Stockholm

The inner city is made up of 14 islands connected by some 50 bridges on Lake Mälaren, which flows into the brackish Baltic Sea, and passes the Stockholm archipelago with some 24,000 islands and islets.

Stockholm is a cosmopolitan place with both classical and modern architecture, and a captivating Old Town, Gamla Stan. Over 30% of the city area is made up of waterways, and another 30% is made up of green spaces. Air quality is third best of the European capitals – behind Berlin and Copenhagen.

More information on Wikitravel

• Stockholm-Arlanda Airport
  Commonly referred to as Arlanda (IATA: ARN; ICAO: ESSA) is the main international airport (served by SAS, BA and many others) and is located 40 km (25 mi) north of the city, in the Sigtuna municipality.

  Airport Transfer

  • Express Bus
    Flygbussarna runs buses frequently to and from the City Terminal, just next to the Central Station. The journey takes 40 minutes and costs 119 SEK (105 SEK for online purchases) or 99 SEK for people under 25 or 65+ (89 SEK if bought online). You can’t buy tickets with cash on board, but credit cards are accepted. The buses make a few stops in the northern suburbs, as well as Vasastaden, along the way.

    Swebus runs buses to and from the City Terminal, 1-4 times/hour Mon-Fri, 1-2 times/hour on Sat-Sun. The journey takes 35-45 minutes. Adult tickets cost 99 SEK/178 SEK return. Student and senior tickets cost 72 SEK each way. A ticket for youth under 20 costs 60 SEK each way. Four children up to age 16 travel free with full paying adult. You can’t buy tickets with cash on board, but credit cards are accepted. There are multiple outlets at the airport to buy your ticket electronically. You can also buy your ticket e.g. on the Swebus site on the internet, by phone (0771-218 218), at 7-Eleven, Pressbyrån and Swebus ticket offices.

  • Rail
    By express rail: The Arlanda Express Train, departs from the lower level of each airport terminal every 15 minutes and arrives at Stockholm Central Station in 20 minutes. Adult tickets normally cost 260 SEK one-way, 490 SEK return. During Thursday-Sunday and holidays, tickets cost 380 SEK for 2 adults traveling together. Tickets for people under the age of 25 and ISIC holders pay 130 SEK. Children under 17 travel free with a paying adult. Tickets can be bought from kiosks at the platform, online, or on the train for a 100 SEK surcharge.

    By regular rail: Regular trains serve the airport through a third station, Arlanda Central, located under Sky City between terminal 4 and 5.

    Line 38 of the Stockholm suburban rail, pendeltåg, runs from Uppsala via Stockholm Central Station to Älvsjö (with Stockholm International Fairs), stopping in the northern suburbs, with peak hour services continuing to the southern suburbs of Huddinge and Tumba. The train runs twice an hour and takes 37 minutes to Stockholm, and local transport tickets can be used and bought at the entrance to the station, though everyone 18 of age has to pay a station access fee of 75 SEK (though young adults with a teenage appearance can easily claim to be under 18 and get through – the staff usually won’t check your ID if you’re confident about this). A one-way ticket to Stockholm city costs 125 SEK including the station access fee (110 SEK for people 18-20 and 40 SEK for people under 18, though again, people 18-20 can easily get a 40 SEK ticket by claiming to be under 18). For 210 SEK (165 SEK for people 18-20 and 90 SEK for people under 18) you can get a 24-hour travelcard (if you already have a plastic SL Access card, this is reduced by 20 SEK). These prices all include the station access fee, if applicable.

    There are also faster regional trains on the Linköping – Stockholm – Gävle route, which cost 278 SEK (2nd class) to central Stockholm if bought on the spot, though if booked approx. 1-2 months in advance, they can be as cheap as 95 SEK. They run non-stop and take 20 minutes, like the Arlanda Express, but only operate hourly (with several strange gaps), but if you are on time the regional train can be much cheaper than Arlanda Express, though not quite as cheap as suburban rail or SL bus. Finally, long-distance trains from Stockholm operate to points in central Sweden, like Umeå, Mora or Östersund. It is not, however, permitted to use these trains to travel from the airport to central Stockholm.

  • Local bus and rail combination
    If the station access fee for the direct suburban rail service bothers you, local bus 583 connects the airport to Märsta railway station, and changing to a suburban train (line 36) will get you to central Stockholm in 65 minutes, for a regular public-transport fee, which is 60 SEK for a one-way trip. Several kinds of discounted tickets can be purchased at the airport, making this route the cheapest but by far the slowest way to get to and from Arlanda, and unless on an extreme budget, taking the direct suburban train is arguably worth it, see #Regular rail section above. See the #Get Around section for more details on the SL services and ticketing system.
  • Taxi
    Major taxi companies operate on a fixed price basis between Arlanda and central Stockholm. Prices at the taxi stands currently range from 450 SEK (Transfer Taxi) to 520 SEK. Generally, you can freely choose among the waiting taxis or ask the operator for a specific company. There is free taxi pricing so beware of the smaller, expensive, taxi companies. A yellow and white sign with price comparison (per 10 km and 15 minutes) is on every taxi window, and the price should not ever be more than 350 SEK. A taxi ride to central Stockholm takes approximately 40 minutes. With some companies, you can get a lower price if you pre-book your ride. With Airport Cab (+46 8 25 25 23) the cost is 430 SEK from Arlanda to Stockholm, 390 SEK from Stockholm to Arlanda. With Taxi Solna (+46 8 280 280) the cost is 445 SEK from Arlanda to Stockholm, 350 SEK from Stockholm to Arlanda. See the Taxi section below for some general advice on taxi travel in Stockholm.
  • Car
    Car rental at Arlanda Airport
• Bromma Airport
  Bromma Airport, (IATA: BMA; ICAO: ESSB) is a smaller airport, located inside the city about 8 km west of the centre, mainly used for domestic flights, but also Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark, Oslo and Skien in Norway, Tallinn in Estonia and Brussels in Belgium.

  Airport Transfer

  • Airport coaches offer a more expensive connection to the City Terminal at 79 SEK, taking 20 min.
  • Local bus 152 to Sundbyberg station is a cheaper option (26 SEK, 18 SEK for people under 20), and from there a suburban train to Stockholm Central (taking 25 min in total).
• Skavsta Airport
  Skavsta Airport (IATA: NYO; ICAO: ESKN) mostly used by Ryanair and Wizzair, and offers flights from cities such as Berlin, Belgrade, Brussels, Budapest, Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Madrid, Rome, Tallinn, Vilnius and Warsaw. Located 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Stockholm, near the town Nyköping.

  Airport Transfer

  • Airport coaches are the easiest option go to/from the City Terminal in Stockholm. Adults 139 SEK online or 159 SEK at the bus terminal one way; 248 SEK online, 259 SEK at the bus terminal round trip. The travel time is about 80 minutes.
  • Local bus 515 or 715 is a cheaper option if booked well in advance to Nyköping rail station (alight at Nyköping Centralstation), from where SJ regional trains on the Linköping – Stockholm – (Gävle) route connect to Stockholm.

    Gävle trains also serve Arlanda, thus providing a direct rail connection to Arlanda airport. The fare starts 26 + 49 SEK (16 + 49 SEK for youth under 20) and tickets can be bought the following two ways:

    1. Buy a combined ticket from Skavsta to Stockholm at SJ:s website[20] which is both valid on the local bus and the regional train.
    2. Pay for the local bus onboard with your VISA or Mastercard (cash is NOT accepted) and buy the train ticket at Nyköping station.

    Travel time from Skavsta is 80 min to Stockholm and 100 min to Arlanda airport.

• Västerås Airport
  Västerås Airport (IATA: VST; ICAO: ESOW) is situated 100 km west of Stockholm near Västerås. Serves Ryanair flights to/from London (Stansted)

  Airport Transfer

  • Airport coaches go to/from the City Terminal in Stockholm. 139 SEK one way, 249 SEK round trip, takes about 80 minutes.
  • Local bus 3 runs between the airport and Västerås central station in 15 minutes, costing 25 SEK one way (12 SEK for people under 20 or above 65). From the station, regional trains on the Stockholm – Västerås – Örebro – Hallsberg – Göteborg route connect to Stockholm in 53 min at a price of 143 SEK (if bought online in advance, it can be as cheap as 59 SEK, depending on how well in advance you book). Total travel time Västerås Airport – Stockholm is 75 min.