Getting Around Stockholm.

How the SL Ecosystem Works

SL does not sell tickets by distance. A single ticket is valid for unlimited travel on all SL services for 75 minutes, and a travelcard covers as much travel as you like throughout Stockholm County for as long as it runs.

• Unified ticketing One ticket valid across all SL modes of transit.
• Seamless intermodal transfers Switch freely between metro, train, tram, bus, and ferry lines.
• One fare across the countyA travelcard lets you travel as much as you like throughout Stockholm County for as long as it is valid; a single ticket is valid on every SL service for 75 minutes.

Key Modes of Transit in Stockholm

SL brings five main kinds of transport under one system:

• Stockholm Metro (Tunnelbana / T-Bana) The backbone of urban transit, featuring the Green, Red, and Blue lines that converge at central transport hubs.
• Commuter Trains (Pendeltåg) High-capacity suburban rail lines connecting central Stockholm to outer municipalities, regional hubs, and transfer terminals.
• Trams and Light Rail (Spårvagn & Tvärbanan) Surface-level routes connecting key inner-city cultural districts (such as Djurgården) and linking cross-town suburban neighborhoods.
• Buses Comprehensive inner-city and regional networks serving routes where rail is unavailable, extending into residential sectors and suburban terminals.
• Commuter ferriesSL runs four commuter ferry lines — 80, 82, 84 and 89 — and you travel on all of them with an ordinary SL ticket.

Comprehensive Coverage Across Stockholm County

The SL network extends far beyond the city center, spanning mainland districts, outer suburbs, and inner archipelago waterways across the entire county. Whether you are moving between central landmarks or commuting out toward suburban transfer terminals, the entire ecosystem functions on coordinated schedules designed for rapid connections.

How Contactless Tap-to-Pay and Digital Formats Work

• Contactless Payment (Tap-and-Go) You can tap your physical Visa, Mastercard, or American Express card, or use digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay) directly on the reader at turnstiles and bus boarding doors. This automatically buys and validates an adult single ticket on the spot.
• The SL appBuy single journeys or travelcards in SL’s app, which is free to download. Activate the ticket before you board, then touch in the same way as with a card.
• The SL cardA reusable smart card you load tickets onto. If you do not already have one, SL charges an extra SEK 50 for the card itself, and a green card from an earlier visit can be reused.
• Bought in advanceAt small stations without barriers you can also buy a single-use travelcard beforehand, or tap a contactless card on the SL ticket post.

The 75-Minute Single Ticket Transfer Rule

Every standard Stockholm single ticket comes with a 75-minute validity window starting from your first tap.

• You get unlimited transfers across all metro lines, buses, commuter trains, trams, and eligible ferries during these 75 minutes.
• Your ticket has to cover the whole journeySL’s own wording is that if your journey involves any interchanges, you have to make the final change before the ticket expires.

SL Ticket Prices and Multi-Day Travelcards

If you plan to take multiple trips a day, multi-day passes offer substantial savings. The 24- and 72-hour travelcards run for their hours from first use; 7-day and longer travelcards run from 00.00 on the first day until 04.30 on the day after they expire.

Discount Rules and Concession Eligibility

Reduced fares apply across all ticket types for qualifying passengers:

• Youth Anyone under 20 years of age.
• Seniors Travelers aged 65 and older (or those with a valid Swedish pension certificate).
• Students Anyone holding a recognized Swedish student ID carrying the SL/Studentkortet logo.
• Children Under 7 Travel completely free when accompanied by a paying passenger.
• Children under 12SL’s own wording is that up to six children under the age of 12 travel free with a fare-paying adult, all day and every day of the week — not only at weekends.

What the Metro Asks of You at the Barrier

SL runs three Metro lines, the blue, the red and the green. Almost every station has a barrier, staffed or automatic, and you touch in there with an SL card, an app ticket or a contactless Visa, Mastercard or American Express card. At the smaller country stations there may be no barrier at all: then you tap a contactless card on the SL ticket post, buy a ticket in the app, or buy a single-use travelcard in advance. SL sets this out service by service.

Which line goes where, and when, is the one thing SL keeps only in its journey planner and app rather than on a page you can read ahead — so we do not reprint routes and times here that we cannot check.

Art in the Metro

The stations themselves are the reason many visitors ride the Metro without anywhere to be. That is its own guide on this site, station by station, with what you can see at each one — and it needs no more than the ordinary ticket you already have.

How Far One Ticket Takes You

The commuter trains are part of the same fare system: SL’s area covers the whole of Stockholm County, and one ticket or travelcard carries you across it with no supplement for distance. The one exception is Arlanda, where a station passage fee applies on top of your SL ticket.

Bikes, E-Scooters and Bulky Things

SL’s rule is that bicycles are generally not allowed on its services. Outside peak hours you may take a bike on the commuter trains and on Saltsjöbanan, but not board or leave the train with it at Stockholm City or at Arlanda; Tvärbanan allows bikes outside the weekday peaks as well, with the front wheel strapped to the bike stand. On Tvärbanan, electric bikes, cargo bikes, box bikes and tricycles are not allowed. SL publishes the current hours.

E-scooters, e-unicycles and similar small electric vehicles have been banned from the Metro network since November 2024, even folded and even when carried; the ban does not cover electric wheelchairs or mobility scooters. SL’s notice gives the reason: the fire risk from their batteries underground.

Popular Stockholm Tram Routes

Stockholm’s light rail and tram system makes cross-town travel straightforward and scenic:

• Stockholm Tram Line 7 (Spårväg City) The most popular route for visitors. It runs directly from the city center (T-Centralen / Kungsträdgården) out to the island of Djurgården, stopping right outside major attractions like the Vasa Museum, Skansen, and Gröna Lund.
• Nockebybanan and TvärbananLight-rail lines with no barriers at the stops. Activate your ticket at the SL ticket post before boarding, and press the stop button for the stop you want.

Blue Buses vs. Red Buses

Stockholm’s bus network is divided into two distinct types:

• Blue buses in the city centreTo get off, you press a button on the pole by the door to open it; on lines 1–5, 176 and 177 you can touch in at every door.
• Red busesBoard at the front and touch in beside the driver; press the stop button when you want to get off and the word ‘Stannar’ lights up.

Boarding Rules and Cashless Policies

Boarding buses and trams in Stockholm is straightforward as long as you have your payment ready before getting on:

• No cash on boardSL states that you cannot buy a single journey ticket with cash on its services, and that cash cannot be used on the buses.
• On the busBoard through the front doors and touch in with your SL card, your app ticket or your contactless card. At certain places in the city centre inspectors also admit passengers through the rear doors.
• On trams and light railThere are no barriers on Lidingöbanan, Tvärbanan or Nockebybanan. On Tvärbanan, Roslagsbanan, Saltsjöbanan and Nockebybanan you activate your ticket at the SL ticket post before boarding; on Lidingöbanan inspectors check tickets on board.
• Prams and luggageThere is no extra charge for luggage or prams. On most buses one passenger per pram may board free through the exit doors — but on the Metro, trains and trams you always need a ticket, and so do you on bus routes 1 to 6.

Key SL Ferry Routes

• The Djurgården ferry (line 82)Slussen to Djurgården by way of Skeppsholmen. There are barriers on line 82 except at Skeppsholmen, where you use the SL ticket post — and you have to tell the crew when boarding if you want to get off there.
• Line 80No barriers; you show your ticket as you board. Some jetties have a semaphore — a round folding sign you turn upright to tell the captain you are waiting.

Fares, Validity, and Boarding Rules

• One ticket covers themSL’s travelcards are valid on the Djurgården ferry (line 82) as well as on commuter ferries 80, 84 and 89, and a single ticket works the same way.
• Archipelago boats Every SL ticket is valid on Waxholmsbolaget’s boats between Strömkajen, Vaxholm and the jetties in between. From 14 September to 29 April, SL travelcards valid for 30 days or more cover all Waxholmsbolaget boats; otherwise you need a Waxholmsbolaget ticket.
• Prams and luggageNo extra charge for prams or luggage; everyone travelling still needs a ticket.
• Bicycle Access Bicycles can be brought on board public ferries depending on deck space availability.

Arlanda: What SL Tickets Do and Do Not Cover

SL’s commuter trains reach Arlanda Central, but the station charges a passage fee on top of your SL ticket: a single journey including the fee is SEK 200 for an adult, or SEK 157 as a supplement if you already hold any SL ticket, and under-18s do not pay it at all. SL tickets are not valid on the Arlanda Express, which is not an SL service. SL sets out the Arlanda fares.

The comparison between the train, the airport express, the coach and a taxi — with the operators’ own times and fares — is on our airport guide rather than here.

Real-Time Routing with the SL App

The official SL app is the most reliable tool for getting around. It provides:

• Live Journey Planning Step-by-step connections across metro, bus, tram, commuter train, and ferry lines.
• Service Alerts & Delays Real-time disruption notices and platform changes.
• Tickets in the appSingle tickets and travelcards, bought in the app and activated before you board.

Accessibility, Prams and What You Can Carry

SL describes its network as accessible to most people: trains and platforms are at the same level at nearly all stations, all buses have floor-level access and ramps, and wheelchair users need ramp service to board the commuter trains because of the gap at the platform. Guiding assistance can be booked in advance at Metro and commuter rail stations and at larger terminals. SL’s accessibility page has the detail and the phone number.

Prams and luggage carry no extra charge, and on most buses one passenger per pram boards free through the exit doors — but on the Metro, trains and trams everyone needs a ticket, and so does an adult with a pram on bus routes 1 to 6. You may bring as much luggage as you can carry yourself; furniture, removal boxes and anything over two metres long are out. SL’s luggage rules also cover pets: no extra charge, on a leash or in a carrier, and guide dogs anywhere.

What Travelling Without a Valid Ticket Costs

SL’s figure is blunt: the penalty fare is SEK 1,850, and on top of it you pay the price of a single journey — SEK 43 at the adult fare, SEK 26 at the discounted one. You have ten days to pay or to appeal, and appeals go to ISS, which handles ticket inspection for SL. The rule behind it is the one worth remembering: your ticket must cover your entire journey. SL’s penalties and enforcement page sets out both.