Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [72]
The Stockholm Card (see boxed text) covers travel on all SL trains and buses in greater Stockholm and costs Skr330/460/580 per 24/48/72 hours (seven to 17 years Skr165/230/290). The 24-hour (Skr100) and 72-hour (Skr200) SL Tourist Cards are primarily for transport and only give free entry to a few attractions. The 72-hour SL Tourist Card (Skr260) is good value, especially if you use the third afternoon for transport to either end of the county – you can reach the ferry terminals in Grisslehamn, Kapellskär or Nynäshamn, as well as all of the archipelago harbours. If you want to explore the county in more detail, bring a passport photo and get yourself a 30-day SL pass (Skr690, or Skr420 for children age seven to 18 years and seniors).
On Stockholm’s public transport system the minimum fare costs two coupons, and each additional zone costs another coupon (up to five coupons for four or five zones). Coupons cost Skr20 each (Skr15 from ticket machines at Tunnelbana stations), but it’s much better to buy strips of tickets for Skr180. Coupons are stamped at the start of a journey. Travelling without a valid ticket can lead to a fine of Skr600 or more. Coupons, tickets and passes can be bought at metro stations, Pressbyrån kiosks, SL railway stations and SL information offices. Tickets cannot be bought on buses.
International rail passes (eg Scanrail, Interrail) aren’t valid on SL trains.
BUS
While the bus timetables and route maps are complicated, they’re worth studying as there are some useful connections to suburban attractions. Ask SL (600 10 00) or any tourist office for the handy inner-city route map Innerstadsbussar.
Inner-city buses radiate from Sergels Torg, Odenplan, Fridhemsplan (on Kungsholmen) and Slussen. Bus 47 runs from Sergels Torg to Djurgården, and bus 69 from Centralstationen and Sergels Torg to the Ladugårdsgärdet museums and Kaknästornet. Useful buses for hostellers include bus 65 (Centralstationen to Skeppsholmen) and bus 43 (Regeringsgatan to Södermalm).
Inner-city night buses run from 1am to 5pm on a few routes. Most leave from Centralstationen, Sergels Torg, Slussen, Odenplan and Fridhemsplan to the suburbs.
Check where the regional bus hub is for each outlying area. Islands of the Ekerö municipality (including Drottningholm palace) are served by buses with numbers 301 to 323 from T-Brommaplan. Buses to Vaxholm (the 670) and the Åland ferries (the 637 to Grisslehamn and 631 to Kapellskär) depart from T-Tekniska Högskolan. Odenplan is the hub for buses to the northern suburbs, including Hagaparken.
METRO
The most useful mode of transport in Stockholm is the tunnelbana, run by SL. Its lines converge on T-Centralen, connected by an underground walkway to Centralstationen. There are three main lines with branches. See the Stockholm Metro Map Click here for route details. The blue line has a comprehensive collection of modern art decorating the underground stations, and several stations along other lines are decorated as well, often by famous artists.
TRAIN
Local trains (pendeltåg) are most useful for connections to Nynäshamn (for ferries to Gotland), to Märsta (for buses to Sigtuna and the short hop to Arlanda Airport) and to Södertälje. There are also services to Nockeby from T-Alvik; Lidingö from T-Ropsten; Kårsta, Österskär and Näsbypark from T-Tekniska Högskolan; and to Saltsjöbaden from T-Slussen. SL coupons and SL travel passes are valid on all of these trains, and should be bought before boarding.
TRAM
The historic No 7 tram (660 77 00) runs between Norrmalmstorg and Skansen, passing most attractions on Djurgården. Both the Stockholm Card and SL Tourist Card are valid onboard.
Taxi
Taxis are readily available but expensive, so check for a meter or arrange the fare first. The flag fall is Skr38, then about Skr13 per kilometre. At night, women travelling alone should ask about tjejtaxa, a discount rate offered by some operators. Only use one of the main, reputable firms, such as Taxi Stockholm (15 00 00), Taxi 020 (020-93 93 93) and Taxi Kurir (30 00 00).
STOCKHOLM