It's September, which means autumn is on its way, although there's still hope for sunny and fine days. This week's travel news also has a lot of autumn focus: autumn holidays, Halloween and events around Sweden in September and October.
Table of contents
New Birka Gotland attracted 160,000 travellers this summer
Almost 160,000 travellers chose to travel with the Baltic Sea's new pleasure cruiser Birka Gotland in June, July and August 2024. During the summer months, the ship has offered both shorter Åland cruises and a record number of departures to Visby. Birka Gotland has also docked at popular Baltic Sea destinations such as High Coast, Ystad and Bornholm.
The most popular autumn holiday destinations
The summer's unpredictable weather has resulted in many people already planning their autumn trips. Autumn is also a great time for travelling as the weather in many destinations is pleasant. Norwegian has compiled a list of the most booked foreign destinations during the autumn holidays, and it is above all a combination of big cities and warmth that attracts. The ten most popular foreign destinations from Stockholm Arlanda during the autumn holidays (week 44):
- Malaga
- Alicante
- London
- Las Palmas
- Palma
- Rome
- Barcelona
- Nice
- Berlin
- Tenerife
TUI's figure of the week: 600 000
600 000. This is the number of kilograms of glass and plastic waste collected through the TUI Care Foundation Destination Zero Waste programme in Cyprus, Zanzibar, Curaçao and Tunisia. This is roughly equivalent to the weight of 50 fully loaded electric city buses.
Green train premiere - MTRX changes name to VR
MTRX is changing its name to VR and the first green VR express train has now departed from Stockholm Central Station to Gothenburg. The name change follows the purchase of MTRX by Finnish state-owned train operator VR earlier this year. Compared to Sweden, Finns have a more positive view of train travel, according to a survey by research firm Nepa. And while Finns want to increase their rail travel, the situation is the opposite in Sweden. VR wants to change that.
Spooky news for Halloween at Kolmården
Between 5 October and 10 November Kolmården into a cosy place with lots to do and experience for the whole family. This year, the park is more cosy than ever with five new attractions - including a Dragon Forest, a Pumpkin Farm and a Ghost Town. In addition, the popular Crow Mistress returns to Kolmården. Tickets have already been released and are available at kolmarden.com.
In progress across Sweden
Here we present a few short points from press releases, about events and happenings going on around the country.
- Stockholm: Spirits Museum presents Money on the Wall: Andy Warhol, premiering on 18 October.
- Stockholm: Four different pop choirs in a unique club venture at Musikaliska Kvarteret - premiere 19 October with a tribute to the 80s.
- Jönköping: From 11 to 15 September, it's time for the Nordic region's largest trade fair for mobile life, Scandinavian Caravan Show. Alltomhusbilen has just published a fair guide.
- Gothenburg: On 27 September, the premiere of BLU Fridays at the Radisson BLU Scandinavia Hotel Gothenburg, with the duo Pipi & Crazy.
- Halmstad: The pop-up exhibition The Gyllene Tider Experience has been very popular and will be extended in September.
- Malmö: A huge cultural programme this autumn, including Joyride the Musical, based on the music of Roxette, at Malmö Opera.
Discount on Göta Canal caravan sites - for FREEDOMtravel readers
Göta Canal is now offering all FREEDOMtravel readers a 40 per cent discount on all Göta Canal pitches throughout September 2024! The code is valid for pre-booking, from 1-30 September.
- Discount code: Freedom2024
- Book a pitch here: gotakanal.se/en/stallplatser
Reflection of the week
We have been keen on a trip with Birka Gotland, but it has not happened ... Have you perhaps cruised with the ship?
If you have a motorhome: Don't miss out on the discount on the Göta Canal caravan sites! There are many nice places along the canal!
Did you miss the last travel news? Read the Motorhome passes, pet-friendly hotels and where Swedes are travelling
Ditte says:
We have tested some different tours with Birka Gotland this summer. And one can also take them as regular trips. We travelled with them to Gotland in a Sunday in July, got off in Visby Monday morning. And then we travelled home again with the ship Thursday evening. Perfect solution. Great cabin, good food and nice environment- That the weather was also fantastic did a lot. Have also been some trips with them to Mariehamn. Smooth, nice and we have walking distance to the ship.
02 September 2024 - 11:45