The Local Sweden

Skål! The Local's guide to Sweden's bizarrely intricate toasting etiquette

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:44:59 +0200

Raise your glass, then look each other in the eye, then drink, then... wait, what happens next? Before you dine with the Swedes, watch The Local's video.

Members' Forum: Seven unusual things I didn't think I'd miss until I left Sweden

Thu, 07 Dec 2017 16:28:09 +0100

Sweden is a funny old country. When you move there as an expat - as I did in 2010 - there are countless things you'll find to be incredible, unique, or baffling.

Ten rules for getting naked in Sweden

Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:50:00 +0200

Sweden is known throughout the world for several types of sin - and a lot of them involve shedding clothes. The Local sets out to debunk the myths and explain Swedish nudity in ten simple rules.

Swedish MPs abroad have 'social skills deficit'

Mon, 08 Jul 2013 18:35:00 +0200

Badly dressed, speaking poor English and giving cheap gifts to their hosts - a few of the accusations on a long list of faux pas made by Swedish MPs on business trips overseas, according to a new internal Riksdag report.

Swedish people just don't understand small talk

Tue, 02 Jul 2013 16:37:00 +0200

The Local's Oliver Gee reflects on the small-time manners of Swedes, and ponders why Swedish people don't seem to know how to be "polite in passing".

Top ten tips for Swedish business etiquette

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:41:00 +0200

What are the unwritten rules that foreigners should keep in mind while doing business in Sweden? Our latest JobTalk gives you the top ten tips for showing your colleagues you're on the ball when it comes to Swedish business etiquette.

Tourists left reeling after tipping scam

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:53:00 +0200

Two Danish tourists were left out of pocket after they were fooled into leaving a 20 percent tip at a Stockholm restaurant recently, despite the fact that tipping in Sweden is optional.

'Lazy' Malmö commuters given lesson on how to ride

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 11:38:00 +0100

A flood of complaints from disgruntled commuters have forced the operators of Malmö's new City Tunnel to educate local residents about the the dos and don'ts of travelling on a big-city transit system.

Kiss me, I'm Swedish

Wed, 14 May 2008 11:56:00 +0200

Whatever happened to Swedish reticence? David Bartal contemplates a country in which man-hugs have become de rigeur and women think little of kissing each other on the mouth.