Escape to Swedish Lapland for a long weekend. On our short breaks to Sweden, you can discover stunning scenery and exciting Arctic adventures by day. Then, chase the aurora borealis by night.
Our bespoke trips are tailored to you. Take your pick of unforgettable activities — like snowmobiling, husky sledding and ice fishing. Choose unique accommodation, too. How about a stay at the famous ice hotel? Or in a cosy wilderness cabin?
The Aurora Nights team knows Swedish Lapland inside out. So — whatever kind of northern lights short break you have in mind — we’re here to make it happen.
Explore our short breaks in Sweden
Ultimate Christmas Northern Lights Escape
This limited edition Christmas break not only gives you great chances of seeing the northern lights in their full glory, but also the best outdoor activities the Arctic has to offer!
Price per person (excl. flights)
Explore Now
from £2,000
Wilderness Cabins & Abisko's Aurora Nights
Combine two nights in famous aurora hunting territory, Abisko, with two nights of escapism and fine dining at the Arctic Gourmet Wilderness Cabins.
Price per person (excl. flights)
Explore Now
from £2,550
Short breaks in Sweden: FAQs
Why choose a classic short break to Sweden?
Whether you’re travelling as a couple, a family or a larger group, a classic short break in Sweden makes for a memorable getaway. Across three to four nights, you’ll experience spectacular landscapes, Arctic adventure and plenty of aurora hunting.
You can browse and book one of the tours above. Or go bespoke, adjusting our short breaks to create your ideal trip. Take your pick from awe-inspiring destinations, like Lulea, Kiruna and Abisko — and adapt a tour to suit your budget and interests.
How long are your northern lights short breaks?
Our short breaks to Sweden are between three nights and four nights long. Most are based across a long weekend, departing on Friday and returning home on Monday or Tuesday.
If you want a longer northern lights holiday in Sweden, take a look at our exclusive aurora holidays and Abisko northern lights holidays.
You can also book northern lights mini breaks in our other Nordic destinations:
When is the best time of year to book weekend breaks in Sweden?
The northern lights are visible in Swedish Lapland any time from September to March.
In September and October, the landscape blazes with golden autumn colours. From November to March, this northerly region of Sweden is snowy and cold.
Our winter breaks — including our New Year and February half-term holidays — are popular with travellers keen to see the aurora borealis. That’s because, during long winter nights, you have a much better chance of seeing the northern lights.
If you’re unsure when to book your weekend break in Sweden, just get in touch with the Aurora Nights team. We can recommend the best month to visit.
What can you see and do on a Swedish weekend break?
That all depends on the kind of weekend break you’re looking for.
Sweden offers outdoor adventure, stunning natural landscapes, traditional Sámi culture and — of course — the aurora borealis. We can customise any Swedish short break to include your choice of sights and activities.
Here’s a taste of what you can see and do:
- Travel beyond the treeline, across the icy tundra or to the top of Mount Ednamvarri on an epic snowmobile safari.
- Embrace relaxation. Sample Swedish sauna culture. Or soak in your own hot tub, with the stars and the aurora borealis above.
- Try your hand at exciting Arctic activities, like skiing, ice skating, ice fishing or ice climbing.
- Hone your night sky photography skills. Get the kit and expert guidance you need to take beautiful photos of the northern lights.
- Wrap up warm for a cocktail at the Icehotel ice bar. Or — for an enchanting experience — stay the night in an exclusive ice suite.
- Discover Sámi culture. Visit huskies and reindeer. Savour Sámi cuisine in a traditional tipi. Then, embark on sledding adventures through the snowy landscape.
- Enjoy unforgettable northern lights experiences. See the aurora from your glass-roofed igloo or at a wilderness dinner underneath the starry night sky.
Where will I stay?
It all depends on the type of accommodation you’re looking for.
You can stay in a traditional Swedish cottage, a log cabin with a hot tub or a glass-roof tipi with panoramic views.
For something truly out of the ordinary, there’s the Aurora Sky Station atop Mount Nuolja, the inimitable Icehotel and the unique treetop rooms at the Treehotel.
There’s a huge and varied selection of accommodation to choose from in Sweden. So we’re confident of finding exactly the right stay for your weekend break.
Can I book a Sweden city break?
Yes, you can. On our Sweden city breaks, you’ll use Kiruna and Lulea as a base for exciting Arctic adventures.
The university city of Lulea sits on the north-eastern coast of Sweden, surrounded by lakes and evergreen forests. It forms part of the Lulea archipelago, a collection of over 1,000 islands, which are connected by ice roads in winter.
You can also enjoy a Swedish city break in Kiruna, 200km north of the Arctic Circle. Kiruna is home to Sweden’s tallest mountain and acts as a gateway to Abisko National Park — one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights.
If Stockholm is on your wishlist, talk to us about planning a longer northern lights holiday to Sweden. On a longer trip, there’s time to explore Sweden’s capital city before travelling north in search of the northern lights.
What’s included in your Sweden mini breaks?
Our Sweden mini breaks include the following as standard:
- Accommodation
- Transfers
- Half-board or full-board dining
- Arctic clothing for the duration of your trip
- Your choice of guided Arctic activities
Please note that flights 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 Swedish Lapland from the UK or US, just let us know. We’ll be happy to help.
What should I wear on a northern lights weekend break?
During winter, temperatures in Swedish Lapland don’t rise above freezing. So in cities like Kiruna and Lulea — and certainly in the Arctic countryside — people dress for warmth and comfort.
We provide warm Arctic outerwear for the duration of your trip. This includes a snow jacket, thermal overalls, snow boots and Arctic gloves.
We recommend that you bring thermals, lots of layers, a warm hat, gloves and thick socks. You’ll also need to bring a winter coat for travel to and from the airport.
Read more: What to wear on a northern lights trip
Why book your Sweden mini break 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 a classic short break, an exclusive aurora holiday to Sweden or an Abisko northern lights holiday, it’s sure to be a trip you’ll remember forever.
How do I book my northern lights short break?
Choose one of the tours above and make an enquiry. We can then customise your tour to perfectly meet your requirements.
Can’t see a tour you like? Then just get in touch with the Aurora Nights team and we’ll be happy to build your Sweden trip from scratch.
Reviews
See what our clients say
This was a bucket list trip. The company are specialists and I’ve valued their advice. Everything from the when to go for the best opportunity to see the lights and equipment needed and provided.Our activities included, the Ice Hotel, night photo shoot, snowmobiling, guided walk and the sky station meal. All excellent and well run by knowledgeable experts and guides. The Abisko Lodge is warm comfortable and relaxing the food is excellent and the staff welcoming, friendly and very helpful. I would highly recommend if you’re looking for a different and exciting experience.
Jean Lavender
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.
Lisa Kovens-Harris
Fantastic trip with great hosts & made even more special by seeing the Northern Lights twice!!
Wendy Naphine
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
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.
Heatherbelle Bates
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
Thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The Abisko Mountain Lodge was fantastic, every member of staff was friendly welcoming and charming. Accommodation, upgraded room was excellent. The food in the lodge definitely deserves the high reviews. Good breakfast, great hime made lunch soups and extremely tasty evening dinners.
The included trips were great. The only let down was the camera night, couldn’t see the lights no one fault, but we were walked through thigh high snow to be left on a frozen lake for the duration of the trip. There was no warning of the difficult walk and we had a 91 year old with us and I have hip problems! That said the guide was great, as were the ones on the skimobile and husky rides. We went up to the sky station in a snow storm with high winds, added to the experience!
Would go back in a heart beat.
We had little communication with Weekend a la carte, no need as all communications were clear and contained all the information we needed. Very informative emails
Would use again if going back
June Day
An excellent holiday which was enjoyed by all. The super jeep ride on the second day to the Eyjafjallajokull volcano was memorable and thanks to our driver Margaret who proved to be a really good guide. We thoroughly enjoyed the facilities in the hotel Ranga. The staff were very helpful and we managed to see the Northern Lights. The Hotel Reykjavik Centrum was very nice with amazingly helpful staff. All in all, the whole holiday was brilliant.
Brian Coombs
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