Landing at Sweden’s Arlanda Airport and wondering how to get into central Stockholm? In this post I’ll guide you on how to get to Stockholm City center by taking the Arlanda Express train from the Arlanda airport to Stockholm Central Station.
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Intro
Stockholm is the beautiful capital city of Sweden and has a rich history, culture, and includes interesting architecture from the past and to modern day. To experience the bustle and beauty of Stockholm, you will have to reach the main city center of Stockholm. The most convenient way is to take the Arlanda Express train from the Arlanda Airport (ARN) to Stockholm Central Train Station.
Follow the Yellow Signs
Once you land at Arlanda Airport, disembark the plane and go through customs. After that, you will arrive at the baggage claim area where you will notice large yellow signs on the floor that will point you in the direction of the Aranda Express train. Get your luggage then follow the yellow signs to exit the baggage claim area. Then towards the left, there will be a hanging sign pointing towards the “Express train to Stockholm and Terminal 5”. Follow in that direction until you see a bright yellow wall on your right saying “Arlanda Express”.
Purchase Tickets
Before you take the escalators down, you will need to purchase tickets. Right in the entrance foyer, there are a couple of self-service ticket kiosks. On the screen you are able to change the language to English if you are unable to read and understand the Swedish language. Then you can select the ticket type that you need. You can get a one-way ticket, a round trip ticket, or even tickets for groups.
When I arrived at the ticket kiosk, there was literally no line! However, there are only 2 kiosks (that I noticed), so if a large flight arrives, it’s possible there can be a queue. The train does come every 10 minutes though, so a long line hopefully does not set you back too much!
Train Platform
Then once you have your ticket go down the escalators until you get to the platform. There is a sign stating when the next train will arrive and they do come pretty frequently (10 minutes) so you won’t have to wait very long for the next one. When the train arrives it will be clearly marked with “Arlanda Express” on the side.
When I got on the platform, there was quite a bit of people, but not a lot to feel crowded or worried I’d find a spot. If you want to secure your spot on the next approaching train, it’s usually better to go farther down the platform since most people tend to congregate closer to the entrance to the platform. Based on the crowd I had, I actually didn’t need to go too far down the platform to feel comfortable I’d secure a spot.
Arlanda Express Train
The Arlanda Express train does not do reserved seating, so seating is on a first-come first-serve basis. When I boarded, there were plenty of available seats, which are cushioned for comfort. If you have large luggage, there are luggage shelves near the doors towards the front of each carriage where you can leave your luggage. There is also overhead shelving to put smaller items like backpacks and bags as well.
The Train Journey
The train ride – as advertised – is the most convenient way to get from the Arlanda airport to the main city center of Stockholm. It takes about 18 minutes to get to the Stockholm Central Station! This is a fast high-speed train and what I found really cool was that the train will display its current speed on the marquee. The train goes up to 99 mph (160 km/h) which explains how it’s able to bring you to the Stockholm city center incredibly fast. Normally, I would get motion sickness on high-speed trains, but surprisingly I did not experience this on the Arlanda Express. The ride was smooth and swerve-less, which was perfect for me.
I had sat on the right side of the train when facing in the forward direction and the views were nice on this side! When I took a peek at the left-hand side, it was mostly a view of a wall. On the right side, you have views of other train tracks and of trains passing. There were also modern buildings such as the Strawberry Arena and Westfield Mall of Scandinavia. Additionally, but as the train approached into central Stockholm, a ton of tall apartment or office buildings appeared.
Views from the Right-hand Seats
Stockholm Central Station
Once you arrive at the Stockholm City Central Station, the train station exit is super easy to find! Upong exiting the train, you will immediately see a large open-air exit that gets you right into the heart of downtown. Surprisingly, the Arlanda Express’ stop at this station is not a maze or labyrinth like other Central stations can be. It was a nice introduction for my first visit to Stockholm.
RELATED: 1 Day in Stockholm: Your Ultimate Itinerary
Final Words
I hope this Arlanda Express guide from Arlanda Airport brings you safely and quickly into Stockholm City Center so that you can spend more time enjoying this beautiful city. Bon Voyage!
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