Stockholm charges your car before you park it. Every weekday passage into or out of the inner city costs 11–45 kr in congestion tax, capped at 135 kr a day, and a foreign car gets the bill later through EPASS24. Weekends and most of July are free.
My plan: leave the car at a park and ride such as Globen, 60 kr until midnight if you arrive between 05:00 and 09:00, and take SL into town.
Parking in Stockholm: Stockholm's toll cameras, 55 kr kerbs and 425 kr garages
1. Budget for the congestion tax
Cameras log every passage into and out of the inner city, and on Essingeleden, Monday to Friday 06:00–18:29. It's 11 kr at midday and 45 kr at 07:00–08:29 and 16:00–17:29 in peak season (1 March to the day before Midsummer Eve, and 15 August to 30 November). In at 08:00 and out at 17:00 is 90 kr. The day cap is 135 kr, or 105 kr off-season.
2. Pay through EPASS24, not a booth
There's nothing to pay on the road. For a foreign car, Transportstyrelsen's partner traces the owner and invoices through EPASS24, where you can open an account and pay online. Miss the due date and you add a 500 kr extra fee. On a Swedish hire car the monthly tax decision goes to the registered owner, the rental firm, so ask how they pass it on.
3. Read the taxa sign before paying
Kerb prices go by tariff zone (taxa), and the sign on the street decides. Taxa 1 in the centre is 55 kr an hour, every day, around the clock. Taxa 2, Gamla stan and the inner-city core, is 31 kr in the daytime and 20 kr at other times. Taxa 3 is 20 kr on weekdays 07:00–19:00 and free on Sundays.
4. Use an app with no extra fee
The city's machines take cards only. It lists four apps: Easypark, Epark, Mobill and Parkster, and says Parkster and Epark add no fee, while Easypark's full app does. Three hours on taxa 1 is 165 kr either way.
5. Buy the 24-hour ticket after four hours
Stockholm Parkering's P-hus Gallerian is 95 kr an hour or 425 kr for 24 hours, paid in advance, so the day ticket wins from the fifth hour. Aimo's P-hus Klarabergsgatan is 40 kr per started 30 minutes, 300 kr for 24 hours, height 2 m. In Gamla stan, surface parking at Skeppsbrokajen is 70 kr an hour.
The mistake I'd expect most is driving in at 08:00 on a weekday: 45 kr in, 45 kr out, and a garage on top.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | Height | EV |
|---|---|---|---|
| P-hus Gallerian (Stockholm Parkering)Regeringsgatan 16 & 17, Norrmalm; open every day 06:00–01:00; area code 362 | 95 kr an hour, 425 kr for 24 hours, paid in advance. Evening 19:00–01:00 75 kr, night 01:00–08:00 75 kr. Height not published. | not published | Not published for this garage. |
| P-hus Klarabergsgatan (Aimo Park)Klara Östra Kyrkogata 7, by Klarabergsgatan; 101 spaces, open 24/7 | 40 kr per started 30 minutes, 300 kr for 24 hours; weekend Friday 12:00 to Monday 09:00 also 300 kr. A service fee may apply. Height 2 m. | 2 m | Not mentioned by Aimo. |
| Trygg Hansa Garaget (APCOA)Flemingsgatan 16–18 / Scheelegatan 21–23, Kungsholmen; 200 spaces, open 24/7 | APCOA's page gives both 40 kr per started hour and 40 kr per started 45 minutes; the machine wins. Night pass 17:00–07:00 125 kr. Height 2.10 m. | 2.1 m | 2 charging spaces; price not published. |
| Skeppsbrokajen (Stockholm Parkering, surface)Skeppsbron, Gamla stan, on the quay; surface car park, always open | 70 kr an hour, every day, paid in advance. No day rate published. | not published | Not published. |
| Globen Infarts-P (Stockholm Parkering park and ride)Bolidenvägen 12–22, Johanneshov; area code 364 | Start between 05:00 and 09:00: 60 kr until midnight. Otherwise 25 kr an hour. Prepaid. No SL ticket mentioned. | not published | Not published for this site. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Globen Infarts-P (Stockholm Parkering park and ride) | 50 kr ≈ €4.5 | 60 kr only if you arrive 05:00–09:00 |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Trygg Hansa Garaget (APCOA) | 80 kr ≈ €7.2 | height 2.10 m · Page also says 40 kr per 45 minutes |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, taxa 1 (central) | 110 kr ≈ €9.9 | Taxa 1 is 55 kr, every day around the clock; the city's glossary defines taxa as a per-hour charge. Machines take cards only; Parkster and Epark add no fee. Not paying is a 900 kr fine. The street sign decides the zone. |
| A full day (10 h) | Globen Infarts-P (Stockholm Parkering park and ride) | 60 kr ≈ €5.4 | 60 kr only if you arrive 05:00–09:00 |
| …and the cheapest central garage | P-hus Klarabergsgatan (Aimo Park) | 300 kr ≈ €27 | height 2.00 m · Billed per started 30 minutes (40 kr) |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, taxa 1 (central) | 550 kr ≈ €50 | Taxa 1 is 55 kr, every day around the clock; the city's glossary defines taxa as a per-hour charge. Machines take cards only; Parkster and Epark add no fee. Not paying is a 900 kr fine. The street sign decides the zone. |
| 24 hours | Globen Infarts-P (Stockholm Parkering park and ride) | 60 kr ≈ €5.4 | 60 kr only if you arrive 05:00–09:00 |
| …and the cheapest central garage | P-hus Klarabergsgatan (Aimo Park) | 300 kr ≈ €27 | height 2.00 m · Billed per started 30 minutes (40 kr) |
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Towed in Stockholm: Towed in Stockholm? The car is in Spånga
1. Know the three fine levels
The city's fines are 900 kr for not paying, 1,100 kr where parking isn't allowed and 1,300 kr where stopping isn't allowed. The registered owner pays Transportstyrelsen, even while appealing.
2. Phone the pound in Spånga
Cars that are dangerous or in the way go to a guarded lot at Lunda industrial area. Phone 08-508 287 84, open Monday to Friday 08:00–17:00. The city doesn't name the towing firm.
3. Bring a card, not cash
An immediate tow is 3,450 kr for a car, storage 150 kr a day for the first ten days, and release outside office hours 2,300 kr. Card or Swish only; no cash. Stop where you shouldn't, collect next day: 1,300 + 3,450 + 150 = 4,900 kr.
4. Don't get towed on Friday night
The lot shuts at 17:00 on Friday. You either wait for Monday, roughly three days of storage at 450 kr, or pay 2,300 kr for an out-of-hours release.
I'd treat a bus stop or a crossing in Stockholm as a 4,900 kr mistake.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Stockholm's Trafikkontoret (city traffic office) moves vehicles that are dangerous or obstructive; it does not name the towing firm. Fines are set by the city and paid to Transportstyrelsen
- Phone
- Car pound (uppställningsplats), Spånga: +46 8 508 287 84
Trafikkontoret service centre: +46 8 651 00 00
Trafikkontoret, parking questions (Mon–Thu 08:00–16:30, Fri 08:00–16:00): +46 8 508 27 200 - Collect it at
- A guarded lot in the Lunda industrial area, north-west Stockholm.
- Hours
- Monday to Friday 08:00–17:00. Release outside these hours costs 2,300 kr (cars moved for long-term parking or vehicle debts only in office hours).
- What it costs
- Car up to 3.5 t: 3,450 kr immediate move, 2,750 kr within 24 hours. Storage 150 kr a day for days 1–10, 50 kr a day for days 11–30. Fines: 900 kr unpaid, 1,100 kr no parking, 1,300 kr no stopping. Card or Swish; no cash.
- Bring
- The city lists no documents. I would bring my driving licence, passport, the car's registration papers or hire contract, and a card.
EV charging in Stockholm: Stockholm wires every bay, but slowly
1. Pay for power in the parking app
Stockholm Parkering says it has over 12,000 charging spaces, with a point at every space in its own facilities. Visitors pay for electricity in the same app they park with. The price per kWh is unpublished.
2. Expect 3.7 kW, not a fast charge
Its visitor chargers are usually up to 3.7 kW, single-phase, mostly Type 2. Some garages share the load, slowing it further. Fast charging of 50 kW or more is at selected sites only.
3. Head for the high-power sites
Visit Stockholm counted about 9,500 charging stations in Greater Stockholm in 2024, including 36 high-power chargers at Valhallavägen 60, Ringvägen 164 and Drottningholmsvägen 175. Operator and price: unpublished.
Ten hours at 3.7 kW is about 37 kWh at most. That's a top-up, and I'd plan around it.
Where to charge
- Stockholm Parkering garages — Over 12,000 charging spaces; a point at every space in its own facilities. Visitor chargers usually up to 3.7 kW, Type 2; pay in the parking app. Price per kWh unpublished; 50 kW+ at selected sites
- High-power chargers, Valhallavägen 60 — Valhallavägen 60, Östermalm. One of three sites sharing 36 high-power chargers, per Visit Stockholm; operator and price unpublished
- High-power chargers, Ringvägen 164 — Ringvägen 164, Södermalm. Listed by Visit Stockholm; operator and price unpublished
- High-power chargers, Drottningholmsvägen 175 — Drottningholmsvägen 175, west of Kungsholmen. Listed by Visit Stockholm; operator and price unpublished
- Trygg Hansa Garaget — 2 spaces — Trygg Hansa Garaget, Kungsholmen, open 24/7. APCOA lists two charging spaces; no price published
Free parking in Stockholm: Stockholm is free at weekends, mostly
1. Drive in on a Saturday
There's no congestion tax on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays or most days before them, and none in July apart from its first five weekdays.
2. Park free in taxa 3 after 19:00
Taxa 3 (Vasastan, Södermalm, Kungsholmen and more) is free after 19:00 on weekdays, outside 11:00–17:00 on Saturdays and all Sunday. Taxa 1 is never free, and taxa 2 only drops to 20 kr.
3. Reach a park and ride by 09:00
Stockholm Parkering has over 4,500 commuter spaces next to public transport. Start between 05:00 and 09:00 and one fixed sum covers you until 18:00, 21:00 or midnight, depending on the site. At Globen Infarts-P it's 60 kr to midnight (25 kr an hour otherwise). The page mentions no SL ticket, so add 43 kr each way: 146 kr, against 425 kr at Gallerian before any toll.
4. Pay 75 kr for the evening
Stockholm Parkering's evening rate is 75 kr from 19:00 to midnight in 25 inner-city garages, to 01:00 at Gallerian and Konserthusgaraget. Another 75 kr usually covers the night until 08:00.
5. Don't count on hotel parking
I found no Stockholm hotel whose own site says parking is free.
Saturday is the day I'd drive into Stockholm.
Free or nearly-free spots
Globen park and ride: 60 kr to midnight
Stockholm Parkering runs over 4,500 commuter spaces by public transport. Start between 05:00 and 09:00 and a fixed sum lasts until 18:00, 21:00 or midnight; Globen is 60 kr to midnight. No SL ticket mentioned (43 kr a single).
No congestion tax at weekends and in July
Transportstyrelsen charges nothing on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, most days before them, and in July apart from its first five weekdays.
Taxa 3 kerbs: free evenings and Sundays
Taxa 3 charges 20 kr on weekdays 07:00–19:00 and 15 kr on Saturdays 11:00–17:00; every other hour is free. Taxa 4 and 5 in the suburbs are free outside similar hours.
75 kr evening garage rate
Stockholm Parkering charges 75 kr from 19:00 to midnight in 25 inner-city garages (to 01:00 at Gallerian and Konserthusgaraget); another 75 kr usually covers the night to 08:00.
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Visit Stockholm's driving page still gives older congestion figures (06:30 start, 11–40 kr). Transportstyrelsen's tables (06:00 start, 11–45 kr, 135 kr cap) are the official ones and win.
- Environmental zone class 2 covers most of Hornsgatan on Södermalm: petrol cars need Euro 5, diesels Euro 6. There's no sticker or registration; cameras read foreign plates too. A 2020 report gave the fine as 1,000 kr. Crossing Hornsgatan is allowed.
- A class 3 zone (electric, fuel-cell and Euro 6 gas cars only) is planned inside Kungsgatan, Birger Jarlsgatan, Hamngatan and Sveavägen, but was not in force when checked; it is held up in the courts.
- Winter tyres are required from 1 December to 31 March in winter conditions, foreign cars included: 3 mm tread and the alpine (3PMSF) symbol, or studs. Studs are allowed 1 October to 15 April.
- Studded tyres are banned on Hornsgatan (parts), Fleminggatan and Kungsgatan between Sveavägen and Birger Jarlsgatan; from 1 October 2027 also Sveavägen, Birger Jarlsgatan, Vasagatan and Torsgatan. The fine is unpublished.
- The city prints kerb prices as plain kronor; its glossary defines taxa as a per-hour charge, so this page reads 55 kr as per hour.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.