Kiruna, located in the northern part of Sweden, is a popular destination for those seeking adventure and natural beauty. It is known for its stunning aurora borealis, or northern lights, as well as its rugged wilderness and outdoor activities such as skiing and snowmobiling. If you’re planning a trip to Kiruna, you may be wondering how to get there and from where it is possible to fly. Here’s what you need to know.
The quickest and most convenient way to get to Kiruna is by flying. There are several airlines that offer flights to Kiruna, including SAS, Norwegian, and Lufthansa. The main airport in Kiruna is Kiruna Airport (KRN), which is located just a few kilometers outside of the city.
If you’re flying from within Sweden, you can take a direct flight to Kiruna from Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport. There are also direct flights available from other cities in Sweden, such as Gothenburg, Malmö, and Luleå. These flights are typically operated by SAS and take around 1-2 hours.
If you’re flying from outside of Sweden, you’ll likely need to make a connecting flight in Stockholm or another European city. From there, you can take a direct flight to Kiruna. Some popular connecting cities include London, Frankfurt, and Copenhagen.
When planning your trip to Kiruna, it’s a good idea to book your flight well in advance, as flights can fill up quickly, especially during peak travel times such as the winter months when the northern lights are at their brightest.
Once you arrive at Kiruna Airport, you can take a shuttle bus or taxi into the city. The shuttle bus operates on a regular schedule and takes around 15 minutes to reach the city center. Taxis are also readily available and provide a convenient option if you have a lot of luggage or prefer a more direct route.
If time is not a massive factor in your trip we also recommend traveling by train. Here’s how you can do it:
- Take the SJ high-speed train from Stockholm Central Station to Narvik, Norway. The journey takes about 12 hours.
- From Narvik, take the Ofotbanen railway to Kiruna. The journey takes about 2 hours.
You can purchase tickets for both trains online or at the train station. It’s a good idea to book in advance, especially during peak travel seasons, to ensure you get a seat.
Please note that you may need to show your passport when crossing the border between Sweden and Norway.
What you need to know before your trip
Knowing the basics of a country is always a must, so here are some quick pointers on what to prepare for before heading to Kiruna, Sweden.
The currency of Sweden is Kronor.
1 Dollar is currently 10,47 Kronor.
1 Euro is currently 11,16 kronor.
Most people speak English
Sweden is considered one of the leading countries in utilizing the English language and therefore you should have no issues communicating upon arrival with people.
The iPhones do not handle Kiruna weather at all
This one is important, due to the harsh weather conditions it is almost certain that your phone will suffer from battery loss, the iPhones are not made for this type of weather and therefore it is important to remember to keep the iPhone in a warm place when outside.
Thermal heat packs
These can be bought in the local grocery store, they can be placed on any surface of clothing and will generate enough heat to keep you warm and cozy for several hours.
In case of an Emergency
The Phone number for help in case of emergency is 112 in Sweden, and if you ever need to contact the Kiruna hospital the number is +46 980 730 00
The address is Thulegatan 29, 981 31 Kiruna, Sweden
The process we used for our trip!
We went with as a group of 5 people, in other words we needed to plan out our adventure carefully, we ended up using Skyscanner when looking for affordable flight tickets.
Once we got there we had already pre-booked a rental car, all cars in Kiruna Sweden come with year around winter tires. which was clearly a must-have since we arrived in February (One of the best time to spot the northern lights)
The car keys were handed to us as soon as we entered the reception point of the airport, which is a incredibly tiny airport I’ll have you know, however, the atmosphere is absolutely incredible. We went from leaving the plane to having car keys in our hands in less than 10 minutes.
Once we located our car we opened up our google maps and started heading straight for the Airbnb which the group had all agreed would be great. From the airport to our beautiful lake view home it only took about 15 minutes (20 for us since there was a snowstorm)
Our view was astonishing, we were right across from Jukkasjärvi, where the famous Ice Hotel was located (we have a short video about it) and since it was -15 degrees we simply walked over the ice for our visit.
The next day we made it our goal to find the northern lights, also known as the aurora Borealis. we had tracked the weather and followed up on a tracking app that proved incredibly handy.
We ended up driving over to Abisko, and thanks to the app we ended up on a mountain in order to optimize the chances of seeing the northern lights. sadly, we didn’t have much luck, so after sticking around a few hours we decided we might as well call it a night.
Turns out the Northern Lights does not like to disappoint, once we got back to the cabin we realized there was a faint green glow in the sky, and with no knowledge of how to take a photo of the lights we gave it our best shot. (We could do with some help)
With the goal of the trip achieved and a few hours left of the trip we decided to utilize it as best we could.
We went exploring with snow sleds and snowmobiles, it was an incredible experience, the staff at the company were incredibly kind and their English was flawless, their was 7 – 9 dogs per sled and every single dog wore shoes to protect their paws.
To summarize, if someone ever told us to go visit Kiruna again, we wouldn’t hesitate to go.
Here are 4 random facts you probably didn’t know about the northern lights.
4 Things you might not know about the Northern Lights!
1. The finish folklore believed that the aurora was caused by a fox sweeping its tail…
2. Sami people believe that the northern light emanate from the souls of their dead ancestors, and if you whistle at them the whistler might be spirited away.
3. They’re a sign of good luck! Fishermen once believed that the northern lights were caused by light reflecting off a large Herring in the ocean! (Sillblixt)
4. They don’t look anything like they do in the photos! The human eye doesn’t detect the real colors at night, instead, you’ll see shades of grey and with some luck green as well.