Ferries to Stockholm – Routes, Operators & Prices

Stockholm is Sweden's most important ferry port and a gateway to the Baltic Sea. Large overnight ferries sail from here to Finland and Estonia, alongside connections to the islands of Åland and Gotland. If you're arriving by ferry or continuing your journey from Stockholm, it helps to know which operator departs from where, how long the crossings take and how to get from the terminal into the centre. This guide covers the routes for 2026. For the wider picture on getting to Stockholm in the first place, see the guide Getting to Stockholm.

Operators and terminals

Two major operators share the scheduled network, and they depart from different terminals — the key thing to get right when planning.

• Tallink Silja Line uses Värtahamnen in the north-east of the city (Hamnpirsvägen 10, 115 74 Stockholm). From here, Silja Serenade and Silja Symphony sail to the Olympia terminal in Helsinki, Baltic Queen to the D-terminal in Tallinn, and Baltic Princess to the Silja terminal in Turku.
• Viking Line departs from Stadsgården on Södermalm (Stadsgårdsterminalen, 116 45 Stockholm), close to Slussen. Routes from here run to Helsinki, Turku and Mariehamn on Åland; the Helsinki route is served by, among others, the Viking Cinderella and the Gabriella.

Both lines offer restaurants, cabins and tax-free shopping on board. There's no objective answer to which operator is "better" — the differences in comfort and atmosphere come down largely to taste. In practice, terminal location, departure time and price matter more for the decision.

Routes to Finland and Estonia

The main connections are classic overnight ferries — you depart in the late afternoon and arrive the following morning.

• Stockholm–Helsinki takes around 16 hours 15 minutes. The Viking Cinderella departs by about 16:30 and reaches Helsinki around 10:10 the next day; Tallink also runs the route daily with the Silja Serenade and Silja Symphony.
• Stockholm–Tallinn with Tallink's Baltic Queen takes about 16 hours 30 minutes (departing 16:00, arriving 12:15 the next day). The direct crossing runs year-round but not every day — usually three to four times a week. On days without a direct ferry, Tallinn can be reached via a connection in Helsinki.
• Stockholm–Turku is served by Tallink (Baltic Princess) and Viking Line. The route calls at Mariehamn on Åland along the way.

If getting to Tallinn quickly is the priority, it's worth weighing up flying instead: direct flights from Arlanda (ARN) to Tallinn (TLL) take only around 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, operated among others by SAS and Ryanair, often at low fares. The ferry's advantage is that you can bring a vehicle and enjoy the comfort of an overnight crossing — you save a hotel night and travel while you sleep.

Åland and Gotland

Beyond the big port cities, ferries also open up two Swedish (or, in Åland's case, autonomous) island destinations — with one important difference in how you get there.

Åland is reached directly from Stockholm. Viking Line sails to Mariehamn, the archipelago's capital, in around 17 hours — the ship runs as part of the Stockholm–Åland–Helsinki line. Mariehamn is also marketed as a day trip or mini-cruise.

Gotland, by contrast, isn't served regularly from Stockholm city centre. Destination Gotland's scheduled ferries depart from Nynäshamn, south of the city, reaching Visby in around 3 hours 15 minutes, with roughly three to four departures a day, year-round. A second mainland route runs from Oskarshamn to Visby (around 3 hours 5 minutes, about nine times a week). A seasonal direct route from Stockholm exists only on a limited basis: Viking Line's Birka Gotland runs as an overnight ferry of around 16 to 17 hours, but only about two days a week and not year-round (mainly in summer, plus Easter and Advent). If you need flexibility to get to Gotland, plan on going via Nynäshamn instead.

Prices and booking

Fares vary a lot by season, day of the week and how far ahead you book, so only guide prices can be given here.

• Stockholm–Tallinn (2026): foot passengers pay roughly the equivalent of 90 to 410 US dollars depending on the date (around 220 on average), with a car more like 235 to 870 US dollars (around 490 on average). Cabins start at about 127 euros.
• Stockholm–Mariehamn (Åland, 2026): depending on the number of passengers, vehicle and departure time, roughly 57 to 476 US dollars, averaging around 177.
• Bringing a car: as a guide, base car fares start at around 26 euros with Viking Line and around 48 euros with Tallink — noticeably higher at weekends, on public holidays and in high season.

The golden rule is: book early. Booking ahead is the most effective way to get the cheapest fare, especially in summer and at weekends, and vehicle spaces can get scarce in high season. If you can be flexible, travelling midweek is usually noticeably cheaper than at weekends.

Check-in, terminal times and vehicles

Build in enough time at the terminal — the operators close boarding well before departure.

• With Tallink Silja Line, foot passengers and drivers alike should be at the terminal 1.5 hours before departure. Passenger check-in closes 30 minutes before departure, boarding 20 minutes before. For the Åland route, vehicle check-in closes as early as 1.5 hours before departure.
• Travelling by car, especially in high season: arrive at least 1.5 hours early, since vehicles are checked in and loaded before foot passengers. Motorhomes, cars and motorcycles are carried on all routes and are registered separately as a vehicle when you book.
• Online check-in is available with Tallink via website or app from 24 hours before departure. With Viking Line it's especially worth doing, since from 9 March 2026 the line charges 5 euros for counter check-in at the Helsinki, Turku and Stockholm terminals — online check-in avoids the fee.

Pets are welcome too: Tallink Silja Line allows them on all routes (except special cruises), either in a pet-friendly cabin, a pre-booked kennel or a travel carrier. On the Gotland ferries, pets generally stay with the vehicle (a visit to the car deck is allowed); a pet space must be booked in advance for the passenger deck, and assistance dogs travel free.

From the terminal to the city centre

Both terminals are well connected to public transport, though the route differs by operator.

From Värtahamnen (Tallink Silja), the red metro line towards Ropsten runs to Gärdet, a short walk from there. Alternatively, SL bus 76 connects the harbour with the city centre, and Tallink runs a shuttle bus from Cityterminalen that takes around 20 minutes (about 9 euros one way, 16 euros return). Parking is handled by Stockholm Parkering (stockholmparkering.se).

The Viking terminal at Stadsgården sits more centrally: only about a kilometre from Slussen, a roughly 15-minute walk along Stadsgårdskajen. From Slussen, the 400-series buses run one stop to Londonviadukten, and there's also a direct coach from Cityterminalen timed around ship departures. The nearest metro station is Slussen, on the red and green lines. For how to get around the city from there, see the guide Getting around Stockholm; if you're flying in, it's also worth checking From the airport to the city centre.