Stockholm by boat · Stockholm by boat
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Stockholm by boat
Stockholm by boat
Cruise-ferries link Stockholm to Helsinki, Mariehamn and Turku in Finland, Riga in Latvia and Tallinn in Estonia every day. Stockholm is the main Swedish terminal for the Baltic Sea cruises - over 12 million passengers pass through the city's port each year, making the boats one of the main ways to get into the city. They are by far the cheapest way to get to and from these cities from Stockholm.
If you intend to use the boats to travel to- or from- Stockholm, it is almost always cheaper to book a cruise (kryssning), or even two head-to-head cruises and discard the returns, rather than buy one-way tickets. Tickets can be had for as low as 80 SEK for a full 4-person cabin (making it practically the cheapest accommodation one can find virtually anywhere in the world - at 10 SEK/night/person) for a two-night Stockholm-Helsinki return cruise (provided you book early and/or last minute during the weekdays), and should almost never (even for a weekend cruise in high season) exceed 400 SEK for the cheapest type of 4-bed cabin. A one-way ticket, for a shared berth, in comparison, will almost always exceed 1000 SEK.
As of June 2011 the international websites of both Tallink-Silja and Viking Line do at last have on-line booking. Check for "Red tickets" or "Last minute offers" for cruises reaching Stockholm.
Note that both Viking and Tallink Silja may have a problem with accepting international credit cards. That is not a problem in practice, as you can make a booking and pay it in the port with only a token extra charge (3-5 euro).
Tallink ferries to Mariehamn and Tallinn in Estonia depart from Värtahamnen port, and ferries to Riga in Latvia from Frihamnen port. For Värtahamnen, take the red underground line to Gärdet, exit at the front, and walk 400 metres to the terminal (the route is signposted). For Frihamnen, take the red underground line to Karlaplan, exit at the front, take bus 72 from the avenue to Filmhuset, and then bus 76 to Magasin 3, which is outside the terminal.
Silja Line , owned by Tallink, has ferries to Mariehamn, Helsinki and Turku departing from Värtahamnen port. See directions above.
Viking Line ferries to Mariehamn, Helsinki and Turku depart from the eastern part of Stadsgårdsterminalen in northeastern Södermalm. To get there from the city centre, take the green or red underground lines to Slussen, and take the exit for Slussenterminalen. This bus terminal is the starting point of numerous suburban buses to the eastern suburbs. Take the 401 - 422, 442 - 449 or 471 bus one single stop to Londonviadukten and the port will be on your left. Alternatively normal town buses 53 and 71 link Slussen and the Viking Line terminal, albeit via the backstreets. If you are driving to the boat, follow the signs to Slussen, then Stadsgårdsterminalen (note that Slussen is confusing for even locals, so don't feel embarrassed if you end up spinning in the intersection a few times) and then Finland/Viking Line
Birka Cruises ferries to Mariehamn in Åland depart from Western Stadsgårdsterminalen, about 700 meters from Slussen (right in front of Viking's terminal). See above for instructions.
Holland America Cruises also use Stadsgårdsterminalen in eastern Södermalm. See above for instruction.
A lot of European cruises have day long stops in Stockholm.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Stockholm
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Stockholm - updated Apr 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Stockholm hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Stockholm Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.