Ferries to Sweden

Sweden is reached from four directions by sea: across the Baltic from Germany and Poland, across the Öresund and the Kattegat from Denmark, and from Finland and Åland in the east. The crossings range from a quarter of an hour to a full night on board, so the choice is less about the fare than about two questions: how much of the distance do you want to drive yourself, and do you want the night to pass at sea or in a hotel?

From Germany

The busiest link is Rostock - Trelleborg, where Stena Line and TT-Line together run up to six sailings a day and the crossing takes 6 to 7.5 hours. Frequency is the point here: you can usually still find space at short notice, and the route works as a daytime crossing.

Travemünde - Trelleborg with TT-Line takes 7 hours 50 minutes to 10.5 hours depending on the departure, with up to four sailings a day. Finnlines runs from Travemünde to Malmö in around nine hours, which pays off if you are heading for the Öresund region. The longest direct crossing is Kiel - Gothenburg: Stena Line sails daily and needs about 15.5 hours. It saves the entire drive through Denmark for anyone bound for western Sweden or onward to Norway, and at that length a cabin is part of the plan; on the Trelleborg routes you only need one for the night sailings.

From Denmark

The shortest way into Sweden is Helsingborg - Helsingør across the Öresund: 15 minutes, up to 55 sailings a day with Øresundslinjen. No reservation is needed, you join the queue and take the next ship. Coming up through Jutland, Stena Line crosses the Kattegat from Frederikshavn to Gothenburg in about 3.5 hours, up to four times a day. Scandlines feeds both corridors from Germany with Puttgarden - Rødby (45 minutes) and Rostock - Gedser (around two hours).

The Öresund Bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö is not a ferry but a tolled road and rail link made up of a bridge and a tunnel. It is the obvious choice if you are already in Copenhagen; approaching from the north, the Helsingør ferry is usually quicker than the detour to the bridge.

From Poland and the eastern Baltic

Swinoujscie - Ystad is run by Polferries and POLSCA Baltic Ferries up to three times a day, 6.25 to 8.25 hours at sea. On the parallel Swinoujscie - Trelleborg route, TT-Line and POLSCA Baltic Ferries need 6.25 to 7.5 hours. Further east, Stena Line links Gdynia with Karlskrona in 9.75 to 11.75 hours, mostly overnight. Bornholm hangs off the Swedish network at Ystad - Rønne, where Bornholmslinjen takes 1 hour 15 minutes and sails up to six times a day.

From Finland and Åland

Tallink & Silja Line and Viking Line sail from Stockholm to Turku in 10.5 to 11 hours, three times a day, and to Helsinki in around 17 hours, twice a day. Both are overnight ships with cabins on board and call at Åland on the way, so Mariehamn can be built in as a stopover.

Before you book

For cars, motorhomes and trailers what counts is length and height rather than vehicle class, so measure before booking. Bicycles and motorbikes are carried on all the routes named here. In the summer holidays and over long weekends, cabins and vehicle space go first. The binding fare for your date is shown at the booking step.