Depending on where you come from, Sweden’s size may feel cosy or intimidating. An often quoted fact is that if Sweden were rotated so that Malmö lay in the north, the other end of Sweden would reach Rome. This means that driving is not the most effective way to travel around Sweden unless you have plenty of time on your hands. Fortunately the air network is comprehensive with an airport located in most large cities and towns. Trains are fast, timely and inexpensive – especially when booked in advance – although their network is limited in the north of Sweden. There are also frequent buses between the major cities, which is normally the cheapest way to travel.

Sweden is now linked to Denmark by road and rail bridge and has land borders in the north with Finland and Norway. Various ferry companies operate services to and from other countries bordering the Baltic and on the west coast, ferries run to Denmark, Norway and the UK (although at the time of writing the services to the latter are being scaled down). International flights also operate from many of the regional airports and the big city airports have numerous direct flights both within Europe and intercontinental.

International ferries operate between Sweden and most of its neighbours – Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark and Norway.

The main operators are:

Stena Line: Denmark, Germany, Poland

Scandlines: Denmark, Germany

Silja Line & Tallink: Finland & Estonia

Viking Line: Finland

DFDS: Norway

Most of the links above bring up a start page in Swedish but all have an English option.

Generally speaking these ferries are more like mini-cruise ships with plenty of entertainment on board and (always popular with the Swedes) duty-free shops galore. Take your own trolley on board for maximum alcohol carrying power to feel like you’re really fitting in with the local culture! Tickets can be booked either via the website, over the phone or through travel and booking agencies. These companies are known for their theme cruises and special deals, including last minute tickets. So if you want to get away they can also be a great option without paying through the nose.

There are also numerous smaller operators which specialise in one or a couple of routes.

Polferries: Nynäshamn (south of Stockholm) and Gdansk in Poland

Birka Cruises: Stockholm and Mariehamn on Åland

Ånedin Llinjen: Stockholm and Mariehamn on Åland

Eckerö Line: Helsinki (Finland) and Tallin (Estonia)

TT Line: Sweden and Germany

Lisco Baltic Service: Sweden and Lithuania

HH Ferries: Sweden and Denmark

Airports in the Stockholm region

Stockholm: Arlanda Airport
Arlanda is the main international airport for Stockholm, used by approximately 17 million passengers a year. More than fifty airlines currently run scheduled services to and from Arlanda, providing direct flights to over forty countries. In addition, a number of charter companies provide seasonal services to holiday destinations. The airport is approximately 40 km north of the city but is easily accessed by train (20 minutes on the fast Arlanda express), bus (approx 40 minutes) and taxi (approx 40 minutes). While the Arlanda Express provides the fastest service, it is certainly not a cheap option and if there is more than one of you travelling, it is often cheaper and easier to get a taxi. Local trains are available and these and buses are the budget options.

Bromma: Bromma Airport
Bromma is the city centre airport and is very conveniently situated just a few kilometres west of the city centre but is mainly domestic flights (there is currently only one scheduled international airline, with a route to Brussels).

Nyköping: Skavsta Airport
Skavsta is about an hour and a half south of Stockholm, near the town of Nyköping, and the main operator is Ryan Air providing budget flights within Europe. A number of charter companies also use this airport.

Göteborg (Gothenburg): Landvetter Airport
Landvetter is 25km east of the town and offers direct flights to approximately 40 European destinations.

Copenhagen: Kastrup Airport
This Danish airport is the largest in the region and a Nordic hub handling close to 20 million passengers per year. Since the opening of the Öresund bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö in 2000, this airport is now a short train ride from Malmö and regions enabling easy travel to the south of Sweden.

Malmö: Sturup Airport
Was once Malmö’s main airport before the bridge was finished. Now this is mainly utilised by charter companies and domestic flights.

Västerås: Västerås Airport
Servicing charter and smaller European airlines.

Örebro: Örebro Airport
Servicing charter and smaller European airlines

Swedish Airport Group LFV
While there are many other airports in Sweden, most are domestic airports with just a couple of international charter flights, particularly around the Nordic region. Eighteen of the Swedish airports are run by LFV so more details of their airports can be found on their website.

Scandinavian Airline
SAS is the national airline, still partly state-owned, for Scandinavia. They operate extensively between cities in the region and international services from Stockholm, Gothenburg (Göteborg) and Copenhagen. They do run intercontinental flights themselves to the US and Asia, but as part of the Star Alliance, can offer complete global coverage. Search for timetables, fares and make bookings on their website. For further details on flights to and from Sweden, consult the airlines themselves, travel agents and/or travel books, most of which have extensive sections on this area.

Depending on where you come from, Sweden’s size may feel cosy or intimidating. An often quoted fact is that if Sweden were rotated so that Malmö lay in the north, the other end of Sweden would reach Rome. This means that driving is not the most effective way to travel around Sweden unless you have plenty of time on your hands. Fortunately the air network is comprehensive with an airport located in most large cities and towns. Trains are fast, timely and inexpensive – especially when booked in advance – although their network is limited in the north of Sweden. There are also frequent buses between the major cities, which is normally the cheapest way to travel.

Sweden is now linked to Denmark by road and rail bridge and has land borders in the north with Finland and Norway. Various ferry companies operate services to and from other countries bordering the Baltic and on the west coast, ferries run to Denmark, Norway and the UK (although at the time of writing the services to the latter are being scaled down). International flights also operate from many of the regional airports and the big city airports have numerous direct flights both within Europe and intercontinental.