Country guide
Sweden ferries
Swedish ferries fall into two groups that behave nothing alike: the yellow state road ferries, which are free and cannot be booked, and the archipelago boats around Stockholm and Gothenburg, which are ticketed public transport.
- Routes
- 40
- Terminals
- 37
- Sailing times
- 2,954
- Operators
- 6
Do Swedish ferries cost anything?
The yellow state road ferries are free for everyone. Archipelago boats around Stockholm and Gothenburg are ticketed public transport.
Do I need to book ahead?
Road ferries cannot be booked and do not need to be. Archipelago boats in high summer do fill up, so buy ahead for popular afternoon departures.
How many crossings does SailNordic cover in Sweden?
40 routes across 37 terminals, with 2,954 individual sailing times published from operator and transport-authority data.
Are the timetables the same all year?
Archipelago timetables change substantially between summer and winter; the yellow road ferries stay broadly the same.
What you are boarding
The kinds of ferry in Sweden
Yellow road ferry
Run by Färjerederiet as part of the road. No fare, no booking — drive on when it docks.
Archipelago boat
Waxholmsbolaget and Västtrafik services: ticketed public transport with zones and seasonal timetables.
Island shuttle
Short local links to a single island, often only a handful of sailings a day outside the summer season.
Färjerederiet, part of the national transport administration, runs the yellow ferries. They exist because a road has to cross water, so they are treated as road — no fare, no reservation, and on the busiest links they simply shuttle back and forth without a fixed timetable. If a route planner shows a Swedish road crossing a strait, this is almost always what it means.
The archipelago is a different system. Waxholmsbolaget around Stockholm and the Västtrafik boats around Gothenburg are timetabled passenger services with fares, zones and season-dependent frequencies. Island piers can see only a few calls a day outside summer, so the last boat back is the constraint that shapes any day trip.
Summer changes the archipelago completely — extra sailings, extra piers, and enough demand to fill the popular afternoon boats. The road ferries barely notice the season at all.
The free state ferries have their own guide: Sweden's yellow road ferries explains which crossings cost nothing and how they are signposted.
Coverage
Sweden ferries in numbers
These counts cover the Sweden crossings SailNordic publishes a page for, compiled from operator and transport-authority timetables. Seasonal services are included with the season they were published for.
Where to sail
Regions
Full index
Every Sweden crossing, by region
All 40 routes we publish, grouped by the coastal region they cross. Each links through to its timetable, crossing time and operating days.
Bohuslän 21 crossings
- Hönö Pinan → Lilla VarholmenMarstrand → MarstrandsönLilla Varholmen → Hönö PinanMarstrandsön → MarstrandDonsö → Styrsö SkäretKöpstadsö → Styrsö BrattenStyrsö Bratten → KöpstadsöStyrsö Skäret → DonsöEriksbergs → KlippansBrännö Rödsten → Asperö norraAsperö norra → Brännö RödstenVrångö (Göteborg) → DonsöDonsö → Vrångö (Göteborg)Lysekil Ångbåtsbryggan → ÖstersidanKlippans → EriksbergsStyrsö Bratten → Styrsö SkäretKnippla → BuröBurö → KnipplaLilla Varholmen → GrönevikGrönevik → Lilla VarholmenÖstersidan → Fiskebäckskil
Stockholm 13 crossings
Skåne 2 crossings
Uppsala 2 crossings
Other crossings 2 crossings
The network
Busiest Sweden terminals
The ten with the most published sailing times — a rough proxy for how much traffic actually moves through the pier. The full terminal index lists every quay by region.
| Terminal | Region | Ferry links | Sailing times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luma | Stockholm | 2 | 176 |
| Donsö | Bohuslän | 2 | 171 |
| Lilla Varholmen | Bohuslän | 2 | 157 |
| Styrsö Bratten | Bohuslän | 2 | 153 |
| Styrsö Skäret | Bohuslän | 2 | 152 |
| Henriksdal | Stockholm | 2 | 152 |
| Barnängen | Stockholm | 2 | 134 |
| Gåshaga | Stockholm | 1 | 123 |
| Hönö Pinan | Bohuslän | 1 | 122 |
| Östersidan | Bohuslän | 2 | 112 |
Who runs them
Operators
Read next
Practical guides for Sweden
- Sweden's free yellow road ferriesFoot passengers, cyclists & petsWhen you need to book a ferryReading a Nordic ferry timetable
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Do Swedish ferries cost anything?
The yellow state road ferries are free for everyone. Archipelago boats around Stockholm and Gothenburg are ticketed public transport.
Do I need to book ahead?
Road ferries cannot be booked and do not need to be. Archipelago boats in high summer do fill up, so buy ahead for popular afternoon departures.
How many crossings does SailNordic cover in Sweden?
40 routes across 37 terminals, with 2,954 individual sailing times published from operator and transport-authority data.
Are the timetables the same all year?
Archipelago timetables change substantially between summer and winter; the yellow road ferries stay broadly the same.
Can I take a campervan on a Swedish ferry?
Yes on the yellow road ferries, free of charge like any other vehicle. Archipelago passenger boats generally do not carry vehicles at all.
Which Sweden ferry regions does this site cover in depth?
Gothenburg Archipelago, Stockholm Archipelago — each has its own guide with the crossings, timetables and local boats for that area.
Where do these timetables come from?
From published operator and transport-authority schedules, compiled route by route. SailNordic does not sell tickets and is not affiliated with any operator — always confirm the exact departure before travelling.