How to get to Sweden

Given the extremely long distances and journey times involved in reaching Sweden overland, flying will not only save you considerable amounts of time but money too. The main gateways are Stockholm and Gothenburg, as well as Copenhagen in neighbouring Denmark, just a twenty-minute train ride from Malmö.

Air fares are generally cheaper when booked as far in advance as possible. Midweek travel is less expensive than weekend departures.

Flights from North America

The main two airlines operating between North America and Sweden are SAS (W flysas.com) and Norwegian (W norwegian.com). At certain times of year there are also flights with Delta and United, though this situation changes from year to year. Timetables also change frequently, though generally there are direct flights to Stockholm from New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Less expensive tickets can sometimes be found on European airlines routing via their home hub, for example British Airways (w ba.com) via London or Icelandair (w icelandair.net) via Keflavík, the latter very often being a source of reasonable fares to Sweden. From New York, a return ticket midweek fare to Stockholm (8hr) will cost around US$900 in high season, US$500 in low season. From Chicago (9hr), prices are roughly US$150 more than from New York; from the West Coast (journey time at least 12hr), you’ll pay around US$200–300 more.

There are no direct flights from Canada, so the best way of reaching Sweden is generally with Icelandair from one of their Canadian gateways such as Toronto. Several other airlines also operate flights from Toronto and Vancouver to European cities, with connections on to Stockholm. Fares from Toronto (journey time 9–13hr depending on connections) are around Can$1000 in high season, Can$600 in low season. From Vancouver (13–18hr), they’re around Can$300 higher.

Flights from the UK and Ireland

Flights for Stockholm, Gothenburg and Copenhagen leave from several UK airports; in winter there are also direct flights from London Heathrow to Kiruna (available only through Discover the World). Flying to Sweden with Ryanair (w ryanair.com) is usually the cheapest way of getting there. Single fares can be a low as £15, though in peak season a return price of £90–120 is more realistic, depending on how early the booking is made. The other main airline serving Sweden is SAS (wflysas.co.uk), whose return tickets start around £130. The Scandinavian low-cost operator, Norwegian (w norwegian.com), is also an option; its fares are generally midway between those of Ryanair and SAS. For southern Sweden, try easyJet (w easyJet.com) who operate into Copenhagen. From Ireland, there are services from Dublin only, and fares are roughly the same as from the UK.

Flights from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

There are no direct flights to Sweden from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa and by far the cheapest option is to find a discounted air fare to London and arrange a flight to Sweden from there. Alternatively, some airlines such as Air China and Thai offer competitive fares to Stockholm via their hubs in Beijing and Bangkok respectively. Fares from Sydney to Stockholm start at around $1500; from Perth or Darwin, flights are usually around $200 more. From New Zealand reckon on NZ$2000 as a starting point from Auckland, NZ$200 more from Wellington. From South Africa, count on around ZAR7500 for the cheapest return from Cape Town.

By train

Getting to Sweden by train is much more expensive than flying. There are no through tickets and the total of all the tickets you’ll need from the UK is likely to cost around £300–400. Hence, it’s worth buying a rail pass instead; a global InterRail pass (from £233) or Eurail pass (from US$538) are the best options. From London, trains to Sweden go via Brussels, Cologne, Hamburg and Copenhagen. A typical journey will involve changing trains four or five times and take around 24 hours. For a dependable summary of the options of getting to Sweden by train, check out W seat61.com/sweden.

Rail contacts

Swedish Railways (SJ) t 0046 771 75 75 75, w sj.se. The general agent for Swedish rail tickets.

Voyages-sncf.comt 0844 848 5848, t 1 800 622 8600, Canadat 1 800 361 7245; wuk.voyages-scf.com

Package holidays

Don’t be put off by the idea of an inclusive package, as it can sometimes be the cheapest way of doing things, and a much easier way of reaching remote areas of northern Sweden in winter. City breaks are invariably less expensive than if you arrange the same trip independently. There are also an increasing number of operators offering special-interest holidays to Sweden, particularly Arctic expeditions.

For more detail on when to visit Sweden, head here.

Specialist operators

Abercrombie & Kent US t 1 800 554 7016, w abercrombiekent.com. Top-end tours of Scandinavia by land and sea.

Bentours International Australia t 1800 221712, wbentours.com.au. The leading Australian specialist to Sweden offering air, ferry and rail tickets and a host of (often upmarket) escorted and independent tours throughout Scandinavia.

Contiki Tours US t 1 888 CONTIKI, w contiki.com. Budget tours of Scandinavia for 18- to 35-year-olds.

Discover the World UK t 01737 214250, w discover-the-world.co.uk. This long-established, professional and upmarket company knows the country like the back of its hand. It is the only company selling a direct flight from London Heathrow to Kiruna and is the world’s largest tour operator to Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi.

Nordic Experience UK t 01206 708888, w nordicexperience.co.uk/sweden. Mid-priced holidays to various regions of Sweden, including Lapland and Icehotel, and trips out to lakes and mountains.

Scanam World Tours US t 1 800 545 2204, w scanamtours.com. Specializes in mid-range Scandinavian tours and cruises for groups and individuals. Also offers cheap weekend breaks.

Scantours US t 1 800 223 7226, w scantours.com. Major Scandinavian holiday specialists offering upmarket vacation packages and customized itineraries, including cruises and city sightseeing tours.

Taber Holidays UK t 01274 875199, w taberhols.co.uk. A wide range of Swedish holidays from this Yorkshire-based tour operator – everything from tours in the Stockholm archipelago to trips on the Inlandsbanan.

A better kind of travel

At Rough Guides we are passionately committed to travel. We feel that travelling is the best way to understand the world we live in and the people we share it with – plus tourism has brought a great deal of benefit to developing economies around the world over the last few decades. But the growth in tourism has also damaged some places irreparably, and climate change is exacerbated by most forms of transport, especially flying. All Rough Guides’ trips are carbon-offset, and every year we donate money to a variety of charities devoted to combating the effects of climate change.