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TRAVEL NEWS

The Local’s ultimate guide to exploring Sweden by train

Travelling by train is an excellent way to explore Sweden from top to toe, taking in varying landscapes at a relaxed pace. Figuring out the journey itself is not always so relaxing though, so The Local has put together some tips on how to plan your Sweden rail adventure and where you should go.

Published: 29 May 2018 15:29 CEST
Updated: 25 April 2024 12:13 CEST
The Local's ultimate guide to exploring Sweden by train
You can even get the night train from Stockholm to Malmö. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

The basics

The three main cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö are all well-served by rail, allowing you to explore your local region as well as venturing further afield, even beyond the Arctic Circle. 

If you’re looking for a staycation, each region has its own train company with routes to take you to the suburbs and neighbouring towns, such as Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL) in the Stockholm area and Skånetrafiken in Skåne. See how far your travel card will take you and take a day trip to a new spot. For example, from Stockholm you can travel south to Nynäshamn by commuter train, and outside the summer season your pass can be used on archipelago ferry routes.

For long distance travel, there are several companies you can travel with for journeys across the entire country, and even into Denmark, Norway and Germany.

SJ (Sveriges Järnväg or Sweden’s Railway) has more than 1,200 departures each day, covering most of the country, and is the dominant rail travel provider. It offers regional and intercity trains, as well as high-speed trains (snabbtåg) which travel up to 200 km/h, so you can get to small towns, big cities, and even connect to international hubs including Oslo and Copenhagen.

Night trains are available from SJ too. From either Gothenburg or Stockholm, you can travel to Östersund, Åre, Duved, Boden, Luleå, Kiruna, Abisko, Björkliden, Riksgränsen, and Narvik, and there’s also an overnight service between Stockholm and Malmö. For these, reservations are compulsory, with the options including seats, 6-bed couchettes, and single or three-bed sleeper carriages.

An alternative choice for overnight trains north from Gothenburg and Stockholm is Vy, which offers routes to Boden, Kiruna, Luleå and Narvik day and night, and also runs the lines north of Härnösand. Find timetables here.

The Inlandsbanan, originally built as a freight route, is now a tourist train offering slow travel options and package tours from Kristinehamn in the south of Sweden up to Gällivare in the north beyond the Arctic Circle.

Snälltåget takes passengers from Stockholm to Malmö throughout the year. In winter and autumn there’s the additional option of an overnight service from Malmö to Åre and Vemdalen, two northern ski resorts, and in the summer, you can get the night train to Berlin.

SJ and most regional train services accept Interrail, Eurail, and Sweden Rail Pass tickets. If you want to see a lot of different places, these can be great value – especially if booking each leg of the journey in advance isn’t an option. 

For example, the Eurail Scandinavia Pass will get you around Sweden as well as Denmark, Norway, and Finland, though there’s a small supplement for certain trains. Remember that any seat reservations would be an additional cost too.

Booking tips

If you’re a pensioner, full-time student, or aged under 26, you’ll usually get a discount, and there are reductions for families and young children too. When booking with SJ, be aware that rail fares vary according to the time and popularity of the journey, and the best time to book is usually around 90 days in advance, when you might score 70 percent off the full price. Don’t forget to check for any special seasonal offers!

Swedish trains are typically very modern, with comfortable seats and WiFi. On a long-distance train, you’ll usually have a choice of first or second class, with various options for food and drink from the bistro. There’s usually a quiet carriage for those with work to do or sleep to catch up on as well as a carriage specifically for passengers with pets.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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