With your own boat it's possible to cross Sweden between Stockholm and Gothenburg on the Gota Canal or, alternatively, you can take an expensive cruise along the same route; ticket and journey details are given on p.419. Cheaper day cruises are possible along stretches of the Gota Canal and the Trollhattan Canal; more details are given in the text. Ш Cars, hitching and taxis Driving presents few problems since roads are good and generally reliable. The only real danger are the reindeer (in the north) and elk Inorth and further southl which wander onto roads. Watch out in bad light particularly if you hit one, you'll know about it. As for documentation, you need a full licence and the vehicle registration document; an international driving licence and insurance "green card" are not essential. Speed limits are llOkph on motonways, 90kph and 70kph on other roads, 50kph in builtup areas although between midJune and midAugust the llOkph limit drops to 90kph on most roads. It's compulsory to use dipped headlights during daylight hours (on rented cars they will probably come on automatically); and, if you are taking your own car, remember to get the beam of your headlights adjusted to suit driving on the right. If you're motoring into northern Sweden then it's recommended that you fit mud flaps to your wheels and stone guards on the front of caravans. Swedish drink laws are among the toughest in Europe and random breath tests the norm. Even the smallest amount of alcohol can lead to lost licences (always), fines (often) and prison sentences (not infrequently). If you break down, call either the police or the Larmtjanst (listed in the phone directory), a 24hour rescue organisation run by Swedish insurance companies. You should only use the emegency telephone number (ego ООО) in the event of an accident. Car rental and petrol Car rental is uniformly expensive, though most companies have special weekend tourist rates from around 450kr, Friday to Monday, for a small car. It's worth checking out local tourist offices in the summer, as they sometimes recommend or operate cheaplsh weekly deals; otherwise, expect to pay around 25003000kr a week, unlimited mileage, for a VW Golf or similarsized car in the summer months. The major international companies are represented in all the large towns and cities details under the various city "Listings". 33 А IS W £ D E N Petrol currently costs around 7kr per litre; leadfree petrol is widely available and slightly cheaper. Most petrol stations are selfservice {Тапка Sjal\ and lots of them have automatic pumps {Sedel Automat), where you can fill up at anytime using lOOkr notes. Hitching and taxis Despite the amount of holiday traffic and th number of young Swedes with cars, hitchinq i! rarely worth the effort, as longdistance lifts are few and far between. Shorter hops are easier to find, especially when travelling along the coasts and in the north, but not having to rely upon hitching as your main means of transport is the best bet.