visit www.arenatravel.com

The ABBA guide to Stockholm
The Swedish foursome began their musical career in Stockholm, 1972, and went on to become one of the most successful acts in the history of popular music. They have since created the ‘ABBA guide to Stockholm', which lists 60 of the most important places in and around their hometown. The band frequently used Stockholm in their music, both orally and visually, so the guide provides a useful insight into where the most famous images relating to the band originated. In addition to this, the guidebook lists some of the biggest attractions in Stockholm and many popular entertainment venues like like Kungliga Slottet and Stadshuset. With a plethora of photographs, hotel listings, transport information and a detailed map, the book provides a comprehensive and interesting guide to the city of Stockholm. The book can be purchased online at www.amazon.co.uk.

New Treehotel, Luleå
Swedish Lapland has often been called Europe's last wilderness and the relatively unknown area of Luleå now brings a unique offering with the opening of the Treehotel on 17 July 2010. Whilst there are some tree-based hotels in the world, none benefit from the same architectural concept. There are six completely unique themed Tree Houses, created by five separate architects. Home to the world's first tree top sauna and offering the possibility of sipping on cocktails in the ‘UFO-tree cottage', it could be considered the world's largest outdoor playground for adults. For more details visit www.treehotel.se.

Luleå is a microcosm of everything that is so great about Swedish Lapland, but instead of having hours to drive to each point of interest, everything is reachable within 15-20 minutes. It has a population of about 73,000 and is a city of contrast with icy cold winters and beautifully warm summers meaning visitors can bask on the vast archipelago in the summer months and try out some extreme winter sports in the colder months For more information visit www.visitlulea.se

New hotel in the West Sweden archipelago
Marstrands Havshotell (Marstrand Sea Hotel) opens on the island of Marstrand, a former playground of Swedish Royals, in late November offering a scenic getaway beside the water just 50 minutes from Gothenburg. The 98-room hotel includes a spa offering traditional treatments from the Bohuslän coast, incorporating the likes of seaweed, salts and hot baths; two restaurants (where menus include the local seafood), an outdoor terrace with seating for 150 people and fine views to sea and across the island, as well as nine conference rooms. Marstrand can be reached by car over a bridge connecting it to the mainland. For more information visit www.westsweden.se

New Nobis Hotel, Stockholm
Mixing luxurious features with contemporary design, the new Nobis hotel will be the second five-star hotel in the Swedish capital. Situated on Norrmalmstorg square, the hotel will occupy a prime position when it opens on 1 December 2010.

Guests will be able to enjoy maximum comfort, ease and efficiency in the historic, late 19th-century buildings with 201 rooms on offer. Catering primarily to modern business travellers, the chief architect has thought of every detail from the guest's perspective. Within the hotel there will be a public facilities area incorporating a spacious lobby and lounge, two bars, an Italian restaurant and a 24-hour bar and bistro which will be open around the clock. Not only will these public spaces be available for guests, but also for all Stockholmers and visitors. Outside of the interior beauty of the hotel, guests will be at the very centre of Stockholm, with a large selection of restaurants, shops, museums, sights and nightclubs all within easy reach. For more information visit www.nobishotel.se

Scandic and Jamie Oliver
Scandic hotels have launched an exciting new meeting experience with top British chef Jamie Oliver. Scandic are now in their second year of working with the chef and it was initially only the children who got to taste his exclusive menu. However, after the success of this original launch, the hotel chain and Jamie Oliver have developed Scandic's meeting offering into a day of inspiration and energy, with Oliver's creative food philosophy. The new menu for meeting and conference guests is surprising and keeps energy levels up throughout the day as well as raising excitement about Scandic hotels. There are 145 Scandic hotels spread over ten countries and every hotel Scandic hotel in Sweden carries the Nordic Swan ecolabel, so guests can sleep soundly in the knowledge that their stay will be a sustainable one. www.scandichotels.com

Øresund Bridge celebrates 10 years connecting Denmark and Sweden
1 July 2010 marked the 10th anniversary of the Øresund Bridge, the first permanent link between Malmö in Sweden and Copenhagen in Denmark. Malmö (www.malmotown.com) is Sweden's third largest city; a ‘city by the beach', Malmö has undergone a fantastic transformation in the past few years. Similar to Brighton with its seafront location, it is famous for its creatively modern architecture, ecologically aware industries and multi-cultural community. The area also boasts a number of new restaurants Restaurant Bastard opened last autumn and has become a popular eatery thanks to its delicious nose to tail menu, whilst Årstiderna by the Sea opened this April and serves fresh sea food by the old dock in the Western Harbour area. With flights to Copenhagen from the UK running on a daily basis and Malmö just a 25-minute train ride over the bridge, there has never been a better time to discover southern Sweden.

New seafood safari in West Sweden - The Shellfish Journey, 15-23 October
For a limited period of time this Autumn, visitors can enjoy being warm inside whilst tucking into the delights of Bohuslän after embarking on The Shellfish Journey. Running for just over one week, from 15 to 23 October, visitors will gain the added blessing of having Bohuslän virtually to themselves. Beginning with a boat trip out at sea, The Shellfish Journey will incorporate all the tasty delights of the ocean, known as the Big Five - lobsters, muscles, crayfish, prawns and oysters. West Sweden is known for having some of the most exceptional seafood in the world, and this is a chance to experience fine food at its freshest, finishing the day seated at a candlelit dinner table in a coastal restaurant. For more details visit www.westsweden.com

For more press information contact:
Ruth Haffenden /Susie Porsz/Kath Freer- bgb communications
T: 020 7902 2990 / E: rhaffenden@bgb.co.uk/sporsz@bgb.co.uk/kfreer@bgb.co.uk
Philippa Sutton - VisitSweden
T: 020 7870 5604 / E: Philippa.Sutton@visitsweden.com

 

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