I haven’t toured Europe as extensively as Asia or North America, although I do wish to take the EuroRail and the Coach soon. On Amrita’s request, I am penning some lines on Sweden. The first thought that clicks on somebody’s mind is Ericsson, the Swedish cell-phone giant and of-course we-all-love-to-hate IKEA furnitures. Sweden is London and Switzerland compressed in one. Fast cities such as Stockholm are surrounded by vast coniferous and taiga region type forests.
The best time to visit I would say is the summer...May until August? Sweden is not very expensive. I would say somewhat like Germany and England. Average budget hotel would cost about US $50/ day without food, which could be another $30, depending where you eat, each day.
You must visit the capital Stockholm. The city has excellent waterfronts...boat rides...the city is best enjoyed from the water as they say. Stockholm is an ancient city, so you will have a great time if you are interested in History or Archeology. You should also visit Gotheburg, which has a world class amusement park Liseberg. This city also has some kewl museums...unlike our Prince Of Wales Museum in Bombay, the ones in Sweden are well maintained!
Most of Sweden has great attractions that on e must visit Water...ferry, boating, canoeing etc. Cyclists are respected in Sweden, so do indulge in some of it, especially in the countryside. Train and Bus network is good, so you won’t have to really rent a car.
I had no problem communicating in English..Most swedes understand it. Although Swedish is the official language. Overall Swedes are not xenophobic and do welcome visitors. But, if you are planning to visit Sweden, do go there during the summer!