Nine day trips, none of which needs a car. What separates them is less the distance than the ticket: four run on the SL ticket you probably already hold, five need a train or boat ticket — and three depend on boats that don’t run all year.
When you need this
You have a free day in Stockholm and want to see something beyond the city without renting a car. You hold an SL 24-hour, 72-hour or 7-day ticket and want to know how far it actually reaches. You’re deciding between a boat day and a train day — or it’s October and you need to know which boats still sail.
The nine day trips compared
| Trip | How you get there | SL ticket covers it? | One way | Season | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drottningholm Palace | Metro green line to Brommaplan, then bus; or seasonal boat from Klara Mälarstrand | Metro and bus yes; boat no | About 10 km; boat about 1 h | Park all year; palace weekends only from 3 October 2026; boat to 25 October 2026 | Royal palace and gardens in half a day |
| Vaxholm | Waxholmsbolaget boat from Strömkajen, or bus 670 from Tekniska högskolan | Yes, all year, boat and bus | Boat within the hour | All year; fortress museum summer only | The archipelago on the ticket you already have |
| Sigtuna | SL commuter train to Märsta, then SL bus 570 or 575; bus 579 from Arlanda | Yes (not on SJ trains) | A little under 1 h | All year | Viking-age and medieval town; Arlanda layovers |
| Tyresta National Park | Commuter train to Haninge, then bus 834 to Tyresta by | Yes | Check the SL planner | All year | Old-growth forest walks, free entry |
| Grinda and the middle archipelago | Waxholmsbolaget beyond Vaxholm | No, except SL tickets of 30 days or more from 14 September to 29 April | A long day | Full service June–August; boats all year | Swimming, rocks and nature |
| Uppsala | SL commuter train line 40, or Mälartåg / SJ regional train | No | 55 min commuter train; 35–40 min regional train | All year | Cathedral, university town, Gamla Uppsala mounds |
| Birka | Boat package from Klara Mälarstrand | No | About 2 h | 7 May–25 October 2026; daily only 22 June–9 August | Viking history on an island |
| Mariefred and Gripsholm | Mälartåg to Läggesta, then bus 305 or 306; summer steamboat | No | About 40 min plus bus; steamboat 3.5 h | Train all year; steamboat only 6 June–2 August in 2026 | Castle, portraits, a small lakeside town |
| Falun copper mine | SJ direct train | No | Roughly 2 h 40 min to 3 h | Mine open all year | World Heritage mine on a long day |
The pattern is simple. The four trips inside Stockholm County run all year on the ticket you already have. The three Lake Mälaren trips depend on boats that stop in autumn, or on a separate train ticket. Uppsala and Falun are train trips with their own tickets.
What your SL ticket covers — and where it stops
SL’s tickets have no zones. Any SL ticket — including a 75-minute single bought by tapping a contactless card — is valid across Stockholm County, plus the commuter-train stations at Bålsta and Gnesta just outside it. Each traveler needs their own card.
Where it stops:
- The county border. Uppsala County runs on UL tickets. On the SL commuter train, line 40, the stretch between Arlanda and Uppsala is under UL’s fares, not SL’s — your SL ticket or card tap ends at Arlanda C.
- Regional trains. SL tickets are not valid on SJ, and — the trap many guides still miss — not on Mälartåg either, not even for the part of the journey inside Stockholm County. Mälardalstrafik’s ticket page, updated in July 2026, says so explicitly.
- Tourist boats on Lake Mälaren. The Drottningholm and Birka boats sell their own tickets.
- Archipelago boats beyond Vaxholm. Between Strömkajen and Vaxholm (44 jetties), any SL ticket is valid all year. Further out you need a Waxholmsbolaget ticket — except from 14 September to 29 April, when SL tickets valid 30 days or longer cover every line.
Warning: Neither Mälartåg nor the SL commuter train sells tickets on board. If you board a Mälartåg train on an SL ticket or a card tap, you are traveling without a valid ticket and cannot fix it on the train.
Day trips on an SL ticket
These four cost nothing extra if you already hold a 24-hour, 72-hour or longer SL ticket, and a card tap covers them otherwise.
Drottningholm Palace is the royal palace on Lake Mälaren, about 10 km west of the city: take the metro’s green line to Brommaplan and a bus to the stop Drottningholm. No bus tickets are sold there, so tap your card on the bus or use the SL app. The park is free and open around the clock all year; the palace opens weekends only from 3 October 2026 and is closed 7–30 December.
Vaxholm is the archipelago on your SL ticket: Waxholmsbolaget’s boats from Strömkajen reach it within the hour, and bus 670 from Tekniska högskolan is the all-weather alternative. Take the boat out and the bus back. The fortress museum is a summer opening.
Sigtuna, Sweden’s self-styled first town, is a little under an hour away: the SL commuter train to Märsta, then SL bus 570 or 575. Take the commuter train, not SJ — SL tickets are not valid on SJ. With a long Arlanda layover, SL bus 579 goes direct from the airport and avoids the station fee charged at the Arlanda C gates.
Tyresta National Park is old-growth forest at the city’s edge: commuter train to Haninge, then bus 834 to the main entrance, Tyresta by. Take 834, not 807 or 809 — those stop at Svartbäcken, about 3 km away. Naturum is free.
Day trips by regional train
Uppsala has two trains and two ticket systems:
| Train | Time to Stockholm | Ticket |
|---|---|---|
| SL commuter train, line 40 | 55 min to Stockholm Central | Combined UL+SL ticket (150-minute single or 24-hour), or your SL ticket plus a UL ticket for Arlanda–Uppsala |
| Mälartåg regional train | About 35–40 min | Mälartåg single in the Mälardalstrafik app — SL tickets not valid |
| SJ regional train | About 35–40 min | SJ ticket — SL and UL tickets not valid |
If you already hold an SL ticket, UL says the add-on UL ticket can be bought in the UL or SL app. In Uppsala itself, UL’s buses are cash-free and don’t take a simple card tap: buy in the UL app or by card at the terminal on board.
Mariefred and Gripsholm Castle: all year, take Mälartåg from Stockholm Central towards Eskilstuna to Läggesta, about 40 minutes, then Sörmlandstrafiken bus 305 or 306 into town (a tapped bank card buys a single). Buy the train ticket before boarding. On 13 December 2026, VR Sverige takes over Mälartåg with a new timetable.
Falun is the long one: direct SJ trains take roughly 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours each way, with only a few direct departures a day. The World Heritage copper mine is about 1 km from the station and open all year. Book an SJ ticket — and check the last train back.
Day trips by boat on Lake Mälaren and the archipelago
Birka, the Viking town on Björkö, is reachable only by boat. From Klara Mälarstrand by City Hall it takes about two hours each way, sold only as a package with the museum and a guided tour; the high-summer boat gives about 3 hours 15 minutes on the island. The 2026 season runs 7 May–25 October, daily only 22 June–9 August. Birka is on Lake Mälaren, not in the archipelago — the boats leave from City Hall, not Strömkajen.
The Mariefred steamboat, S/S Mariefred, takes 3.5 hours each way. In 2026 it sailed only from 6 June to 2 August. In summer, combine it with the train: boat one way, train back.
Grinda and the middle archipelago mean a long day on Waxholmsbolaget beyond Vaxholm, on a Waxholmsbolaget ticket. Boats run all year, several a day in summer; the café and shop on Grinda are summer services. See archipelago ferries and tickets for fares beyond Vaxholm.
Which trips work in autumn and winter
| Period | What changes |
|---|---|
| June–August | Everything runs; boats at their fullest timetables |
| Autumn 2026 | Drottningholm Palace weekends only from 3 October; Drottningholm and Birka boats end 25 October |
| November–April | No regular Birka boat, Birka museum closed; no Mariefred steamboat; Drottningholm Palace closed 7–30 December |
| 14 September – 29 April | SL tickets of 30 days or more cover every Waxholmsbolaget line |
| 13 December 2026 | VR Sverige takes over Mälartåg (Uppsala, Läggesta) |
| Ice winters | Archipelago boats may switch to an ice timetable with fewer, slower departures |
Year-round: Vaxholm, Sigtuna, Tyresta, Uppsala, Mariefred by train and Falun.
Mistakes to avoid
- Assuming one Stockholm ticket covers the region. It covers four of these nine trips.
- Buying a boat ticket to Vaxholm while holding an SL ticket. You’re already covered.
- Trusting older guides on Mälartåg. SL tickets are not valid on it at all.
- Taking SJ to Märsta on an SL ticket on the way to Sigtuna. Use the commuter train.
- Planning Birka for November or the steamboat for September.
- Planning Falun as a half day. It’s a full one.
Practical information
| Item | Where it stands (checked 1 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| SL single, card tap or app | 75 minutes; same price in every channel; reset each January — check sl.se |
| Vaxholm, Drottningholm, Sigtuna, Tyresta transport | Covered by any SL ticket |
| UL+SL ticket for Uppsala | 150-minute single or 24-hour; price on UL’s site |
| Mälartåg single (Uppsala, Läggesta) | Fixed price per departure; Mälardalstrafik app; none on board |
| Birka boat package | Set by the operator; boat, museum and guided tour included |
| Falun by SJ | Varies by departure; check SJ |
| Free | Drottningholm palace park, Tyresta naturum, Uppsala Cathedral |
FAQ
Does my SL ticket cover a day trip to Uppsala?
No. SL tickets end at the county border, and the SL commuter train between Arlanda and Uppsala runs on UL fares. Buy a combined UL+SL ticket for the commuter train, or add a UL ticket to the SL ticket you hold. Mälartåg and SJ need their own tickets; SL tickets are not valid on them at all.
Which day trips from Stockholm can I do on an SL ticket?
Four: Drottningholm Palace by metro and bus, Vaxholm by Waxholmsbolaget boat or bus 670, Sigtuna by commuter train to Märsta and SL bus 570 or 575, and Tyresta National Park by commuter train to Haninge and bus 834. A tapped contactless card works on all of them, and a 72-hour ticket covers them at no extra cost.
What day trips from Stockholm still work in winter?
Vaxholm, Sigtuna, Tyresta, Uppsala, Mariefred by train and Falun’s mine all run year-round. Drottningholm’s park stays open, but the palace opens only at weekends from October and closes 7–30 December. Birka has no regular boat from November to April, and the Mariefred steamboat sails only in early summer.
How do I get to Mariefred and Gripsholm Castle from Stockholm?
All year: a Mälartåg regional train from Stockholm Central towards Eskilstuna to Läggesta, about 40 minutes, then Sörmlandstrafiken bus 305 or 306 into Mariefred. SL tickets are not valid on this train, and none are sold on board. In summer the S/S Mariefred steamboat takes 3.5 hours; in 2026 it sailed 6 June–2 August.
How long does a Birka day trip take?
Plan a full day. The boat from Klara Mälarstrand by City Hall takes about two hours each way, and the high-summer departure gives about 3 hours 15 minutes on the island. Tickets come as a package with the museum and a guided tour. In 2026 the boat runs from 7 May to 25 October.
Can I visit Falun as a day trip from Stockholm?
Yes, but it is a long day. Direct SJ trains take roughly 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours each way, with only a few direct departures, and the mine is about 1 km from Falun’s station. The mine is open all year. SL tickets are not valid on SJ, so book an SJ ticket.
Related guides
- Stockholm public transport and SL tickets — tapping, period tickets and the UL supplement in depth.
- Stockholm in 3 days — where a day trip fits in a short stay.
- Archipelago ferries and tickets — fares and rules beyond Vaxholm.
- Buying train tickets in Sweden — Mälartåg, SJ and how to book.
- Uppsala guide — the sights, UL buses and Gamla Uppsala once you arrive.
Facts verified 1 October 2026. Sources: SL, Mälardalstrafik, UL and Region Uppsala, Waxholmsbolaget, Kungliga slotten, Sörmlandstrafiken, Sveriges nationalparker and the sites’ own operators — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.