Public transport in Stockholm

In Stockholm, all public transport runs under one roof: SL operates the Tunnelbana (metro), the Pendeltåg, trams and light rail, around 500 bus routes and four commuter ferry lines. One ticket is valid on every mode, and changes are included while it's valid. Arlanda Airport is part of the network, with one peculiarity at the railway station.

Which ticket to buy at the airport

Arlanda C station is in Sky City between Terminal 4 and Terminal 5. Line 40 of the Pendeltåg stops here and takes 38 minutes to Stockholm City in the centre. Any SL ticket is valid for the journey itself. At the station gate, the Arlandapassage is added: 157 SEK for adults aged 18 and over; under-18s don't pay it. Which ticket to combine it with depends on how long you're staying.

Just into the city: The SL + Arlanda combined ticket costs 200 SEK, or 183 SEK reduced. It includes the passage fee and is then valid for 120 minutes on all SL services, so it also covers the onward journey by Tunnelbana or bus to your accommodation.

A few days in Stockholm: Buy a travel pass plus just the Arlandapassage. The pass covers the journey from the airport, and the passage fee opens the gate. Travel passes are available in the SL app or on the green SL card, not via your bank card.

On its last day, the 7-day pass is valid until 04:30 the following morning. A travel pass is transferable, but only for one person at a time. Reduced fares apply to travellers under 20 and aged 65 and over. Children under 7 travel free with any ticket holder, and an adult with an SL ticket can also take up to six children aged 7 to 11 along for free.

The SL ticket is not valid on the Arlanda Express, the airport buses or SJ's long-distance trains. Which way into the city suits you is covered on the From Arlanda to the city page.

How to pay and tap in

The easiest way is your bank card. Visa, Mastercard and American Express work contactless, including via Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Holding your card to the reader buys a single ticket for 75 minutes. If you hold it to a reader again within that time, it counts as a change and costs nothing. The charge is taken at the end of the day.

Three things are worth knowing. The physical card and the same card on your phone count as two different cards, so stick to one. Each card only pays for one person, so fellow travellers need their own. And never hold two cards to the reader at once: if your SL card sits next to your bank card in your wallet or phone case, take the right one out, or you may end up paying twice.

The SL app (“SL-Reseplanerare och biljetter”) sells single tickets and travel passes by bank card. A ticket in the app doesn't start when you buy it: you activate it yourself, at the latest before you board. The green SL card costs a one-off 50 SEK and can be topped up again and again.

You have to tap in before every journey, but never tap out. On the Tunnelbana and Pendeltåg you hold your card or phone to the gate. On the bus you board at the front and tap in at the reader. On tram and light rail lines such as Tvärbanan or Roslagsbanan there's an SL validator post with a green panel on the platform, where you tap in before boarding. On the Spårväg City tram, the conductor reads your card. SL doesn't accept cash on board anywhere. If you're caught without a valid ticket, you pay 1,850 SEK plus the fare.

What to ride around the city

The Tunnelbana has three lines, green, red and blue, which all meet at T-Centralen. The network is just over 100 km long with 100 stations, and the entrances are marked with a large T. The Pendeltåg links the city with the surrounding region and the airport; you'll recognise its stations by the large J.

The Spårväg City tram (line 7) runs from T-Centralen via Kungsträdgården and Nybroplan to Djurgården. Then there are the tram and light rail lines Tvärbanan, Roslagsbanan, Saltsjöbanan, Nockebybanan and Lidingöbanan, around 500 bus routes and four commuter ferry lines. The best known is the Djurgårdsfärjan, line 82, between Slussen and Djurgården via Skeppsholmen. The SL ticket is valid on all of them, travel passes included.

Your suitcase travels free, as long as you can carry it yourself.

Getting around at night

At weekends the Tunnelbana runs round the clock. The Pendeltåg runs from early morning, between 04:00 and 05:00, until around 01:30, and the Spårväg City tram until around 02:00. There are also night buses, whose route numbers have 9 as the tens digit, such as the 94 or the 191.

If you're landing late at Arlanda, check the last Pendeltåg departure before you fly. After that, you're left with the airport bus, which also runs night services, and the taxis with a maximum fare to the city centre.