SWEDEN

SWEDEN

Sweden is one of the largest countries in Europe. It experiences extreme contrasts between its long summer days and equally long winter nights
Sweden has everything from bears and wolves in the north to roe deer and wild boar in the south. The country also has a wealth of flora and aquatic life.

STOCKHOLM
Sweden’s capital city is surrounded by water and is built on 14 islands; some reached by bridge and some by boats.
I stayed at Scandic Sjofartshotellet which is completely wheelchair accessible. A step free entrance leads to the lobby and a lift takes you to the floor you are staying on. A wide door enters into your room and an accessible bed allows you to change position and height. The room has a large wet-room with shower and toilet surrounded by grab rails. The shower is easy to use but unfortunately, there is not an extra rail for transferring to the shower chair, so some may find it a bit harder to use without help.

The restaurant is reached by going up a ramp.
Gamla Stan, or ‘Old town’ is where you will find beautifully preserved buildings, the Royal Palace, gothic churches and excellent cafés, bars, restaurants and Swedish design-ware. You can watch the changing of the guards every day during the summer and on Wednesday’s and Saturday’s the rest of the year. Due to the age of the town, many of the pavements are narrow, the squares are cobbled and the roads can be steep.

Stortorget is the central square where there are many small cafes. The Borsen lies here which is where members of the Swedish Academy elect winners of the Nobel Prize. The museum is wheelchair accessible.
Djurgarden is an island reached by a short, accessible, ferry ride and was once a hunting ground for Karl X1. It is now home to Skansen (an outdoor museum), Rosendal Palace, a funfair, museums and many restaurants.

The Vasamuseet holds the Vasa warship which capsized and sank in 1628. The vessel was rediscovered in 1956 and reconstructed into a museum with smaller finds bring conserved. The whole museum is wheelchair accessible with lifts to all floors.
Skansen is the first open air museum and zoo in Sweden but is extremely hilly. If possible, it is easier to get around on an electric wheelchair/ scooter.
The Arlanda Express train from the airport is very accessible. Its quick, has lots of room, and is a very smooth journey.
The underground network is also accessible with lifts and wheelchair ticket barriers.