So in a week I am flying to Sweden to see my Swedish girlfriend

This will be the first time that I will ever visit the country, I will be visiting both Stockholm and Gothenburg

My questions are as follows:

- How often/quickly does the weather change there? is it as quick and sudden as the UK?
- What are the "must see" places in both of those cities?
- I am from the UK myself, how much differently do people act in Sweden? Is there something that I should be aware of when talking to people, meeting people, visiting places etc
- Just general advice or things to keep in mind would be appreciated, for my first visit to the country

All comments or helpful information is appreciated, thank you!

In Stockholm visit the Vasa Museum, or you will never be recognized as real tourist. Also keep in mind that alcohol is very, very expensive in Sweden. So bring some with you as a guest give and your hosts will love you!

The best thing in Sweden is that you can cruise to Finland in very short notice :p

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On sightseeing side of things, i remember that the Vasa ship museum was interesting. ...altough the whole Vasa ship spectacle didnt really reassure me in the swedish skill of building ships...

http://www.vasamuseet.se/en/

Someone who knows better can correct me, but i believe they had some trouble with the conservation at somepoint...so better to visit it sooner than later.. ninjaed :(

I spent a summer in Sweden (I'm originally from the US) a few years ago, and learned a few things in terms of customs, etc:

--everyone takes their shoes off before coming inside someone's home. This was always the case, whomever I visited, so be prepared to do that when you visit.

--it's considered rude to sit down in someone's house while wearing your outdoor jacket.

--when you're having dinner at someone's home, it's considered good manners to thank them for the meal after eating.

--medicines are very regulated, so you need a prescription for a lot of things that you can get over the counter in the UK. It might be a good idea to bring a few essentials with you in case you get sick.

--I found that a lot of the older generation spoke good English, but the younger generation was much shyer about it--I had more than one person run away from me in a store when I tried to ask about something.


Hope this helps!

Visit a black metal concert :D.

Visit the Detroit Red Wings Hall of Fame.

Seriously 90% of their great players from the past fifteen years are from Sweden. Not just good mind you, but hockey legends to be sure.

This picture lists all the places you should visit while in Sweden.It's not in France? Remind me to never visit them.

Not quite as sudden, but the weather can still be rather fickle. It is a good idea to bring an unbrella. It depends a bit on what you actually want to see, but when visiting Stockholm, try to visit the Old Town at a slightly awkward time of day (or night). The old town is beautiful, but it can also get rather crowded, in particular on sunny days, because not only is it a place that all the tourists visit, but due to the layout of the city, if you want to walk from the major commercial areas to the southern part of the city, you need to pass through old town (or take a huge detour).
Skansen is a good place to visit. Not only do they have a lot of animals native to Sweden, but they also have many buildings from the late 19th century (some real, some replicas) from different parts of Sweden, and at summer, they usually show how live in Sweden was 100-200 years ago. Just be prepared to spend a lot of time walking, because Skansen is rather large. Also, if you want to visit Vasa museet (recommended above), then do it just before or after visiting Skansen, as they are close to each other (same island).
I would recommend spending most of your time in Stockholm on foot. Most of the city feel like it was made with pedestrians in mind, and there are a lot of beautiful places that you might miss if you don't walk. Swedes are usually rather reserved towards people they don't know, so don't mistake it for them being rude. Usually when you get to know a person from Sweden, that person will open up more than someone from the UK. But overall, don't expect people to act radically different from what you are used to. Alcohol is really expensive, and even more so at clubs, bars & pubs, so it is not uncommon for people to drink before they go out. Alcohol is also a bit harder to get, as only Systembolaget is allowed to sell anything that you might realistically drink if you want to get drunk.

What a dystopian place to live in :(

Everyone cooks like this. Bring a hammer.

That was Norway mainly. :D

I can name at lest a few good swedish metal bands: In flames, Amon amarth etc. :)

"Dawn" if you are out on Black Metal they are really underrated so good. :p

Why would you want to know these things in advance? Live dangerously :p