Stockholm's airports 1/2: How to get to/from Arlanda (ARN)

Stockholm’s airports 1/2: How to get to/from Arlanda (ARN)

9 February, 2020

Stockholm has at least three main airports serving the area. Even though they are relatively far from the city, there are many ways to get to the center depending on your preferences/priorities. [This is the first of two blogposts about Stockholm’s airports].

On this blogpost I will explore the different options to get to/from Arlanda International Airport -Sweden’s biggest and busiest airport-, so you can plan properly considering your budget and schedule.

Obtained from: Development of the connectivity of Arlanda Airport, Cristina Maestre. Available at: http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:838853/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Stockholm Arlanda Airport is 42km away from the city center.

Arlanda Express:

Arlanda Express is a train service that offers direct trips between Arlanda airport with T centralen. It is the fastest way to get to the airport, which makes it the perfect option when saving time is your priority. WiFi free of charge is available on board.

Duration: 18 min.

Schedule: Runs every day from 4:20am till 12am (weekdays)-1am (weekend)

Rates: They range between 149-299SEK for a single ride and 298-579SEK for round trips.

Route: You can take the train from Stockholms Central Station or at Arlanda Airport. There train trails are easy to locate on both places.

Booking: You can purchase your tickets online. There’s also an Arlanda Express app available.

You can find information regarding schedules and rates by clicking on https://www.arlandaexpress.com/

Commercial buses:

Many private bus companies offer direct trips to Arlanda. This is one of the cheapest options and it’s not a terribly long ride. Most companies offer WiFi free of charge and electric plugs on board.

Duration: 45min approx.

Schedule: Each company has different schedules covering even early mornings and late nights. There are busses leaving each 15minutes from both locations.

Rates: 49-99 SEK approx., even though they might get a little more expensive on holidays and rush hours.

Route: All companies offer direct routes between Arlanda and City Terminalen. Some of them also offer routes from/to other points in the city. I recommend you to check their websites to pick what suits you better.

Booking: You can purchase your tickets online or in the stations. I’ll recommend to plan your trip in advance if you want to secure the lowest possible fare.

Options (according to Sweden’s airports administration):

FlixBus
Flygbussarna
Nettbuss Bus4You
Y-buss

You can find more official information regarding the different options by clicking on https://www.swedavia.com/arlanda/bus/#gref

Public transport:

Public transport in Stockholm is operated by SL (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik). You can buy your SL ticket for single rides or valid for 24 hours, 72 hours, 7 days, 30 days and more. You can check SL’s rates here: https://sl.se/en/

Quickest option (Pendeltåg):

The Pendeltåg is the commuter train of Stockholm. There is one line that goes through Arlanda Airport on its way towards Uppsala. It is a convenient option if you are headed near a Pendeltåg station.

Duration: 38min from T Centralen.

Schedule: Trains start running after 4am until almost 1am, depending on the day.

Rates:

You would have to pay an additional 120 SEK fee to leave the pendeltåg station at Arlanda (assuming that you have a valid SL ticket).
If you don’t have a valid SL ticket, you can buy a single ticket+Arlanda fee for 157SEK.

Route: You must take the Pendeltåg 40 towards Uppsala.

Booking: You can purchase your ticket at any subway or pendeltåg station, in all SL vending machines, at Arlanda or using the SL app.

Free option (Pendeltåg+bus):

Oh yes! There is a route to/from Arlanda Airport using SL public transport with no additional charges. This is definitely the best option when you want to save money and to be honest, it’s not a terrible trip. You just have to take the pendeltåg towards Märsta station and then take a bus 583/579/592 to Arlanda.

Schedule: Pendeltåg trains start running after 4am until almost 1am, depending on the day. Buses operate on a 24hour basis, but you might expect to find larger waiting times between busses during late night ours.

Duration: Total time 1h15min aprox (depending on waiting times between connections). 38min from T centralen to Märsta Station using the Pendeltaj (commuter train). Then 12-14min bus ride from Märsta Station to Arlanda.

Rates: This route is included in your SL ticket.

Route: You must take the Pendeltåg 40 towards Märsta Station. Once in Märsta, you’ll find the bus terminal just in front of the pendeltåg station. There you must take Bus 583/579/592 towards Arlanda Airport.

Booking: You can purchase your SL ticket at any subway or pendeltåg station, in all SL vending machines, at Arlanda or using the SL app.

You can check SL’s timetables and rates policies here: https://sl.se/en/