Sweden Travel Guide - Getting There

The national airline is SAS Scandinavian Airlines System (SK) (website: www.sas.se).

From London to Stockholm is 2 hours 30 minutes and to Gothenburg is 2 hours. From New York to Stockholm is 10 hours.

Stockholm (STO) (Arlanda) (website: www.lfv.se) is 42km (26 miles) north of the city. To/from the airport: There are frequent bus services operating between the airport and the city (journey time - 40 minutes). Arlanda Express trains leave for the city frequently throughout the day (journey time - 20 minutes). Trains travel to a range of destinations, including Sundsvall, Falun, Mora and Uppsala from the airport. Taxis are also available. There are regular buses to the city centre.
Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, banks/bureaux de change, ATM, restaurant/bar, coffee shop and tourist information.

Gothenburg (GOT) (Landvetter) (website: www.landvetter.lfv.se) is 24km (15 miles) east of the city (journey time - 25 minutes). To/from the airport: Coach services are frequent between the airport and the Central Station. Buses and taxis are available into Gothenburg, as well as to and from Copenhagen (journey time - 50 minutes).
Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change, restaurant/bar and coffee shop.

Malmö Sturup (MMX) (website: www.sturup.com) is 31km (20 miles) east of the city(journey time - 35 minutes). To/from the airport: Bus and taxi services link the airport with the city.
Facilities: Bureau de change and a duty-free shop.

For more information on the airports, contact LFV (Swedish Airports and Air Navigation Services) (website: www.lfv.se).

Main ports: Gothenburg (website: www.portgot.se), Sundsvalls Hamn (website: www.sundsvallshamn.se), Hargs Hamn (website: www.hargshamn.se) and Trelleborg (website: www.tralleborgshamn.se).

There is no longer a direct ferry link between the UK and Sweden, but DFDS (tel: (042) 266 000; website: www.dfdsseaways.se) operates services from Newcastle to Norway and from Harwich to Denmark. There are also ferry connections from Swedish ports to other destinations including Copenhagen, Gdansk, Helsingør, Kiel, Klaipeda, Oslo, Riga, St Petersburg and Tallinn.

Öresund Runt Card: This pass enables visitors to travel on both sides of the Öresund sound (Sweden and Denmark) on boats or trains. The ticket can be bought from the Malmo Tourism Office at Central Station.

One UK-Sweden route is from London to Hook of Holland or Ostend, and onwards via Copenhagen (journey time - 22 to 25 hours). There are connections by ferry from Denmark and through rail routes from Norway (Oslo, Narvik and Trondheim). However, the quickest route is to take the Eurostar train to Brussels, and then to catch a connection to Hamburg and on to Stockholm.

The Swedish high-speed train x2000 travels from Oslo to Stockholm/Gothenburg. Inlandsbanan (inland railway) (tel: (0771) 535 353; website: www.inlandsbanan.se) is a route from Kristinehamn (Mid-Sweden) to Gällivare (North). It is a privately-owned company offering tours during the summer months. Bicycles can be taken on the trains.

Connex AB operates trains from Stockholm to Gothenburg. Other destinations on the route include Kiruna, Luleå, Umeå and Sundsvall.

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).


Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people travelling together. The Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The Eurailpass Flexi allows either 10 or 15 travel days within a two-month period. The Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The Eurail Regional Pass allows four to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of nine regions (usually two or more countries). Children receive a 50% reduction. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or the Russian Federation. Available from The Eurail Group (website: http://www.eurail.com/).

ScanRail: allows unlimited travel within Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Valid for five, eight or 10 days in two months or 21 consecutive days. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk/railpasses/scanrail.htm).

From the UK visitors can either drive to Sweden through Europe via Denmark or Germany.

The Øresund Fixed Link, spanning 16km (10 miles) of waterway, joins the cities of Malmö (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark). The link comprises a suspension bridge and an underwater tunnel, joined in the middle by an artificial island. It was designed to provide better connections between the Scandinavian peninsula and the European continent.

Coach: There are services from London to a number of Swedish cities throughout the year, taking approximately 30 hours (restricted service in winter). Eurolines (tel: 0870 514 3219, in the UK; website: www.eurolines.com) runs regular coach services to Sweden. Passes: Travellers can either book a 15- or a 30-day pass.