Sweden in 7 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Sweden in 7 Days: Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo by Rail
Sweden runs roughly 1,570km north-south, longer and thinner than it looks on a map next to the rest of Europe. Seven days is enough to string together the three big southern-central cities by rail without losing an hour to a rushed connection, as long as you skip Uppsala and a northern-lights detour. Want the Arctic instead? The 6-day Stockholm-plus-north plan covers that route; for a shorter version of just Stockholm and Gothenburg, see the 5-day plan .
Book these before you go
- Check Malmo hotel rates on Booking.com : book before the Copenhagen day-trippers do.
- Check Gothenburg hotel rates on Booking.com : rooms near Haga book out first.
- Book a Vasa Museum timed ticket for Day 2, before the summer queue forms.
- Browse Gothenburg boat and canal tours : a good half-day between Liseberg and Feskekorka.
Money, Cards and the Currency People Get Wrong
Sweden uses the krona (SEK). It is an EU member but never adopted the euro, so do not price anything here in euros. The country is close to fully cashless: bring a contactless Visa or Mastercard or a phone wallet, since Swish, the app locals use for everything, requires a Swedish personal ID number and is not available to visitors.
Day 1: Stockholm Arrival
Flygbussarna’s coach from Arlanda runs roughly 99-150 SEK for 40-45 minutes; the Arlanda Express is faster, 18 minutes, but costs around 340 SEK. Check into a hotel near Gamla Stan and spend the afternoon in the Old Town: Stortorget square, the Royal Palace exterior, Storkyrkan cathedral. Dinner in Sodermalm rather than the tourist center.
Day 2: Vasa Museum and Djurgarden
Book online ahead: Vasa Museum entry is 195 SEK October through April, 240 SEK May through September, 12 percent less online, for a fully intact 17th-century warship pulled from the harbor mud after more than three centuries. Give it a proper morning. Afternoon, pick one Djurgarden stop, Skansen or a short archipelago ferry, rather than stacking both onto Vasa.
Day 3: Train to Gothenburg
SJ’s X2000 covers Stockholm-Gothenburg in about 3 hours. Fares are priced like airfare, so book as early as your dates allow; early bookings can run as low as 195-300 SEK, while walk-up fares cost several times more. Check into a hotel near Haga and spend the afternoon in its wooden-house streets. Fika here means Cafe Husaren’s oversized cinnamon bun, the Haga-bullen, a local institution.
Day 4: Gothenburg’s Coast
Morning at Feskekorka, the indoor seafood market, for a fresh lunch; Gothenburg’s west-coast seafood is arguably better and better-value than anything in Stockholm. Afternoon at Liseberg amusement park, entry from about 95 SEK, a ride pass from roughly 365 SEK, cheaper in the evening. Dinner along the harbor.
Day 5: Train to Malmo
The West Coast rail line runs Gothenburg to Malmo directly in around 3 hours, no need to route through Copenhagen for this domestic leg. Check in and spend the afternoon walking Malmo’s compact center. Turning Torso, the 190m Calatrava tower, is worth seeing from outside, but public visits are limited to occasional pre-booked open days, not a walk-in observation deck, so do not plan your afternoon around getting inside.
Day 6: Malmo and a Copenhagen Side Trip
Malmo’s small airport handles little beyond domestic and low-cost routes, which is why most visitors arrive via Copenhagen Kastrup and the Oresund train, a normal routing here, not a mistake to fix. Use that same 35-minute Oresundstag train, roughly 80-90 SEK, every 20 minutes, to spend the day across the bridge in Copenhagen, then return to Malmo for dinner. If you would rather stay put, Lund is a shorter, quieter alternative with its own cathedral and university-town feel.
Day 7: Departure via Copenhagen
Cross the Oresund bridge one more time to Kastrup for your flight home; it is the standard exit point for Malmo since the city has no major international airport of its own. Build in at least 90 minutes for the train plus airport time.
| Day | Focus | Distance / Travel Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stockholm arrival, Gamla Stan | Arlanda Express 18 min or Flygbussarna 40-45 min |
| 2 | Vasa Museum, Djurgarden | Central Stockholm |
| 3 | Train to Gothenburg, Haga | X2000, about 3 hrs |
| 4 | Liseberg, Feskekorka | Central Gothenburg |
| 5 | Train to Malmo | West Coast Line, about 3 hrs |
| 6 | Malmo, Copenhagen day trip | Oresund train, 35 min each way |
| 7 | Departure via Copenhagen | Oresund train, 35 min, plus airport time |
Is 7 Days Enough for Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo?
Yes, exactly enough, and not a day more if you also want a Copenhagen side trip. Three cities plus two long rail legs already fills a week; adding Uppsala or a northern-lights detour on top means rushing at least one stop. If the north is the priority instead, the 6-day plan trades Gothenburg and Malmo for Kiruna and Abisko.
How Much Do the Train Legs Cost If You Book Early?
Booked 80-plus days out, Stockholm-Gothenburg and Gothenburg-Malmo can each run 195-300 SEK in SJ’s cheapest tier, so under 1,200 SEK total for both legs there and back across the loop. Wait until departure week and the same two legs can cost several times that, easily wiping out any savings from a budget hotel choice.
Is a Copenhagen Day Trip From Malmo Worth It?
Yes, it is one of the best value add-ons in this itinerary. The Oresund train costs roughly 80-90 SEK each way and takes 35 minutes, cheaper and faster than most in-country transit legs on this trip, for an entire second country’s capital. Skip it only if you would rather spend a full, unhurried day in Malmo and Lund instead.
Things That Trip People Up
Systembolaget, the only retailer allowed to sell wine, beer over 3.5 percent, and spirits, closes Sundays and keeps short weekday hours; buy ahead if you want anything for a Sunday night in. Tipping is round-up-only, not a fixed percentage. And the Sami, not “Lapps,” are the indigenous people of the north; you will not visit their homeland on this particular route, but it is worth knowing before you read anything else about Sweden.
Book the Stockholm-Gothenburg and Gothenburg-Malmo train legs together, in one sitting, before you land. Sequencing three cities by rail only works if the connections are locked in ahead of the trip, not improvised at the station.