Continuing our trip, we landed at ARN and took the Arlanda Express into the Stockholm city center. The Arlanda Express runs from all terminals at ARN to the Stockholm central station. Unlike in Oslo where there’s an express airport train and a commuter train, there’s no equivalent to the Arlanda Express. Lots has been said about this train ride, but the chief complaint is the cost. It’s very expensive.
Bottom Line: Even with the price, the Arlanda Express is still the best way to get to and from the Stockholm airport. It’s the fastest, most comfortable, most convenient, and easiest.
Is the Arlanda Express Worth the Money
At 340 Krona (34USD/34EUR) this is really expensive for a 17 minute train ride. However, If you’re traveling in a small group, the prices do decrease significantly per person. For example, 2 adult tickets, when purchased together is 460 Krona.
There are a few other options to get to the airport, like taxis or other public transit. The Taxi will be slower and more expensive than the express train. Public transit would include a bus and commuter train. It’s about half the cost of the Arlanda Express but takes almost 3 times as long. It’s expensive, but the Arlanda Express is the best way to/from ARN Airport to Stockholm City Center. It’s fast, comfortable, and runs very regularly.
Arlanda Express Tickets
You can buy tickets to the train in the airport, the train station, or on the platform from the ticket vending machines. You can also purchase them on the Arlanda Express website. The price is the same. I recommend just buying them from the ticket machines.
Arlanda Express Ride Review
After arriving at Stockholm Airport from Milan on an SAS A320(full review), we took the escalators down to the Arlanda Express train platform. On the way, we stopped at one of the many ticket machines to buy train tickets.
We boarded the train, there are no assigned seats. The seating is configured into an 2-2 arrangement. There are no assigned seats and there’s only one class so take any empty seat.
Near each door there is a luggage rack for larger suitcases. Smaller bags can be put overhead. Every time I’ve ridden the train, there’s plenty of space for bags.
The seats are comfortable enough. This is a pretty short ride so don’t expect the level of comfort you’d find on a long distance train. They are better than a normal subway/metro though.
Legroom is good. Some seats face forward and others are backwards if that matters to you.
There’s a fun little display that shows how fast the train is going. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture or note down how fast the top speed was on our trip. The train has a theoretical top speed of 200 kph and regulatory runs in in 170-180kph range.
Arlanda Express Final Thoughts
I don’t love paying a ton of money for a 20 minute train ride. The equivalent of 40 USD is a lot of money to get two people to the airport. With that said, I wouldn’t attempt any of the other airport transit options. Taxis are slower and more expensive. Shuttle busses are slow, not as regular, and don’t save much money. The public transit bus and train option has the same problem.
Buying a ticket is easy at the ticket machines or online. Be sure if you’re traveling in a group to buy all the tickets at once to save some money. Onboard, the train is fast and comfortable. There’s plenty of space for luggage and usually lots of seats. So while it might suck to spend that much money, the Arlanda Express is the best choice.
Follow Our Trip
Flight Review: Delta Air Lines A330-200 Delta One Business Class ATL-FRA
Flight Review: Lufthansa A320 Economy. FRA-LIN