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Visiting from abroadBaltic states

Baltic Visitors to Stockholm: Flight or Ferry?

Updated 3 min read

Visitors from the Baltic states often have two genuinely different ways into Stockholm: a short flight into Arlanda, or — from ports such as Tallinn and Riga — an overnight ferry that arrives directly into the city's harbour. Check which crossings run from your port, as routes change. Both options are common, and which one you pick changes what the arrival leg looks like more than almost any other route in this guide covers — one lands you at an airport around forty kilometres north of the city, the other drops you close to the centre after a night's crossing.

This walks through both arrivals and how booking a pickup works for each.

Flying in: a short, easy Schengen hop

A flight from Tallinn, Riga or Vilnius into Arlanda is a short intra-Schengen route, so there's normally no passport control on arrival (carry your passport or ID card anyway, since temporary checks can be reintroduced) — you land, collect your luggage and you're through. From there, a booked pickup takes you straight to your Stockholm or Uppsala-region address without needing to work out the airport train or coach from an unfamiliar terminal.

Arriving by overnight ferry

The ferry option puts you ashore in Stockholm itself after an overnight crossing, generally in the morning, tired in a different way than a flight leaves you — less jet lag, more a night that wasn't quite a full sleep. A booked pickup works from a ferry terminal exactly as it does from the airport: give us the terminal and your expected arrival time, and the driver meets you there rather than at Arlanda.

Ferry arrival times can shift with weather or scheduling in a way flight tracking doesn't cover automatically, so if your crossing's timing looks uncertain on the day, it's worth a quick message to confirm before your booked pickup time.

Choosing between the two for your trip

Flying suits a short visit where getting there quickly matters more than the journey itself — the total travel time from any of the three Baltic capitals into central Stockholm is a fraction of the ferry's overnight crossing. The ferry suits a trip where the crossing is part of the experience, or where saving a hotel night by sleeping aboard actually works out cheaper once you add it up against a flight plus an extra night's accommodation.

Neither is the objectively better choice — it depends on what your trip is actually for, and a booked pickup works identically well whichever you choose, since both options end with a driver meeting you at a set time and place.

What every Förare booking includes

The fixed price you see before booking is the price on your receipt — 6% VAT included, whole car, not per person.

  • Flight tracked — pickup follows your live arrival
  • 45 minutes free waiting, from your driver's confirmed arrival
  • No terminal fee
  • No surge pricing, ever
  • Free cancellation up to 12 hours

Questions people ask before booking

Do you pick up from the ferry terminal as well as Arlanda?

Yes — a booked pickup works the same way from a ferry terminal as from the airport. Give us the terminal and your expected arrival time when you book.

Is there passport control flying from the Baltic states to Sweden?

Normally no — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are Schengen countries, so a flight into Arlanda from any of them usually has no passport check on arrival. Carry your passport or ID card anyway.

What if the ferry is delayed by weather?

Message us with the updated timing as soon as you know it — ferry schedules don't move automatically with flight-style tracking, so a quick update keeps your pickup time accurate.

Is flying or the ferry the better option?

It depends what you want from the trip — flying is faster overall, the ferry saves a hotel night and puts you closer to central Stockholm on arrival. Both have a straightforward pickup either way.

Can I book one leg by ferry and come home by flight, or the other way round?

Yes — book each leg separately with whichever arrival point applies, airport or terminal, and each gets its own pickup.

Book your Arlanda pickup

Enter the address and you will see the price for the whole car before anything is paid. No account needed.

  • One fixed price for the whole car, 6% VAT included, shown before you pay.
  • We follow the live arrival and move the pickup to the actual landing time.
  • Cancel free of charge more than 12 hours before pickup, refunded in full.
See your fixed priceSee the price list

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