Most Stockholm day-trip lists rank destinations by how nice they are. That is not the question
you have when you are standing at Centralstationen with a travel pass in your pocket. The question
is whether the pass covers where you are going — and in Stockholm the answer does not follow
distance in the way you would expect.
Uppsala is forty minutes from the city and your pass will not take you there. Grinda, out in the
archipelago, is two to three hours away and a 72-hour pass will. Here is why.
The day trips, and what gets you there
| Destination | Journey from central Stockholm | How | Fare system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaxholm | 50 min to about 2 hr | Boat from Strömkajen, or SL bus | Inside SL |
| Sigtuna | About 70 min | Commuter train to Märsta, then bus | Inside SL |
| Grinda | 2–3 hr | Boat, usually via Vaxholm | Inside SL |
| Mariefred (Gripsholm Castle) | About 1 hr by train and bus · about 3.5 hr by steamboat | Train plus bus, or the Lake Mälaren steamer | Mixed — the steamer is separate |
| Uppsala | 40–55 min | Commuter train, or intercity train | Outside SL |
| Sandhamn | 3–4 hr | Boat, outer archipelago | Outside SL |
season — archipelago boats in particular run a reduced winter schedule — so confirm the
day you are travelling with the operator.
The three fare systems, and where the lines fall
This is the part that catches people out, because two of the three boundaries have nothing to do
with how far you are going.
| System | What it covers | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| SL land network | Metro, buses, commuter trains, trams | Straightforward. Any SL pass works |
| SL-integrated archipelago boats | Waxholmsbolaget services to inner-archipelago stops such as Vaxholm, Grinda, Möja, Ljusterö and Blidö | Reported as covered by the 72-hour and 7-day passes — not by every ticket type. A 24-hour pass is not the same product here |
| Outside SL entirely | Uppsala; the outer archipelago including Sandhamn; the Lake Mälaren steamers | Separate fare. Uppsala is reported at around 70 SEK each way by commuter train; archipelago singles run roughly 75–195 SEK by distance |
Distance does not predict the fare, and it does not predict the time either
The nearest destination on this list is the one your pass will not cover. Uppsala
is the shortest journey here — forty minutes on a fast train — and it is the one that
needs an extension ticket, because it is in a different county. Grinda, six times further out in
travel time, is inside the SL boundary. The line is administrative, not geographic.
The same destination can take twice as long depending on which boat you board.
Published journey times to Vaxholm range from about fifty minutes to around two hours, and both
figures are correct. Waxholmsbolaget runs direct services and all-stops services on the same water.
If you read one number on one site and a different number on another, neither is wrong — you
are looking at two different sailings. Check the specific departure, not the destination.
Mariefred is two trips, not one. Roughly an hour by commuter train and connecting
bus, or about three and a half hours on the Lake Mälaren steamboat. Same castle. The steamer is
a separate operator and a separate fare, and it is the reason people describe Mariefred as both an
easy half-day and a full-day commitment.
If you are buying one pass
The practical consequence is that the choice between a 24-hour and a 72-hour SL pass is not
really about how many days you are in Stockholm. It is about whether you intend to get on a boat.
The inner-archipelago coverage is reported on the longer passes, and an archipelago day return
bought separately is a meaningful share of the pass price on its own. For several days of island
hopping there is also the Båtluffarkortet, a five-day archipelago pass reported at around
795 SEK for adults, which is a different product from an SL pass and worth pricing against it.
What each place actually is
Vaxholm is the archipelago’s gateway town, reachable by road as well as water.
Sigtuna is Sweden’s oldest town, small and walkable. Grinda is an
island nature reserve rather than a settlement. Mariefred exists in most itineraries
because of Gripsholm Castle. Uppsala is a university city with its own cathedral and
old town, large enough to fill a day by itself. Sandhamn is the outer archipelago
— the longest journey here, and the one people most often underestimate.
Journey times, fares and pass coverage compiled in 2026 from published guidance including
Stockholm Spirit’s SL pass guide,
its ferry guide for day trippers,
the Waxholmsbolaget ferry guide and
UL’s page on the SL commuter link to Uppsala.
Fares and timetables change, seasonal schedules differ substantially from summer ones, and which
ticket types include archipelago boats has changed before. Treat this as a map of how the systems
fit together, not as a quote — confirm the fare and the sailing with SL or Waxholmsbolaget
before you travel.
Related reading
Living in Stockholm, Stockholm, Practically, Stockholm’s Four Airports Compared: Two Are Not Near Stockholm, What Is Skokloster Castle? Sweden’s Baroque Palace, What Is Mariefred? Sweden’s Small Lakeside Town Explained, Left Luggage in Stockholm: What the Station Lockers Cost
Featured image: Photo by Jules Verne Times Two, source, CC BY-SA 4.0
