Street Car to the island of Djurgården

Stockholm has gorgeous Spring weather this week, so a friend and I headed out to Djurgården yesterday to take advantage of the sunshine. This island is a must for all visitors! Not only can you find art galleries and museums (like the Vasa and Skansen) here, but it is also a huge park... in fact Djurgården is the world's first national city park.

New tram at Waldemarsudde stop

Guests of the Rival Hotel can easily reach the island by taking the commuter ferry from Slussen. But if you find yourself in the downtown area then there is another great way to get to the island: street car (spårvagn)! They have recently (August 2010) extended the line and added new modern trams. The street car line now travels between Sergels Torg (next to T-Centralen subway station) and Waldermarsudde (on Djurgården). Along the way the street car stops at such popular sites as the NK department store, Norrmalmstorg, Strandvägen, Vasa Museum, Skansen and the tivoli Gröna Lund. Click here for a map showing the stops. The antique trams are still in service as well, though they only travel between Norrmalmstorg and Skansen. Stockholmers quickly gave the new street car line the nickname "NK Express" because of its stop in front of the popular department store NK.

Antique tram at Norrmalmstorg stop

Tickets cost 30 SE for adults and 15 SEK for children between 7 and 19. Two children under 7 may travel free when accompanied by an adult. There is no charge if you have the Stockholm Card or one of SL's period based cards (1 day up to 1 month). The SL cards are those that you use for the subway and buses as well. One time SL paper tickets are not valid.
Click here for more information about public transportation in Stockholm.

Stockholm Subway Art

The Stockholm subway system has been called the world's longest art exhibition. As a Stockholmer, I appreciate the art... gives you something to look at as you wait for your subway! Each station is different (some better than others) and the art is in the form of sculptures, reliefs, painted walls/ceilings, poetry and other forms. Some of my personal favorites are on the blue line, like Kungsträdgården (all pictures here) and Rådhuset. The company that runs the subways and buses, and is responsible for the art, is called SL and they have a great brochure about the art available in pdf-form. SL also offers guided tours of the subway art- year round in Swedish and in English during the summer. For more information contact SL at konstguide@gmail.com or visit a SL Center located at the T-Centalen, Slussen (10 minute walk from the Rival Hotel) or Fridhemsplan subway stations. But a guide isn't necessary if you want to keep it simple... just keep your eyes open while traveling the Stockholm subways!

Click here for information about public transportation in Stockholm!

Tip #8 - Public Transportation

Stockholm has an excellent public transportation system. One company, called SL (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik), runs all buses, subways, trams and commuter trains. Some boats can be travelled on using certain SL tickets... more about that later. This means that travelling through Stockholm is quite easy.

• The subway is very easy to understand, especially compared to the systems in larger cities like Paris, London & New York. There are three lines (blue, red and green) that cross the city like a starfish, all meeting under the Central Train Station.
• Buses travel all over the city and can take you quite far out into the countryside... there are 4 cross-town buses (1, 2, 3 & 4) which are easy to spot as they are blue instead of red.
• There is also a commuter train network (called "pendeltåg") if you are planning to travel to the outskirts of Stockholm or to get to the International Fair at Älvsjö. There are several trams and street car lines included in SL tickets. The ones that are important (from a tourist standpoint) is the line running out to Saltsjöbaden, a popular seaside resort, and the one connecting the Ropsten subway station to the island of Lidingö... where you can find the seaside town of Gåshaga as well as the sculpture garden at Millesgården. Finally you have an old fashioned street car travelling between the island of Djurgården and the NK department store.
• SL tickets/cards work on the two ferries going out to the island of Djurgården as well... though not one-time tickets.

Ticket prices- one time tickets cost 40 SEK if you buy them at the turnstyle, 30 SEK if you buy them at an SL center or in a kiosk, like Pressbyrån. More economical choices are the 24 hour pass (100 SEK), 72 hour pass (200 SEK) and 7 day pass (260 SEK). Prices are reduced for youth (20yrs and under) and seniors (65yrs and over). These passes can be purchased at an SL Center or a Pressbyrån kiosk. Click here for the entire price list. The most convinient SL Centers are located in the Central train station and the Slussen subway station. Be aware that bus tickets can not be purchased on the bus!
The Stockholm Card works on all public transportation run by SL. They can be purchased at a tourist information center or a SL Center. Some hotels do sell them as well.