Public transportation in Stockholm: information, tickets, and prices.
Public transportation in Stockholm.
Stockholm has an efficient and extensive public transportation system.
There are three metro lines (green, red, and blue) that connect the city center with the main urban districts and some suburban areas. The most important station, the only intersection for all three lines, is Centralen, the central station where national trains also depart. Other key stations include Slussen, Gamla Stan, and Odenplan.
Stockholm’s subway (in Swedish: Tunnelbana) spans a total length of 109 km and has 100 stations. The blue “T” symbol is used to indicate the presence of a metro station.
The Stockholm County is also served by various suburban train lines or commuter trains (the so-called pendeltåg), which connect the city center with other municipalities, Arlanda Airport, and Uppsala.
The bus network is also particularly developed, with almost 500 available lines. In addition to the city center, buses connect the suburbs, surrounding municipalities, and areas outside Stockholm County.
Furthermore, Stockholm has two types of trams: the city trams, which connect the City (with the terminus at Klarabergsgatan) to the island of Djurgården, passing through Strandvägen; and those outside the city center, such as the Tvärbanan, rail system that cuts diagonally across the city from southeast to northwest.
Given the city’s layout (situated on the waters of Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea), there is also the option to travel by ferry. The most common and frequented is the Djurgårsfärjan, which connects the Slussen area to Djurgården Island (with a stop, on request, at the small island of Skeppsholmen).
Driving a car in Stockholm is highly discouraged. On the other hand, the city offers kilometers of bike lanes that connect the main neighborhoods continuously.
How to buy a metro ticket (and tickets for all public transport) in Stockholm?
It can sometimes seem a bit complicated to purchase public transport tickets in Stockholm, but here is a handy guide to help you know how to do it.
There are essentially four types of tickets: the ticket loaded onto a magnetic card, the digital ticket, and the ticket on a credit/debit card. All tickets are valid throughout the entire city network: buses, metro, trams, and some ferry routes. The validity also covers nearly all of the suburban train network (pendeltåg).
Ticket-receipt and contactless card.
It is possible to purchase a 75-minute ticket-receipt, valid from the moment of purchase (not from the first validation), at the turnstiles of metro stations, suburban trains, and at the ticket gates of ferry terminals.
Alternatively, if you have a contactless debit/credit card, you can use it to purchase a 75-minute ticket (valid from the moment of purchase) through the “mirror” displays at the metro turnstiles, at ferry terminals, or at the front (front) door of buses. It is not possible to purchase more than one ticket with the same contactless card; in other words, if you are traveling with someone, you will need two different contactless cards.
This method does not allow the purchase of discounted tickets.
Magnetic stripe ticket.
A solution increasingly adopted worldwide is the rechargeable magnetic card. This technology is also available in Stockholm’s public transport system: the magnetic cards are called “SL-kort,” they are green in color, cost 20 Swedish kronor, and can be recharged with all available ticket types and subscriptions. The cards can be purchased at all metro and regional train turnstiles, at numerous Pressbyrån and 7-Eleven shops, and other authorized vendors. You can also recharge them at these same locations. Alternatively, you can recharge through the official app (which will be discussed shortly).
Available subscriptions include 24-hour and 72-hour options, as well as 7-day, 30-day, 90-day, or 365-day options.
Digital ticket.
The digital ticket can be purchased through the official SL app (see this section for more information). It is valid for 75 minutes from the moment of activation and is displayed via a QR code directly within the SL app. The QR code can be scanned by the green “mirror” displays located at the metro turnstiles or at the front entrance of buses.
With the app, you can also purchase multiple tickets at once (group tickets), including any discounted tickets.
How to validate a ticket or subscription.
The rechargeable “SL-kort” cards are equipped with magnetic chips. To validate them, simply place them on the display units located at the metro turnstiles, the front entrance of buses, or at the ticket validation columns at the ferry docks. For trams, there is no validation system: often, there will be a ticket inspector onboard. In trams operating in the city’s outskirts, it is recommended to validate tickets and subscriptions at the validation columns located at the various stations, even if the ticket has already been validated on a previous occasion.
The 75-minute ticket receipts should always be shown to the personnel at the metro turnstiles, ferry terminals, and bus drivers. NOTE: on buses, passengers are only allowed to board through the front door, regardless of the type of ticket, with the exception (on an experimental basis) for certain urban lines.
How much does a Stockholm metro ticket cost: prices and subscriptions (updated for 2025).
Public transport tickets and subscriptions in Stockholm (metro, buses, trams, and ferries) have two main price categories: adults (ages 20 to 65) and pensioners/youth (over 65 and under 20 years old). Students enrolled in Sweden also fall into this category. Children under 7 years old always travel for free, but they must be accompanied by someone with a valid ticket. Children between 7 and 11 years old travel for free if accompanied by an adult; otherwise, they pay the reduced fare. To benefit from this, each adult can have a maximum of 6 children with them.
If you purchase single tickets with a contactless card, you cannot choose the price category: the “adult” fare will be applied in any case.
Here’s a summary table of subscriptions, tickets, and their prices. For more information on single tickets and how and where to purchase all types of tickets, check out this section.
TYPE OF SUBSCRIPTION/TICKET* | Adults (20-65 years) | Senior (over 65) and youth (under 20) |
Single ticket (75 minutes) – receipt/digital/contactless card | 45 SEK | 26 SEK |
24-hour pass | 190 SEK | 110 SEK |
72-hour pass | 360 SEK | 220 SEK |
7-days pass | 470 SEK | 290 SEK |
Single ticket + supplement for Arlanda Airport (click here for info) | 177 SEK | 161 SEK |
- Except for ticket-receipts and digital tickets, travel tickets will be loaded onto the SL-kort magnetic card, which costs 50 Swedish kronor.
The Stockholm Public Transport App.
Of course, the public transport company of Stockholm, SL, has a handy app for both Android and Apple that allows you to purchase tickets, plan your journey, and view real-time schedules. In English, it’s called “SL-Journey planner and tickets” and can be downloaded from these links:
Attention. Before you can purchase tickets or subscriptions through the app, you need to register your credit/debit card within the app itself. This process takes a few minutes and may involve some additional steps, depending on your bank. Therefore, it’s recommended to complete this process well in advance of the time you plan to use the public transport.
Map of Stockholm's subway lines and regional trains (pendeltåg).
Here is the map of Stockholm’s three subway lines and regional trains (pendeltåg). The subway lines are blue (lines 10 and 11), red (lines 13 and 14), and green (lines 17, 18, and 19). Download it for free by clicking here!
