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
I found Aurora nights just through a google search. Alex, my Aurora expert was so helpful in helping us have the perfect trip to the Arctic. He had personal experience of the activities and places to visit there that would make our trip really special. This followed through to a particularly unforgettable and wonderful holiday. Everything was sent to us with care and attention before hand and we were supported by the team throughout our holiday. All of the recomendations were wonderful especially the Ice Hotel, dog sledding and of course the beautiful Northern Lights. The transportation arrived on time every time. I would highly recomend this company for their experience in the field and their due care and attention to you as a customer. It was faultless and we had the most awesome time.
Cannot thank this company enough. Our break to Iceland was the second time we’ve let them organise everything for us and once again they didn’t disappoint. Everything ran seamlessly and the organised tours were wonderful. This company knows what they are doing. If you want to experience the geysers, the volcano, the northern lights and all the other exciting things that Iceland has to offer then this is the company to use.
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
Brilliant short break. Hotel Ranga was lovely, excellent food. Managed to see the Northern Lights as well! Iceland on the whole was quite expensive but a lovely place to visit, the people were very friendly.
We had the most fabulous time and everything worked like clockwork. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and extremely competent. The food was excellent and the experiences, especially Husky Homes, were brilliant. We saw the aurora lights at the mountain top in Abisko where the photography tour will be an enduring memory of a wonderful time. I would very much recommend Weekend a la Carte as a proficient tour operator.
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.
We had a fantastic 4 nights that included glaciers, waterfalls, geysers, the aurora borealis and more! Lovely hotels, especially Hotel Ranga. We filled every moment and felt thoroughly invigorated on our return.
My wife and I had an awesome and memorable trip to Iceland thanks to Alex at Aurora Nights. Alex tailored the itinerary to exactly what we wanted to see and chose excellent hotels to stay at. We totally enjoyed the city of Reykjavik and the many beautiful waterfalls. He went above and beyond to not only recommend sights to see around the Golden Circle and Ring Road, but also mapped it out so we were prepared to drive through the country during unpredictable weather and road conditions. And we were especially pleased to see the Northern Lights on our visit. Alex was very flexible to make changes to our plans and choosing the wonderful Sky Lagoon to replace our tickets for the Blue Lagoon due to the closure from the volcanic activity. We highly recommend Alex and Aurora Nights.
Ready for an aurora adventure?
Book with Aurora Nights, the Northern Lights holiday experts. We will personally plan your bucket-list Northern Lights adventure holiday to Swedish Lapland, Iceland, Norway and Finland.