Overview
Sweden pairs walkable cities with vast forests, lakes and Arctic wilderness, and it sits just a short hop from the UK. Whether you are heading to Stockholm for a weekend, Gothenburg for its food scene or Swedish Lapland for the Northern Lights, flights from Britain are frequent and rarely take much longer than a trip to the Mediterranean. This guide covers when to fly, which airports you land at, the airlines on the route and how to keep the fare down.
Best time to fly to Sweden
Summer (June to August) is peak season, with long daylight hours, mild temperatures and, above the Arctic Circle, the midnight sun; fares, hotels and crowds are all at their highest. Late spring and early autumn (May, and September) bring smaller queues and softer prices. Winter is the season for the aurora, husky sledding and the Icehotel in the far north, though daylight is very short. Check the When to book chart above to see how prices move through the year.
Main gateway cities & airports
- Stockholm Arlanda (ARN): the main international gateway, around 40 minutes north of the capital.
- Gothenburg Landvetter (GOT): Sweden's second hub, handy for the west coast.
- Stockholm Skavsta (NYO): roughly 100km south of Stockholm, used mainly by low-cost carriers.
- Malmo (MMX): in the south, though many travellers to Malmo fly into Copenhagen and cross the Oresund Bridge by train.
Airlines and routes
SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) is the main flag carrier, with direct flights from London Heathrow and Manchester to Stockholm and Gothenburg. British Airways flies from Heathrow, while easyJet, Ryanair and Norwegian operate a range of routes from Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh. Typical flight time is around 2 hours 20 minutes from London and about 2 hours 25 minutes from Manchester. Connecting options via Copenhagen, Amsterdam or Frankfurt add choice for regional UK airports and for northern Sweden, where you change onto a domestic flight to Kiruna or Lulea.
Popular places to visit in Sweden
- Stockholm: a capital spread over 14 islands, with the medieval Gamla Stan and the extraordinary Vasa warship museum.
- Gothenburg: a laid-back canal city known for seafood, cafe culture and the Liseberg amusement park.
- Swedish Lapland: Kiruna, Abisko and Jukkasjarvi for the Northern Lights, dog sledding and the original Icehotel.
- Gotland: a Baltic island whose walled town of Visby is a UNESCO-listed Hanseatic gem.
- The High Coast: dramatic cliffs, islands and hiking a few hours north of Stockholm.
Top tips for finding cheap flights to Sweden
- Travel in the shoulder months of May, September and October, and avoid Swedish holidays such as Midsummer.
- Be flexible by a day or two and compare Tuesday-to-Thursday departures against weekend ones using the price charts on this page.
- Weigh low-cost carriers into Skavsta against SAS or BA into Arlanda once baggage and transfer costs are added.
- Book roughly two to four months ahead for summer and Christmas; last-minute Sweden fares are rarely a bargain.
Travel essentials
UK passport holders do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and your passport should be valid for the length of your trip. The EU's ETIAS travel authorisation is being introduced for visa-exempt visitors, so check whether it applies before you book. The currency is the Swedish krona (SEK), and Sweden is almost entirely cashless, so a contactless card or phone is all you need. For the best fare, use the When to book chart above and set a price alert.
