Berlin --> Stockholm: A Magical Journey
- null null
- Feb 2
- 3 min read
Today – January 31st, 2026 – is where it all really begins!
At around 3 PM, I packed up all my things (and yes, it’s a lot — two suitcases, one big backpack, and a small bag with all my legal documents) and headed to Berlin Main Station to catch the SJ EuroNight Train to Sweden.
Saying goodbye to my cats and my family took a while, but eventually my brother and I made it to the train on time. I brought him along mainly to help me carry my luggage — priorities, Am I right?
The SJ EuroNight Train to Gothenburg
Berlin Main Station – Departure at 16:18
Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect from an overnight train ride. What I didn’t expect was how small everything would be! The hallway to my couchette was barely big enough for me and my suitcase, and the couchette itself... tiny! If I’d tried rolling over, I would’ve hit the wall instantly. 😂
Still, thanks to a bit of luck and my years of Tetris experience, I somehow managed to fit everything — including myself — into the space and settle in for the journey (and for my new life, at least for the next 5½ months).
About three and a half hours later, I met the person I’d be sharing my little “shoebox” with for the night — a lovely girl from Gothenburg who, thankfully, only had a backpack with her! We ended up talking late into the night about everything from Stockholm to work and random life things until we finally tried to get some sleep around midnight.
The night was... well, restless, to say the least. According to my smartwatch, I got about 2 hours and 15 minutes of sleep — not ideal 😅 But at least I filmed a few clips from the trip, which I’ll upload in the Video section of the blog once I figure out how to do that!
Arrival in Gothenburg
At 6 AM, my travel buddy and I woke up to grab breakfast — a lovely little package with everything you’d need for a proper morning meal: some bread with sweet and savory spreads, butter, yogurt with granola, a tomato, some bell pepper, apple juice, and coffee. Simple but so good.
About 50 minutes later, at 7:00 AM, we arrived in Gothenburg, where I had to get off and catch my connection — the SJ High-Speed Train (X2000) to Stockholm.
Since I had about an hour and 20 minutes to spare, I found a cozy bench near a coffee stand, grabbed another cup, and called my mom… accidentally waking her up. Woopsie! 😬
High-Speed Train to Stockholm
Getting all my luggage onto the next train was quite the workout, but a kind young man helped me lift one of my suitcases. I swear, being a woman looking helpless does have its perks — although, to be fair, I did ask him for help. So maybe asking politely also works wonders. 😉
Navigating Stockholm public transport
After three and a half hours of binge-watching “Two Broke Girls” and admiring the snowy scenery, I finally rolled into Stockholm Centralstation. I had completely forgotten how incredibly confusing this station is… but Stockholm was very quick to remind me. Oof.
Luckily, my friend Joseph was waiting to pick me up, so together we only got a little lost while hunting for the Pendeltåg that would take me to my shared apartment.
Another 40 minutes of nervously scanning my ticket, switching between train and bus and—tadaaa! We made it to my new home!
It was a trip I’ll remember forever: full of wonderful people, beautiful landscapes and very little sleep :D If I could go back in time, I’d do it all over again—exactly the same!
Extra!
The aftermath of my trip and my first night
As I started unpacking my life into this little room, it slowly began to feel less like “temporary housing” and more like my own tiny Swedish kingdom. I hung my sweaters in the wardrobe, lined up my skincare like loyal soldiers on the shelf, and tried (so far: successfully) not to turn the whole place into instant chaos.
By the time I was done, I was starving, so Karolina and Ryan—my awesome host mom and her cool son whose apartment this is—and I decided it was time for a pizza party: one tired newbie, one giant pizza box, and Netflix as our VIP guest. We chowed down together, laughed through a show, and before I knew it, the pizza was history and I was ready to pass out in my bed. 😴🍕
Comments