Stockholm Subway – Fast, Efficient And ... Beautiful

The Stockholm subway is one of the best underground transport systems in the world. It’s fast, clean and highly efficient.

But it's more than that: it is also one of the most beautiful metros too: many stations are decorated with sculptures, mosaics and other works of arts. Click here to watch a video of the metro and its decorated stations.

You can recognize the entrance of a station by a T.

The letter comes from tunnelbana – the Swedish word for subway (or underground or metro ... well, you understand).

The Stockholm subway is 108 kilometers long, of which 62 are in fact underground. There are about 100 stations.

It’s a lot, considering the relatively small size of the Swedish capital. You won’t find many cities in Europe with such an extensive public transport network.

All lines come together at the (often incredibly busy) main station T-centralen which has several entrances. T-centralen connects the subway with the central railway station.

Chances are T-centralen is the first subway station you see if you arrive in Stockholm by train.

Here is a an easily printable Stockholm subway map.

Stations are guarded by cameras and metro trains are usually comfortable, clean and safe.

Only late at night an occasional drunk may mess up things. Don’t worry too much about that.

From 1998 the modern Vagn 2000 has replaced most of the older trains.

Apart from the tunnelbana, there’s a wide range of local railways that connect the suburbs with the city. Most of these are owned by the local SL company.

Just like the bus, the tunnelbana works with a coupon system.

The city is divided into five zones. If you travel within one zone, you need two coupons. If you travel in two zones, you need three etc.

Coupons can be bought at tunnelbana stations. For tourists it´s far more efficient to buy a Stockholm Card. You can use it on all lines (including bus and train) run by SL during a set number of days.

A cheaper version, but with less discounts, is the SL Tourist Card, sold at SL offices.

English travelers will feel at home in the Stockholm subway: the tunnelbana is operated on the left, a reminder of the days that Swedish cars drove on the left too.