Kiruna, Sweden: travel guide
Kiruna is Sweden's northernmost city, an Arctic mining town perched above the world's largest underground iron-ore mine and currently in the midst of a remarkable planned relocation — the entire city centre is being moved three kilometres east to prevent collapse into the mining void below. Situated 145 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, Kiruna offers the Northern Lights from September through March and the magical Midnight Sun from late May to mid-July, making it a year-round destination for those chasing celestial spectacle. The nearby village of Jukkasjärvi hosts the original Ice Hotel, rebuilt each winter from the waters of the Torne River and decorated by international artists; a permanent year-round wing now ensures the experience is available in summer too. Abisko National Park, 90 kilometres west, is rated one of the planet's clearest Aurora-viewing sites thanks to a local microclimate that parts the clouds with unusual regularity. Sami culture is woven into daily life here, with reindeer herding, traditional joik singing, and indigenous-led wilderness tours offering genuine cultural exchange.
- Country
- Sweden
- Currency
- SEK
- Time zone
- Europe/Stockholm
- Nearest airport
- KRN
Top places to visit in Kiruna
Abisko National Park
Nature · 4.9 rating · about 6 h
Abisko is Sweden's premier northern-lights destination, consistently rated among the best aurora viewing sites in the world due to a unique local climate that keeps the skies clearer than the surrounding tundra. The park lies on the shore…
Icehotel Jukkasjärvi
Activity · 4.8 rating · about 3 h · entry SEK 250
Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi is the world's first hotel built entirely of ice and snow, created anew each winter since 1989 using ice harvested from the Torne River. Its artistic suites are hand-carved by international artists from pure Torne…
Northern Lights Tour Kiruna
Activity · 4.8 rating · about 4 h
Northern Lights aurora tours from Kiruna — visiting Sweden's best aurora viewing locations from August to April, including the Aurora Sky Station above Abisko.
Kiruna Church (Kiruna Kyrka)
Church · 4.7 rating · about 1 h
Kiruna Church is a Lutheran wooden church built in 1912 in the Sami National Romantic style, designed by architect Gustaf Wickman. In 2001 it was voted the most beautiful building in Sweden in a national poll. The church is notable not…
LKAB Iron Ore Mine (Visitor Experience)
Activity · 4.6 rating · about 4 h · entry SEK 495
The LKAB underground mine at Kiruna is the world's largest and most modern underground iron ore mine. The visitor experience takes guests 540 metres underground by bus to explore the active mining levels, see massive drilling machines, and…
Torneträsk Lake
Nature · 4.8 rating · about 2 h
Torneträsk is the second largest lake in Sweden and one of the most dramatically beautiful, stretching 73 km along the floor of a glacially carved valley in the Scandinavian Mountains. The lake borders Abisko National Park and is framed by…
Ájtte — Swedish Mountain and Sami Museum
Cultural · 4.5 rating · about 1.5 h · entry SEK 120
Ájtte in Jokkmokk (reachable from Kiruna) is the foremost museum of Sami culture in Sweden, but Kiruna itself has a Sami cultural visitor centre covering reindeer herding, traditional joik music, handicraft (duodji), and the relationship…
Husky Sled Tour Kiruna
Activity · 4.9 rating · about 4 h
Husky sled tours through the Arctic wilderness — driving your own team of Siberian huskies across frozen lakes and snowy forests around Kiruna.
Sami Reindeer Experience
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 3 h
Sami cultural experience — visiting a working Sami reindeer herder camp, learning indigenous traditions, sampling Sami cuisine, and feeding the reindeer.
Kebnekaise Mountain
Viewpoint · 4.7 rating · about 8 h
Kebnekaise — Sweden's highest mountain (2,096m) with guided summer hikes from Nikkaluokta and the historic STF mountain station as a base camp.
Snowmobile Safari Kiruna
Activity · 4.7 rating · about 4 h
Snowmobile safaris across the Arctic Lapland wilderness — exploring frozen lakes, taiga forests, and Sami territory under the midnight sun or northern lights.
Esrange Space Center
Heritage · 4.5 rating · about 2 h
Esrange Space Center — Europe's premier civilian sounding rocket and balloon launch facility, with public tours of the historic Arctic spaceport.
Things to do
- Icehotel Tour & Ice Sculpting Cultural · 2 h · from SEK 300 per person
- Northern Lights Photography Tour Abisko Nature · 4 h · from SEK 1,500 per person
- Dog Sledding Safari Adventure · 3 h · from SEK 1,900 per person
- Midnight Sun Hiking Abisko Nature · 5 h · from SEK 800 per person
- LKAB Iron Ore Mine Underground Tour Cultural · 2.5 h · from SEK 380 per person
- Snowmobile Safari to Reindeer Farm Adventure · 4 h · from SEK 2,400 per person
Day trips and tours
- Northern Lights Chase — Abisko National Park 5 h · from SEK 1,900
Where to stay in Kiruna
- Jukkasjärvi Area about SEK 4,500 per night
A 20-minute drive from Kiruna town, Jukkasjärvi is home to the world-famous Icehotel and sits on the banks of the Torne River — the premier base for Northern Lights, dog-sledding, and Sami culture experiences.
Hotels
- Icehotel 5-star · SEK 4,500 to SEK 25,000 per night
- Arctic Bath Hotel 4-star · SEK 8,000 to SEK 22,000 per night
- Camp Ripan 4-star · SEK 1,800 to SEK 5,500 per night
- Scandic Kiruna 3-star · SEK 900 to SEK 2,400 per night
Where to eat
- Renen Swedish, Sami, Traditional · about SEK 320 per person
- Systerskap Kök & Bar Nordic, Swedish, Bar Food · about SEK 250 per person
- Icehotel Restaurant Nordic, Sami, Swedish · about SEK 1,200 per person
- Restaurant 1943 at Camp Ripan Nordic, Sami, Swedish · about SEK 580 per person
Getting around
- Car Rental Self main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Taxi main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Walking
Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.