Stockholm Pass vs Go City vs SL pass: honest comparison for 2026
Stockholm: Go City Stockholm Pass — save up to 50%
Is the Stockholm Pass worth buying in 2026?
It depends on your itinerary. The math works in your favour if you visit four or more paid attractions in two days. If you plan Vasa (240 SEK) + ABBA Museum (290 SEK) + Skansen (250 SEK) + Royal Palace (220–240 SEK) in two days, a 2-day pass at around 1 000 SEK pays for itself. Museum-light visitors are better off buying individually.
Three passes, three different purposes
Stockholm visitors regularly ask which pass is “best”. The honest answer is that they solve different problems. Here is a quick summary before the full breakdown:
| Stockholm Pass covers | Attraction admission (60+ sites) |
| SL pass covers | Public transport only |
| Cost | Stockholm Pass around 680–1,750 SEK; SL pass 180–470 SEK |
| Break-even | Stockholm Pass pays off at 4+ paid attractions in 1–3 days |
| Best combo | 2-day Stockholm Pass + 72h SL pass for a museum-heavy 3-day trip |
- Stockholm Pass / Go City: covers admission to 60+ attractions and museums. Useful if you are doing multiple paid sites in 1–3 days.
- SL pass: covers public transport only — T-bana, buses, trams, commuter trains, in-zone Waxholmsbolaget ferries.
- No pass at all: sometimes the cheapest option if you walk everywhere and only visit a few attractions.
The mistake visitors make is assuming one pass “replaces” another. They do not overlap.
The real math on the Stockholm Pass
The Stockholm Pass pays for itself only if you visit enough qualifying attractions. Let us do the math for a realistic two-day Djurgården-heavy itinerary:
| Attraction | Individual price |
|---|---|
| Vasa Museum | 240 SEK |
| ABBA The Museum | 290 SEK |
| Skansen (summer) | 250 SEK |
| Royal Palace | 240 SEK (220 SEK Oct–Apr) |
| Nobel Prize Museum | 160 SEK |
| SkyView gondola | 200 SEK |
| Total | 1 380 SEK (~125 EUR) |
A 2-day Stockholm Pass in 2026 is approximately 1 000–1 100 SEK depending on where you buy. Including those six attractions, the pass saves you roughly 280–380 SEK versus individual tickets.
Add a boat tour (usually 200–400 SEK if bought separately) that is included in the pass, and the savings increase further.
Where the math does not work:
If your itinerary includes only two museums in two days — say Vasa and Fotografiska — individual tickets total roughly 435 SEK. A 2-day pass costs double that. In this case, buy individually.
Check the Stockholm Pass on Go City — compare 1, 2, 3, and 5-day optionsStockholm Pass prices in 2026
Prices vary by supplier and fluctuate seasonally. As a guide:
| Pass duration | Approximate 2026 price |
|---|---|
| 1 day | 680–750 SEK (~65–72 EUR) |
| 2 days | 1 000–1 100 SEK (~95–105 EUR) |
| 3 days | 1 300–1 400 SEK (~124–133 EUR) |
| 5 days | 1 600–1 750 SEK (~152–167 EUR) |
Always check the Go City website for current prices before booking — they update regularly and early-booking discounts sometimes apply.
What is included in the Stockholm Pass
Major museums (Djurgården)
The pass includes the four biggest Djurgården museums: the Vasa Museum (admission around 240 SEK alone), ABBA The Museum, Skansen open-air museum, and Nordiska Museet. These four alone total roughly 950 SEK at the door — already approaching the price of a 2-day pass. See the ABBA Museum guide for booking specifics, since the pass covers admission but not the required timed-entry slot.
Also included: Viking Museum, Aquaria Vattenmuseum, Spritmuseum, and Moderna Museet (permanent collection; special exhibitions may charge extra).
City centre
Royal Palace (one ticket normally costs 220 SEK, 240 SEK May–September), Nobel Prize Museum, Fotografiska, and the SkyView glass gondola at Ericsson Globe.
Boat tours
At least one canal boat tour and the Djurgården ferry crossing are typically included. Some versions include a hop-on hop-off bus/boat pass. Read the current inclusion list carefully — it changes between seasons.
Day trips
Drottningholm Palace entry (170 SEK individually) and the ferry to Fjäderholmarna are often included. Coverage may vary by pass version.
Building your list before you buy
The most reliable way to decide is to write down every paid place you genuinely want to see, then rank them by how much you would regret skipping each one. Anything you would only visit “if there is time” should not count towards the break-even. Passes reward committed sightseers, not optimistic ones, and the pace of a real day in Stockholm is slower than most itineraries assume: museums here are rich enough that two big ones in a day is already a full programme for many people.
A few guides help you size each stop honestly before you commit. The Vasa Museum guide and the Vasa vs ABBA Museum comparison show how much time each deserves, and if you only want the ship, a single ticket such as entry to the Vasa Museum with its preserved warship may be all you need. The Nobel Prize Museum guide, the Fotografiska guide and the Nordiska Museet guide cover the quieter city-centre options that fit neatly around a pass day.
If you are weighing a different kind of saving, the Stockholm museum pass guide looks at the alternatives, and the SL pass versus Stockholm Pass comparison frames the same decision from the transport side. For a first-hand account of the numbers, the Stockholm Pass vs Go City real-math blog post walks through a traveller’s actual spending.
How this fits your overall budget
Whichever combination you choose, passes are one line item in a larger trip budget. See the Stockholm budget per day guide for how pass costs compare against food, accommodation and other spending across different travel styles, and the 3-day Stockholm overview for how a typical first-time itinerary schedules the museums a pass would cover. For a deeper look at SL zones, tickets and how contactless payment works on the network, the Stockholm public transport explained guide goes further than the summary here.
What is NOT included
- Gröna Lund amusement park (separate entry, ride passes not covered)
- ABBA The Museum timed-entry booking fee (the museum admission itself is covered, but scheduling is essential)
- Restaurant meals and food at any venue
- Arlanda Express or airport transport
- SL public transport (unless you buy a version that explicitly includes an SL transit pass)
SL pass: what it covers and what it costs
The SL network includes Stockholm’s T-bana (metro), city buses, trams 7 and 12, commuter trains (Pendeltåg), and Waxholmsbolaget ferries within the SL zone. Individual fares cost 43 SEK per 75-minute window. Pass prices:
| Pass | Price | Break-even vs singles |
|---|---|---|
| 24-hour | 180 SEK | 5 journeys |
| 72-hour | 360 SEK | ~9 journeys over 3 days |
| 7-day | 470 SEK | ~11 journeys over a week |
If you are visiting central Stockholm and primarily walking between Gamla Stan, Djurgården, and Södermalm — easily walkable in good weather — you may not need even a 24h SL pass. Many visitors find they use transit only 2–3 times per day, making individual contactless taps competitive with a timed pass.
The SL pass’s greatest value is for visitors making multiple daily T-bana trips, using buses extensively, or taking Waxholmsbolaget ferries to in-zone archipelago islands like Vaxholm (and Grinda outside summer).
For a detailed breakdown of SL tickets and zones, see our SL pass guide.
Can you combine both passes?
Yes, and this is often the optimal strategy for a 2–3 day museum-and-exploration trip. A 2-day Stockholm Pass + a 72h SL pass together cost roughly 1 350–1 450 SEK. If you are visiting six museums and making frequent metro/bus trips, this combination gives you maximum flexibility.
Recommended combination for a 3-day visit:
- Stockholm Pass (2-day) for Djurgården museums, Royal Palace, boat tour, and SkyView
- SL 72h pass for T-bana, buses, and Waxholmsbolaget ferries to Vaxholm on day three
A solo visitor doing this combination versus paying individually for all items would save 300–500 SEK.
The combination works best when you sequence it deliberately: activate the Stockholm Pass on your first museum morning so the 48-hour (or 72-hour) clock runs through your heaviest sightseeing days, and add the SL pass on whichever day includes the most transit-heavy plans — typically an archipelago day trip or a day covering several neighbourhoods by metro. Buying both passes without a clear day-by-day plan is how visitors end up paying for overlapping coverage or letting a pass expire before using its full value.
Matching a pass to your trip style
Museum-focused first-timers. If your plan is built around Djurgården, a pass tends to feel natural because the sites sit close together and you can chain them in a single day without much transit. The Djurgården walking route shows how those stops connect on foot, which also means you may not need a transport pass that day at all.
Families. Children’s versions exist, but family days are usually slower, with snack stops and playground detours, so you will visit fewer paid places than a solo traveller. Read the Stockholm with kids family guide before assuming a pass will pay off, and count only the places your children will actually enjoy.
Budget travellers. Free viewpoints, parks, churches and wandering the old streets cost nothing, and the Stockholm budget weekend itinerary shows how much a short trip can include without any pass. A pass is a tool for spending more efficiently, not for spending less overall.
Short stays. On a very short visit the pass clock works against you, because every hour spent travelling or eating is an hour not used. The Stockholm in 24 hours itinerary is a good reminder of how little paid sightseeing fits into a single day.
The honest verdict
Buy the Stockholm Pass if:
- You are visiting 4+ paid attractions in 1–3 days
- Your itinerary includes Vasa + ABBA + Skansen + Royal Palace (these four alone justify a 2-day pass)
- You want to include a boat tour without extra cost
- You visit in peak summer and want hassle-free entry
Buy only an SL pass if:
- You prefer to visit just one or two museums
- Your priority is exploring neighborhoods on foot and by transit
- You are taking an archipelago day trip by Waxholmsbolaget ferry
Buy nothing / pay as you go if:
- You are visiting Stockholm for 1–2 days and only want one museum
- You are mostly walking and using transit just 1–2 times
- You have a very light-museum itinerary (street art, markets, parks)
Booking tips
Book the Stockholm Pass online. The Go City website and app consistently offer lower prices than counter sales at the airport or tourist information offices. You also receive instant delivery to your phone.
Check what is open. Before purchasing, verify the museums you intend to visit are open on your days. Skansen has limited winter hours; Midsummer (mid-June) often causes closures across the city.
ABBA Museum requires advance booking. Even with the Stockholm Pass covering your admission, the ABBA Museum requires a timed entry reservation, especially in summer. Book your time slot on the ABBA Museum website as soon as you confirm your travel dates — popular slots sell out weeks ahead.
The SkyView gondola has limited capacity. Book online to secure a slot, even if the Stockholm Pass covers the cost.
Frequently asked questions about Stockholm passes
Can I pause the Stockholm Pass?
No. Once activated (first attraction entry), the day count runs continuously. A 2-day pass gives you 48 consecutive hours. Plan your museum days to be back-to-back to maximize it.
Is the Stockholm Pass available for children?
Yes. Child passes (typically ages 4–15) are available at reduced rates, usually 40–50% of the adult price. Children under 4 enter most attractions free regardless of pass.
Which version of the Stockholm Pass includes transit?
Go City Stockholm occasionally bundles an SL transit add-on with their passes. Availability changes seasonally. Check the current options on the Go City website — if transit is included, it is noted explicitly in the pass description.
What is the difference between Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive?
Go City offers two formats in some cities. In Stockholm, the primary product is an all-inclusive timed pass (1, 2, 3, or 5 days). An Explorer card lets you choose a set number of attractions rather than a time limit. Check Go City’s Stockholm page for which formats are currently available.
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