Hi,
together with my wife, we plan a bike trip this summer from Kiruna (Sweden) to Tromsø (Norway), and in order to reach Kiruna, we would like to take the train (or something) from Stockholm (where we go by plane).
The problem is that the trains in Sweden don't allow you to take the bike. Excerpt from http://www.myinterrail.co.uk/plan-your-trip/country-specific-information/sweden/railway-information/ :
"Bicycles are allowed on local trains in the Skåne region and on Öresund trains serving the routes between Copenhagen and Gothenburg, Karlskrona and Alvesta. Bikes are not allowed on other trains.".
I read in this post about a trick (put them in the classic cardboard) to take the bikes in SJ trains, but I found it a bit risky, as they could tell you the luggage is too big or no bikes allowed or whatever, and then we'll lose the tickets.
So the question is now: does somebody knows a possibility (besides taking the plane, which is quite expensive) of transporting the bike between Stockholm and Kiruna area?
Hej Stefan,
you are right in thinking that you can NOT transport a bike on the train in Sweden.
There are some few exceptions on regional/commuter trains as you already noticed.
The problem is not so much that it is a bike, you are only allowed to bring luggage that fits on the train and that you can carry on the train in one go by yourself. So boxing a bike is indeed a risky proposal. There will be nowhere to place a box that size.
The best bet is to go by bus, like
http://www.swebus.se/SwebusExpress_com/
you will have to box the bike and send it as cargo, meaning that you will have to go to the very inconveniently located cargo terminal and the box will arrive later than you do.
Also you could go by norwegian airlines between Stockholm and Kiruna that allow boxed and (booked) unboxed bikes on their planes. Or you could go by ferry to Helsinki and go north in Finland by bus or train.
/TC
Hi Tomas,
thanks a lot for your detailed answer!
In this case I think the plane would be the best choice.
Best regards,
Ștefan