Let me explain you how to travel by public transport when visiting Stockholm, travelcards and prices and how to get around by underground, commuter trains, trams, buses and boats as there have been some modifications that simplified the system but still can be tricky for tourists visiting Stockholm.
Let’s get into detail!
Tunnelbana – Stockholm’s underground system in Gamla Stan
Photo: Israel Ubeda / sweetsweden.com
What’s New About Public Transport in Stockholm
Public transportation or mass transit as other prefer to call it is managed by the company Storstockholms Lokaltrafik o SL. There are no longer ABC zones into which Stockholm was divided and thus a single ticket covers the entire city of Stockholm and outskirts. You pay a fix price and are able to travel for 75 minutes. Now you are able to travel even to Gnesta, Bålsta or Sigtuna without paying an extra fee.
Some travel categories like “helt” (complete) or “reducerat” (reduced) which granted you access to lower prices have disappeared completely. Now you belong to one of these 4 categories: vuxen, pensionär, student, ungdom – adult, senior, student, youth (20 years or less!).
Children & Public Transport in Stockholm
If you are traveling with kids remember that they need not buy a valid transportation ticket if they are aged 6 years or less. There is no limit for the number of kids that can travel with an accompanying adult. During weekends, from Friday at 12 PM until Sunday at 12 AM every adult can be accompanied by up to 6 children aged 12 or less. This applies also to holidays and the previous day, midsommar and its previous day and from December 23rd at 12 PM until January 6th at 12 AM. So if you are planning to visit Stockholm during Christmas time or New Year your children under 12 need not pay for public transportation.
Public Transportation for Students
When staying in Stockholm as an Erasmus student – or any other kind of exchange program of studies for that matter – you will need a valid SL student card with its logotype on it and study at least 75% of your time so that you can get a 75% discount on public transportation. Unfortunately this discount for students is not available for the regular student traveler visiting Stockholm.
Tickets, Validity and Prices For Public Transport in Stockholm
In Stockholm you can buy single travel tickets for public transport or buy a travel card called SL-Access, top it up with the desired amount and travel until no more funds are available. This is called reskassa and its way cheaper even for the sporadic commuter. The SL-Access card costs 20 SEK (1.90 € / $2.10 /£1.60).
Notice that this card is NOT the tourist visitor card Go City Stockholm Pass which grants you access to museums, sights, attractions and boat trips. The SL-Access complements the Stockholm card offering a cheaper way to travel on public transportation in Stockholm.
In 2022 you cannot buy the SL-Access travel card together with the Go City Stockholm Pass.
SL-Access, your public transport card in Stockholm
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
Single ticket prices for transportation in Stockholm are as follow:
- Single ticket bought on board (when possible): 50 SEK (4.75 € / $5.20 / £4 ) adults; 34 SEK (3.25 € / $3.50 / £2.75) other categories
- Single ticket bought through the mobile app, ticket vending machine or SL employee: 37 SEK (3.50 € / $3.85 / £3) adults; 25 SEK (2.40 € / $2.60 / £2) other categories
- Single ticket bought with the credit from your previously topped up SL-Access travel card: 37 SEK (3.50 € / $3.85 / £3) adults; 25 SEK (2.40 € / $2.60 / £2) other categories.
As a tourist in Stockholm you will enjoy the sortiment of period tickets – travelcards – which will entitle you to travel for for 24 or 72 hours and 7, 30, 90 or 365 days. After a few years without any rise on their prices this year has seen a minimal increase.
The price for travelcards used on public transportation in Stockholm are as follow:
- 24-hour travelcard: 155 SEK (14.65 € / $16.10 / £12.40) adults and 105 SEK (9.95 € / $10.90 / £8.40) others
- 72-hour travelcard: 310 SEK (29.35 € / $32.10 / £24.85) adults and 210 SEK (19.90 € / $21.75 / £16.85) others. Notice that you get a day for free as the price matches two 24-hour travelcard but you are allowed to travel during 72 hours. If you are planning to buy a 24-hour or 72-hour period ticket you need not buy an SL-Access card because both period tickets exist in a paper version.
- 7-day travelcard: 405 SEK (38.30 € / $42 / £32.45) adults and 270 SEK (25.50€ / $28 / £21.65) others
- 30-day travelcard: 930 SEK (88 € / $96.35 / £74.55) adults and 620 SEK (58.65 € / $64.25 / £49.70) others
- 90-day travelcard: 2770 SEK (255.45 € / $287 / £222) adults and 1810 SEK (171.25 € / $187.55 / £145) others
- 365-day travelcard: 9770 SEK (924.25 € / $1012.45 / £783) adults and 6550 SEK (619.65 € / $678.75 / £524.95) others
* Prices and exchange rate updated on February 2020. Current exchange rate may differ.
If you are interested in traveling by train between Arlanda airport and Stockholm central station you can do it by paying an extra fee. If you already have a valid ticket or enough money in your travelcard to do a single journey you will only need to pay a 120 SEK (11.35 € / $12.45 / £9.65) fee. Otherwise you can buy an airport valid single ticket for 157 SEK (14.85 € / $16.25 / £12.60) adults or 145 SEK (13.75 € / $15 / £11.60) other categories. Those under 18 need not pay an extra fee and can travel to Arlanda airport on a regular single ticket.
With single tickets you are allowed to travel for 75 minutes and with travelcards during the indicated validity period. 24-hour and 72-hour travelcards work in 24-hour periods, that is, upon activation at 2 PM on a given Monday it will be valid until Tuesday 2 PM or Thursday 2 PM respectively. 7-day travelcards count calendar days. Upon activation at 11:50 PM on a given Monday night it will be valid until 11:59 PM on a Sunday night. Is it so? Yes. It experienced it myself when trying to use the cheapest way to travel to Arlanda aiport and not being able to do it because my card had already expired.
What You Can Do in Stockholm With a Travel Ticket
With a valid ticket you can use the underground trains, buses, trams (basically tram line nr. 7 from Sergels torg square to the Island of Djurgården and Waldemarsudde Museum and a great way to visit museums in that area of Stockholm), commuter trains (up to Uppsala – paying a fee – Märsta, Gnesta, Södertälje or Nynäshamn) and boats between some stops on the central islands in Stockholm. These are the five boat lines included in your ticket:
- nr 80 Frihamnen to Nybroplan through Allmänna gränd on Djurgården beside Gröna Lund amusement park. This bus line is perfect if you are arriving in Stockholm on a cruise and during the port of call want to visit the museums in Djurgården. This is the red route from point 1 to point 3 in the next map.
- nr 82 from Slussen to Allmänna gränd on Djurgården with a stop-over on the island of Skeppsholmen. This bus line is also used very frequently to get to the museums in Djurgården from Södermalm or Gamla Stan. This is shown as a blue route from point 5 to point 2 through point 4 in the map.
- nr 84 from Nybroplan to Hammarbysjöstad – available from spring time only – useful to visit Stockholm’s most ecofriendly and sustainable neighborhood known as Hammarbysjöstad. My map features this route in fuchsia from point 3 to a place outside the map.
- nr
85 from Klara Mälarstrand– out of service indefinitely since Jan 1 2019 – in the surroundings of Stockholm Central Station and Stockholm’s City Hall bound for Kungholmstorg whose deck is located a little bit beyond Stockholm City Hall. Orange route from point nr 6 in the map to point nr 7, Söder Mälarstrand, and then Kungholmstorg. - nr 89 connecting Ekerö, the island where Drottningholm palace is located (although ver far away from the boat stop), to the island of Lilla Essingen in central Stockholm. This boat line works on working days only. Not featured in the map as it is not used by tourists.
Public Transportation Boats in Stockholm Included in Your Travelcard
sweetsweden.com
If you wish to visit Stockholm from the water you will find a lot of boat sightseeing tours and excursions in Stockholm & the archipelago included in the tourist visitor card Go City Stockholm. See my article on How to Buy Your Go City Stockholm Pass With a Discount.
Where to Buy the SL-Access card
You can buy your SL-Access card at the counter on underground stations, SL-centers and kiosks (Pressbyrån, 7-eleven, etc) as well as at some hotels. If you are looking for a reseller near your accommodation in Stockholm, browse through the map located at Stockholm transportation official website, click on the map on the Symbols layer and choose Sales point to show all of them. In this screen capture I chose two Pressbyrån kiosks located near the central station and Cityterminalen where the airport transfer buses depart and arrive.
Where to Buy your SL-Access Public Transportation Card in Stockholm
Identifying Stations and Stops
Underground stops are marked with a big T sign standing for the Swedish word tunnelbana, train stations with a big J for järnvägen, tram stops with an S for spårvagn and the commuter trains are usually know as pendeltåg. Moreover, bus stops show an H sign for hållplats and boat decks are marked with the Swedish word brygga.
T stands for tunnelbana – Stockholm’s underground
Photo: Israel Ubeda / sweetsweden.com
Stockholm Public Transport Maps
You can find PDF maps for the entire transportation network in Stockholm on SL official website. For instance: map for commuter trains and underground, underground only, commuter trains only, tram, bus lines in the heart of Stockholm, or in the south of the city and from bus terminals to know the different departure locations.
Planning Your Trips
If you are interested in planning your trips in advance or during your stay you can use the planner on SL website. Providing the current location and the destination you will be given the best and the fastest way to travel between these two points.
This is my complete guide on how to use public transport in Stockholm. I hope I didn’t forget anything. If you have any questions, suggestions or want me to help you plan your stay write me a comment below.
Hi Israel,
I plan to get a 72-hour Travelcard but need some clarification. Are there any advantages (price difference) if I buy the card when I arrive at the airport, compared to if I buy ahead of time and have it mailed to me at home here in the USA? I plan to arrive on May 28 — if I buy in advance and have it mailed to me, do you know if that will be enough time for the travelcard to arrive?
Hi Richard
The only option to buy the travelcard in advance is buying it along the Stockholm Pass, the tourist visitor card.
There is no price difference. Nowadays for the travel card I recommend buying it upon arrival at Arlanda or in Stockholm.
However with the Stockholm Pass it is more advisable to buy it online as you can save 10% depending on the dates.
Israel
Hej i have one frågor. I do have SL card which i top up every month for student kortet. Is there any other card for student from pressbryan or mecanat student card is sufficient. Thanx
Dear Israel,
we are a group of three and we’ll be visiting Stockholm 6-9 June. We will probably rent a car from the airport (and drop it off there as well afterwards), because we want to visit Lodingo, Upsala etc. Could you recommend a good paid parking facility in the city center, somewhere near Berzelii park? Also, have you used AIMO, would you recommend their services? Thank you in advance!
Kind regards,
Orlin
Hi Orlin,
Lidingö and Uppsala are easy to reach by public transportation in case you want to save some money hiring a car. You will spend a lot in parking in Stockholm. But I digress. A good parking in central Stockholm is Parking Gallery by Kungsträdgården. Less than 10 minutes away from Berzeli Park. But around 85 SEK / hour!
I haven’t used AIMO so I can’t tell about it but it looks great and cheap as parking fees (when parking in a bunch of selected spots) and congestion fees are included in the price. 600 SEK / 24 hours with parking included is awesome.
Regards,
Israel
Hello. I’m hoping you can help me as I am confused. The 72-hour Travelcard (a.k.a. SL Access) that costs 260 SEK gives me UNLIMITED access to public transport, right? Why do I need to “top it up with the desired amount and travel until no more funds are available”? How can it run out of funds if it’s unlimited?
Hi Susan let’s see if I can help you providing a better explanation.
The SL-Access is a card which you top up with money OR with period tickets. So you can have two different kinds of traveling:
– If you top it up with money a fixed amount will be withdrawn after every trip until you reach zero crowns.
– if you top it up with a period ticket your card will be working until the ticket (24/72 hours or 7 days) expires
On top of that there are travelcards (24/72 hours) in paper format so you don’t need an SL card if you are choosing one of these.
Hope it is clearer now.
Israel
Okay… Let me see if I got this straight. So the travelcard that this (https://sl.se/en/eng-info/fares/travelcards/) refers to is not a “card” at all, more like a “load” that you put into an SL Access card? If we buy the 72-hour travelcard that costs 260 SEK, it will be in paper format?
I’m contemplating whether to buy a Stockholm Pass and add on a 72-hour travelcard, or just buy the travelcard at the station nearest to where our cruise docks. That way we’d be able to use the travelcard to commute to our hotel right away instead of having to go and get it from the pick up center first. Or can we have the travelcard emailed to us ahead of time?
Would you have any recommendations? We don’t need the Stockholm pass until our second day in Stockholm, but we need the travelcard upon arrival. Thanks.
Hi Susan
Exactly. 260 SEK in paper.
I’d buy the Stockholm Pass online separately (and get the discount) and the travelcard upon arrival (there is no discount available for this one).
I guess you are arriving at Frihamnen port of calls (correct me if I am wrong). There is a Visit Stockholm’s tourist office right by the berth where you will be able to buy the 72-hour.
Regards!
Thank you so much for the help! We’re arriving at Stadsgarden. Is there also a Visit Stockholm’s tourist office there?
I just bought our Stockholm Passes by the way. There’s a 10% discount on the site right now. :-)
I don’t think so but you can buy the travelcards after walking 10 minutes to Slussen or as you have your Stockholm Pass you can jump onto a hop on hop off bus right by Stadsgården dock and buy them later.
Thanks!
Hi, Israel, you were so helpful before, here I am again! For our 2 1/2 day stay in Stockholm, will be buying the Stockholm Pass online & the paper discounted 72 hr. Senior SL passes @ the airport. We are staying at the Slussen Hilton. What is the best way to get to Skansen from there? Do we need to book the Drottingham Palace Boat Cruise in advance? Also, about how many SEK should a taxi ride cost from Arlanda Airport to Hilton? Many thanks!
Hi Marla
If you are visiting after Juni 3 (can’t remember your dates now). The best way would be walking towards Slussen and then Gamla Stan and taking the public boat Djurgårdsfärjan nr 82 included in your travelcard and linking Slussen with Djurgården Island. This is the location of dock to board the boat. The final stop for the boat is Allmänna Gränd on Djurgården Island which lies less than 10 minutes walking from Skansen.
If you want to walk less and not have a scenic view of the city from the water another option is bus 76 from Slussen towards Ropsten, getting off at Djurgårdsbron and taking the tram 7 from there to Skansen.
The tour to Drottningholm and all the cruises included in the Stockholm Pass for that matter need to be booked in advance. What I suggest is that on the day you want to take the tour someone gets up early and goes to Strömma booking center by the Grand Hotel at Södra Blasieholmen 11 and queues there to get the tickets. Also be careful with pickpocketers especially on that area.
Regarding taxis from Arlanda to the city they usually have fixed prices. Around 520 SEK which is more or less 55-60 USD door-to-door. In Arlanda go to the taxi area and pick one of the ones waiting there. Look for fixed price or “fastpris” in Swedish. Never take a taxi on the street as in Sweden price setting is liberalized and you could get charged insane amounts. Some reputable companies are Taxi Stockholm, Taxi 08 or Taxi Kurir. Be aware that some expensive taxis try to lure tourists with company names as Stockholm Taxi instead of Taxi Stockholm.
You could also download an app for Taxi 08 for instance and manage the booking from the app to save you worries.
Hope I could help
Regards
Israel
Once again, many thanx for your detailed response. We are arriving 6/6 ( National Day) & want to see the festivities @ Skansen. Also, What is best way to get to Grand Hotel from Slussen? I see that Boat Tickets can be purchased online thru Stromma, if we know Day/ time we want to take the Drottingham Cruise. Are these the actual tickets or do we have to still go to the Stromma booking center to redeem them first?
Hi again,
oh no if instead of using the cruise included in the Stockholm Pass you are buying the cruise ticket separately then you don’t need to queue because when doing the online booking you already select the departure time for your boat tour. So you don’t need to redeem them.
If you still need the best way to get to Grand Hotel from Slussen then it is by bus nr 2 from Slussen towards Norrtull and getting off at Kungsträdgården.
By the way the boat to Drottningholm departs from the pier at Klara Mälarstrand. Best way to get there from Slussen is using the underground to Stockholm T-Centralen and walking from there.
Excellent information!! Better than any guide book
Do you also advise on Berlin??
No, sorry. I’ve been there twice but not such in-depth knowledge of Berlin as of Sweden and Stockholm.
In Berlin, day pass costs 7 Euros. Can be used in all the buses, trams, and trains for zone AB where most of the tourist attractions are located. Berlin Tegel airport is also in Zone AB.
If you want to travel Berlin schonefeld airport or Potsdam then day pass for zone ABC is needed. I think it costs 7.80 Euros.
Hi Israel,
At what age are you consider a Senior and allow to purchase a Senior SL passes
Hi Siabeng Goh
In Sweden at 65.
Regards
Israel
Thanks Israel
Hi Israel
I need to get to the Frihamnen cruise port on a Sunday. When I look up the time schedules it says bus 76 does not operate on Sunday. What is the best option from Central station
Hi Andres,
it is strange. Where did you look for the schedule? It does operate on Sundays and this Sunday too. The best way would be bus 69 towards Blockhusudden and getting off at Nybroplan. There take bus 76 towards Ropsten and stop at Frihamnen. It takes around 25 minutes from Stockholm Central Station.
Here you’ll find the summer schedule for bus 76 (sundays and bank holidays on page numbered as 146). All stops listed on page numbered 147. Same for bus 69 (pages 126 and 131 are the ones interesting for you) as you are traveling from the station to Frihamnen. For the reversal trip you should take a look at other pages in the PDF.
Regards,
Israel