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The 20 essential travel tips for visiting Stockholm

Wondering whether to use cash, or whether to bare all at the sauna? We've got you covered.

You can plan out every minute of every day when visiting a city like Stockholm , and you’ll still get caught out by one tiny little thing. Train tickets. Cash only. That sort of thing. You might even get caught in an embarrassing foreign blunder, where you order a coffee at completely the wrong time. 

Anyway, this is as true in the Scandinavian capital of cool as it is anywhere else. Want to know which stations to avoid, and what time you should eat cake? Do you bare all at a sauna, or keep your pants on? From metro tickets to how to say ‘hello’, here is every travel tip you’ll need for your first time in Stockholm. 

RECOMMENDED: 📍 The best things to do in Stockholm 🍽️ The best restaurants in Stockholm 🏘️ Where to stay in Stockholm 🛍️ The best spots for shopping in Stockholm

This guide was updated by Madeleine Hyde , a writer based in Stockholm. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines .  

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The ultimate Stockholm guide

1.  Access the airport the sneaky way

Many travellers don’t realise that apart from the expensive express train and coaches, you can get from Arlanda airport to the city centre by public transport. Follow signs to the local buses at any terminal, and look for the one that goes to Märsta station, which is on a commuter rail line. The whole journey to central Stockholm can be covered on a single ticket, which you can buy on the SL app.

2.  Don’t bring a ton of cash

Stockholm aims to become a cash-free city in the coming years, and in fact, many cafes, restaurants and hotels already enforce this policy. So on your trip, it’s best to bring your bank card and only use cash if you have to. 

3.  Look beyond the metro lines

Booking accommodation in Stockholm can be dizzying. Which island is best? How much should you spend? And most commonly asked: Can they all be accessed easily? In the inner-city, the answer is yes. But it’s worth looking further, too: the prices of accommodation go down if you look along the commuter rail lines, rather than just the metro lines. Don’t be intimidated by these local lines; they’ll often get you to the city centre just as quickly!

4.  Avoid the ‘stress tunnel’ at Centralen

An early sunset normally tempts Stockholmers to leave the office around 4pm and so for most of the year, this is our rush hour. Avoid the central station, ‘T-Centralen,’ at 4pm and at around 8 in the morning, if you can help it—this is when the ‘stress tunnel’ between the different metro lines is at its most congested.

5.  On weekdays, breakfast is simple and healthy

In cafes, you’ll find mostly muesli and yoghurt or bread rolls with ham and cheese served in the morning hours. On weekends, however, it’s a whole different story. Popular brunch spots like Kitchen & Table and Greasy Spoon fill up quickly, so be sure to book ahead!

6.  Pack your toughest boots

If you’re planning a winter trip, bring along some very sturdy shoes. From November through till March you can expect the ground to be covered in ‘slask,’ a grotty mix of melted snow and grit. It keeps you from falling over, but it will leave its mark on your footwear!

7.  Have a whole Swedish conversation with just two words

Swedes are well-known for their English skills; you’ll hear and see English all around you in Stockholm. Still, if you want to try out some Swedish, you can do so with minimal effort. You can say hello or goodbye with just ‘hej’ or ‘hej hej’ (where the ‘j’ is pronounced like an English ‘y’) and ‘tack’ means both thank you and please, so it’s extra easy to be polite.

8.  The flavours of fika

‘Fika’ is the Swedish coffee and cake ritual that means that the best cafes in the city will be full to the brim in the afternoons, especially on weekends. The traditional fika is with a cinnamon bun, but some cafes do their own variations: the rhubarb crumble buns at Fabrique, or the pistachio and blackcurrant version at Il Caffe are some favourites. It’s a crowded time, but well worth pushing in.

9.  Saunas are for revealing all

Another Nordic ritual is stripping down in the sauna. In Swedish culture, it’s generally encouraged to keep things private—except for when it comes to the sauna. Don’t expect to bring anything but yourself and a towel, which is mostly for drying yourself off after you plunge into an icy-cold lake.

10.  Save your clean-eating week for Stockholm

The vegan offerings in this city are unrivalled. You can order your coffee with oat, almond or soya milk in most cafes, get delicious vegan ice cream in stores or at Stikki Nikki, or try vegan pulled pork (called oomph ) in Max Burger, Vigårda and many other burger establishments.

11.  Spend late night at a gallery

If you’re a night owl looking for something more intellectually stimulating than a night on the tiles, thank goodness for Fotografiska, the photography exhibition on Södermalm’s northern waterfront. After the rest of the galleries have closed, this former factory stays open until 11pm.

12.  Lunch starts early in Sweden

Lunch is Sweden’s biggest meal of the day. Restaurants typically offer buffet lunches for a fixed price and start serving at noon sharp. Oh, and there won’t normally be any desserts on the table, but you can save your sweet tooth for later (see fika )!

13.  Down-time in the summer

Swedes take holidays very seriously—normally, by disappearing off to their countryside cottages or island retreats on the archipelago. This means that at certain times of the year, Stockholm is a bit of a ghost town, especially after Midsummer in June and July. On the plus side, visitors get the city to themselves!

14.  Island-hop in style for no extra cost

Your SL card (SL being the Stockholm transport system) can get you onto pretty much any transport, including some of the ferries that run between the inner-city islands. In the winter season, you can even use an SL ticket on ferries to the archipelago.

15.  Buying alcohol here is a bit… systematic

The Swedish government has a monopoly on alcohol—if it’s over 3.5% ABV, anyway. For the strong stuff, you’ll need to head to government-owned Systembolaget, which close early afternoons on Saturday and don’t open at all on Sundays. If you fancy a 2% beer (affectionately known to locals as folköl , or ‘the people’s beer’), you can get these in any regular store.

16.  Get a pint at 4pm

Rush hour is also the start of ‘After-Work’, a Swedish version of happy hour beginning around 4:30pm. Many pubs will serve a cheaper pint during these hours, and there’s even a club, Out of Office, that kicks off in the late afternoon instead of the late evening to cater to thirsty office workers. Download the club’s app for your free entrance ticket and dance your suit off.

17.  Culture without the entrance fee

If beer and sauna culture don’t cut it, you can spend your Tuesday afternoon at a museum instead, without spending anything. The Nordic Museum has free entry on Wednesdays from 5-8pm, and the Nobel Prize Museum from 5-8pm on Tuesdays. The Modern Art museum on Skeppsholmen, meanwhile, has free admission the whole week round.

18.  The two words you need for a cheap pint

Stockholmers are big beer lovers, and there are many great micro-breweries and craft beer establishments across the city to prove it. That’s not to say that your pint has to be anything fancy or expensive, however; at any bar, you can order their cheapest pint of beer simply by asking for a ‘Stor Stark.’

19.  Drink in the evening sunlight in summer

In the summer, drinking goes outdoors. Bars reveal themselves in all kinds of innovative outside spaces, including under a bridge: Trädgården (the garden) opens under Skanstull bridge at the end of May. As a bonus, if you get there before 7pm you’ll avoid any entrance free and be offered cheaper drinks deals.

20.  Plan ahead to avoid taxis

Taxis are very, very expensive in Stockholm. Especially boat taxis (yes, really!), which will come and get you if you’re stuck on an island in the archipelago. Plan ahead by checking the SL app for your best travel options. On weekends, the metro runs all night, but on weekdays your best bet after 1am might be a night bus.

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Photo: Anna Hugosson

9 essential travel tips for Sweden and Stockholm

Publish date : 21 November 2023

New in town, or just visiting? Here are some things that you should know.

• 1. No cash needed

There's no need to exchange a lot of currency – Stockholm is in large parts a cash-free city. Although you'll find ATM machines (recognized by teal/blue-green-colored signs reading " Bankomat "), many restaurants, shops, and hotels don't accept bills or coins. With that said, don't forget to bring your debit or credit card!

• 2. Everyone speaks English

Swedes start studying English in school before the age of 10, and we never miss a chance to practice our learning. In fact, it's often said that we love speaking English so much, that people who move here find it hard to learn Swedish.

• 3. The Stockholm airports

Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) is the main international airport. It is located 42 kilometers north of Stockholm and 36 kilometers south of Uppsala. All major airlines and long-distance airplanes serve this airport.

Bromma Stockholm (BMA) is the most central airport and is used by smaller aircraft. Bra, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, and Finnair serve this airport, located 8 kilometers from the city center.

Stockholm Skavsta Airport (NYO) is located outside of Nyköping, and about 100 kilometers southwest of Stockholm. Ryanair and Wizz Air serve this airport.

Stockholm Västerås Airport (VST) is located outside of Västerås, and about 100 kilometers northwest of Stockholm. Ryanair serves this airport.

Read more about getting to and from the different airports here . 

• 4. Midsummer – the unofficial national day

Sweden's national day may be June 6, but the day we really dress up for is Midsummer Eve, at the end of June. Many locals head to the archipelago for celebrations, so Stockholm City can feel quite deserted during the Midsummer weekend. But don't you worry – there are a lot of public events in the city center as well. You’ll find them in our events calendar . 

• 5. Systembolaget has a monopoly on alcohol

If you want to buy a bottle of wine or liquor outside a bar, you need to head to government-owned Systembolaget. And plan your weekend drinking ahead – the stores close early in the afternoon on Saturdays and are closed on Sundays and during public holidays. Convenience and grocery stores sell low-alcohol beer, though.

• 6. The subway is an art gallery

The Stockholm subway system is said to be the world's longest art exhibit. Over the last few years, the interest has grown so big that SL (Stockholm Public Transport) now offers free guided art tours in English all year round. All you need is a valid subway ticket.

• 7. Getting around the city

Stockholm is built upon islands and bridges. Instagram-worthy vistas are everywhere and the best way to catch them while discovering the city is on foot. So pack your best walking shoes and a portable charger! Here are our best Instagram spots.

• 8. Island hopping in the archipelago

In the wintertime, you can use the SL card to go island hopping in between some of the 30,000 islands in the Stockholm archipelago. Just make sure you have a valid travel card. On the Djurgården ferries and the commuter ferries, the travel card is valid all year round.

• 9. After work – the happy hour out of the office

"After work" is the Swedish version of happy hour. Locals head straight from the office to bars and pubs to enjoy a glass of wine or a beer, often at a slightly reduced price. Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays are the most popular days for an after work.

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