Venue

By Air
There are direct flights from Stockholm or Copenhagen. Airlines that usually have good prices include: Lufthansa/SAS, KLM, Air France, Iceland Air and Finnair. If you are travelling via London, Ryan Air has some very cheap flights to Stockholm. Note, however, that Ryan Air does not fly into Arlanda, which is the major airport for Stockholm. You can also fly into Gothenborg. However, you would then need to take the train from Gothenborg to Karlstad since there are no connecting flights. This journey takes about 3 hours.
Check flight arrivals and departures at Karlstad Airport.

By Train
If you are flying into Gothenborg you can take the Airport Bus directly to the train station. From there you can take several trains directly to Karlstad. For schedule information see http://www.sj.se/node/0,4452,3367_1,FF.html. The same applies for Stockholm. There is both a bus service and a new train. Both take you to the Central Station. See the above web address for specific train information.
Airport bus to central station of Gothenburg: ~50 sek (one way).
Train from Gothenborg to Karlstad: ~220 sek (one way).

By Bus
Unless you have a lot of time on your hands or just enjoy the experience of sitting on a bus for extended periods of time, we would not recommend this option. However, check out http://www.eurolines.se/ for inter European bus schedules.

Getting to and from the Airport
The only transportation to/from the airport is taxi.
Taxi from the airport to the city is approximately SEK250 SEK on week days or SEK300 (~USD40) after hours and on weekends. If you are interested in a taxi pool, please email catac@it.murdoch.edu.au with your flight arrival details - date, time, airline, flight number. We will advise you if there are other registrants on the flight and you can meet at the "CATAC Conference Meeting Point" near the potted tree in the corridor as you exit the customs area (see photo showing location).

General Tourist Information
For information (in English) about the fair city of Karlstad and/or the University of Karlstad see http://www.karlstad.se/eng/index.shtml and http://www.kau.se/eng/

Visa Requirements
Check if you need a visa to visit Sweden.

Midsummer's Eve
At the end of June, Sweden celebrates Midsummer's Eve, which is probably the most popular festival
day in Sweden, together with Christmas and New Year's Eve. In 2004, Midsummer's Eve will be on 25
June and Midsummer's Day on 26 June.

Midsummer Eve is a public holiday and an ancient tradition to celebrate the year’s longest day and
shortest night. The Swedes dance around the maypole and sing traditional summer songs and feast on
pickled herring, new potatoes, sour cream with chives, followed by strawberries with ice cream and
whipped cream. It is important to drink schnapps with the herring.

Midsummer Eve celebrates the birth of John the Baptist. Originally, though, Midsummer was an old
pagan celebration, dating back to the Viking Era. It was a fertility rite, where the maypole was a
phallic symbol to "impregnate" Mother nature, helping to give a good harvest in the autumn.

The customs around Midsummer are many and very old. The maypole is the most important symbol of
Midsummer Day. It is usually a cross dressed with birch twigs and flowers and people play old songs
and dance around the pole in nearly every village. Many people make a flower wreath for their
heads. One old custom is where people (traditionally mainly girls and women) pick either 7 or 9
flowers of different species to put under their pillows, and when they sleep they will then dream
about the person they will marry! How many different flowers are picked can vary, because the
custom is a little diffferent in different parts of the country. According to some, the flowers
should be picked at a crossroad, and after picking the flowers, you are not allowed to speak until
next morning. So, Midsummer's Eve is seen as a magical night.

Suggested activities
Boat trip through the archipelago in Lake Vänern with the steamer Polstjärnan. Departs from the marina at Inre Hamn behind Lofbergs Lila. Price: 100 kr. More ...

Visit Karlstad historic churches. More ...

Visit Karlstad's museums. More ...

Midsummer's Day Maypole