Terminal 5

Gate D11’s RC Café & Pâtisserie tells you where you are

Terminal 5 at Stockholm Arlanda handles SAS and Norwegian departures, and it feels like the airport’s main long-haul stage. Check your boarding pass: SAS usually pushes intercontinental flights from here, while Norwegian runs its Scandinavian and leisure routes. Security for T5 can back up badly at peak morning banks from 06:00–09:00, so add at least 30 extra minutes on top of whatever your airline suggests.

Layout: Marketplace in the middle, piers spinning off

Once you clear security into Terminal 5, you land in the central Marketplace area, a cluster of food and shops that feeds multiple gate zones, including C and D. RC Café & Pâtisserie has a branch right in Marketplace plus outposts at gate C36 and gate D11, which makes it an easy anchor if you get turned around. Figure on a 5–10 minute walk from Marketplace to deeper C-gates like C36, and up to 15 minutes if your SAS or Norwegian flight uses the far end of a pier.

Eating: RC Café satellites, Little Italy, and Nordic Kitchen

For coffee and pastries, the RC Café & Pâtisserie at gate C36 and gate D11 usually moves quicker than the Marketplace one, where queues build around the 07:00 and 16:00 departures. Expect roughly 40–60 SEK for a cappuccino and 35–45 SEK for a pastry. If your gate is in the C30s, hit the C36 outlet so you can sit within 2–3 minutes’ walk of boarding while you eat.

Little Italy by Pontus Fritiof sits off the main Terminal 5 boarding area and leans on pizza and pasta, with mains often landing in the 150–250 SEK range. Nordic Kitchen & Bar focuses on Swedish staples and usually prices mains in the 180–260 SEK band, with beer adding another 80–100 SEK. Eatery Garden fills the generic “all-day” slot near Marketplace; think buffet-style or mixed hot dishes priced per plate rather than fine dining.

Sweets by Camilla sits close to the central flow and is the candy stop for Scandinavian licorice and packaged chocolate; budget around 50–100 SEK if you just want a small bag or two. If you need something simple for the plane, RC Café tends to be a better value than ordering a full entrée at Nordic Kitchen when you only have 30–40 minutes.

Lounges: SAS, Amex by Pontus, Menzies, and 60° Lounge

The SAS Star Alliance Lounge in Terminal 5 is the go-to if you are flying SAS in Plus/Business or hold Star Alliance Gold; it usually opens early in the morning to catch the first European departures around 06:00. Food is more “light buffet” than full restaurant, so don’t plan your only real meal of the day here. Still, it beats paying 200+ SEK for a sit-down plate in the public area.

The American Express Lounge by Pontus in T5 is accessible to certain Amex card tiers and sits airside, within a few minutes’ walk of the Marketplace. Expect stronger food compared to generic contract lounges, often including small hot dishes instead of just cold cuts. If you only have 35 minutes between a European arrival and a long-haul SAS departure, skip a lounge hop; go straight to your next gate and grab a takeaway coffee instead.

Menzies runs two lounges in Terminal 5: the regular Menzies Lounge and the Menzies Lounge Norrsken, both used by various non-alliance airlines and priority-pass style programs. Hours vary but generally track the mid-morning to late-evening departure window, roughly 05:00–22:00. 60° Lounge shows up twice on airport maps, reflecting slight branding overlaps rather than two completely different concepts, so check the exact name printed on your access voucher.

Shopping: Sweshop souvenirs and tech at InMotion

Sweshop in Terminal 5 is your last-stop Swedish souvenir store, selling branded mugs, tinned fish, and candy; plan on 150–300 SEK if you want something more substantial than a keychain. Rituals handles toiletries and home fragrance, handy if your liquids bag got purged at security and you now need new shower gel or hand cream above the 100 ml travel size.

WHSmith in T5 covers books, snacks, and bottled drinks; prices are airport-level, so expect 25–35 SEK for a soft drink and 30–60 SEK for basic snacks. InMotion sells headphones, chargers, and travel adapters; a basic USB-C cable can easily top 250 SEK, so check your bag before you leave home. Syster P adds Swedish jewelry and accessories to the mix, usually in the 300–1000 SEK range, more “gift” than “impulse buy.”

Access headaches and one thing to watch

Recent reviews flag that Terminal 5’s drop-off area has been closed or heavily restricted at times, forcing cars and taxis to use less direct lanes or nearby car parks. Combine that with Arlanda’s reputation for clumsy passenger flows and it’s smart to add at least 15 extra minutes just from airport entrance to reaching the T5 security line. If you arrive by Arlanda Express or commuter rail, expect roughly a 10–15 minute walk from the station up to the Terminal 5 departures hall.

One last tip

Buy drinks and snacks after security in Terminal 5 rather than trying to push liquids through; several passengers report “had to keep throwing things out” scenes at screening. Hit WHSmith or RC Café in Marketplace once you are airside, then move toward your gate when boarding time shows about 30 minutes out.