Sweden
Stockholm gets the headlines, Gothenburg gets the character. Both are easy arrivals from the UK and Ireland, with one airport naming trap worth knowing before you book.
Sweden is one of the easier Scandinavian arrivals: direct flights from the UK and Ireland into both Stockholm and Gothenburg, English spoken everywhere, and a rail link between the two main cities that beats flying on almost every measure. It is expensive by southern European standards but noticeably gentler than Norway next door.
The one booking trap is the airport naming. Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) is the real Stockholm airport, 20 minutes from the centre on the Arlanda Express. "Stockholm" Skavsta (NYO), which some low-cost fares land at, is 100km south-west. Check the three-letter code before you take the cheap fare.
Getting there
Select your origin to see the best routing options.
Direct to Stockholm in around 2h 30m and to Gothenburg in around 2h. Aim for Arlanda (ARN), not Skavsta (NYO).
| Carrier | Route | Type | Flight time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAS | DUB/LHR - ARN | Direct | ~2h 30m | The flag carrier into Arlanda; the main Dublin link (SK2566/SK536) and frequent from Heathrow. |
| BA / Ryanair / Norwegian | LON - GOT | Direct | ~2h | Gothenburg Landvetter is well served direct from London; Ryanair cheapest, BA the most Heathrow-convenient. |
| Ryanair | STN - NYO | Direct | ~2h | This is where the Skavsta trap lives - NYO is 100km from Stockholm. Check the airport code before booking. |
Nonstop to Stockholm from the New York area; otherwise one stop via a European hub.
| Carrier | Route | Type | Flight time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAS | EWR - ARN | Direct | ~8h | The nonstop into Arlanda - around five a week on the A330, in Economy and Business. |
| Lufthansa / KLM | US East - FRA/AMS - ARN/GOT | 1 stop | 11-13h | The one-stop fallback, and the practical way into Gothenburg from the US. |
No nonstop from the West Coast. One stop via a European hub is the only sensible play.
| Carrier | Route | Type | Flight time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAS | LAX/SFO - CPH - ARN/GOT | 1 stop | 14-16h | Via Copenhagen, one carrier the whole way. |
| Lufthansa / KLM | LAX/SFO - FRA/AMS - ARN | 1 stop | 14-16h | The main alternative hubs. |
The Stockholm-Gothenburg rail corridor is the workhorse; the north is sleeper-train country.
| Carrier | Route | Type | Flight time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SJ (X2000) | Stockholm - Gothenburg | Rail | ~3h | City centre to city centre in about three hours; beats flying once airport time is counted. |
| Oresund trains | Copenhagen - Malmo - Gothenburg/Stockholm | Rail | Varies | Copenhagen airport is a legitimate gateway for southern Sweden - the bridge crossing takes 35 minutes to Malmo. |
| SJ / Vy night trains | Stockholm - Kiruna / Narvik | Rail | Overnight | The sleeper north for Lapland and the midnight sun. |
Getting around Sweden
Sweden runs on rail. The X2000 between Stockholm and Gothenburg is the spine - about three hours city centre to city centre, which beats the flight once you count airport transfers at both ends. Regional trains and the Oresund link to Copenhagen cover the south; the sleeper north to Kiruna is an event in itself. Cities are compact, walkable, and card-only to a degree that surprises first-timers - do not bother changing cash.
Planning the logistics?
The facts above are the short version. The full libraries - flights and rail - live one level down under Getting There.