Sweden by bus

Sweden offers an extensive long distance bus system. It is inexpensive, and advance booking is not required.

But remember, even when the roads are good, long distance travel by bus takes time. From the Copenhagen airport to the City Terminal in Stockholm takes about eight hours, with a dining stop for those without picnic baskets. Stockholm to Gothenburg will take seven hours including a stopover.

The cheapest travel can be found on low fare days, usually Monday through Thursday. On these days, the trip from Stockholm to Oslo (7.5 hours) will cost 295 SEK, but increases to 422 SEK on the weekends. Students under the age of 26 who have student identification cards receive a 20% discount, as do senior citizens. A 10% discount is available when you purchase your ticket 24 hours before departure.

Refillable transit cards can be purchased at large ticket stands and outlets for southern Sweden’s largest line, Swebus. When the card is loaded with at least 300 SEK, you can receive up to 45% discounts to some destinations. The cards can be refilled directly with the driver, who also sells regular tickets.

The large bus terminals offer good displays for times and departures, but seating in the waiting areas is hard to find. The attendants is usually helpful and speak English.

With a little effort, it is often possible to find flights for just a bit more money. The bus, however, is still a good bet for travel over medium distances, and from small towns to larger ones. Busses usually stop only in larger cities, with just 12 stops between Stockholm and Copenhagen. But for those who, for example, come into Copenhagen and want to travel part way up Sweden’s west or east coast, or into Småland as far as Jönköping, the bus is still your best choice. The regular Inter City trains are a reasonable alternative, but SJ’s fast train, X-2000, is significantly more expensive.

The website www.swebusexpress.se provides maps, timetables, and regulations in English. The booking section is in Swedish, but is manageable since it functions like the most common and familiar low fare airline booking sites. When you book online, you will receive a reservation number that is given to the driver as you board the bus.

Competitors do exist. Visit www.safflebussen.se or www.svenskabuss.se for maps and timetables in Swedish. Tickets can be purchased onboard or in the terminal. Cash is preferred if you have a foreign credit card.

Northern Sweden is served by many smaller bus lines departing from, among other places, City Terminal in Stockholm, where you can find information, timetables, and prices. Tickets are usually purchased onboard. Not all lines offer daily service, with Thursday through Sunday being the days most available.

At www.diligensen.com you can find routes such as Stockholm – Ljusdal – Hudiksvall - Sundsvall for about 180 SEK. Visit www.tapanis.se for information on one of the longest express routes, in service since 1965. From Stockholm, it travels the entire northern coast to Haparanda near the Finnish border, then into the neighboring town of Torneå in Finland. A one way ticket costs 380 SEK to Umeå. The fare to Torneå is 480 SEK, but 520 SEK to Haparanda, due to additional Swedish taxes. Round trip tickets cost 800 SEK. Reservations should be made ahead of time. Departure is from Stockholm at 6:00 in the evening, with arrival in Torneå the following morning at 8:45.

www.ybuss.se with ticket offices next to Viking Line in Cityterminalen is a medium size bus operator on Stockholm-Söderhamn-Sundsvall-Örnsköldsvik-Umeå / -Östersund / -Kramfors-Sollefteå. Travel time 6-10 hours, book in advance.

For travel to destinations north of Sundsvall, the low fare airlines provide an appealing alternative to the bus, with its long travel times. But the biggest competitor is the train.

SJ’s X-2000 fast train is very comfortable, glides around curves, and offers large windows and enough leg room to enjoy the view over the many miles of beautiful Swedish landscape: lakes, red cottages, wildlife, and sometimes just a bit too much forest. The train usually takes a more scenic route than the new motorways, through open countryside and often along the coast.

Traveling from Stockholm to Malmö on the X-2000 takes approximately 4.5 hours. Most trains have a direct connection to and from Copenhagen and its airport, and from there to Stockholm takes about 5.5 hours.

For more information, in English, visit www.sj.se

On the X-2000 between Stockholm and Gothenburg, travel time is 3 hours, but there is lots of competition.
The regular Inter City train covers most routes and, though the travel time is an hour longer, the price is also about half.

SJ’s ticket system is complicated, with many discount categories and various restrictions. Generally, students receive a 30% discount up to their 26tth birthday. Cheaper fares can be found by booking well in advance and traveling on low fare days, but the cheapest fares, for a bit less comfort and a slightly longer travel time, are on the Inter City line.

The SJ train north from Stockholm stops regularly at Arlanda’s own station under Sky City. But southward travelers won’t be able to take the regular SJ train into Stockholm, but must take the Arlanda Express, which leaves from its own two stops at Arlanda.

Travel from Stockholm to Arlanda to Sundsvall takes about 3.5 hours on the X-2000, and about 4 hours by regular Inter City or Regional train. Stockholm to Arlanda to Borlänge (3 hours) to Mora takes 4 hours, and is served by both the X-2000 and regular trains.

From SJ’s website you can download the brochure Discover Sweden by Train. You will also find information on booking, how to enter your reservation number into SJ’s simple and practica ticket machine, where the machines can be found, and how to pay.

At www.resplus.se you can find English language guidance for arranging travel to even the smallest towns throughout Sweden by combining SJ trains, other train lines, regional buses, boats and taxis.

North of Sundsvall, the train system is not run by SJ, but is operated by Connex, and can be booked at www.interconnex.com . Norrlandståget is the only line from Sundsvall up to Luleå and Kiruna and over the Riksgränsbanan, past the Abisko, Björkliden och Riksgränsen ski resorts, to Nowegian Narvik. It is a stunningly beautiful journey from Kiruna into the mountain country.

The Norrland train leaves two times each evening from Stockholm center, just before 6:00 and about 9:20. Bypassing Arlanda, the train reaches the Gällivare ski area at 10:00 or 2:00 the following day, so you will want sleeping accommodations. The most beautiful part of the route, from Kiruna to Narvik, takes about three hours and can of course be travelled separately by flying into Kiruna.