Travelling by car to Sweden

Looks like we are up for a car trip to Sweden. Seeing that there are so many well travelled people here, thought I'd ask if anyone has any helpful tips or experiences. We'd be getting a ferry from Kiel.

Don't arrive early in Kiel - it is a horrible place.

Don't drive through Poland and go the long way around the Baltic Sea.
Drive north and do a right turn at some point in Denmark.

Where's Northern Lass, she's the one to ask!

ok, being geographically challenged and feeling way to lazy to look it up via Google :doh: is Kiel the ferry that takes you to the bottom of Denmark?

If so we have done this route - very cool, we then took the really neat bridge to Sweden.

Depending on where you live (we live in Frankfurt) count on about 13 hours to get to Malmo (includes ferry time) /driving via the bridge.

Love Sweden, looks exactly like northern Canada (Ontario) felt like I was home...ahhhhh

Chris

It's 10 years or more since I was regularly travelling to Sweden, but I don't think things have changed, the Kiel ferries travel directly to Sweden (to Malmö amongst other places). The ferry you're thinking of runs from a place called Puttgarden.

By the way, if you do go this route and drive up to Copenhagen, watch your speed! The police have a lot of civilian patrol cars doing speed control on this run, presumably because they do good business catching impatient Germans.

Thats right, thanks RMA!

Cool!

Chris (saves time doing the Kiel way I would think or??)

I believe the fastest way is actually not to take the ferry at all, but use the new Storrebelt Bridge connecting Jutland (mainland Denmark) with the islands Fyn and Sjealand (where Copenhagen is) and then the Oresund Bridge connecting Sjealand with Sweden.

I once drove this route from Frankfurt to Copenhagen, and it's a straight shot north and then a right turn after 90 minutes in Denmark. Dead easy.

The only exception is if you are in the east, in which case taking the ferry from Rostock is faster.

What a great bunch! Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. Nothing like having a bit of first hand information. Thanks also to Northern Lass.

There's also a ferry from Travemünde (Lübeck) to Trelleborg (south of Malmo)

http://www.ttline.de/ (Travemünde/Rostock - Trelleborg)

http://www.scandlines.de (Rostock-Trelleborg)

Now the A20's open it's only about an hour from Lübeck over to Rostock (c. 2 hours from Hamburg), and the Rostock-Trelleborg crossing is I think the shortest to Sweden (and cheapest, with Scandlines) so that may be the quickest route (it is for me at any rate, although last summer we went Sassnitz-Trelleborg and got a nice view of the cliffs on the coast of Rügen, but Sassnitz is a pain to get to even from Rostock!)

I'd also recommend driving all the way. When I go back to visit my friends in Denmark I can do FFM - Vejle in 6 hours (when no traffic) or 8 when normal. Add 2 hours to cross Fuenen and Sealand and then you'll be in Malmo.

If you're going to the northern part of Sweden the shortest drive is to drive to Frederikshavn and then sail to Gothenburg. If you're going to Stockholm, take a plane.

In Denmark the financially safe speeding limit is the official + 30. Any faster and you loose your license if your Danish (have no clue what they do with foreigners). Speed cameras no problem as they can't get your address, so the only thing you have to worry about is being pulled over.

Henrik