Public Transport in Stockholm – Metro, Bus & Ferry

Stockholm is spread across 14 islands, and that's exactly what makes getting around here more interesting than in most cities. The compact centre is best covered on foot, and for everything else there's a single public transport network under the SL (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik) brand – including ferries that turn your commute into a small boat trip.

The SL network at a glance

SL brings together all public transport in the region under one fare – a single ticket is valid across:

• Tunnelbana (metro) – the fast backbone for longer trips across the city.
• Buses – fill the gaps the metro doesn't reach, including parts of Djurgården.
• Pendeltåg (commuter trains) – link the centre with the suburbs and surrounding region.
• Ferries (SL lines 80 and 82) – the waterborne network across the harbour and out to the islands.

The practical upshot is that you buy once and can switch freely between all four modes. If you're combining several attractions in one day, it's also worth checking the Go City Stockholm Pass, which we cover in our guide to the Stockholm Pass & SL tickets.

Tickets and fares

A single SL ticket costs 43 SEK and is valid for 75 minutes, transfers included. The reduced fare (seniors, children, students up to 20) is 26 SEK; these prices have applied since the fare update on 8 January 2026.

For visitors, a travelcard is almost always worth it – it gives unlimited travel within its validity period. It comes as a 24-hour, 72-hour, 7-day and 30-day card. As a rough guide, recent prices were around 180 SEK (24 h), 360 SEK (72 h) and 470 SEK (7 days); exact 2026 figures may vary slightly. There's no separate weekend card in the SL system – for a weekend visit, just use the 24-hour or 72-hour card.

Payment is entirely cashless:

• The SL app – the official "SL – Reseplanerare och biljetter" app combines journey planning with digital ticket purchase for every ticket type.
• Contactless bank or credit card – simply tap your card on the gates and readers on buses and trains.
• SL service points – at larger stations, for anything you'd rather not handle through the app.

Buses don't accept cash at all, so buy your ticket in advance through the app or tap a contactless card – don't plan on sorting it out as you board.

Tunnelbana – the art metro

The Tunnelbana has seven lines (10–19) in three colour-coded groups – the Blue Line (10/11), the Red Line (13/14) and the Green Line (17/18/19). It's rightly known as "the world's longest art exhibition": many stations are elaborately designed, from bare rock to painted cave ceilings. For which stations are worth a small art detour, see our guide to Tunnelbana art.

You barely need to think about frequency – during the day a train comes roughly every 10 minutes, every 5–6 minutes at peak times (every 2–3 minutes on central sections), and every 15 minutes early and late. Services generally run from around 05:00 to 01:00.

Handy for a night out – on the nights Friday/Saturday and Saturday/Sunday, the Tunnelbana runs all night, roughly every 30 minutes. On the other nights (Sunday to Thursday) there's an overnight break, covered instead by night buses.

Ferries – public transport on the water

Stockholm's ferries are about the best thing that can happen to a commuter network – they cost nothing extra and throw in a view from the water. Two lines are part of the standard SL fare:

• Line 82 (Djurgårdsfärjan) – links Slussen via Skeppsholmen with Djurgården (Allmänna gränd), year-round, journey time around 10 minutes. The classic short hop over to the museum island.
• Line 80 (Pendelbåt) – runs between Nybroplan/Ropsten and Nacka, calling at Frihamnen, Lidingö, Nacka Strand, Kvarnholmen, Saltsjöqvarn and Allmänna gränd among others; the full crossing takes about 25 minutes. It's really a commuter route, but it's hard to beat as a cheap sightseeing trip from the water.

The archipelago itself is served by other operators – more on that in our archipelago guide. The public operator Waxholmsbolaget (part of the SL system, departing from Strömkajen, among other points) runs year-round. Alongside it, the private operator Strömma (Cinderella boats, from Nybrokajen) runs seasonal tours, for example to Vaxholm (around 50 minutes by boat) or a guided archipelago cruise (around 1.5 hours). Strömma's boats run on their own fares (from around 190 SEK in season) and can only be booked in advance; the fullest schedule runs mainly over summer.

Getting to the big sights

Most of the highlights sit surprisingly close together – and are almost always reachable more than one way. For the classics on and around Djurgården:

• Vasa Museum – tram 7 or bus 67 to "Nordiska museet/Vasamuseet"; alternatively the Red Line to Karlaplan and about a 10-minute walk, or ferry 82/80 to Allmänna gränd and about an 8-minute walk.
• Skansen – tram 7 from T-Centralen or bus 67 from Odenplan; by ferry, line 82 to Allmänna gränd (around 400 m on foot) or bus 69/76 to Djurgårdsbron (around 950 m).
• Drottningholm Palace – Tunnelbana (Green Line) to Brommaplan, then bus 176 or 177 to the Drottningholm stop (around 200 m to the entrance); in summer you can alternatively take a sightseeing boat from Stadshuskajen/Klara Mälarstrand.

Bus routes 67 (Odenplan–Skansen/Djurgården) and 69 and 76 (Djurgårdsbron) are especially useful for visitors – they connect the museum island, which the metro doesn't reach.

From the airport into the city

From the main airport, Arlanda, the fastest route is the Arlanda Express – a non-stop train that takes 18 minutes to Stockholm Central, running roughly every 15 minutes. A single adult ticket costs 340 SEK (640 SEK return), young people aged 18 to 25 pay 160 SEK one way, and children up to 17 travel free when accompanied by a paying adult; tickets are valid for 90 days.

Worth noting – the Arlanda Express is a private high-speed train and is not covered by the SL travelcard. If you want to reach the airport on an SL ticket, take the Pendeltåg commuter train or an airport bus instead. We compare which option suits your budget and arrival time in the guide From the Airport to the City Centre.