travel

This past weekend I had the privilege of visiting Abisko, Sweden to see the Northern Lights! Through my experience, I hope to share everything I wish I knew before going on my trip.

Disclaimer: Before reading this article, I would like to kindly remind you that the Northern Lights are a beautiful, natural phenomenon that occurs only during a specific time of year. When planning a trip to see the lights, remember that you may not see them when you go, or they may not live up to your expectations! Although you can not guarantee you will see the lights, you can still have an amazing trip. That being said, here are some tips to get the best chance of seeing them!

Abisko, Sweden

23-26 February 2023

WHY ABISKO

More remote, not as popular for tourists, well within the arctic circle

I’m all about the authentic experience, and I can happily say Abisko delivered! 

Before planning my trip, I had exclusively heard about Tromsø and Iceland for the Northern Lights. Although I’m sure those are lovely places, I wanted to go somewhere far away from a big city! Abisko had just enough activity options to fill four days without tours being crowded (each tour had around 5 people).

BEST TIMES TO SEE THE LIGHTS

November - February @ 10 PM - Midnight

I went to Abisko, Sweden in the last week of February and felt like it was a great time to go! It was at the end of the peak tourist season, so there were only 8 of us on the tour. I went on a tour with Lights Over Lapland- our wonderful guide took us out to the Laplands around 9:00 PM and we started to see the lights as early as 9:30 PM! They lasted all the way until we went home around 1:00 AM, and I’m sure they continued much longer.

HOW MANY DAYS TO VISIT

3 - 4 days

If you intend to see the northern lights, it is important to give yourself a few days to get as many opportunities as you can to see them. I got super lucky and saw them on my first night there, but it’s good to give yourself extra time!

HOW TO GET TO ABISKO

Recommendation: Take a flight!

Since I am studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, I took the following method to get to Abisko, Sweden, and back:

Train from Copenhagen, Denmark to Stockholm, Sweden (train change in Malmö)

6 hours

Flight from Stockholm, Sweden to Kiruna, Sweden

1.5 hours

Bus from Kiruna, Sweden to Abisko, Sweden

1.25 hours

In all honestly, I wouldn’t entirely recommend doing what I did. It was quite exhausting and took a lot longer than a flight. The main reason I chose this method was that it ended up being about 100 USD cheaper than flying from Copenhagen, but flying is a lot less exhausting if you don’t have as tight of a budget!

ACTIVITIES

Daytime: Skiing in Björkliden, Ice Fishing in Abisko, Ice Climbing

Nighttime: Aurora Chase, Aurora Snowshoeing, Northern Lights Photo Tour

When traveling to see a natural phenomenon, it’s crucial to plan things outside of just seeing the lights since they are only visible at nighttime! I had so much fun snowboarding and going ice fishing even in comparison to the Northern Lights tour (I’ll get more into it in the Aurora Tips section).

WHERE TO STAY

Recommendation: Abisko Guesthouse, Abisko Airbnb, Abisko Hostel, Björkliden

I ended up staying in Björkliden (about 5.5 miles North of Abisko) and I personally loved it! It is within walking distance from the ski lift and rentals, and it’s higher up the mountain so the views of the Swedish Lapland were beautiful. In addition, Björkliden is far from much light pollution so it was possible to see faint Northern Lights from as close as my hotel window!

*Most tours met at the Abisko Guesthouse, so keep that in mind for convenience!

TRANSPORTATION

Recommendation: Rent a car (!!!)

Although Scandinavia is well known for its reliable and cost-effective public transportation, remote locations such as Abisko, Sweden- and even Tromsø, Norway- are the exception.

There was one bus route each day- it left Abisko in the late morning and returned in the early afternoon. Even with the youth discount, a ticket from Björkliden to Abisko (5.5 miles) costs around 11.50 USD each way. 

If you would like to head up to Björkliden to ski or down to visit Kiruna, you have to go and come back according to the bus times or pay nearly 30 USD each way for a taxi. Not to mention there is only one taxi in Abisko, so he wasn’t always available (we were stranded at a grocery store for 4 hours LOL)! Getting a rental car will give you the flexibility to get around these remote parts most cost-effectively!

AURORA TIPS

Photography: yes, your phone is good enough

Hot take- If your phone has the option to change the exposure, it’s probably good enough to photograph the Northern Lights. My photos came out really nicely for the most part(I have the iPhone 13) but were just a tad blurry since the lights do move. I would recommend a little tripod at most if you want to take pictures with your phone!

That being said, if you are really keen on getting the clearest photos then definitely bring a professional camera! Most tours offer the option to rent a professional camera, or you’re free to bring your own.

Clothing: Layers, layers, and more layers!

There’s really no way to sugarcoat the weather- it was freezing cold. Most tours consist of the guide driving the group out to a remote location (a frozen lake in my case), then the group just hangs out on the lake as the lights begin to appear! I’ve written a basic packing list below:

Upper body:

1 short sleeve

1 long sleeve

1 sweater

1 puffer jacket

Scarf

Beanie

1 hoodie (if needed)

Full-face ski mask (if needed)

*pack hand warmers*

Lower body:

1 pair of tight thermal pants

1 pair of outdoor waterproof pants

1 pair of knee-high thermal socks

1 pair of short socks (on top of long socks)

Hiking boots

What to expect: it can get a little boring and cold, but it’s worth it in the end!

Again, remember that beauty is in the experience! We can’t control what nature does, but we can be grateful to have the opportunity to travel somewhere new and unique. Although I got a little cold and tired standing and waiting for the lights, there were many incredible things out there aside from the aurora. For example, I had never seen so many stars in my whole life! Another thing was the sheer lack of noise. In today’s busy world, it was so surreal to not hear a single sound other than the breeze and maybe an animal or two hopping around.

In terms of the lights, they are almost cloud-like. They appear slowly and you may not even notice them at first! They move around quickly and sometimes even jump and dance. The colors I saw were mainly green and a small dash of purple, but I’ve heard the colors can vary from yellow-green to blue and even a deep red-purple.

OVERVIEW

Going to Abisko was easily one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in my life. Trips like this really remind you how much is out there in the world, and that it is such a privilege to have the experience to witness even a slice of it.

I hope you have fun planning your trip to Abisko, and I hope I inspired some of you to visit! As always, leave a comment in the Contact section of my website if you have any questions. Love y’all!

xx, Sanjana