Stockholm is an easy city to get around regardless of where you live. You can choose between the metro, bus, tram, regional rail, light rail, and archipelago boats to travel around Sweden’s capital.
You can buy tickets from Stostockholms Lokaltrafik (SL9. This company controls all of the land-based public transport. Tickets can be used on all modes of transport except the archipelago boats.
Few people use cars. In fact, out of the 950,000 residents, 800,000 use public transport daily. We are going to look at all you need to know in order to get around Stockholm.
Tickets
While you will be able to enjoy an incredible transport system that covers nearly all of Stockholm, it will come at a price. Stockholm is known to have some of the most expensive public transport worldwide.
It is worth looking at the ticket options available. You can buy various travel cards depending on the amount of time you need, anything from 1 day to 1 year.
There is also the option to buy a single-trip zone ticket. This is valid for up to an hour from the time you begin your journey. If you are traveling in a group, look for a strip ticket. This is similar to the zone ticket but for more than one person.
The Public Transport System in Stockholm
Buses
With your SL card, you will be able to catch the buses on various different lines throughout the city. You will notice two bus colors. Blue buses are for the inner city, while red buses cover the outskirts. Apart from the inner city and outskirts lines, you will also find service bus lines. One example is the Flygbussarna bus from Arlanda Airport to the city center.
The Metro
Running both above and below ground is the Tunnelbana, Stockholm’s extensive metro system. It covers the city center and the outskirts. There are 100 stations with three main lines (green, red and blue). You will find a lot of the metro stations have connecting buses. Expect the metros to be rather busy first thing in the morning and the evening.
Suburban rail services
It is common for expats to choose to live outside the city and commute daily. The best option is to use one of Stockholm’s suburban rail services. There are several, but two of the principal services are Saltsjöbanan and Roslagsbanan.
Light rail and tram
Stockholm has a heritage tram called the Djurgården line. Nockebybanan, Lidingöbanan, and Tvärbanan are other light rail services available.
Boats
The most obvious way to travel around, to and from the islands is by the archipelago boat line, run by Waxholmsbolaget. You will find some boats operate all year round. There is a boat line that runs between Slussen and Djugården- the Djugårdsfärjan. You can use your SL travel card on this line but single trip and strip tickets aren’t valid.
Walking and Cycling in Stockholm
Stockholm is a wonderfully safe city to ride a bike and walk. It has an excellent network of cycle paths, green parks, and safe walkways, with a lot of the locals choosing these healthier options to get to and from work.
Cycling has become more popular among the Swedes due to its environmental friendliness. It is also easy, quick, and cheap. The city council has placed importance on improving the cycling infrastructure.
Bikes are available to rent so expats don’t need to buy their own. There are hundreds of rentable bikes all over the city. If you want to rent a bike you should go to Stockholm City Bikes for a bike card. You can buy a three-day card or a season card.
Driving in Stockholm
In general, people don’t need to drive in Stockholm. But if you do you will find it very easy. Compared with many European cities, Stockholm’s roads are clearly signposted and there is not as much congestion.
Traffic has fallen a lot since 200 when a congestion charging scheme was introduced. If you live in the city, the charge is directly taken from your account. If you live on the outskirts, you must pay before entering the congestion charging zone.
Parking in the city center is both hard to find and expensive. For this reason, people will stick to using public transport and only use a car for traveling.
