The Stockholm city pass: 5 things you must know before buying

The Stockholm city pass is a discounted virtual ticket for those seeking a trip to Sweden’s capital to experience the best attractions over the course of 1,2,3 or 5 days total. Now if that is starting to tickle your fancy then read on! 

You will have to get your Stockholm city pass via Go City, the company specialising in global city passes around the world.

Why the Stockholm City Pass? 

The concept is super simple and the benefits from the outset are quite clear. A Stockholm city pass will provide all you need to help you save money on some of the best key attractions while making it as convenient as possible all under one mobile app. Hooray! 

This could be a viable option if you’re exploring with family, a partner or even as a single traveller.  

How much does the Stockholm City Pass cost? 

At the time of writing the Stockholm City pass prices are split out as follows based on 1 adult: 

• 1 Day Pass – SEK969 ($90)
• 2 Day Pass – SEK654.50 ($61)
• 3 Day Pass – SEK526.33 ($49)
• 5 Day Pass – SEK405.80 ($38)

The prices above are actually based on a current 20% discount being added from the app, so it will really depend on seasonality and whether Go City are feeling generous!  

The Stockholm city pass also works on something called ‘purse value’ which is based on standard gate entry from a whole list of different attractions. 

So once you purchase and activate your city pass you can use it as much as possible up to the total purse value and within 3 days of activating your pass.

Also worth noting that the timing of activating your city pass is essential!

From the day you activate your pass by midnight it counts as Day 1 completed so the earlier in the day you activate and use the pass the better for you!

It is also worth noting that as soon as you make the first attraction purchase on your Go city app the countdown starts so you have a limited amount of time to see everything! 

There is also something to consider known as the ‘purse value’.

This is the full amount you can use on your pass (based on the day pass you select) meaning you have a limit to how much you can use and spend.

Calculations for the purse value are based on average ticketing costs across Stockholm’s attractions.

Below is a breakdown of the current ‘Purse Value’ per City Day Pass option based on 1 adult.

• 1 Day Pass SEK 2750 ($254)
• 2 Day Pass SEK 4640 ($429)
• 3 Day Pass SEK 6390 ($590)
• 4 Day Pass SEK 7900 ($730)
• 5 Day SEK 9260 ($856) 

So as an example, if you take the 3 day pass you have single traveller credit of up to 6390 Krona or to the value of $590 worth of sightseeing.

A list of places to visit as part of the Stockholm City Pass 

The Go City Guide app provides a full range of things to see and do. 

Here is a sample of some of the attractions on offer: 

• Vasa Museum
• Nobel Prize Museum 
• Drottningholm Theatre 
• Fotografiska 
• Skyview Stockholm 

And the list goes on….but you get the picture as it’s all the main sightseeing attractions in one place.

The Go City app once downloaded is fairly straightforward giving you different options on the types of things you’d like to see based on your interests as you can see below:

So far so good… but is there a catch? 

So you might be asking yourself this all sounds great but why don’t I just go ahead and download the app and start planning out my trip?

Well you certainly can but it’s worth highlighting some key factors before you go ahead and hit the purchase button! 

Below are 5 things worth considering before you go ahead to buy your City pass. Bear in mind it depends on the type of traveller you are and how you like to experience your city breaks. Drum roll please…

1 . If you want a mixture of dining and shopping the Stockholm city pass might not be for you 

That’s right, if you are keen to navigate and explore the city outside of the main sightseeing attractions such as shopping or eating at that special restaurant then then the city pass might not be the right choice.

The pass will come up short if you want to experience other things beyond the typical main sightseeing menu. 

For me it was one of the main reasons why I decided not to opt for a city pass when it came to my first ever Stockholm trip. I opted for a more casual long weekend away and managing to see a handful of attractions (my choice of course!) while being able to explore at my own pace. 

2 – It won’t be that relaxing 

Unless you are a serious culture vulture ready to tick these off like Speedy Gonzalez then the 1 or 2 day city pass doesn’t seem like the right option.

Visiting new places should feel like fun and going at a pace that suits you too. That being said, for travellers who don’t mind a whistle stop tour then this won’t bother you in the slightest. 

I doubt very much you can truly enjoy a relaxing coffee without being tempted to look at your phone or watch to see where the next Museum is but this it totally my opinion.

3 – The pass doesn’t take into account public transport 

Sadly the Stockholm pass by Go City does not at the time of writing include any form of public transport (bus or metro) so you will have to account for extra costs to get around if that is what you want to do. 

The good news is that the Stockholm City Pass does offer a hop on hop off bus or boat service to help with your sightseeing. 

City guide bus tours run from 10am – 4pm while the boat option is currently running from 10.15am – 5.15pm so you do have some restricted use throughout the day. 

4 – Is the Stockholm pass good for families and children? 

A fair proportion of the top Stockholm attractions are in fact free for children! The likes of Fotografiska, Vasa museum, Nordic museum and Prince Eugen’s Waldermarsudde are all free for the kids. It would definitely be worth checking the other museums and galleries on your list to see if this also rings true?

Based on initial research it could be a better move not to buy a family based city pass. But do weigh it up especially as you don’t want to pay more than you need to! 

5 – Are you really saving money and time with a Stockholm pass? 

This is a good question and only you can really answer this one depending on your Stockholm exploring needs. 

In a nutshell, yes you do save money and time by purchasing the right Stockholm city day pass! The solution will be finding the right one for you; are you someone who wants to tick them all off in quick succession or would you prefer to take a more leisurely pace? 

My summary table below weighs up those pros and cons again in case you are still unsure:

Pros	Cons
Saving Money – Go City provide lots ‘purse value’ allowing you to see as many attractions as you can	Pass doesn’t include public transport so you may end up paying a bit more than expected
Convenience – Avoid the tourist queues for tickets!	Some exclusive exhibitions might cost more and not part of city pass access
You get to tick all the main Stockholm attractions all in one big swoop!	Seasonality might mean some attractions could be closed – check beforehand!
You get to save time without needing to queue up	Will not include anything outside of other exploring such as shopping, eating and drinking

Conclusion

Hope this was useful for you! Understand from the outset what type of Stockholm trip you are looking to experience and go from there! 

The Go City Stockholm app can be a definite asset for your trip but work out what you prefer to priotise 🙂

More Stockholm articles:

5 Rooftop Bars in Stockholm you must try

The Best Burgers of Stockholm

Guide to the Perfect Weekend Trip to Stockholm