Etiquette in Sweden is mostly invisible until you break it. Greetings, gestures, dining manners and the social cues locals expect are worth learning before you arrive.
In Sweden, etiquette comes down to a few things: personal space is sacred, punctuality is respect, and the thank-for-last-time.
Swedes keep distance — in queues, on buses, in conversation. The empty-seat-next-to-someone-on-the-bus rule is real. Sitting next to a stranger when other seats are free is unsettling.
Tip: Don't small-talk in elevators or queues. Silence is comfortable, not awkward.
Being on time means arriving at the exact minute, not five minutes late. For dinner parties, arriving early is worse than arriving late. Aim for the precise time.
'Tack för senast' (thanks for last time) is said when you next see someone after a social event. Forgetting this is noticed. Swedes track social debts carefully.