Swedish Lapland Travel Guide + Why You Should Absolutely Visit ASAP
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Why You Should Visit Swedish Lapland
Are you ready to step into a winter wonderland? Or maybe you’re ready to venture into the Arctic Circle? Look no further than Swedish Lapland! I’m about to deliver your ultimate travel guide to this absolutely stunning and still somewhat off the beaten path location. Listen, Swedish Lapland has made its way firmly into my top 5 travel destinations. The landscapes were breathtaking, the nature was impeccable, and there weren’t a million people competing to see the same thing at the same time. Basically a recipe for a perfect vacation if you ask me. Let’s dive in!
What You Need to Know Before You Go to Swedish Lapland
General
Swedish Lapland is located in the northernmost part of Sweden. Sweden is a member of the European Union (EU) and in the Schengen Zone. It is very cold there, especially during the winter season, since it’s in the Arctic Circle.
Money
The currency in Sweden is the krona (SEK). We paid with a card everywhere we went here and had no issues, so I don’t think you need any cash.
Language
The national language is Swedish. Swedish Lapland is definitely a seasonal travel destination, which means that workers will migrate in and out depending on the time of year and activities offered. This means that most speak pretty good English! Lapland, generally, has a high concentration of Sami speakers, since that is their traditional homeland. More on that below!
Safety
I felt very safe during our time in Swedish Lapland. Everyone was so friendly and super helpful.
Tips for Travelers with Anxiety in Swedish Lapland
Check the sunrise and sunset times. Especially in the late fall, the amount of light you’re going to get every day is going to decrease by a significant amount. This will help you plan your movements accordingly if you don’t feel comfortable driving in the dark.
Pack warm clothing and wear layers. You’re going to be hot then cold then hot then cold with the extreme temperature changes going from place to place. The absolute essentials you need to bring are: heavy snow jacket, snow pants, winter hiking boots, fleece lined clothing or thermals, hat, waterproof gloves. One of our guides told us to immediately unzip our jackets upon walking inside because we’d actually stay warmer outside if we didn’t have sweat on our skin from being too hot inside. So, tips from the pros!
How to get to & around Swedish Lapland
The main airport in Swedish Lapland is in Kiruna. You’ll likely have to connect through Stockholm to reach it. The airport itself is tiny, with only one gate available. Once you’re there, you can pick up a rental car from a number of companies. In the late fall/winter, you definitely need a 4x4 or AWD. I highly, highly recommend renting a car while you’re here because it will give you the flexibility to do so many more things in Swedish Lapland.
When to Plan Your Trip to Swedish Lapland
We went in late October, right on the cusp of the “summer” season ending and the winter season beginning. There was snow on the ground when we arrived, though it was unseasonably warm, according to the locals. And by unseasonably warm, it was about 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Late fall and winter are the best times to see the Northern Lights, which was our primary reason for visiting. This Swedish Lapland travel guide focuses on winter trips, but from what I read online and what the locals said, summer is just as fun, with so many hikes and other outdoor adventures to take advantage of.
Where to Stay in Swedish Lapland
Icehotel
Arctic Chalets at the Icehotel
If you’ve ever seen photos or videos on Instagram of the Icehotel, you know how crazy cool it looks. Don’t worry, I’m going to tell you all about it! The Icehotel is actually located in Jukkasjärvi, about 15 minutes from Kiruna. While Kiruna is the main city in Swedish Lapland, I am so glad we rented a car and stayed a little out of the city because it gave us an amazing opportunity to be right there in the nature. Plus, with a rental car, we could go into town for food within a few minutes.
Rooms
Ice rooms aren’t the only ones available at the Icehotel! Though you should definitely stay one night in there too because it was so much fun. You have two options for warm accommodations: hotel-style rooms or small chalets. The hotel-style rooms are in these adorable house-like buildings with the garden roofs like you see in photos of Iceland or the Faroe Islands. The chalets have two bedrooms and are perfect if you’re traveling as a group or want a little more space to hang out. They also have fridges and microwaves if you’re like me and always take leftovers from dinner.
As for the ice rooms, you have two options depending on the time of year. In the shoulder/early parts of the winter season, you can stay in the Icehotel 365 which is a year-round accommodation carved from ice. This is where we stayed on our one night! What’s nice about the Icehotel 365 is that the deluxe rooms also have an attached (warm) bathroom with sauna. The regular rooms have a shared bathroom at the end of the hall. The seasonal Icehotel is the same.
In the reception, storage lockers are available for all your belongings while you stay in both the seasonal Icehotel and regular rooms in the Icehotel 365.
Mystery on the Icehotel Express room at Icehotel 365
Amenities
The Icehotel boasts amenities like onsite dining, the Icebar, and saunas! Interestingly, you can also hold conferences there. And weddings! Honestly, I’d get married there, it was absolutely stunning.
Extras
The front desk staff can book and coordinate all group tours for you. Or if you want to experience some fine dining, they can arrange for an ice dinner for you. Honestly, they were so helpful with every question we had. One girl even told us of this spot only four minutes from the hotel where it was easy to see the Northern Lights! Best tip of the whole trip (and I’m sharing it below as part of this Swedish Lapland travel guide).
Things to do in Swedish Lapland
Without further ado, let’s talk about all the things to do in Swedish Lapland!
Northern Lights
The Northern Lights should definitely be at the top of your list of things to do in Swedish Lapland! While not guaranteed, chasing them down is half the fun. There are so many tour options to find them too. We did both a northern lights dinner and a northern light photography tour.
Northern Lights Dinner Experience
If you book this from the Icehotel, your host will pick you up for the evening from the front desk area. You’ll go off for a fun filled evening in the woods where you’ll get to hang out in a Sami tent around the fire and Glogg, a traditional warm alcoholic beverage. while you wait for the food to be prepared. After, you’ll move into a wooden hut where your host will cook your food. Typically, the dinner is reindeer steak with vegetables, but there is a vegetarian option too. My husband absolutely loved the reindeer steak and said it was one of the best meals he had on the whole trip. Dessert was a creme brûlée type custard with snowberries, and when I tell you I could have eaten six of them!
Unfortunately for us, this night was too cloudy to see the lights, but the lake where you would go down and look for them was stunning. The reflection off of it would have made some incredible photos!
Northern Lights Photography Tour
Fret not if you aren’t a professional photographer or you don’t have your own camera, the tour company will provide everything you need! After pickup from your hotel, you’ll venture into the wilderness, where the lights of the city fade away and leave the skies dark enough for the auroras to appear. Fair warning, it gets COLD while you’re standing around waiting for them to appear.
What I wore versus what I would wear instead
I layered up with fleece-lined leggings and jeans on the bottom, while on the top, I had a tank top, long sleeve shirt, hoodie, and my thermal Colombia jacket. For shoes, I wore two pairs of thick socks and my winter boots.
What I should have worn was all that, plus my snow pants, and instead of two layers of socks, wool socks. My toes were so numb it took like 20 minutes to feel them again when we finally drove back to the hotel!
Honestly, the best thing to do in Swedish Lapland is to see the Northern Lights. It was for sure the highlight of our trip!
The Best Location to See Them on Your Own
This wouldn’t be the best Swedish Lapland travel guide if I didn’t include where we got that stunning shot you see above. About four minutes from the parking lot of the Icehotel is a small bridge with a pulloff on the righthand side. The street name is Paksuniemivagen, or you can type in these coordinates: 67.8533000, 20.6404520. If you reach the Reindeer Lodge, you’ve gone too far.
Also a random annoying thing—some new cars have a safety feature that leaves the roadside headlight and taillight on if you pull over. So one of us had to stand against the car to cover the lights to get the best pictures. Check to see before you get out there if you can turn that feature off or prepare accordingly!
To capture images like this, you’ll need a lot of patience, luck, and a good camera. Though my husband’s iPhone 15 Pro Max also took some stunning shots on its own! We were lucky enough to see these bright greens and a hint of purple to the naked eye. Like, legit could not have asked for a better showing on our last night in Swedish Lapland.
Abisko National Park
About and hour’s drive from Kiruna, Abisko National Park boasts hiking trails, ample Northern Lights viewing opportunities, and stunning landscapes. It also sits alongside Sweden’s largest lake! Since it is situated higher in the mountains, there is less cloud cover, which is why the research station is also there. It was so cool driving along the road there, glimpsing breathtaking views of the lake, and then watching the thick fog disappear as we climbed higher and higher. We stopped probably three or four times along the road just to take pictures!
The amount of light you’ll have while driving will also depend on the time of year you go. So if night driving isn’t your thing, check the weather and sunrise/sunset before you go.
The most popular trail in Abisko is Abiskoeatnu Canyon, which is just off the road. You can easily reach it within 10-15 minutes walking. Most of the pics you’ll see online are from the opposite angle of the one above. There’s a steep, slippery path down the canyon wall with a thin rope if you’re brave enough to make the trek. Or you can be like my husband and attempt to climb down the side of this steep cliff with some grass and trees. I watched him struggle for like 10 minutes to get both down and up, the whole time thinking he was going to slip and die and how he had the car keys 🤣 What’s life without a little heart pounding adventure am I right?
The wooden planks eventually disappear, but you can still continue on for more stunning views. Fair warning, you will want hiking boots with good grip in the winter, or spikes/crampons. It does get slippery when it snows! I also recommend walking down to the shore simply because lake Torneträsk is gorgeous. Sit by the water for a few minutes and enjoy some peaceful scenery!
You can also take a Northern Lights guided tour from Kiruna if you want the best sightings possible.
Nutti Sámi Siida (Sami Museum)
Probably one of my favorite stops on our whole trip, the Nutti Sámi Siida (Sami Museum) is a short drive (honestly, you could walk if you wanted to) from the Icehotel. It’s an open air museum, which means that all the information boards are outside, along with examples of Sami houses and other artifacts. See how the Sami survived as a nomadic people and learn about their traditions from the gods they worshipped to how they kept themselves fed. They also keep a reindeer herd that you can interact with, though they won’t care much for you unless you buy a bag of food to give them, in which case, they will very much enjoy your presence.
Next to the museum is the Jukkasjärvi kyrka, a small church in the Nordic style. Pop in there for a glimpse of the interior art and snap a few photos outside. It’s stunning with the snow and evergreens around it!
Ice Sculpting
I lowkey want to find some place to start ice sculpting because it was so much fun. It’s one of my top things to do in Swedish Lapland! Our time flew by as I focused on shaving away just the right amount here and there to make my ice queen crown. This tour is offered exclusively at the Icehotel, and it makes for a perfect activity to keep you occupied during the day before you go out looking for the Northern Lights at night. Plus, it’s hosted in the warehouse where they store the blocks to use in the construction of the seasonal Icehotel every year. Those things are massive!
Moose Safari
If you want a chance at glimpsing some moose, make the drive out to Nikkaluokta, a Sami village. The drive itself is stunning, with small lakes and thick forests right alongside the road. Though the best landscapes are around the bridge close to Nikkaluokta. There’s a small picnic area where you can park and take a walk around the lake. The mountains in the distance make a great backdrop for your photos! It’s also where we saw two moose in the distance.
You can also go with a guided tour.
Other Things to Do Around Swedish Lapland
Depending on when you go, there are a few more options of things to do in Swedish Lapland. Since we’re focusing on winter trips in this travel guide, here are a few items we had on our list that we didn’t get around to doing!
Day trip to Narvik, Norway. You’ll need to tell your car rental company if you plan on doing this one as there are some tolls that have to be paid via the license plate. Apparently it’s popular enough that Sixt (the car rental company we used) has a package that will cover all the charges for you. Its a long enough drive that you might consider an overnight stay there, especially if its later in the year when the sun isn’t out very long!
Dogsledding. If you go early in the winter season (like us) you can take the dogs out for training on ATVs instead of having them pull you in a sled. If you’re there later when the snow has started to pile up, strap in for a fun and noisy ride!
Ice skating. When the river freezes over, people drive, sled, and skate on it! The Icehotel has everything you need to have fun on the ice.
Snowmobile tour
Other Northern Lights tours. Literally, you can do so many different types of Northern Lights adventures. Horseback riding, sleds, snowmobile, dogsled… you can check them all out here.
Final Thoughts on Swedish Lapland Travel Guide
Has this Swedish Lapland travel guide convinced you to plan a trip yet? With all the nature available for viewing, the lack of people, and rare opportunities for stunning Northern Lights displays, it’s the perfect vacation for any anxious traveler or someone who wants to get off the beaten path.