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The best places to warm up in Sweden this week

It's below fffreezing across most of Sweden at the moment so here are five toasty tips for things to do over the next week as well as our regular listings.

Published: 14 January 2016 06:50 CET
The best places to warm up in Sweden this week
The Northern Lights are the subject of a new indoor festival this week. Photo: Lola Akinmade Åkerström/imagebank.sweden.se
1. Soak up the sounds of Gothenburg
 
West Sweden boasts a surprising number of national and international stars, from indie folk songwriter Jose Gonzalez to rock groups The Knife and Spotnicks. Friday 14th January is your last chance to see the praised exhibition at the City Museum of Gothenburg, focusing on the artists and people working behind the scenes who have influenced the region's music scene. Entry is 40 kronor.
 

Come along on a historic journey through the popular music of Gothenburg. Photo: Göran Assner/imagebank.sweden.se
 
2. Watch The Swedish Theory of Love
 
Sweden's individualistic approach to romance is sparking global debates at the moment, following the release of the Swedish Theory of Love last week, which asks whether residents have gone so far in their quest for independence that they have ended up lonelier than ever. The movie is on in cinemas nationwide. It's narrated in English, with some interviews done in Swedish. Click here for screening times at the main SF movie theatre chain and don't miss The Local's interview with its director Erik Gandini.
 

The Swedish Theory of Love questions if Swedes are too independent. Photo: Fasad
 
3. Swelter in the country's most amazing sauna
 
Wherever you are in Sweden, you're never too far from a sauna (or bastu as the Swedes say) – the perfect place to warm up! One of the most spectacular saunas is in the Frihamnen area of Gothenburg. It offers incredible water views and is made almost entirely from recycled materials. Grab one of the last spots for this weekend by booking online or fix a visit later in the month. It's free!
 

Go and warm up in the probably most spectacular sauna in Sweden (Gothenburg). Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT
 
4. Get an education on Lapland's northern lights 
 
The world's first ever multi-day Aurora Borealis festival is happening in Bjorkliden in Swedish Lapland from 15th – 17th January, giving visitors the chance to learn about the Northern Lights without having to step foot outdoors. Experts who study, photograph and teach about the rare phenomena will hold small workshops and lectures, with only 30 spots available for each event. The festival is free but visitors are asked to sign up in advance and give a donation of 350 kronor, which will go to the Swedish Mountain Rescue Service.
 

Photo: Magnus Hjalmarson Neideman/SVD/TT
 
5. Shop the sales at the Mall of Scandinavia
 
The sales (known as 'rea' in Swedish) are in full force across Sweden, so if you are struggling with the cold weather, now is the time to head inside a toasty shopping centre to hunt for a discounted jacket, gloves or even some snow boots. This is the first winter that Stockholm's brand new giant Mall of Scandinavia in Solna is open for business, after welcoming its debut customers just before Christmas. Click here for a full list of its stores, cafes and restaurants. There's a cosy cinema inside too
 
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The mall in Solna, north of Stockholm. Photo: Henrik Holmberg/TT
 
 
Check out our interactive calendar below for more things to do in Sweden

 

 

 

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TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

Published: 26 March 2024 09:55 CET
German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of €420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of €2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some €200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of €2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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