Mobile data in Stockholm: three airports, the islands and the boats east
Stockholm is built on islands, and a good part of any visit happens on trains, the tunnelbana and boats. The network is not the problem here. Knowing which ticket works where, and what your phone does on the overnight ferry, is.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Sweden?
- Yes. It connects to 3, Telia, Telenor (5G).
- Price
- From 4,79 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 6,49 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- Yes: Sweden is in EU roaming, so a plan from an EU country usually works at no extra cost, within your operator's fair-use limit. If your plan is from outside the EU, it charges international roaming.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Sweden. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Arlanda, Skavsta or Västerås
Arlanda is the main airport, north of the city. The Arlanda Express reaches Stockholm Central in under 20 minutes, commuter trains also stop at Arlanda, and Flygbussarna coaches run into town. SL tickets do not cover the Arlanda Express or the coaches, which sell their own; the commuter train takes an SL ticket plus an airport fee. Each of those is a ticket you buy on the phone before you reach the platform.
Some low-cost flights use Skavsta, near Nyköping, or Västerås. Both are about 80 minutes from the city by Flygbussarna coach, and at Skavsta the coach leaves a while after landing. That wait is where the eSIM earns its keep: the coach ticket, the message to your host, the first route.
eSIM for Sweden
Data on your phone the moment you land in Sweden. No account, no app, no shop.
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
SL: tap your card or use the app
SL runs Stockholm's metro, commuter trains, trams, buses and some ferries. At the gates you can tap a contactless bank card or a phone wallet, and each tap counts as a single ticket. Only your own card counts, so every traveller in the group needs one of their own. The SL app sells the other tickets and shows departures and delays.
Paying with the phone wallet at the gate does not need data. Buying in the SL app, checking a replacement bus or finding the right exit at T-Centralen does, and those are the moments a visitor without a connection gets stuck.
Archipelago boats and day trips by train
Boats to the archipelago leave from the city centre, many of them run by Waxholmsbolaget, which has its own app for tickets and timetables. Out among the islands the signal depends on where the boat is, so save the return times before you leave the quay. A day in Vaxholm or further out is mostly photos, maps and timetables.
Uppsala and Sigtuna to the north, and Drottningholm palace to the west, all stay in Sweden and inside the Sweden pack, which runs on 3, Telia and Telenor. Check the train or boat back before you lose the afternoon to a museum.
The overnight ferries to Finland and Estonia
Ferries to Helsinki and Tallinn leave Stockholm in the evening and arrive the next morning, and many sailings to Finland call at Mariehamn, in Åland. Three things change on board. Out at sea the ship switches on its own mobile network, which no travel eSIM covers and EU roaming rules do not protect; turn off data roaming on your usual line before you sail. Our guide to eSIMs on ships explains why.
Åland has its own network and its own pack, and is not among the 33 countries of the Europe pack. Finland and Estonia are, so the Europe pack picks up again when you dock in Helsinki or Tallinn.
How much data for Stockholm
A long weekend in the city with one boat trip fits in 3 GB for 15 days. A week with Uppsala and a couple of archipelago days is a 5 GB trip on a 30-day pack. If Stockholm is the start of a route to Helsinki or Tallinn, plan it as a Europe trip: the Sweden pack ends at the border, while the Europe pack carries on with 3 GB for 15 days or 10 and 20 GB for 30 days.
It is data only, so bank codes and calls keep arriving on your usual SIM, and hotspot is allowed if a laptop comes along; start at 10 GB for that. The data calculator works it out from your habits.
Does my SL ticket work on the Arlanda Express?
No. The Arlanda Express and the airport coaches sell their own tickets. The commuter train from Arlanda takes an SL ticket plus an airport fee.
Can I pay for the metro with my bank card?
Yes. Tap a contactless card or your phone wallet at the gate. Each traveller needs their own card.
Does the eSIM work on the ferry to Helsinki?
In port and near the coast, on the networks of the country you are in, if your pack covers it. At sea the ship uses its own network, which no travel eSIM covers.
Is Åland in the Europe pack?
No. Åland has its own network and its own pack. During a stop in Mariehamn the Europe pack has no data.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for Sweden