Getting Sick in Sweden: A Tourist's Guide to Healthcare
Which door to use when you fall ill, how to be seen without a personnummer, what it costs by entitlement, and the 1177 number that works abroad.
Health, Safety & Emergencies
Healthcare access
1177: Sweden's Medical Advice Line
Sweden's 24-hour nurse advice line. Dial 1177 from a Swedish phone, +46 771 11 77 00 from a foreign one. Press 5 for English. Life-threatening: 112.
EHIC and GHIC in Sweden: What They Cover
What the card buys in Sweden, what it never covers, why digital versions are refused, and the private-clinic trap that costs visitors the whole bill.
Emergency Rooms in Sweden: How Akuten Works
When to go to akuten, why the wait runs to hours, what to bring and what visitors pay. Triage, children's ERs and the EU card, from official sources.
Dental Emergencies in Sweden
Toothache or a broken tooth in Sweden: which dentist to call by day, weekend or night, what an EHIC really covers, and when it's a case for the ER.
Medicines pharmacies
Pharmacies in Sweden: How Apotek Work
Supermarkets sell some medicine but not paracetamol tablets. A foreign paper prescription works here; an e-prescription does not. And the advice is free.
Buying Painkillers and OTC Medicine in Sweden
Ipren is on the supermarket shelf; paracetamol tablets are pharmacy-only since 2015. The brand table, the 18-year rule, and where to buy at night.
Alvedon, Ipren and Friends: Swedish Medicine Names Decoded
Alvedon is paracetamol, Ipren is ibuprofen. Find your usual medicine in Sweden by substance name, and why pack size decides prescription status.
Getting a Prescription Filled as a Visitor
Only a paper EEA prescription works in a Swedish pharmacy. E-prescriptions and UK or US prescriptions don't. How to get a Swedish one, and what it costs.
Emergencies
112 and Sweden's Emergency Numbers
Call 112 free from any phone in Sweden, SIM or no SIM, answered in English. Plus 114 14, 1177 and 113 13 - and the numbers that work from a foreign SIM.
Lost or Stolen Passport in Sweden
Call 114 14 or visit a station (no online report for visitors), keep the case number, then go to your embassy. A police report won't get you on a plane.
Lost Wallet or Stolen Cards: What to Do
Block cards with your own bank, report on 114 14 and keep the case number. Why the online form and Swedish blocking lines won't work for visitors.
Car Breakdown and Roadside Assistance in Sweden
Broke down in Sweden? Warn, leave, alert: the 100 m triangle rule (compulsory, foreign cars too), who to call, your accident duties and who pays.
Sweden's Emergency Alerts: VMA and the 112 App
Siren, phone alert or radio VMA in Sweden? Go indoors, close up, listen to P4. The four siren signals, test times, SE-Alert and the 112 app for visitors.
Reporting a Crime as a Tourist
Visitors can't use Sweden's online police form. Call 114 14 or visit a station, ask for an interpreter, get the case number, know your compensation rights.
Lost Something in Sweden? Hittegods and Lost Property Explained
Left something on a train, plane or in a hotel in Sweden? Who holds it, how long they keep it, when a finder's fee applies and how to get it sent home.
Insurance
Do You Need Travel Insurance for Sweden?
EHIC and GHIC holders pay the resident fee; almost everyone else pays full cost. What the card never covers, the Schengen visa rule, and rental-car cover.
Car Rental Insurance in Sweden: What You Actually Need
Traffic insurance is already in every Swedish rental. What CDW and the excess leave, what voids cover, and how to check your card before the desk.
Insuring Outdoor Gear on a Sweden Trip
Which policy covers your gear, the clauses that sink claims, the airline's 1,519 SDR cap, and how visitors report theft to Swedish police.
Nature hazards
Ticks in Sweden: TBE, Lyme and How to Stay Safe
Lyme is common and curable; TBE is rare and vaccine-preventable. How to remove a tick correctly, when to see a doctor, and who the vaccine is really for.
Do You Need the TBE Vaccine for Sweden?
No vaccine is required. Who the TBE recommendation covers, why Stockholm city differs from the archipelago, and how many weeks the vaccine needs.
Mosquitoes in Sweden: How Bad Are They Really?
Coasts, cities and open fell stay mild. Forest, bog and floodplain from mid-June to August do not. Plus the two diseases Swedish mosquitoes carry.
The Huggorm: Sweden's Only Venomous Snake
Sweden's only venomous snake: call 112 at once after a bite, keep still, don't cut or tie off. How to tell adder from grass snake, and why it's protected.
Cold Risks: Hypothermia and Frostbite Basics
Spot hypothermia and frostbite, warm someone safely, survive a fall through ice, and know when to call 112 or 1177 — per Sweden's own health advice.
Ice Safety: Walking and Skating on Frozen Lakes
Walking or skating on Swedish ice: the official 10 cm core-ice rule, where ice is weak, why sea ice is riskier, and what to do if someone falls through.
Algal Blooms in the Baltic: When Not to Swim
Why the Baltic blooms every summer, how to read SMHI's free daily algae map, the symptoms 1177 lists, and what it means for dogs, drinking water and fish.
Swimming Safety and Life Jackets in Sweden
Most Swedish beaches and lakes have no lifeguard. The official bathing rules, which vest a child needs, beach flags, and what to do if someone is drowning.
Safety crime
Is Sweden Safe? An Honest Guide for Visitors
Yes, and the numbers show it: official Brå and police figures on crime and gang violence, what the UK and US advisories say, and the risks visitors meet.
Pickpockets and Tourist Scams in Sweden
Where Swedish pickpockets work, the fake police and parking texts going round in 2026, and how to avoid taxi, card-currency and cabin-rental traps.
LGBTQ+ Travel in Sweden
What Swedish law protects, how to report discrimination or a hate crime, HIV testing, PrEP and PEP for visitors, official statistics and 2026 Pride dates.