Arlanda Airport is located twenty five miles from the centre of Stockholm and there are several different transportation options available to travel into the city. On our recent trip to Sweden we used both the Arlanda Express train as well as the Flygbussarna Airport Coach. Whilst these two options are not the cheapest way to travel between the airport and the city centre, they are the definitely the easiest, quickest, best and most convenient.

If you are travelling to Stockholm, the best advice I can give you is to download both the Arlanda Express and Flygbussarna apps onto your phone, register an account and add your credit card as this will make purchasing tickets very quick and easy – and cheaper as well in the case of the Flygbussarna bus. You can also look up the current and up to date timetables on both the apps as well as on the respective websites.

We had originally planned to use the Arlanda Express train both to and from Stockholm City however due to our flight from London being delayed and arriving over an hour late, we missed the last train (they were not running as late as they normally were due to the current travel restrictions) so we had to use the Flygbussarna bus instead. We knew that this was a possibility when we booked our trip and as we had both of the apps ready on our phones, it meant we could quickly buy tickets for whichever one we needed once we landed into Stockholm and had collected our luggage.

As with all my travels, I have taken photos and made this step-by-step guide with instructions to show how easy it is to travel on both the Arlanda Express and the Flygbussarna Airport Coach between Arlanda Airport and Stockholm City.

The Arlanda Express Train

Whilst definitely not the cheapest option, the Arlanda Express airport train is definitely the easiest, quickest and most convenient way to travel between Arlanda Airport and Stockholm Central Station. However there are group discounts offered if there are two or more people travelling which actually make the ticket price much more reasonable compared to the slower commuter train which takes twice as long to do the journey.

I would never normally be someone to recommend taking a more expensive airport express train over a cheaper train but the Arlanda Express is the exception. If two or more people are travelling, the savings are considerable and by spending a little more (it worked out to less than £6 / US$8 extra altogether for both of us) you get a much quicker and comfortable train with luggage space. As our flight departed very early in the morning out of Stockholm, we found the quick, simple and stress free twenty minute journey on the Arlanda Express back to the airport amazing and very welcome after an early start.

When arriving at Stockholm Airport, follow the signs for the “Express Train to Stockholm City”. There are two stations at the airport for the Arlanda Express – Arlanda South (Terminals 2, 3 and 4) as well as Arlanda North (Terminal 5). There are ticket machines located in the arrivals halls as well as on the platforms themselves. As already mentioned you can also purchase train tickets on the Arlanda Express app which we did (it is the same price as using the ticket machines) and both options are incredibly easy to use.

There is also free wifi available at the airport and on the Arlanda Express platforms to enable you download the app and purchase tickets if needed. If using the app to purchase your tickets, you will need to activate them in the app itself – they are valid for one hour after activation.

If you need to access mobile data whilst travelling in Sweden, you can purchase a travel E-Sim through Airalo. If you would like to use my referral code NIKKI8866 when signing up, you will receive £2.50 / US$3 off your first purchase.

The ticket machines can be used in Swedish, English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. After selecting what language you need, all of the available ticket options are displayed on the screen. Do not wait until you are on the train itself to purchase your tickets as there is a 100 SEK surcharge per ticket if buying onboard.

As of Winter 2020, tickets on the Arlanda Express cost:

Adult Ticket – 299 SEK (£26.50 / US$36)
Group of Two Adults – 379 SEK (£33.50 / US$46) which is a saving of 219 SEK (£19.50 / US$26.50)
Group of Three Adults – 479 SEK (£42.50 / US$58) which is a saving of 418 SEK (£37 / US$50.50)
Group of Four Adults – 579 SEK (£51 / US$70) which is a saving of 617 SEK (£54.70 / US$75)

Children aged seven and under travel for free.
Children aged between eight and seventeen are 149 SEK (£13 / US$18) or free when accompanied by a paying adult aged over twenty six.
There are also discounted tickets available for pensioners aged sixty five and over.

To buy tickets from the machines you will need a credit or debit card with chip and pin as no cash is accepted. This is the norm for Sweden where cash is rarely used anywhere – we did not use cash once during our entire stay in Stockholm.

The journey time between Arlanda Airport and Stockholm Central Station is eighteen minutes and trains stop at both Arlanda South as well as Arlanda North stations. The Arlanda Express runs frequently throughout the day but make sure to check the timetable online if travelling either early in the morning or late at night to see when the first and last trains depart.

There is plenty of luggage space onboard the Arlanda Express and currently every other row of seats is blocked to allow for social distancing.

At Stockholm Central Station the Arlanda Express arrives at and departs from platforms 1 and 2. There is also a ticket office which is open from 6:00am until 8:00pm.

The Flygbussarna Airport Coach

It is also possible to take the cheaper Flygbussarna express coach between Arlanda Airport and the Cityterminalen in Stockholm City which is connected to Central Station. Buses run frequently throughout the day and the journey takes forty five minutes and there are several stops made along the way.

There are ticket machines available (card payment only) in the arrivals hall at the airport as well as at Cityterminalen. However buying tickets from these machines is more expensive than buying via the app or on the Flygbussarna website so make sure to download the app or purchase your tickets online in advance before you arrive in Stockholm. At this time tickets cannot be purchased from the driver once onboard.

As of Winter 2020, Flygbussarna tickets cost:

Adult – App or Online 119 SEK (£10.50 / US$11.40) or Ticket Machine 139 SEK (£12.30 / US16.80)
Children aged between eight and seventeen – App or Online 109 SEK (£9.60 / US$13.20) or Ticket Machine 119 SEK (£10.50 / US$11.40)

Up to two children aged eight and under can travel free of charge when accompanied by a full fare paying adult.

There is also a Family Ticket which allows a maximum of two adults and three children to travel for 429 SEK (£38 / US$52).

Tickets purchased in the app or online are sent to your email so all you need to do is scan the QR code (either on the email or in the app itself) to board the coach.

You can also check online or on the app to see where the Flygbussarna bus stop at each terminal at Arlanda Airport is located.

If departing from Stockholm City and travelling to Arlanda Airport, follow the signs for the Cityterminalen or Bus Terminal at Central Station – the entrance to the Cityterminalen from Central Station is located close to the Arlanda Express platforms.

No matter if you use the Arlanda Express or the Flygbussarna to travel from Arlanda Airport to Stockholm City, at both Cityterminalen and Central Station you can easily transfer to T-Centralen Station for the Metro to travel to other areas of Stockholm.

Since this blog post was written back in 2021, some of the information may no longer be accurate or up to date. Be sure to do your own research and check official websites for the latest details before making any of your own travel plans.

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