From Prague to Stockholm - Horydoly.cz - Outdoor Generation

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Sweden is a long way by car

It makes sense to drive a car only if you are not traveling alone and can take turns driving with one of your fellow passengers.

In addition, parking is charged in many cities, which must also be taken into account when calculating the cost of the trip.

Expensive train

Going by train to Stockholm is also not entirely out of the question. However, it is necessary to change at least twice (in Berlin and Copenhagen), with each transfer losing several hours waiting.

Even when using international discounts, this is a relatively expensive solution. In some higher quality trains (Swedish X2000) it is often necessary to pay a surcharge even with these discounts.

All in all, with the exception of affluent railway enthusiasts, this option is not very suitable for most people.

The bus is slower, but it fits more

That leaves the bus and the plane. Each of these means of transport has its advantages and disadvantages.

The bus is logically significantly slower. On the other hand, direct buses also stop in a number of Swedish cities, so there is no need to search for a suitable connection after landing in an unknown country, where the language is opaque to most Czechs (although all the locals speak English and are usually willing to help).

The plane is faster, although the journey to the airport and the subsequent wait for departure must be added to the two-hour flight, but you are limited by the amount of luggage you can take with you, or rather by its weight.

Low-cost airlines allow 15 kg in the luggage compartment and 10 kg of hand luggage, traditional airlines a little more in the luggage compartment, up to 20 kg.

Student Agency or Swebus?

The bus companies officially also limit the weight of luggage, but in practice the regulation is not followed very much. If the driver is able to lift your luggage during loading, there are no problems. A number of students going on a study stay prefer to choose slower buses.

Bus connections between Prague and Stockholm are provided by two companies - Student Agency and Swebus Express in cooperation with Bohemian Lines.

The first-named company does not need to be introduced. Swebus Express is one of the largest bus operators in Sweden.

Timetables often change throughout the year, so it is necessary to check the current timetable on the carriers' websites. In principle, each carrier offers connections once or twice a week.

The Student Agency line is closed between January and April. It is still necessary to check whether the bus goes directly or whether there are transfers. However, the transfer takes place within one line, so there is no danger that the connection will go away.

In terms of price, the offer of both companies is comparable, the journey time is slightly longer with Bohemian Lines due to the detour to Berlin.

Night ferries across the sea

As for comfort, I would venture to say that its level is slightly higher at the Student Agency. Passengers receive headphones and can watch on-board TV.

Bohemian Lines also shows movies while driving, but unfortunately only on one monitor at the front of the bus and not through headphones, but out loud. In addition, Bohemian Lines does not have a flight attendant function that you can turn to with your requests or problems.

Both lines use the ferry between Germany and Denmark. Of course, it depends on the currently valid timetable, but it often happens that the bus arrives at the ferry around three o'clock in the morning.

If you managed to twist yourself into a yogic position on the sofa and fall asleep, you are out of luck. For safety reasons, everyone must leave the bus. On board, you can either try to fall asleep in a chair (the ferry ride takes about 45 minutes) or go to the outer deck, where the fresh wind will wake you up perfectly.

If you want to buy something in the duty-free shops on the ship, make sure you have either cash (Euros or Danish kroner) or a payment card other than VISA Electron.

Between Denmark and Sweden, the Student Agency uses another ferry, this time it only takes about 15 minutes and you are allowed to stay on the bus. Still, I think it's worth getting on board and enjoying the journey in the fresh air. As soon as the coast of one country disappears behind the horizon, you just turn around and you can already see the other shore.

One almost regrets that the sea does not freeze here in winter and it is not possible to cross that short section with dry feet. In this way, in the middle of the 17th century, the Swedish king Karel X Gustav dealt a decisive blow to Denmark in one of the many Danish-Swedish wars.

Then in a small time the ice sea froze, which the Swedish king took advantage of and reached Copenhagen from a direction from which no one expected him.

If you choose Bohemian Lines for your journey, instead of taking another ferry, you will experience a ride through a tunnel, over an artificial island and then over a bridge, common for road and rail transport and a pipeline. If you suffer from a fear of heights, go with the competition.

Can we make the transfer?

But Sweden is not just Stockholm. The journey from the southern coast to the metropolis takes another seven hours. You can observe extensive Swedish forests, the typical feature of which is a fence along almost the entire length. The fences are not there to demarcate private land, as Cech might have expected, but for security reasons to prevent collisions between cars and wild animals.

At irregular, but rather long intervals, the bus stops in one city or another, and finally the central terminal in Stockholm appears.

Inevitably, the question arises, how exactly is the timetable followed? Especially if you intend to continue further from Stockholm, it is highly relevant.

The Student Agency, in particular, has a hard time keeping up with the timetable. I have been there three times for different reasons when this company's bus came to Stockholm. Once it was about thirty minutes early, the second time thirty minutes later, and the third time even an hour and a half later.

I can't judge how well the competition follows the timetable in the direction of Stockholm, but on the way to Prague, a fellow passenger assured me: "Bohemian Lines always go to Prague exactly, I don't know how they do it."

The secret is simple - at the last stop before the Czech border, i.e. in Berlin, a stay of approximately three quarters of an hour is planned so that any delay can be retouched. But if the bus runs on time, it may happen that at five in the morning you have nothing to do for 45 minutes, just walk around the still-sleeping metropolis and not lose your way back to the central bus station.

Two Stockholm airports

Those who do not need to travel with equipment for a year's stay and are not prevented by health or psychological problems usually choose to travel by plane. It is possible to choose between traditional and low-cost airlines.

In addition to the price and weight limit, the companies' offers also differ depending on which airport called Stockholm they will take you to. Large companies usually fly to Arlanda Airport, which is the better option, as it is thirty kilometers from Stockholm.

This is the largest airport in Sweden, so big that even locals sometimes manage to get lost in it. Since this year, the airport has also been the scene of the new TV series Stockholm-Arlanda, a kind of combination of a drama series, a documentary and a reality show. If you're lucky, you might find yourself on Swedish TV.

Arlanda is roughly halfway between Stockholm and Uppsala, and both cities can be reached by bus, train and taxi. Buses are the cheapest option, trains are slightly more expensive. However, if you are traveling further north, it is worth noting that there are direct trains from Stockholm in this direction via Arlanda.

Taxi, train or bus go from the airport to the city

If there are more of you and you plan to move to Stockholm or Uppsala and then around the city by public transport, it is worth considering taxis. For three people, this option is comparable in price to public transport and will take you directly to your destination, without transfers and complicated searches. The price for the trip is written on the outside of each taxi, and you don't have to worry that a different price would apply outside and inside the car, as is often the case in Prague.

If you choose one of the low-cost airlines for your trip, you will also reach an airport called Stockholm, but it is Skavsta. It lies eighty kilometers from the city. There is also a bus connection to Stockholm from this airport.

However, if you are traveling further afield, if you arrive in the evening, you need to check in advance whether you will still be able to make the transfer in Stockholm on the same day. The journey from the airport to the central terminal takes approximately 80 minutes.

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