Erlang/OTP User Conference 2006

Some hints for Visitors to Stockholm

Currency

100 Swedish crowns (1 "krona", several "kronor") is worth about 11 Euro, or 7 Pounds or $US 13.50.

Check Forex for up-to-date exchange rates. They are often better than the banks.

Airports

There are four airports within range of Stockholm.

Arlanda is the main airport, the major airlines fly there. You can get from Arlanda to Stockholm Central by

• Arlanda Express. Leaves every 15 minutes, takes about 25 minutes, costs 200 SEK (100 if you're under 26!). Comfortable but expensive.
• Flygbuss bus. Leaves every 10 or 15 minutes, takes about 45 minutes, costs 95 sek. There is also _one_ flygbuss which goes directly to Älvsjö. It leaves at 9am, i.e. you'll miss the start of the conference.
• Taxi. Won't save you any time, but it will cost more. The taxi company "Taxi Stockholm" has fixed prices to and from the airport, but make sure you ask for "fixed price". The fixed price for Arlanda to Stockholm City is 445 SEK. Stockholm City to Arlanda costs 475 SEK. Taking a taxi all the way to Älvsjö will cost more, at least 600 SEK, depending on how heavy traffic is.

Bromma Airport is used mainly for domestic flights. There's a flygbuss (20 minutes, 70 SEK) and also normal public transport, e.g. you can take bus 152 to the station and then the commuter train to Älvsjö.

Skavsta and Västerås are two "budget" airports used by Ryanair, e.g. there are several flights to and from London (Stansted/Luton) every day. Take the Flygbuss to town, it's the only sensible option. They leave whenever a flight arrives.

Accommodation

The nearest hotel is Hotell Älvsjö, and the Erlang Users Conference has some pre-booked rooms available at a somewhat lower conference rate, if you tell them you're going to the conference.

Many hotels are booked up due to some Technical Exhibition but this might be a good (cheap) choice Hotel Formule1.

There are many more choices in town, ranging from luxury hotels down to hostels.

Maps

Public Transport in Stockholm

Stockholm is not a good place to get around by car.

Public transport is excellent, though not cheap. There's a great webpage with timetables, maps and information. The buses, trains and subway all use the same tickets, some of the options are:

• Cash at the ticket booth in every subway station. Costs 20SEK and lets you travel as far as you can get in an hour in any combination of buses and trains you like.
• Buy a booklet of 10 tickets ("rabatthäfte") for 180SEK. Available at the ticket booth in any subway station, or at any "Pressbyrån" shop.
• A 7-day pass costs 220SEK. A 72 hour pass costs 180SEK. A 24 hour pass costs 60SEK. Available at "Pressbyrån" shops and the ticket offices at large subway stations.

You might also check the Journey Planner or the Tourist Information. (Tip: the dots above the letters in station names such as Älvsjö are crucial, the trip planner won't give you the right stations if you leave them out, but it does, eventually, give you some buttons you can click to get those letters if your keyboard doesn't have them. Alternatively, cut and paste the name from this page.)

To get from Central station to Älvsjö, find the commuter train "Pendeltåg". All southbound pendeltåg lines stop at Älvsjö. Central station is a bit of a maze, if you manage to get from the flygbuss to the Pendeltåg in under five minutes, you're doing well!

We are inviting EUC participants arriving the day before the conference to a sight-seeing trip around Stockholm and a beer together at a pub.