Stockholm is Sweden's main transport hub and, together with Copenhagen and Oslo, one of the main hubs of Scandinavia.
Thanks to its large airport, Stockholm has direct connections to all of Europe, as well as North America and Asia. Especially from Swedish, but also Norwegian, Danish and German destinations, Stockholm can also be reached by comfortable trains and modern buses.
Finland and the Baltic States are directly connected to Stockholm by ferry.
By air
Due to the high airline competition, flights from European destinations to Stockholm are cheap and frequent.
There are 4 international airports in and near Stockholm.
- Stockholm Arlanda ARN - Sweden's largest airport and one of the largest in Northern Europe. SAS, Norwegian, Eurowings and Ryanair have their bases here.
- Skavsta Nyköping NYO - a low-cost airport 106 km south of Stockholm, mainly served by Wizz Air
- Stockholm Bromma BMA - a small airport close to the centre with extensive domestic connections around Sweden
- Stockholm Västerås VST - smallest airport 100 km northwest of the centre with very limited Ryanair flights
Where to buy tickets to Stockholm
Ideally, buy flights to Stockholm 2 to 3 months in advance for the lowest price, either on the airlines' websites or through one of the flight search engines.
- eurowings.com
- norwegian.com
- flysas.com
- ryanair.com
- lufthansa.com
- qatarairways.com
- emirates.com
- And more - you can compare all flights at skyscanner.com
The advantage of visiting Stockholm is the price of flights, which often cost no more than 150 eur for a return ticket, on any date during the year. When promotions are on, you can get prices hitting 50 eur or less for a return flight.
By train
Trains are the most common and fastest form of transport from Stockholm to the major Swedish cities, as well as Copenhagen, Hamburg and Oslo.
Stockholm Central railway station, sometimes abbreviated as "Stockholm C", is located right in the historic centre of Gamla Stan and is connected to several metro lines. Some long-distance trains also stop at Solna or Älvsjö stations.
On the main line to Gothenburg or Copenhagen, the trains rival airplanes and buses in speed and comfort.
In the northbound direction to Sundsvall, Luleå or Umeå, night sleeper trains are very popular.
Where to buy train tickets to Stockholm:
- sj.se - Swedish State Railways to the whole of Sweden
- mtrx.travel - private carrier operating on fast trains to Gothenburg
- malartag.se - private carrier operating on routes to Uppsala, Norrköping or Nyköping
- vy.no - Norwegian State Railways from Oslo
It is advisable to buy tickets at least 1-2 months in advance, as this is when they tend to be cheapest.
For detailed instructions on how to travel by train in Sweden, see our guide to Sweden.
By bus
Bus travel is a cheap way to get around, especially from Swedish destinations, but also to Norway, Denmark or Germany.
TOP 10 hotels in central Stockholm
Central Bus Station Cityterminalen Stockholm's main bus station is right next to the train station. It includes a small check-in hall with shopping and refreshment options and is connected to a very large station building.
Long-distance bus services to Stockholm are mainly operated by VY Bus4you, Flixbus or Y-Buss.
Where to buy bus tickets to Stockholm:
- vybuss.com - A wide network of destinations throughout Sweden (especially south and west of Stockholm), to Oslo or Copenhagen
- flixbus.com - especially Swedish cities south of Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg
- ybuss.se - especially Swedish cities north of Stockholm
Ticket prices from Swedish destinations are around 300 nok to 650 nok. On busy routes, for example to Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Oslo or Sundsvall, the bus is often significantly cheaper than the train.
On competing routes, Flixbus is usually the cheapest.
Comparison between train and bus
To help you find your way around, we've added a table comparing journey times and indicative prices for buses and trains on the most popular routes from Stockholm.
| Travel time | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Gothenburg | Train - 3 hrs 5 min Bus - 6 h 40 min |
Train - from 195 sek Bus - from 299 sek |
| Sundsvall | Train - 3 hrs 30 min Bus - 5 hrs 25 min |
Train - from 265 sek Bus - from 330 sek |
| Luleå | Train - 14 h 35 min Bus - currently not running |
Train - from 518 sek Bus - currently not running |
| Umeå | Train - 6 h 30 min Bus - currently not running |
Train - from 365 sek Bus - currently not running |
| Åre | Train - 6 h 45 min Bus - currently not running |
Train - from 465 sek Bus - currently not running |
| Karlstad | Train - 3 h 20 min Bus - 4 h 30 min |
Train - from 275 sek Bus - from 219 sek |
| Malmö | Train - 4 h 30 min Bus - 9 hrs |
Train - from 435 sek Bus - from 250 sek |
| Copenhagen | Train - 5 h 15 min Bus - 10 hrs |
Train - from 525 sek Bus - from 345 sek |
| Oslo | Train - 7 hrs Bus - 7 h 30 min |
Train - from 465 sek Bus - from 299 sek |
By ferry
Regular boat services run from Stockholm to the Finnish archipelago of Åland, the Finnish ports of Turku, Oulu or Helsinki, or to Tallinn in Estonia.
Viking Line, Stena Line, Finnlines or Tallink provide the service.
You can compare the prices of all carriers at the click of a button via the website directferries.com. You can also buy boat tickets directly from this website.
- Helsinki - sailing time from 16.5 hours, price from 70 eur (from Stockholm)
- Turku - sailing time from 10.5 hours, price from 20 eur (from Stockholm, Kapellskär)
- Mariehamn - sailing time from 5.5 hours, price from 20 eur (from Stockholm, Kapellskär)
- Naantali - sailing time from 8.5 hours, price from 17 eur (from Kapellskär)
- Tallinn - sailing time from 16.5 hours, price from 100 eur (from Stockholm, Kapellskär)
- Paldiski - sailing time from 9.5 hours, price from 100 eur (from Kapellskär)
- Gotland - sailing time from 3.5 hours, price from 27 eur (from Nynäshamn)
- Gdansk - sailing time from 18 hours, price from 90 eur (from Nynäshamn)
- Ventspils - sailing time from 9 hours, price from 32 eur (from Nynäshamn)
Where are the ports in Stockholm?
There are a total of three ports in and around the city.
- Stockholm Värtahamnen - north of the city centre, accessible by metro red line to Gärdet station or bus line 76
- Finnlines, Tallink, Silja Line
- Direction Turku, Helsinki, Mariehamn, Tallinn
- Stockholm Vikingterminalen - in the city centre, accessible by buses 53, 55, 71
- Viking Line
- Direction Turku, Helsinki, Mariehamn, Tallinn
- Kapellskär - 92 km north of Stockholm, accessible by bus 631 from Norrtälje, reached by train from Stockholm
- DFDS, Tallink, Silja Line
- Directions Mariehamn, Langnas, Naantali, Paldiski
- Nynäshamn - 58 km south of Stockholm, accessible by suburban train lines 42X and 43
- Destination Gotland, Polferries, Stena Line
- Direction Gotland, Gdansk, Ventspils