Trip to see Northern Lights at Abisko, Sweden

This winter I wanted to cross one item off my bucket list: watching the Northern Lights. The plan came together fast. I checked the best locations to see the lights in Sweden, and we ended up choosing Kiruna.

I did a rough calculation and checked the available flights from Stockholm to Kiruna. The numbers came in within a budget of 5000 SEK. I made a few calls, and my friends got excited and agreed to join the trip.

We then researched the stay and the odds of seeing the Northern Lights at Kiruna, the northernmost town in northern Sweden. It looked promising.

Then we wondered why not go even further north, and stretched the plan to include Abisko. It was an ambitious schedule, but we were confident that if we couldn't reach Abisko, we'd still have Kiruna as a backup.

The trip started in the morning from Stockholm, and we reached Kiruna in 2 hours. We rushed to catch the Arctic Express train for the onward journey to Abisko.

After reaching Kiruna, we realised all the cabs needed to be pre-booked at least a day in advance. We quickly checked for alternatives, and luckily were able to catch the airport bus into Kiruna city.

Then we got a bus to Kiruna Centrum.

Next, we had lunch and then rushed to Kiruna Railway Station to catch the Arctic Express to Abisko.

We finally reached Abisko in the evening and stayed at STF Abisko Tourist Station.

STF Abisko Tourist Station was a great place for a budget stay, with good facilities at a reasonable cost. We rested for 2 hours and took a sauna as well.

We booked a visit to Aurora Sky Station to see the Northern Lights that same day, since the KP score was better than usual, around 4.

Everything went as planned. We started at 8 PM from STF Abisko Tourist Station on a guided tour to the Aurora Sky Station base, where the cable car was ready to go. We put on the special jackets provided for the weather.

The 1.5 km cable car ride to the top of the mountain was amazing.

At the top, we reached the Aurora Sky Station itself. It was a jaw-dropping view of Abisko town from the individual sky station platforms at midnight.

The next day, we explored Abisko National Park. Abisko was scenic, with valleys, frozen rivers, lakes, and snow-filled mountains.

We wandered around Abisko National Park and took some pictures.

The day after, we took a morning train from Abisko back to Kiruna, reached Kiruna airport, and caught the afternoon flight back to Stockholm, landing by 4 PM.

Here's a summary of the total expenses:

Round trip: Stockholm to Abisko (3 days)

Number of people: 4

The rates below are per person.

Flight: 1460 SEK Norwegian ARN -> KIRUNA -> ARN

Hotel: 1000 SEK (4-bunk-bed room for 4000 SEK for 2 nights)

Train: 230 SEK (KIRUNA -> ABISKO -> KIRUNA)

Taxi: 240 SEK (CAR + BUS)

Aurora Sky Station Visit: 850 SEK

Food: 720 SEK

Total Cost of 4500 SEK / Person

It was an amazing experience. Thanks for reading. Cheers!! ✌🏻