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.
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
The Abisko Aurora Sky Station Visit
For those happy with more basic accommodation but located in a prime aurora viewing spot, then the popular Abisko Aurora Sky Station might be a great choice.
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £2,000
Credit Abisko Mountain Lodge
The Complete Abisko Experience
This four-night Northern Lights adventure holiday to Abisko - the world-renowned Aurora destination - is packed with daily activities included!
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £2,000
The Iconic Icehotel & Abisko Aurora Chase
This short break combines two ‘Arctic Icons’ - the famous original Icehotel and the Abisko Sky Station, both fantastic locations for Northern Lights sightings.
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £2,250
Abisko Pick'n'Mix
Abisko and the Aurora fit together like hand and glove! There are fewer better places for consistent sightings of the Northern Lights and this break gives you great opportunities on 3 fantastic nights of aurora hunting!
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £2,000
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.
Reviews
See what our clients say
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.
Jane Ashworth
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.
Carol Wrack
Thank you for arranging a fabulous holiday, we had a really enjoyable time and would love to return in the future. Hotel Ranga is a lovely place to stay and the owner greeted guests in the restaurant, which was an unexpected welcoming touch. We didn’t see the Northern Lights due to the weather and the trip to the Eyjafjallajokull glacier and volcano was substituted by an excursion to Thorsmork, also due to the weather, which we thoroughly enjoyed; the brochure description doesn’t do it justice. We found Iceland and the people there really charismatic. Although the wind and snow cut short the amount of travelling we could do, we still covered a reasonable amount of what we wanted to see and our appetites are whetted for a return, perhaps in Spring or Summer. We found a couple of great places to eat near the Hotel in Reykjavik. Messin does tasty fish dishes and the Icelandic Street Food restaurant was excellent, offering simple but hearty soups with refills included in the price – great value.
Nigel Goadsby
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.
Joey Emmanuel Serrina
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.
Linda Palmer
What a fantastic trip! I booked this for myself and my husband to celebrate my 40th birthday and it didn’t disappoint! Booking was simple and we were kept up to date with all the details from the office team in the UK.
From the moment we arrived at Kiruna airport all the staff we encountered were so friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. We opted for the upgraded room at the Abisko Mountain Lodge which I would highly recommend. The cold weather clothing which was supplied was fantastic and kept us really warm in the sub-zero temperatures. The dog sledging, snowmobiling and the Northern Lights photography were all superb and the staff leading the trips were really friendly and so knowledgeable. Even though we weren’t able to do the sky station trip because of the weather, there was a lovely alternative evening organised for us which included a traditional dinner and a walk to the lake where we were able to see the lights. The food at the lodge was also exceptional and showcased some lovely traditional dishes using Moose and Reindeer which were wonderful to try.
I would like to send a massive thank you to all the staff at The Abisko Mountain Lodge as well as the guides we used for our guided walks, dog sledging and snowmobiling. I’d highly recommend the trip, it was our first visit to Sweden and we would definitely return. Thanks again to everyone (including the huskies) who made it so memorable!
Carly Webster
We have never before experienced such friendly and simultaneously professional service! Alex’s communication was super prompt, questions encouraged and welcomed and attended to with great care and detail. Everything was well organised and available on beautifully designed and very useful platforms. Our destination (Mattarahkka Northern Lights Lodge) was fabulous on so many different levels – exquisite views, friendly interactions from everyone on the team, great food, exciting activities, perfectly situated to see the northern lights (seen twice in 4 nights’ stay), a great fire place, and not to mention our fantastic guide Fabio. Their provision of winter kit (hats, down jacket, snow trousers, leather gloves and boots) offered everything we needed to be comfortable outside. All we needed to have packed really were base layers, a few layers of clothing and woollen socks. Defintely somewhere we would highly recommend and return to when possible!
Inge Elliott
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.
Mark Nicholson
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