Sweden On The Cheap – Three Days in Stockholm for $150

Sweden is expensive. It rates as the third most expensive place in the world to buy a Big Mac, coming in just under Norway and Switzerland, so even fast food is pricey here. You get what you pay for, of course – it’s a clean, safe country to travel, with fantastic infrastructure and a safe atmosphere for solo female travel. But is it prohibitively expensive for young travellers? Not in my experience. Here’s my breakdown of how I pulled off a three-day trip to Stockholm on 150 CAD.

Transportation

Stockholm’s transportation systems ended up being the most expensive part of my trip here, simply because there’s no way around them. Travel to Stockholm will include dishing out for transportation, end of story. That said, I did discover a few hacks for cutting down costs.

Arlanda Airport to Downtown Stockholm

If you take the direct train or bus from Arlanda to downtown, expect to pay a little over 30 CAD one way. Taxis will charge double that, coming in at 435 SEK (59 CAD), and that’s if you land a reputable driver. It is also possible to take the metro downtown – this is the cheapest option, but it’s also the slowest and least comfortable.

Here comes the travel hack – it’s not well advertised, but FlixBus runs a direct line from Arlanda Terminal 5 to Stockholm’s Central Station for just 7 CAD. It’s easy, comfortable, runs on time, and can save you upwards of $20. Be sure to have the FlixBus app downloaded on your phone and set up for payment in advance, then simply book a ticket once you land – no need to book in advance and potentially miss your ride due to delayed flights.

Stockholm Metro

While Stockholm is pretty walkable, it’s also big. If you want to save your feet and have the freedom to see more sights in a short amount of time, the 72-hour metro pass is relatively affordable, easy to use, and well worth it. Full price on this card is 260 SEK, or 35 CAD. Expensive? Maybe. But when I did the math, I realized that the card pays for itself in just 6 trips, as single use tickets come at a steep 6 CAD. Ultimately, if you plan on taking the metro more than twice a day, the 72 hour ticket is worth it. There are also discounts available if you’re a senior, hold a Swedish student card, or are under 20.

Don’t forget – Stockholm’s Metro is said to be the world’s longest art exhibit – an attraction in and of itself!

If you really want to save a few extra bucks, use the 72 hour ticket to get to and from the airport, but keep in mind that this will cut into your touring time later.

Taxis

Avoid taxis as much as possible in Stockholm. The one I took at 4:30am to the Bromma airport cost me 25 CAD for a journey of approximately 6 kilometres. Not worth it. While in the city, I heard other stories of travellers being ripped off for even more by taxi drivers who refused to turn on their meters, drove unnecessarily long routes, or lied about initial fares to get travellers in the cab. Use your discretion here and keep your wits about you.

Lodging

All in all, I spent $25 on lodging in Stockholm. How? I advertised my stay on Couchsurfing.com a couple of weeks before my arrival. I had over a dozen offers from hosts within a few days of posting. I stayed at Hostel Generator Stockholm for my first night, and was happily hosted by a fantastic guy from Poland for the other two nights. We went out for a night-time city walk, enjoyed local food together, and swapped stories.

If you can, finding a local host is a great way to see a city on the cheap, especially one where hotels run upwards of $120 a night. There are ways to ensure it’s a safe experience as a solo female traveler – check your host’s references (does he have any from men, or does he only host women?), make sure a friend knows where you’re staying, have a backup plan, and *always* trust your gut. But remember – most of the time, people are good-hearted. You’ll be fine.

Food

Before arriving in Stockholm, I heard from all directions that the city was one of the most expensive places to eat in the world. I didn’t find this to be true. It wasn’t any more expensive than eating out in NYC or Frankfurt or other great cities. There were expensive options, of course, but it wasn’t too hard to find cheap eats.

I would spend $5-7 on breakfast, usually a pastry and piece of fruit.

My main meal of the day cost about $13, usually a big sandwich with fries or other basic food. I found that the central station had plenty of small food options with good value.

I packed snack rations with me in anticipation of the high prices. Throughout the day, I always had extra protein bars, peanuts, and cookies on me.

In total, I was spending around $20 a day on food – less on days when I relied more heavily on my snack stash.

To summarize…

So let’s add this all up. In total, I spent $67 on transportation (this could have been cut down significantly if I’d avoided that one taxi), $25 on lodging, and $60 on food. That’s just $150 total for three days – the cost of a one night stay in a hotel room in the city centre. Not bad for one of the most expensive destinations in the world.

I chose not to buy souvenirs here. I don’t like carrying them and prefer to snap photos and write down my memories.

I carried a water bottle with me and refilled it regularly. Stockholm’s city water is drinkable, and keeping on top of this probably saved me an addition $5-10 a day.

I didn’t spend much time exploring Stockholm’s museums, but you’ll find that there are dozens of free ones sprinkled around the city. Personally, I found so many free experiences through simply walking downtown and letting them come to me. There’s plenty to do, from exploring the metro’s free art exhibits to wandering the parks and old part of the town. I saw several open air markets, rode the tram, and wandered through bookstores, all for free. Get creative!

What are your hacks for making travel that much more inexpensive?