Have you ever dreamt of witnessing the mesmerizing dance of the Northern Lights? Kiruna, Sweden, a town nestled in the far north of the country, offers an unforgettable front-row seat to one of nature’s most incredible spectacles. Known for its stunning landscapes, vast snow-covered fields, and close proximity to the Arctic Circle, Kiruna is one of the top destinations for those seeking the magic of the Aurora Borealis. In this post, I’ll take you through my journey to this remote corner of the world, share tips for experiencing the Northern Lights, and offer a glimpse into the unique adventures that await in this winter wonderland.

If there is something you keep from this post, let it be this: to be able to see auroras dancing in the sky you need:

Clear skies

Darkness

High solar activity

Though in an important note you need to know that you also need that the particles in the sky are willing to dance and they do. 

As all of these factors are quite unpredictable, let me share how to improve your chances!

It's a well-known fact that the Aurora Borealis graces the skies of the Northern Hemisphere, while its southern counterpart, the Aurora Australis, lights up the Southern Hemisphere. The further north or south you go, the better your chances of witnessing this breathtaking phenomenon.

Few places in the world offer the perfect conditions to witness the Northern Lights; clear skies and minimal light pollution are key, as artificial light can dim the intensity of the auroras. To maximize your chances, it's essential to escape the bright lights of the cities and venture into more remote areas. In the Nordic countries, you’re fortunate to have several great options, with Norway, Sweden, and Finland being top destinations. If you're particularly interested in Norway, be sure to subscribe to my Newsletter to receive a notification when I post that content.

Swedish Lapland

Lapland is a region of northern Europe largely within the Arctic Circle, stretching across northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland and into the Kola Peninsula of Russia. Lapland, the conventional name for the region, is derived from Lapp, the name Scandinavians ascribed to the Sami people, who have sparsely inhabited the region for several thousand years. As extra note; today the Sami consider Lapp to be a derogatory term. They call the region Sápmi. [source]

About Kiruna

Kiruna is one of the last small towns in the Swedish Lapland before reaching Norway.

It is a mining town, where almost everyone in the town is employed directly or indirectly in the mining business.

Due to the excavations happening in the mine and the expansion of it, the town has seen the need to move as the town was starting to sink. Yes, the city center of Kiruna is moving 5km further to the East!

This is a very interesting project happening right now and that will take place for quite some years into the future. You can already see the new city center with new hotels and new houses being built, as well as one of the churches being excavated so it gets transported away from the mine.

We were staying in a hotel that was closing that same month and all around the hotel, the buildings were being demolished. Definitely something to see!

People in Kiruna are extremely friendly (as we felt in Stockholm as well) and we felt very welcome in the town.

Reaching Kiruna in the Arctic Circle

So how do we get there? 

From our experience, we flew to Stockholm and then took the night train to Kiruna, and after a few days we flew back to our city connecting in Stockholm. 

Here are some options for you to consider:

By train

We booked a few months in advance (coming back to my “planning a trip” post) the Nattåg Stockholm - Narvik (Nattåg 94 (NT 94)) train from Stockholm. This train is a night train and you have different options to pick for your comfort. We wanted to experience the night train instead of flying and removing one night in a hotel. The price was not that cheaper than the hotel, but it was an experience to have. The train takes around 16 hours to reach Kiruna and has few stops on the way. So by the next morning you arrive in the train station ready for the adventure!

We booked a triple cabin. It had 3 beds, one on top of the other, one sink and a mini table to use for food or put your stuff. The cabin included bottles of water, heating and all the bedding you would need.

It was not the most comfortable, and if you are a light sleeper, you will have trouble sleeping in a moving and quite noisy train.

You get some keys to your cabin and also work for the shower, in case you want to take a shower. You also share 2 bathrooms with all the people in one wagon.

We bought some dinner before leaving so we didn’t need to buy anything in the train and watched some TV while eating.

The beds are quite small and only for 1 person to sleep comfortably, so we each took one.

The cabin is also equipped with an area to store your luggage at the top of it, quite spacious!

The next morning, we got ready and started putting on all our clothes to get ready to leave the train in the Kiruna station. The train arrived close to 9 am which was an OK time to reach the hotel we booked, even when of course, the room was not ready yet.

Extra tip: Public transport in Kiruna is FREE (there are only buses). You can take a bus from the train station to the new city center or close to your new hotel. You might need to ask the driver (they all are extra friendly and speak perfect English). Although their service is quite limited; it is a small town and the buses go in rounds all over.

By plane

Of course you can fly to Kiruna, the airport is quite small but they do get a few flights a day. You can check if this option is better for you and your travel plans.

Finding clear skies to see Auroras

So, how do we get to see auroras?

Considering you are already in the arctic circle, you can practically see auroras in the town as well. However, if you want to take photographs, the light pollution in the town will affect your photo, and it is recommended to move a bit outside of the city lights.

Now, driving in snowy Sweden is not for the faint-hearted and I wouldn’t recommend you do it if you have no experience doing this. The roads are fully dark, there is snow and ice and there are certain rules to follow that need to be checked beforehand.

What we did was book a tour with experts in Kiruna that took us to remote places (in conditions I couldn’t even bring myself to watch). These tours are usually built around the premise of finding clear skies. For that you need to know the town and learn where is a good spot to catch the auroras or where the water is frozen and hard enough for you to stand on. That is why we recommend you go with the professionals, even if it is a bit pricey, it is always worth it.

They also know areas where there is not much cloud formation due to the surrounding mountains and are able to move you to different spots if needed.

Another option a bit further from Kiruna is the Abisko National Park. The night train can also take you there if you want and you can also find some places to stay in the area. However, the places are very limited and the shopping options as well, so do investigate a bit before deciding.

When is it best to see auroras?

This is the most googled question when trying to see auroras. The easy answer: September to March. But as I mentioned before, there are few conditions that have to be there as well.

In the arctic circle, the winter is always the best because the sun goes away very early in the day and comes out quite late in the night, so you get a bigger window to watch the auroras and after 9 pm is super dark.

But you can also try the other months right before or after and try your luck. In 2025, there were reported sightings as early as September.

We visited at the end of November and got an amazing show 2 out of the 3 days we tried and we saw auroras on the 3 days.

So what are you waiting for?
Now you know a bit more on what to do if you want to book a trip to Kiruna to see the Northern Lights in Autumn or Winter.

Start planning your trip to the Arctic Circle! In a town like Kiruna where you can get to experience also tours inside the mine, reindeer villages and the Ice Hotel!

Happy travels!