Getting from Amsterdam to Stockholm (or the other way around)

Amsterdam and Stockholm are two of northern Europe's great water cities, and it would be nice if they were close. They aren't: it's about 1,100 km in a straight line and a lot more by road or rail, and the farther north you go in Europe, the more travel tends to cost.

You still have real choices, and one of them has improved a lot since this page first ran: there's a sleeper train again for the long northern leg. Almost everything else on the old version of this page, from the ferry-borne night train to the Eurolines bus, no longer exists.

Quick summary

In a hurry? Fly. A nonstop takes a bit over two hours. If you'd rather go overland, take the train to Hamburg and the sleeper from there, or break the trip in Hamburg and Copenhagen by day. The bus is the cheapest option and takes a full 24 hours, so it's for the determined only.

Flying between Amsterdam (AMS) and Stockholm (ARN)

Three airlines fly nonstop between Schiphol and Stockholm Arlanda: KLM, SAS and Norwegian, according to Schiphol's busiest-routes data, where Stockholm ranks in the top ten. The flight takes a little over two hours. With that much competition, there's little reason to take a connecting flight through another hub.

Stockholm has several airports, so search carefully. Most booking sites accept STO for "all Stockholm airports," but ARN (Arlanda) is the main international one and the one you want. From Arlanda, the Arlanda Express train reaches Stockholm Central in 18 minutes, with departures every 12 to 15 minutes. At the Amsterdam end, Schiphol is a short train ride from the center; see getting from the airport to downtown.

>> Further reading: Budget Airlines that Fly to Amsterdam, alternate airports for Amsterdam

Taking the train between Amsterdam and Stockholm

There's no direct train, but the trip is very doable in two steps, and a lot more comfortable than it was. What changed:

• The night trains from Amsterdam to Copenhagen that this page used to describe ended in 2014, when Deutsche Bahn dropped its City Night Line services to Denmark.
• The famous train ferry that carried whole carriages across the Baltic from Puttgarden to Rødby made its last run in December 2019. Hamburg-Copenhagen trains now go the long way round through Jutland and Funen, per Wikipedia. A new rail tunnel under the Fehmarn Belt will cut that leg to about two and a half hours, but its opening has slipped to 2032.

Step 1: Amsterdam to Hamburg

This takes about five and a quarter hours. The Man in Seat 61 gives a sample: leave Amsterdam Centraal at 12:00, change at Osnabrück, and arrive at Hamburg Hbf at 17:14, on ICE trains with a restaurant car. Book on Deutsche Bahn's site or with NS International.

Step 2, overnight: the Hamburg-Stockholm sleeper

The EuroNight sleeper leaves Hamburg at 21:53 and reaches Stockholm Central at 09:45 the next morning, so you can do the whole trip with one night on board. Important: from 1 September 2026, private operator RDC took the train over from SJ (Swedish Railways), and it now runs northbound only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Southbound it leaves Stockholm at 17:29 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving in Hamburg at 05:53. Check the current timetable before you book anything else around it.

The train has 6-berth couchettes, compact one- and two-bed sleeper compartments, a few deluxe compartments with their own shower and toilet, and seats. When SJ ran it, fares started at €44.90 for a couchette berth, €79.90 for a bed in a two-bed sleeper and €164.90 for a sleeper to yourself (Seat 61's figures). RDC's fares may differ, so check when you book, and book early, because prices rise like airfares.

Step 2, by day: via Copenhagen

If the sleeper doesn't run on your day, or you'd rather see the scenery, spend the night in Hamburg and continue by day. Seat 61's example: leave Hamburg at 08:53, reach Copenhagen at 13:38, then leave at 14:19 on SJ's X2000 and arrive in Stockholm at 19:37. The line crosses the Øresund Bridge into Sweden, which is a highlight of the trip. One 2026 wrinkle: SJ has been short of X2000 trains and until this autumn has been running them only between Malmö and Stockholm, so you may need an extra change in Malmö. Check SJ's site for your date.

Better yet, don't rush it. Copenhagen is well worth a night or two on the way; see getting from Amsterdam to Copenhagen. Hamburg is a good stop too, and you could also start with a detour through Berlin.

Taking the bus between Amsterdam and Stockholm

Eurolines, which this page used to recommend, sold its Dutch business to FlixBus in 2019. Today FlixBus is the main option. When we checked in September 2026, FlixBus listed a fastest time of 24 hours 5 minutes, fares from about €55, and around six trips a day, with changes along the way.

A full day and night on a coach is hard going. If you're going the budget route, consider breaking it up with a stop in Hamburg or Copenhagen, which also gives you a bed for a night. FlixBus runs Amsterdam to Copenhagen in about 12 hours from around €36.

Stockholm as part of a bigger trip

If Amsterdam and Scandinavia are part of a longer trip from outside Europe, it's often smarter to fly into one and out of another than to backtrack. AirTreks, BootsnAll's sister company, has been building multi-stop and round-the-world tickets since 1987. Here's a sample northern Europe route that includes Amsterdam:

The same shape works with Stockholm as the Nordic stop. For more ways to string cities together, see indie trips that include Amsterdam.

FAQ

Is there a direct train from Amsterdam to Stockholm?

No. You'll change in Hamburg (and usually in Osnabrück on the way there), and by day also in Copenhagen and possibly Malmö.

Can I do the trip in one go by train?

Yes, on sleeper nights: Amsterdam to Hamburg in the afternoon, then the overnight train, arriving in Stockholm the next morning.

How long is the flight?

A little over two hours nonstop with KLM, SAS or Norwegian.

Stockholm photo by pikadilly on Flickr