Kiruna
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Kiruna
Just 250 kilometres north of the polar circle, the summer sun shines for almost two months without going down, while the polar nights offer the most intense Northern Lights that can be seen. In Kiruna, the northernmost city in Sweden, you can go slalom skiing until midsummer or spend the night in a magnificent hotel built from ice. The phrase "kingdom of contrasts" is overused, but Kiruna truly embodies it.Hitta resa
If you have never been in Northern Scandinavia during the midsummer period, the bright nights are perhaps the most fascinating and apparent phenomenon. The sun doesn’t set at all. You can get spectacular views of the surroundings from the city mountain, Luossavaara, about 4 km outside Kiruna. The midnight sun can be experienced between 27 May and 14 July in Kiruna.
Between September and April, there is the chance of experiencing the northern lights, provided that it is a starry night. The aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, is a stunning natural light display in the Earth's sky, caused by solar winds disturbing the magnetosphere and ionizing atmospheric particles. You can look up the northern lights forecast online.
Situated 40 kilometres from Kiruna, the Esrange Space Center is Europe's premier civilian space base. It's a hub for high-altitude balloons, aurora borealis studies, rocket launches, and soon, satellite launches. Esrange offers guided tours year-round, where visitors can delve into both its rich heritage and exciting future. Learn about the significance of space exploration and the impending advancements in the industry at the unmanned exhibition outside its gates.
The world-famous Ice Hotel is located in Jukkasjärvi, 17 km from Kiruna. The world’s largest hotel of its kind, made out of thousands of tonnes of snow and ice, is rebuilt every winter. You’ll be nice and cool as you sleep after a drink in the Icebar, beautifully chiselled out of pure blue ice from the River Torne. Open from mid-December to the end of April. In the summer, you can experience ice art in the hotel’s Art Centre.
From Nikkaluokta, 66 km west of Kiruna, there are first-rate skiing and trekking trails to, among other places, the top of Sweden’s highest mountain — Kebnekaise (2,096 m). Walk the first 19 km to Kebnekaise mountain station, where you register for the next day’s guide-led route to the top. The trip takes about 8–10 hours and requires a good level of fitness. Minimum age is 16.
The famous long-distance hiking trail offers spectacular vistas of the natural world. It's 467 km long and starts in Abisko, 93 km northwest of Kiruna. STF Singi mountain cabin lies directly west of Kiruna. For information on suggested routes and accommodation, visit Svenska Turistföreningen’s (the Swedish Tourist Organisation) website.
Experience the world’s largest underground iron ore mine from the inside. Visit the mine: the café, the machinery, the theatre and museum, all located 540 meters underground. You can join the daily tour that starts at the LKAB's Visitor Centre in central Kiruna. Book well in advance! The mine is operated by Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag (LKAB), a state-owned Swedish mining company.
One in ten of Kiruna’s residents is of Sami origin. The Sami people have their own national anthem, flag and language, one of five national minority languages recognized by Swedish law. Samegården is a Sami cultural centre and museum.
If you have never been in Northern Scandinavia during the midsummer period, the bright nights are perhaps the most fascinating and apparent phenomenon. The sun doesn’t set at all. You can get spectacular views of the surroundings from the city mountain, Luossavaara, about 4 km outside Kiruna. The midnight sun can be experienced between 27 May and 14 July in Kiruna.
Between September and April, there is the chance of experiencing the northern lights, provided that it is a starry night. The aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, is a stunning natural light display in the Earth's sky, caused by solar winds disturbing the magnetosphere and ionizing atmospheric particles. You can look up the northern lights forecast online.
Vildmarkshörnan has a large variety of articles for outdoor sport, perfect for all those that love trekking, hiking or simply looking to gear up to better explore the beautiful nature of Northern Sweden.
Kvadrat Inredning & Design is a home decor and Scandinavian design shop where you can find everything you need to cosy up your house or buy a nice present for a friend. Original cups, colourful dishes, warm blankets and many other creative pieces.
ICA Kvantum is a grocery store in Kiruna that sells fresh produce, local delicacies and everyday food at low prices. It's is the perfect place to stock up on hiking fuel: food, drinks, fruit and various snacks.
Thornéus Renprodukter started trading as early as the 1940s. The shop sells reindeer meat and venison, cloudberries, arctic trout and coffee-cheese.
Carl Wennberg boutique sells traditional handcrafted Sami products like knives, jewellery, clothes, other textiles and sculptures by well-known indigenous artists.
Vildmarkshörnan has a large variety of articles for outdoor sport, perfect for all those that love trekking, hiking or simply looking to gear up to better explore the beautiful nature of Northern Sweden.
Kvadrat Inredning & Design is a home decor and Scandinavian design shop where you can find everything you need to cosy up your house or buy a nice present for a friend. Original cups, colourful dishes, warm blankets and many other creative pieces.
Kiruna airport is located 10 kilometres from the city centre and the journey time is about 15 minutes. Airport buses are only available at certain times of the year, mainly in the summer period. The airport coach connects the airport to Malmvägen in Kiruna. Norrbottens länstrafik runs a bus #91 between Kiruna and Riksgränsen. Nikkaluokta express operates a route between Kiruna and Nikkaluokta that always makes a stop at Kiruna Airport. Visit Abisko offers a door-to-door shuttle to hotels in Kiruna, Abisko and Bjorkliden.
Sweden can be visited visa-free for up to 90 days by citizens of most European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Israel, UAE and most countries in America. If you are unsure whether or not you need to apply for a visa, we recommend contacting the embassy or consulate in your country. International (non-Schengen) travellers need a passport that is valid for at least 3 months after the end of their intended trip in order to enter the Schengen zone. Citizens of Schengen countries can travel without a passport, but must have a valid ID with them during their stay.
One of the best time to visit Kiruna is in the summer. The city is packed with visitors and locals enjoy long days as the sun never sets (or it does only for a few hours, only to come up soon after). However, this is peak season, so the prices on accommodation and flights are rather high. If you winter is more your thing and don't mind the cold, another good time to visit this city is from November to March. This time of the year you can enjoy skiing and snowboarding and, if you are brave enough to endure potentially hazardous weather, you can also experience the incredible northern lights.
Within Kiruna city centre, most places are walking distance. Communications in the county are well developed, a necessity in a region where there are endless kilometres of deep forests, rushing rivers and wilderness separating towns and villages from each other. Länstrafiken i Norrbotten AB is the principal provider of all public bus transport in Norrbotten and its routes run between the villages.
Taxis in Kiruna are reliable and use fare meters. It can sometimes be difficult to find a car on the street, even in the centre.
There are no post offices in Sweden. Stamps are available for purchase at most kiosks, newsstands and convenience stores. Postboxes can usually be found nearby. For packages and big parcels, look for "Postombud", a designated area in grocery stores or corner stores.
You can find Kronans Apotek in Kiruna C (formerly Gallerian).
Country code +46 Area code: 980
Kiruna airport is located 10 kilometres from the city centre and the journey time is about 15 minutes. Airport buses are only available at certain times of the year, mainly in the summer period. The airport coach connects the airport to Malmvägen in Kiruna. Norrbottens länstrafik runs a bus #91 between Kiruna and Riksgränsen. Nikkaluokta express operates a route between Kiruna and Nikkaluokta that always makes a stop at Kiruna Airport. Visit Abisko offers a door-to-door shuttle to hotels in Kiruna, Abisko and Bjorkliden.
Sweden can be visited visa-free for up to 90 days by citizens of most European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Israel, UAE and most countries in America. If you are unsure whether or not you need to apply for a visa, we recommend contacting the embassy or consulate in your country. International (non-Schengen) travellers need a passport that is valid for at least 3 months after the end of their intended trip in order to enter the Schengen zone. Citizens of Schengen countries can travel without a passport, but must have a valid ID with them during their stay.
