Transportation
Schedules and fares are subject to change.
Airport to City Access
Train, bus, taxi, and other options to the city center
From Stockholm Arlanda (ARN), the fastest way into the city is the Arlanda Express, a dedicated train reaching Stockholm Central in about 20 minutes. Cheaper options are the Flygbussarna airport coaches or the commuter train, which take longer but cost less. Gothenburg Landvetter is served mainly by the Flygbussarna airport bus. Buy tickets with an app or contactless card.
- Fastest
- Arlanda Express ~20 min
- Cheaper
- Flygbussarna / commuter train
- Gothenburg
- Landvetter airport bus
- Arlanda Express runs to Stockholm Central
- Buy tickets via app or contactless card
Public Transportation
Metro, bus, tram, and how to use them
Public transport in Sweden is excellent. Stockholm has a metro (Tunnelbana), buses, trams and commuter trains run by SL, while Gothenburg relies on trams and buses. Services are clean and punctual. Systems are cashless, so buy tickets via an app or a contactless card rather than paying cash on board.
- Stockholm
- Metro, bus, tram, train (SL)
- Gothenburg
- Trams and buses
- Payment
- Cashless, no cash on board
- Clean, punctual and well connected
- Buy tickets by app or contactless card
IC Cards & Travel Passes
Discount passes and rechargeable transit cards
Stockholm uses the SL system for tickets. The easiest way is to buy tickets in the SL app or tap a contactless bank card at the readers; paper and travel cards also exist. Tickets are time-based and cover the metro, buses and commuter trains within the validity period, so you can transfer freely.
- System
- SL (Stockholm)
- Pay by
- SL app or contactless card
- Ticket
- Time-based, covers metro/bus/train
- Tap a bank card at the readers to travel
- Transfer freely within the validity period
Car Rental & Driving
License requirements and traffic rules
Sweden drives on the right. Winter driving needs real care: snow and ice are common, and winter tyres are required in winter conditions. Watch for very short daylight in the north and for wildlife such as elk (moose) on rural roads, especially at dawn and dusk. Cities are well served by transit, so a car is often unnecessary.
- Drives on
- The right
- Winter
- Winter tyres required
- Watch for
- Elk/moose, low daylight
- Take care with snow and ice in winter
- A car is often unnecessary in cities
Intercity Travel
Long-distance buses, trains, and ferries
The national rail operator SJ links Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, with high-speed services on the busy routes and overnight trains reaching the far north. Long-distance buses such as FlixBus are a cheaper alternative on many routes. Book ahead for the best fares, as prices rise as trains fill up.
- Rail
- SJ (Stockholm/Gothenburg/Malmö)
- North
- Overnight trains
- Cheaper
- FlixBus long-distance
- Book ahead for the best train fares
- Buses are cheaper but slower
Domestic Flights
Budget airlines and booking tips
Sweden is long from north to south, so domestic flights save a lot of time over long distances, for example to Kiruna and Lapland or elsewhere in the far north. For the Stockholm-Gothenburg-Malmö triangle, however, trains are competitive on total door-to-door time and often more convenient.
- Worth flying
- Far north (Kiruna/Lapland)
- Reason
- Country is long north-south
- Triangle
- Trains competitive
- Flights save time over long distances
- Trains work well for the big three cities
Transportation Tips
Advice for safe and efficient travel
Buy your transit ticket before boarding, as little or no cash is accepted on board. Allow extra time in winter, when snow can cause delays. The Öresund train links Malmö with Copenhagen across the bridge in under an hour, handy for combining Sweden and Denmark. If you use app tickets, remember to activate or validate them before you travel.
- Tickets
- Buy before boarding
- Winter
- Allow for delays
- Öresund
- Malmö-Copenhagen train
- Little or no cash accepted on board
- Activate app tickets before travelling