Travel to Sweden

Flying to Sweden

Sweden's national carrier is SAS (www.flysas.com). Other airlines operating direct flights to Sweden from the UK include British Airways (www.britishairways.com), Norwegian (www.norwegian.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com). SAS and Norwegian both offer direct flights from the USA.

Major airports are: Gothenburg Landvetter Airport and Stockholm Arlanda Airport.

Notes

The cheapest time to fly to Sweden is during the autumn and winter months when the chilly weather and limited hours of daylight put a dampener on seeing the sights and picking up sartorial inspiration from the country’s stylistas. However, if you’re prepared to brave the cold and dark, it’s worth taking a punt on cheaper winter fares for a chance to see the aurora borealis or to take advantage of the short flying times for a weekender in one of the country’s numerous de luxe boutique hotels. Peak season fares, from June to August, are usually considerably steeper.

Airport Guides

Flight times

To Stockholm: from London - 2 hours 20 minutes; New York - 8 hours.

To Gothenburg: from London - 1 hour 55 minutes; New York - 9 hours 20 minutes (including stopover).

Air passes

SAS Visit Scandinavia Airpass/Nordic Airpass: includes travel from the USA plus travel between the Denmark, Norway and Sweden (www.flysas.com).

Travelling to Sweden by Rail

Numerous train, or train plus ferry combination routes connect the UK with Sweden. The easiest way is by Eurostar to Brussels, followed by high-speed ICE train to Cologne and InterCity train to Hamburg. After an overnight stop in Hamburg, you can catch a ICE-TD train to Copenhagen and then catch a train from Copenhagen to Stockholm, Malmö or Gothenburg.

The Swedish national rail company SJ (www.sj.se) run the X2 express trains between Copenhagen and Stockholm, with a travel time of just under 5 hours. A comfortable seat, free WiFi and power sockets are included as standard with your ticket.

Other connections include taking the ferry from Denmark or making use of through rail routes from Norway (Oslo, Narvik and Trondheim). Bicycles can be taken on the trains. 

You can check most international timetables on www.bahn.com.

Rail passes

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 15 days, 22 days, one month, or 5 days in 15 days or 5, 7, 10 days in a month 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. Reductions are available for travellers under 26. Children under 12 are free when travelling with an adult using an Adult Pass. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Voyages-sncf.com (tel: +44 844 848 5848, in the UK; www.voyages-sncf.com).

Eurailpass: offers unlimited train travel in up to 28 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 22 days, one month, two months, three months, five days in 10 days, 5 or 7 days in one month, 10 days in two months or 15 days in two months. The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The Select Pass is valid in four bordering countries. The Regional Pass lets you travel in two bordering countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.

Adult passes are valid for first-class travel, while youth passes (under 26) are valid for second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).

Driving to Sweden

Sweden is easily accessible by car from Finland and Norway, whose long borders with Sweden have numerous, crossing points. Motorists entering from Denmark can use the beautiful Öresund Bridge, which connects the Danish capital Copenhagen with Malmö. On the Swedish side, the toll bridge connects to the E6 motorway.

Motorists moving between the south of Sweden and Finland can use car ferries either by night or day, connecting Stockholm with Turku and Helsinki as well as the island city Mariehamn. The Baltic cities of Riga and Tallinn are also accessible by ferry. Tallink Silja (www.tallinksilja.com) and Viking Line (www.vikingline.com)are the main ferry operators.

Getting to Sweden by boat

Swedish ports offering marina facilities include Gothenburg (www.goteborgshamn.se), Sundsvalls Hamn (www.sundsvallshamn.se), Hargs Hamn (www.hargshamn.se) and Trelleborg (www.trelleborgshamn.se).

Öresund Rundt Card: This pass enables visitors to travel on both sides of the Öresund sound (Sweden and Denmark) on busses or trains. You can buy the ticket from Skanetrafiken (www.skanetrafiken.se).

Cruise ships

Although lacking the picturesque fjords of Norway, Sweden is a popular cruise destination, with most heading to Stockholm, Visby, Gothenburg and Halmstad.

Ferry operators

A number of ferry companies ply the waters of the North Sea. DFDS Seaways (tel: +46 42 266 000; www.dfdsseaways.se). Scandlines (tel: +45 3315 1515 www.scandlines.de), Stena Line (tel: +46 31 858 0000 www.stenaline.com), Tallink Silja (tel: +49 (0) 40 547 541 2222; www.tallinksilja.com) and Viking Line (tel: +46 8 452 4000)

River Routes

From Finland, it’s possible to enter Sweden along the Torne River, which runs along the border of the two countries for 50% of its 522km (324-mile) length. From Norway, entry into Sweden is possible via the River Enningdalselva.