Sweden: Local Travel Info

Internal flights and major international airports
The major airports in Sweden are: Stockholm’s Arlanda and Bromma airports (international and domestic), Gothenburg’s Landvetter (international and domestic), Malmo’s Sturup (international and domestic), and Vaxjo airport, which is also an international and domestic airport. The following cities also offer domestic flights: Gothenburg’s Save, Jonkoping, Kalmar, Karlstad, Kiruna, Kristianstad, Lulea’s Kallax, Nykoping’s Kungsangen, Oskarshamn, Ronneby, Skelleftea, Sundsvall, Umea’s Alvik, Visby, Angelholm, Orebro, Ornskoldsvik and Ostersund.

Getting to and from the airport in Sweden
Public transport in Sweden boasts some of the best in Europe, so getting to and from the various airports around the country is no problem. The Arlanda Express is a non-stop service to Stockholm which takes about 20 minutes, and runs between four and six times an hour. It costs approximately, €42 for a return ticket. Long distance trains also go to many destinations around Sweden. Trains are also one of the best ways to get to Sweden from Denmark, too. Copenhagen’s Kastrup airport
Connects to Malmo by the Oresund Bridge. There is a 24-hour service from here and the journey takes about 20 minutes. Taxis are another viable form of airport transport.

The larger airports which run both domestic and international flights have taxis stationed outside, 50 per cent of which are eco-taxis. Most taxi companies offer a fixed price, so you should ask before starting your journey. Flygtaxi is a service which can be purchased when you book your flights, or at the Flygtaxi counter outside Terminal 4 at Arland airport. Buses are another cheap and easy way to get to and from airports in Sweden: Flygbussa coaches from Gothenburg’s Landvetter airport take 20 minutes to get to the city and cost €14.40. The Flygbussa between Arlanda airport and the centre of Stockholm runs every 10 minutes during peak times, takes about 40 mintues and costs €19 for a return ticket. The smaller airports around Sweden also offer efficient bus, train and taxi travel.
 

Travel costs in Sweden

Car Hire in Sweden
You will be able to find either Avis, Europcar, Hertz and MABI Hyrbilar counters or offices at all of the airports in Sweden, and every effort is made to ensure that renting a vehicle is hassle free. At Arlanda airport, transfer buses run between the terminals and the car rental offices. Stop 19 outside terminals 2, 4 and 5 go to Avis, Europcar and Hertz, while bus 14 at Stop 14 goes to MABI hyrbilar. Hiring an economy 2-4 door car, for a week can start at approximately €262.

For cheap car hire rates in Sweden, see our car hire section. Our links are updated hourly to provide you with the latest discounts and special offers on car hire in Sweden and all Sweden's major cities online.
 

Driver’s license requirements?
The minimum age at which a UK license holder may drive a temporarily imported car is 18. Drivers must also be aware that licences without a photograph will not be recognised unless other photographic proof, like a passport, can be produced.

Rules in Sweden
The minimum age for car drivers is 18. In terms of speed limits are 110, 90 or 70kph outside built-up areas and 50kph or 30kph in built-up areas and school areas. There are on-the-spot fines for offences, but police cannot collect them; you have a 2-3 week period to pay those. Driving with dipped headlights is compulsory in the daytime for cars and motorcycles, and children under the age of seven are not allowed to travel in cars without a car seat or specially adapted seatbelt for their use. Vehicles drive in the right side of the road in Sweden.

Trains in Sweden
Trains are perhaps the next best thing to flying, in Sweden. The service, again, is clean, efficient, fast and fairly reasonably priced. Swedish State Railways (SJ) have a comprehensive route running from south to north, although it must be pointed out that there are some areas in the north which can not be reached by train alone. A standard journey from somewhere like Stockholm to Gothenburg might coast around €31, but if you want to get around even quicker than using the standard trains, the SJ’s high-speed X2000 trains are more expensive, but a lot quicker. Outside of Stockholm, the services are much the same in terms of efficiency and price, and many services are well supported by bus and tram networks.

Buses in Sweden
There is little to complain about when it comes to travelling around Sweden by bus. They are frequent, clean, and pretty affordable, especially in relation to other modes of transport. Local and regional buses work alongside national bus companies, and in many cases the rail network: so, you can purchase a bus ticket alongside your train ticket when it is part of your overall journey. Swebus Express only operates in the southern third of Sweden, but provides good service. Situated in over 50 locations (in Sweden, and beyond) there are independent ticket dealers in each locality. So, a relatively short distance, like Malmo to Helsingborg would cost €3, while Malmo to Stockholm would cost €29. If you are in the north of Sweden, the Swebus Express equivalent is called Y-buss. Again, this is a clean and efficiently run service, with prices ranging from €10 (Sundsvall to Stockholm), to €19 for the journey between Ostersund and Stockholm. For shorter journeys within your vicinity, it is best to check local travel information for times and prices.

Taxis in Sweden
You can pre-order taxis or find them at stops located just outside stations, or other points of interest: unlike other places, it is not customary to flag taxis down, although it is sometimes done, and sometimes works. Within the last couple of years, the Swedish taxi market has been freed to allow drivers to set their own prices, which means that some will take advantage of tourists. Visitors arriving at Arlanda airport in Stockholm have been known to pay €70 for the 40 minute journey to the centre, while established firms charge a fixed price of between €34-38. Most taxis are established and belong to a firm, but if you do agree to get in to an independent taxi, agree a price before you start. Drivers should be tipped 10%.

Cycling in Sweden
Stockholm has a scheme called Citybikes which offers bicycle hire across the city. For €3 you can buy a one-time card, or pay €19 for a season card, which allows hire for longer and a free helmet. The cards are available at SE Transportation Centers, where you can also buy bus and train tickets. The bonus of this scheme is that it is cheap and that there are many parking stations, too. Take note, however, that this scheme only runs between April 1 and October 31. In Gothenberg, you can buy a Gothenberg pass which offers reductions and free bicycle hire as part of the package. Check when you get there for details.

Waterways
A number of companies operate ferry services to Sweden from other parts of Europe. DFDS Seaways, Polferries, TT-Line are just a few of the companies who offer ferry packages.