Thanks to its unique microclimate, Abisko and its national park enjoy exceptionally clear night skies. This — along with its Arctic location — makes Abisko one of the best places on Earth to see the Northern Lights.
Abisko Northern Lights Holidays
On Abisko Northern Lights holidays, you have a very high chance of seeing the aurora borealis. And there’s so much to do while you wait for those beautiful lights to appear.
Embark on husky sledding and snowmobile adventures. Explore the frozen lakes and snow-covered peaks of Abisko National Park. Stay in a cosy lodge, with the Northern Lights dancing right outside your door. Abisko is an aurora destination that has it all.
Explore our Abisko Sweden holidays
Holidays to Abisko in Sweden: FAQs
Why is Abisko such a good place to see the Northern Lights?
Abisko is one of the best places in the world to view the Northern Lights. It enjoys long, dark, winter nights and low levels of light pollution.
Located 250 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, you can see the northern lights in Abisko even when solar activity isn’t at its strongest.
The area also has more cloud-free nights than other areas of Swedish Lapland. That’s because the mountains surrounding Abisko disperse clouds coming from the Atlantic Ocean.
This creates a “blue hole” — a patch of clear, cloudless sky that sits above Abisko village, Lake Torneträsk and Abisko National Park most nights of the year.
Read more: Where can I see the northern lights?
Can you guarantee that I’ll see the Northern Lights in Abisko?
Unfortunately not. The northern lights are a natural phenomenon so — as much as we’d like to — we can’t make a guarantee.
But, rest assured, Abisko’s climate and location make it an excellent northern lights destination. On our holidays to Abisko, we also do everything we can to maximise your chances of seeing the aurora in all its glory.
You’ll stay in remote, dark sky locations and get aurora wake-up calls. You’ll also embark on exciting northern lights adventures with our expert aurora guides.
When is the best time to see the Northern Lights in Abisko?
You can see the Northern Lights in Abisko from October to March.
Travel to Abisko In October, and you’ll experience Abisko National Park ablaze with golden, autumn colours. From November onwards, Abisko is a snowy wonderland, perfect for winter activities.
The winter months also bring more hours of darkness. In fact, the sun sets in Abisko at the start of December and doesn’t rise again until the middle of January. Plan a trip to Abisko in winter and those long, dark nights increase your chances of seeing the aurora.
Read more: When can I see the northern lights?
What can you see and do on Abisko Sweden holidays?
Depending on your tour and the time of year you visit, you can enjoy a selection of the following activities:
- Experience the thrill of snowmobile safaris, ice climbing or Arctic ice fishing.
- Embark on a guided mountain hike along the famous Kungsleden trail. Or hit the snowy slopes on a guided ski excursion in Abisko National Park.
- Relax the Swedish way, in a traditional sauna, before savouring a dinner of local cuisine, including Arctic char, reindeer and cloudberries.
- Enjoy breath-taking views as you take a chairlift up Mount Nuolja to the Aurora Sky Station, regarded as one of the best places on earth to see the Northern Lights.
- Venture beyond Abisko. Take a day trip to the famous Icehotel. Or travel on Europe’s northernmost train line, through snowy landscapes to the Norwegian fjords.
- Learn to take spectacular photos of the aurora borealis, with all the photography kit and expert guidance you need.
- Soak in the unforgettable scenery of Swedish Lapland, snowshoeing or taking a sleigh ride through pristine wilderness.
What’s included in your Northern Lights holidays in Abisko?
We can tailor any of our packages to include the destinations, accommodation and activities of your choice. But all of our northern lights holidays in Abisko include the following as standard:
- Accommodation
- Transfers from Kiruna Airport
- Half-board or full-board dining
- Arctic clothing for the duration of your trip
- Your choice of guided Arctic activities
Please note that flights to Abisko are not included in our northern lights holiday packages. But if you’d like advice on the best airports and airlines to use when travelling to Abisko from the UK or the US, just let us know. We’ll be happy to help.
What should I wear on an Abisko Northern Lights tour?
Throughout the northern lights season — from October to March — average temperatures in Swedish Lapland are well below freezing. So on Abisko Northern Lights holidays, you should dress for comfort and warmth.
We recommend that you bring lots of warm layers, including thermal base layers. A warm hat, gloves and thick socks are also essential. And you’ll need a winter coat for travel to and from the airport.
When you arrive in Abisko, we’ll provide warm Arctic outerwear, which you can use for the duration of your trip. This includes a snow jacket, thermal overalls, snow boots and Arctic gloves.
Read more: What to wear on a northern lights trip
Can I combine a holiday to Abisko with other Northern Lights destinations?
Absolutely. We can tailor any Abisko break to include our other destinations, in Sweden and beyond.
You can spend a night in Sweden’s famous Ice Hotel or explore Stockholm, a city set across 14 islands right by the Baltic Sea.
At just 40 km from the Norwegian border, it’s also easy to travel from Abisko to the Norwegian fjords — or to the city of Tromsø, nicknamed The Paris of the North.
Just tell us the places you’d like to visit and we can work them into your itinerary.
You can discover all of our Nordic destinations here:
Why book luxury Northern Lights tours with Aurora Nights?
When you book a northern lights trip with Aurora Nights, you can count on:
- Tailor-made trips — we craft bespoke northern lights adventures, tailoring a trip to your budget and interests
- Exceptional experiences — with in-depth knowledge of Swedish Lapland, our team can recommend the very best the region has to offer
- Expert local guides — our experienced guides show you a lesser-seen side of Sweden — and they’re great at tracking down the aurora, too
- A hassle-free holiday — we take care of holiday organisation so you can relax and look forward to your Northern Lights adventure
Whether you book an Abisko northern lights tour, a classic short break or an exclusive aurora holiday to Sweden, the Aurora Nights team will make it a trip you’ll remember forever.
How do I book?
Choose one of the tours above and click Enquire Now. We can then customise your trip until it’s the perfect fit.
Can’t see a tour you like? Then just get in touch with the Aurora Nights team and we’ll be happy to create an Abisko Northern Lights trip just for you.
See what our clients say
Overall very good. Staff excellent and helpful. Accomodation basic but was what we expected. Tour guides very good (nature walks, snow mobiles, dog sleighs). Sky station disappointing as we never got to go up due to the weather and this seem to be a recurring feature.The alternative walk at night and meal was a let down as a result.Overall would recommend to others.
Superb holiday to Iceland, well organised, advice regarding trips informative and far exceeded our expectations (Glaciers and ice Cave) run by South Coast. Hotel Ranga is a lovely hotel, perfect to see Northern Lights (which we did see on our 3rd night), very comfortable, food excellent, staff helpful and informative. SouthCoast Adventure tour company were excellent, guides knowledgeable, and clearly very experienced.
A fantastic short break which fulfilled all expectations. Well organised with a polished delivery, we could not have asked for more. The accommodation was perfect for us and the guides knowledgeable and helpful. Every day was packed with adventure, each lasting longer than scheduled but we were never rushed; the guides took pride in showing and explaining their beautiful country. We would certainly use Weekend a la carte again and recommend them to others.
1. Gourmet Cabins was excellent and Johan was a friendly and knowledgeable host. The food, cabins, hot tub and sauna were brilliant.
2. Dog sledge was a fantastic experience and we were given the opportunity to drive our own sledge
3. Snow Mobile – really got off the beaten track and into the spectacular mountains
4. Saw the Northern Lights twice in two days. There is no description that can really do them justice
I appreciate the fast response to my inquiries regarding my trip. It would take decision making faster on my part, and plan my itinerary and activities being offered by the company accordingly.
My daughter and I had an amazing time on our trip, we didn’t want it to end! Everything went according to plan, each excursion was well organized and everyone involved with each activity, as well as everyone at the lodge was kind, friendly, positive and happy, which makes such a difference to your whole experience. The food at The Abisko Mountain Lodge was also incredibly good. Our room was large, comfortable and well-furnished. The bathroom too was also spacious and well-equipped. The outdoor clothing provided was of very good quality which kept us warm, and the staff members are happy to change items if they are not quite the right size for you. This is my second trip with Weekend a la carte and I’m sure there will be more as I have complete trust in them. I highly recommend Aurora Nights, it was fabulous.
Fantastic trip with great hosts & made even more special by seeing the Northern Lights twice!!
We had a wonderful time! The food at the lodge was amazing and there were some great vegetarian dishes. I had the best beetroot I’ve ever had (beetroot tartare).
Everyone was really friendly and all the guides were good fun and very knowledgeable.
A special thanks to William and Petri who were really friendly and really added a personal touch to our trip. The activities were really well planned and we especially enjoyed the trip with the huskies. The area we were in is stunning and the lodge was very nice. We would definitely recommend this to friends and family.
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