Is the Arlanda Express worth it? The train, the taxi and a private car compared

Yes, for most solo travellers and couples the Arlanda Express is worth it. The nonstop train runs between Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Stockholm Central Station in 18 minutes, every 15 minutes, and a full-flex adult single costs SEK 349, or SEK 199 if you book an Early bird ticket at least five days ahead. If your hotel is near Central Station, no car is faster at rush hour.

It becomes less obviously worth it as the party grows, the luggage piles up and the hotel moves away from Central. Four adults pay SEK 796 on the train and still need a ride from Central to a hotel in Östermalm or on Djurgården; Swedavia's contracted taxis charge at most SEK 825 for one to four passengers within the airport's marked zone. A pre-booked Elly8.net car from Arlanda (ARN) to central Stockholm costs from US$220 in a business sedan, fixed per vehicle. Here is how to choose.

Is the Arlanda Express worth the money?

The train wins on speed between two fixed points. The car wins on the first and last few hundred metres, on luggage, and on price per person once the party is large enough. Most of the decision is that simple.

See Stockholm prices and reserve

What the Arlanda Express actually costs

These are the operator's own prices from its tickets and prices page, in Swedish kronor.

Two details make the train better value than the headline suggests. Children travel free when accompanied by a ticket holder aged 26 or over, and the travel-together prices fall per head as the group grows. Full flex tickets are valid for 90 days and fully refundable; Early bird tickets are for the date you choose and cannot be rebooked or refunded.

Times and stations

The operator's journey planner gives departures every 15 minutes from platforms 1 and 2 at Stockholm Central. The train takes 18 minutes to Arlanda South, for Terminals 2, 3 and 4, and 19 minutes to Arlanda North, for Terminal 5. Moving between the two airport stations on the Arlanda Express is free and takes a minute.

Pick the right airport stop for your flight. The journey planner shows walking times by airline: for SAS at Terminal 5, for example, it gives about 3 minutes from Arlanda North but about 15 minutes from Arlanda South. If you are flying home with heavy bags, staying on the extra minute to the right station saves a long walk through the terminal. On arrival, the operator lists the stations by terminal, so follow the signs from your baggage hall to the nearer one.

By road, Arlanda to Norrmalm is about 42 km (26 mi), roughly 38 minutes on a clear road, and a weekday rush hour on the E4 can add a good deal more. That is why the train is the rush-hour winner to Central.

The other public options

The commuter train. SL's commuter trains stop at Arlanda Central Station in SkyCity, between Terminals 4 and 5. Swedavia gives the trip to Stockholm Central as 38 minutes, and notes that travellers boarding or leaving trains at Arlanda Central Station pay a station fee of SEK 157, which is collected at the ticket gates if it is not included in your ticket. You also need an ordinary SL ticket. It is slower than the Express and the saving shrinks once the station fee is added, but it is a fair choice if you already hold an SL travel card.

The airport coach. Vy flygbussarna runs from Terminal 5 to Stockholm C (Cityterminalen), about 40 minutes, with departures up to every 15 minutes and fares from SEK 129 on the route shown, and cheaper online offers advertised. It is the budget option and stops at several points on the way into the city.

The taxi at Arlanda

Swedish taxis set their own prices, so the airport rules matter. Swedavia's taxi page explains that the taxi companies it contracts have a maximum fare within a marked zone around the city: SEK 825 for one to four passengers to one address (another section of the same page still shows SEK 800) and SEK 1,275 for five to eight. Outside the zone, the meter applies. The contracted ranks are directly outside the arrivals hall at Terminal 5 and outside Terminal 2.

Swedavia gives two pieces of advice worth repeating. Always choose an airport-approved taxi and ask about the fare before you start, because taxis without a contract may charge much more. And never accept a ride from a driver who approaches you in the arrivals hall: only drivers with a pre-booked car are allowed there to meet passengers. Swedavia also recommends pre-booking a taxi when travelling from the airport at night, as there can be a shortage at times of high demand.

Uber at Arlanda

Uber operates in Stockholm and at Arlanda. Its Arlanda pickup page says the app is available 24/7 but that driver supply varies with the time you land, that pickups are typically at the ground transportation exit, and that you can reserve up to 90 days ahead to lock in the price, with free cancellation until an hour before pickup. UberXL takes groups of up to six. Prices outside Reserve vary with demand, and we do not quote them here.

Side by side: which option for which traveller

We have not converted kronor to dollars here, because the rate moves; check your card's rate on the day. Elly8.net fares are charged in US$ when you book, so there is no exchange question at the end of the ride.

The last mile from Central

The train ends at Central Station. Whether that is the end of your journey depends on the hotel. By our routed estimates on the public OSRM network, from Stockholm Central it is about 3 km (2 mi) to Östermalm, roughly 9 minutes on a clear road; about 4 km (2 mi) to Djurgården, roughly 9 minutes; about 3 km (2 mi) to Gamla Stan, roughly 8 minutes; and about 2 km (1.5 mi) to Södermalm, roughly 6 minutes. Short, but with suitcases and children, a walk across the city's bridges in a Stockholm winter is not short at all, and a taxi from Central adds a second fare and a second queue.

From Arlanda by car, the same hotels are all about 42 to 45 km (26 to 28 mi) and 41 to 43 minutes away on a clear road, with no change: the car goes from the arrivals hall to the hotel door.

When the Arlanda Express is the better choice

• One or two travellers with carry-ons, staying in Norrmalm or anywhere near Central.
• Rush-hour arrivals, when the E4 into the city is slow and the train is not.
• Budget trips booked ahead, where the SEK 199 Early bird fare is hard to beat.
• Families with young children travelling with a parent aged 26 or over, since children ride free.

Take the train. It is quick, frequent and simple.

When a taxi or a pre-booked car is the better choice

• Four adults with luggage. SEK 796 on the train plus a taxi from Central, against one contracted taxi capped at SEK 825 or one fixed car, door to door.
• Five or more. A contracted taxi for five to eight is capped at SEK 1,275; an Elly8.net business SUV for up to six costs US$290 and an Executive Sprinter for up to twelve US$575.
• Hotels on Djurgården, in Östermalm or outside the centre, where the train still leaves you a ride away.
• Late and winter arrivals. Swedavia itself recommends pre-booking a taxi at night.
• A meeting soon after landing, when the time to work in the car matters.
• Child seats. Pre-booked cars come with seats fitted.

Elly8.net prices are per vehicle, never per person. A business sedan carries three passengers and two bags on our fleet page, so four adults with full-size cases need the business SUV at US$290, which seats six with six bags. As arithmetic for comparison only, that is one fixed vehicle price against four train fares plus a taxi from Central.

Bromma, Uppsala and departure day

Bromma. Stockholm's city airport has no Arlanda Express. Bromma to Norrmalm is about 9 km (6 mi), roughly 16 minutes on a clear road, from US$110 in a business sedan.

Uppsala. Arlanda is closer to Uppsala than to Stockholm: about 36 km (23 mi), roughly 32 minutes on a clear road. Swedavia gives the commuter train to Uppsala as 18 minutes. Longer transfers such as Arlanda to Uppsala are quoted through the web booker.

Departure day. Airport fares are the same in either direction, so the hotel to Arlanda run also costs from US$220. A round trip booked together costs from US$420 in a business sedan to US$1,095 in a Sprinter. Tolls, congestion tax and parking are billed at cost; the Swedish Transport Agency sets the Stockholm congestion tax by time of day and season.

How a pre-booked Elly8.net car works at Arlanda

Rides in Stockholm are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk.

1. Pickup and drop-off. On the Stockholm car service page, choose ARN to Norrmalm with your flight number and hotel, or use the web booker for any other address.
2. Vehicle. Choose a class by passengers and bags, and add child seats.
3. Reserve. Pay by card in US$; confirmation arrives by email.

The chauffeur tracks the flight and meets you inside the arrivals hall with a name board, exactly the arrangement Swedavia allows for pre-booked cars; waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary. See airport transfers and meet and greet. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup; 10% at 72 hours or less; 50% at 48 hours or less; 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, per the cancellation policy.

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Compare the options in more depth on chauffeur vs taxi, chauffeur vs Uber and Lyft and chauffeur vs airport shuttle. Travelling on? The same desk runs Copenhagen airport transfers and the Oslo chauffeur service. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory. Heading to southern Italy later in the year? Our guide to Uber on the Amalfi Coast and the Amalfi Coast transfer cover arrival there.