Sweden is a large country, but the major international airports or border crossings are centralised to its southern part.
The most common destinations by air are Stockholm or Gothenburg, which also has direct boat connections or rail and bus links from Norway, Denmark or Germany.
By air
The quickest and in most cases cheapest way to get to Sweden is by plane.
Where to buy plane tickets to Sweden?
Flights are operated by many airlines, mainly from Europe. Compare prices, for example, using the Skyscanner comparison engine. Once you have selected your flights, we always recommend clicking on the link that takes you directly to the airline's website.
Compare prices for flights to Sweden
The airlines with bases at Stockholm Arlanda or Gothenburg airports in Sweden offer the most flights to Sweden, especially SAS, Norwegian and Ryanair.
The cheapest tickets from European destinations (mainly Western Europe, Poland or the Balkans) are typically available from 25 eur one-way.
You can also buy flights to Sweden through the websites of other foreign airlines, especially:
Major airports in Sweden
Sweden has many international airports. For information on transport to/from the airport, services or terminals, click on the airport name below.
- Stockholm Arlanda ARN - Sweden's largest airport with heavy traffic on domestic and European routes and direct flights also to many destinations in Asia and North America
- Göteborg Landvetter GOT - a major international airport with excellent connections to all European hubs by major airlines, plus a large number of low-cost flights, especially to holiday destinations.
- Malmö MMX - Smaller airports with a significant number of low-cost flights mainly to the Balkans
- Stockholm Skavsta NYO - small low-cost airport 100 km from Stockholm, with flights mainly to the Balkans, Poland and summer destinations
- Åre Östersund OSD - a small airport near Sweden's largest ski resort (Åre) offering winter seasonal flights to, for example, England, the Netherlands or Denmark
- Sälen/Scandinavia Mountains SCR - a relatively new airport in the mountains near the ski resorts of Sälen and Trysil with a number of winter ski charters mainly from the UK or the Netherlands
Drive over the Öresund Bridge
The road and rail bridge (and partly tunnel) across the Øresund Strait is one of the symbols of both Denmark and Sweden. The Øresund Bridge connects the two countries.
There is no extra charge on top of the normal ticket when travelling over the bridge by train or bus, but if you travel over the bridge by car, there is no toll.
For up-to-date information, visit the official website of the bridge operator: oresundsbron.com
There are four ways to pay:
- At the toll gate (you can pay by card, Danish kroner, Swedish kroner and euros).
- Through the Brobizz mobile app by entering the number plate and card - you do not need to stop at the toll gate, payment is automatically taken when the number plate is loaded as you cross the bridge
- Online at oresundsbron.com with a 5% discount if you subscribe to the Newsletter
- Through a subscription to ØresundGO with an annual fee 539 sek (pays for itself with 2 bridge crossings)
| Vehicle type | Payment at the toll gate | Payment via Brobizz | Online payment | Payment via ØresundGO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van up to 6 m | 685 sek | 685 sek | 645 sek | 263 sek |
| Motorcycle | 345 sek | 345 sek | 325 sek | 137 sek |
| Caravan | 1 370 sek | 1 370 sek | 1 290 sek | 526 sek |
The Öresund Bridge can be circumnavigated by ferry between Helsingør and Helsingborg. ForSea ferries carry cars from 199 dkk when booked online at least 14 days in advance.
Acombined discounted toll can be purchased for the Öresund Bridge crossing and the Scandlines ferry from Germany.
- Bridge + ferry on the route Puttgarden - Rodby: from 91 eur if booked in advance, 133,50 eur standard price
- Bridge + ferry on the route Rostock - Gedser: from 106 eur if booked in advance, 157 eur standard price
- Booking at oresundsbron.com
By train
There are direct rail connections to Sweden from Denmark, Norway and Germany.
From Denmark
There are very frequent lines across the Öresund Bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö, running up to once every 10 minutes during the day.
Most services run between central Copenhagen and Malmö, where they connect to other lines around Sweden, but direct trains run up to twice an hour from Copenhagen to Gothenburg and several times a day to Stockholm.
All trains from Denmark to Sweden always stop at Copenhagen CPH airport.
With the exception of the Copenhagen - Malmö connection, where ticket prices are always the same, it is worth buying train tickets at least 1 month in advance to keep the price as low as possible.
- oresundstag.se - All direct connections between Denmark and Sweden
- sj.se - compared to the website above, also offers connections with transfers
How long, how often and at what price do trains run between Denmark and Sweden?
| Route | Price | Travel time | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copenhagen - Malmö | 162 sek | 40 minutes | 4-6 times per hour |
| Copenhagen - Gothenburg | 544 sek | 3h 50min | 1x per hour |
| Copenhagen - Stockholm | from 819 sek (with transfer from 500 sek) |
5h 15min | 3x daily (connecting 1-2 times per hour) |
| Copenhagen - Lund | 195 sek | 55 minutes | 4-6x per hour |
| Copenhagen - Helsingborg | 264 sek | 85 minutes | 2-4 times per hour |
Cheaper but less frequent connections are usually offered by buses, see information below.
From Norway
Direct trains from Norway cross the border with Sweden at 4 different points.
The most used connections are from Oslo to Gothenburg and Stockholm. Significantly fewer trains run between Trondheim and the border station of Storlien, where you change trains to Åre and Östersund.
There are also direct trains all the way north between Narvik in Norway and Kiruna and Gällivare in Sweden.
However, buses are often busier and considerably cheaper on the route from Oslo to Gothenburg and Stockholm.
Buy tickets on the Norwegian and Swedish rail websites, which always offer the same connections. However, the Swedish Railways website sj.se often offers lower prices.
| Route | Price | Travel time | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oslo - Stockholm | from 305 sek | 5h 15min | 5 times a day |
| Oslo - Gothenburg | from 388 sek | 3.5 hours | 3-4x daily |
| Boden - Kiruna - Narvik | from 416 sek | 7 hours | 1-2x daily |
| Trondheim - Åre - Östersund | from 294 sek | 2.5 hours | 2x daily |
From Finland
There is no direct rail connection between Finland and Sweden. The Swedish railway ends in Haparanda, from where you can cross the Finnish border by bus or on foot.
From Germany
There is also a direct overnight sleeper train from Germany, along the following route:
- Berlin Gesundbrunnen - Hamburg Hbf - Padborg - Copenhagen - Malmö - Lund - Hässleholm - Alvesta - Nässjö - Linköping - Norrköping - Stockholm
You can buy a couchette from 1 020 sek one-way, but seated cars are also included with prices from 755 sek.
The train can cover the entire route in about 15.5 hours and you can book your ticket on the sj.se website. We recommend buying at least 3 weeks in advance for the cheapest ticket.
By bus
International bus travel often represents a saving of up to three times compared to the train. The disadvantages are longer journey times, less comfort and often less frequent connections.
However, between some of the Nordic regions of Finland or Norway, buses are the only possible cross-border form of transport.
From Denmark
Buses from Denmark are considerably cheaper than trains and there are two carriers in particular competing on the routes. Online ticket purchase and timetables can be found on their websites.
- Bus4You.com - Swedish-Norwegian major carrier with stable prices and reliable services
- Flixbus.com - multinational carrier with frequent special offers
Examples of bus routes and prices from Denmark to Sweden and back.
| Route | Cheapest carrier | Price | Travel time | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copenhagen - Malmö | Flixbus.com | From 90 sek | 75 minutes | 1-3 times per hour |
| Copenhagen - Helsingborg | Flixbus.com | From 110 sek | 2.5 hours | 8x daily |
| Copenhagen - Gothenburg | Flixbus.com | From 220 sek | 5 hours | 10x daily |
| Copenhagen - Stockholm | Flixbus.com | From 340 sek | 10.5 hours | 4x daily |
| Copenhagen - Jönköping | Flixbus.com | From 210 sek | 5.5 hours | 3x daily |
With the exception of the route to Stockholm, Vy Bus4you also operates on all routes.
From Norway
Between Sweden and Norway, direct buses run practically only via the southern border crossings.
The exceptions are the routes from Stockholm and Gothenburg to Oslo, from Kiruna to Narvik and from Åre to Trondheim, where trains also run.
Examples of the main bus routes and prices from Norway to Sweden and back, for which tickets can be bought online.
| Route | Cheapest carrier | Price | Travel time | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oslo - Stockholm | Flixbus.com | From 310 sek | 7.5 hours | 2x daily |
| Oslo - Gothenburg | Bus4You.com | From 200 sek | 3.5 hours | 16x daily |
| Oslo - Helsingborg | Bus4You.com | From 336 sek | 6.5 hours | 6x daily |
| Oslo - Malmö | Bus4You.com | From 356 sek | 7 hours | 6x daily |
| Oslo - Karlstad | Flixbus.com | From 125 sek | 3 hours | 6x daily |
| Oslo - Örebro | Flixbus.com | From 210 sek | 5 hours | 6x daily |
Only regional border traffic runs through the other two border crossings. Ticket prices are around 50 sek to 100 sek and you can always pay with your own contactless card at the driver.
- Strömstad - Halden
- Line 111 Västtrafik
- 6-10 times a day
- vasttrafik.se/en/travel-planning
- Charlottenburg - Skotterud
- Line 120 Innlandstraffik
- 1x every 2 hours
- innlandstrafikk.no
From Finland
There is only public mass transit across the border in Haparanda (Sweden) / Tornio (Finland), where you can either cross the border on foot or use public transport buses lines 1, 2, 70 and 633 for 3,80 eur.
For timetable searches, visit: matkahuolto.fi/en.