Where on earth do you buy alcohol in Sweden? – Naturally, alcohol is served in restaurants and bars. But what if you’re invited for dinner and want to bring a bottle of wine? Or you want to have a beer on the balcony of your accommodation? Then you’ll need to pay a visit to a special store called Systembolaget.
Everything with low alcohol percentage is available at the supermarket. Everything else – the majority of drinks – can be found at Systembolaget. This is a state-run company that has a monopoly on the sale of beverages with more than 3.5 percent alcohol by volume.
Alcohol shopping should be well prepared. Trying to buy alcohol on the spur of the moment in Sweden does not always work and you might well find yourself in front of locked doors. The Systembolaget stores are usually open from Monday to Friday from 10am to 6 or 7pm as well as for a couple of hours on Saturdays. On Sundays and holidays the Systembolaget stores are closed.
In terms of selection, the motto is: More is more. Always wanted to taste rum from Barbados? Beer from Eritrea? Or wine from Lebanon? Then you’re in the right place!
Prices here are not super cheap but also not crazy expensive.
Systembolaget in Stockholm
Here’s a selection of Systembolaget stores in central Stockholm:
• Drottninggatan 45, Norrmalm, T-Centralen or Hötorget underground station
• Norrlandsgatan 3, Norrmalm, Kungsträdgården or Östermalmstorg underground station
• Folkungagatan 56, Södermalm, Medborgarplatsen underground station
Systembolaget online
Of course, Systembolaget also has a website, though only in Swedish: systembolaget.se
To help you find your way around the site, here is a list of the most important vocabulary:
vin – wine
öl – beer
sprit – booze
Skål! – Cheers!