Stockholm Pass vs Go City

The marketing for both the Stockholm Pass and the Go City Stockholm Pass is built on the same premise: buy our all-inclusive pass and save money. The exact savings percentage cited varies by season, by product version, and by how selectively they’ve chosen their comparison numbers.

We actually did the math. Here’s what we found.


Breakeven (1 day)	3 paid museums/attractions
Breakeven (2 days)	Museum-heavy days only; saving is real but modest
Not included	SL transit (metro, buses) — budget 340 SEK extra for a 72h SL pass
Best for	Visitors doing 3+ paid attractions per day, Djurgården-focused trips
Skip if	1-2 museum days, archipelago-heavy, or budget-tight flexible trips

The passes explained

Stockholm Pass (Go City): A multi-day pass that includes entry to 60+ attractions, a hop-on hop-off bus and boat, and various discounts. Sold in 1, 2, 3 and 5-day versions. The price varies seasonally but runs approximately:

1 day: ~~700 SEK (~~€63)
2 days: ~~1,100 SEK (~~€99)
3 days: ~~1,450 SEK (~~€130)
5 days: ~~1,900 SEK (~~€171)

Note: Both “Stockholm Pass” and “Go City Stockholm” are now effectively the same product under the Go City umbrella. If you’re confused by the branding, you’re not alone.

The individual ticket costs (2024 prices)

Attraction	Individual ticket (SEK)
Vasa Museum	230
ABBA The Museum	250
Skansen (summer)	250
Royal Palace museums	200
Fotografiska	225
Nordiska Museet	190
Nobel Prize Museum	160
City Hall tour	130
ABBA Museum + skip line	280
Viking Museum (exhibition + ride)	245

The one-day scenario

The question is: can you realistically visit enough in a single day to justify a 700 SEK pass?

A realistic one-day heavy itinerary: Vasa Museum (2h), ABBA Museum (1.5h), a one-hour canal boat tour (included in pass, ~150 SEK separately).

Vasa (230) + ABBA (250) + canal boat (150) = 630 SEK.

That’s already less than the pass. The pass only starts earning on a one-day ticket if you add a third paying museum.

Add Fotografiska (225): 630 + 225 = 855 SEK individual. Now the 700 SEK pass wins, by 155 SEK.

Verdict on 1 day: Breakeven at exactly 3 paid venues. Worth it if you’re doing 3+ museums with transit included. Not worth it if you’re doing 2 museums and walking between them.

The two-day scenario

This is where the pass starts making sense, but only if you’re museum-heavy:

Day 1: Vasa (230) + ABBA (250) + Skansen (250) = 730 SEK Day 2: Royal Palace (200) + Fotografiska (225) + Nobel Museum (160) = 585 SEK Two-day total: 1,315 SEK

Two-day pass: ~1,100 SEK.

Saving: 215 SEK. That’s real, though not the 50% the marketing implies.

The 50% saving is calculated against the pass’s face value of included attractions, not against a realistic visit pattern. Nobody does 8 paid museums in a day.

The SL transport question

Critically: the Stockholm Pass does not include SL transit (metro, buses, commuter trains). You pay for that separately (72h pass: ~340 SEK). The hop-on hop-off bus included in the pass is not the same as SL — it runs on a tourist circuit and doesn’t cover most of where you actually want to go.

This is the most common misunderstanding about the Stockholm Pass. Many visitors buy it expecting it to cover all transport and are surprised when they also need to buy an SL card.

If you’re planning to rely on SL for transport, add 340 SEK to your cost comparison for a 72-hour SL pass.

Our honest recommendation

Buy the pass if:

You’re doing 3+ paid museums per day
You want simplicity (one card, no queuing for individual tickets)
You’re doing 3 full days with a focus on Djurgården attractions

Skip the pass if:

You’re only doing 1-2 museum days
You’re spending significant time in the archipelago (ferries not included meaningfully)
You’re primarily interested in walking, free parks, and food
You’re tight on budget — individual tickets give you flexibility to drop things

The SL-only option: If your main goal is to get around the city efficiently, the SL 72-hour pass (340 SEK) covers metro, buses, trams and Waxholmsbolaget archipelago ferries within the SL zone. Pay for museum tickets individually. This is the right call for most flexible visitors.

Stockholm Go City Pass — save up to 50%

Our full three-way comparison is at Stockholm Pass vs Go City vs SL with current prices and a recommendation matrix. For a 3-day itinerary that maps to these choices, see our 3-day Stockholm itinerary.

The 3-day and 5-day scenarios

The pattern from the two-day breakdown continues: the pass earns its keep faster the more museum-dense your days are. A realistic 3-day itinerary — Vasa (230) + ABBA (250) + Skansen (250) on day one, Royal Palace (200) + Fotografiska (225) + Nobel Museum (160) on day two, and a lighter third day with just the City Hall tour (130) plus a Viking Museum visit (245) — totals roughly 1,690 SEK against a 3-day pass at ~1,450 SEK. The saving narrows on lighter days and widens on heavy ones, which is why the honest answer is “it depends on your actual itinerary,” not a flat percentage.

For 5-day visitors, the pass makes sense only if you sustain 2-3 paid attractions daily throughout — most travellers taper off by day 4 or 5 in favour of the archipelago or unstructured time, which the pass doesn’t cover.

Which travellers actually win

Traveller type	Pass verdict	Why
Museum-focused, 3+ day-1 visits	Buy the pass	Clears breakeven fast, adds simplicity
Balanced sightseeing + archipelago	Skip, buy SL pass instead	Ferries and walking days don’t use the pass’s value
Budget-conscious, flexible	Skip	Individual tickets let you drop plans without sunk cost
First-timer wanting simplicity	Consider it	The convenience has real value even at a modest saving

Comparing against the SL pass question

If transport, not museums, is your main cost concern, our dedicated SL pass three days vs individual tickets breakdown runs the same kind of real-cost tracking for transit specifically. The two passes solve different problems and many visitors end up needing both: a Go City-style pass for attraction entry, and a separate SL pass for actually getting between them. Our museum pass guide also covers museum-only combination tickets that sit between the two extremes of paying individually and buying the full all-inclusive pass.

Vasa Museum entrance ticket

Frequently asked questions about Stockholm passes

Does the Stockholm Pass include transport on SL metro and buses?

No. The Stockholm Pass includes a hop-on hop-off bus and boat on the tourist route, but does not cover SL metro, buses, trams or commuter trains. You need to purchase an SL pass separately. This is a common confusion and a significant additional cost to factor in.

Is Go City the same as the Stockholm Pass?

Yes, effectively. The Stockholm Pass is now sold under the Go City umbrella. The product is the same multi-day all-inclusive attraction pass. Some older listings may still say Stockholm Pass; the current brand is Go City Stockholm.

Can I use the pass for the archipelago ferries?

The hop-on hop-off boat included in the pass covers the city canal route only. For Waxholmsbolaget archipelago ferries to Vaxholm and other islands, you need an SL pass or individual ferry tickets.

Should I book attractions individually even with the pass?

Yes, for timed-entry venues like the ABBA Museum and Vasa Museum in summer. The pass includes entry but doesn’t guarantee a time slot; you still need to book a timed entry slot online (free with the pass, just requires reservation). Don’t assume the pass means walk-in access in peak season.

Is the Stockholm Pass worth it for a 5-day trip?

Only if you sustain a genuinely museum-heavy pace across most of those days. Most 5-day itineraries taper off attraction visits by the later days in favour of the archipelago or unstructured time, which erodes the pass’s value — run your specific plan against individual ticket prices before buying.

Should I buy the Stockholm Pass and an SL pass together?

Often yes, if your trip mixes museum-heavy days with real transit needs — they solve different problems. See our SL pass cost breakdown to check whether your transit pattern alone justifies the SL pass on top.