The Arctic Winter attracts holiday makers from all over the world for a northern lights holiday. As Swedish Lapland and Iceland provide such a thrilling array of experiences it is amazing what can be packed into a 3 or 4 night break.
Leave home on a Friday and return on a Monday or Tuesday after a refreshing few days in a totally unique and different environment.
Our select range of classic Northern Lights Short Breaks below have been designed by our experts and bring together the best places to stay with fabulous Arctic Experiences.
Take a look at our Abisko Aurora Breaks, Exclusive Swedish Collection and our Autumn Aurora Breaks for further inspiration.
Explore our trips
The Complete Icehotel Winter Experience
Our 4-night Complete Icehotel Winter Experience combines staying 2 nights at the original Icehotel with 2 nights at Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge.
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £2,650
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
The Northern Lights Special Holiday
Our most popular 3 night Northern Lights break staying at the exclusive 7 bedroom Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge.
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £1,500
The Sorbyn Chill and Thrill Winter Package
Sorbyn Lodge is the ideal place for mixing a bit of relaxing with a bit of adventure, then add in some of the best fine dining too!
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £1,800
The Tree Hotel and Northern Lights Quest
If you are looking for a special Northern Lights break with a difference then combining the Tree Hotel on the Eastern Side of Swedish Lapland with Abisko on the Western Side brings you unique accommodation and great Northern Lights hunting.
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £2,750
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)
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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)
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from £2,550
Useful information
Top of our list for a high impact northern lights short break is the delightful 7 bedroom Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge. This lodge based 5 kilometres outside Kiruna, the main tourist destination in Swedish Lapland, sits on a promontory looking north east towards the Abisko alps. Converted around 7 years ago from a Sami culture centre into a small ‘ home away from home’ lodge it is run by our long standing partner Andreas Mikko.
This is the perfect place to base yourself for a high impact northern lights short holiday or weekend break.
We have two action packed breaks here that amalgamate all the typical Arctic experiences you would expect.
Firstly the ever popular northern lights special break is an exhilarating 3 night break. This is designed to offer amazing value but is limited to a Wednesday departure. During your 3 nights experience snowmobiling with Andreas Mikko, Huskies with Ylva Forsen and a range of northern lights focused experiences at the lodge.
Snowmobiling starts at the entrance to the lodge and soon winds its way through pristine tracks leading to one of the main vantage points where you can survey miles and miles of unspoilt wilderness towards Mount Kebnakaise, Sweden’s tallest Mountain. On a longer tour you can head out to one of Mikko’s secret lakes to try your hand at Ice Fishing for Arctic Char, the local river fish and fine delicacy.
We have a long partnership with Ylva Forsen who looks after all our clients in Kiruna on husky tours. From her small kennel deep in the Kalix river valley she runs wonderful drive your own husky experiences in an area famed for moose sightings in winter and with an absence of people!
The Original ICEHOTEL is situated around a 20 minute drive from Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge and your trip will include a visit to marvel at the construction of this unique structure, its famed art suites, Ice Bar and Chapel. For the intrepid your stay can be extended to include a night’s stay.
Once night time comes attention moves away from the snow and gravitates towards the northern horizon. This is aurora time and the team at the lodge are keen for you to see the northern lights if possible. Two nights are dedicated to this – one at the lodge and one out on snowmobiles.
If you are able to extend your break by an extra day consider our 4 night Complete Arctic experience break. This offers more flex on days of the week you can travel and also fits in the 3rd must do activity on a Northern Lights short break and that’s a meeting with a Sami family and reindeer. Our partner Hakan Enoksson is a local reindeer herder who in the winter months when the reindeer are in corral offers guests a glimpse into his life. The day includes a reindeer sled ride and lunch in a tepee.
Another popular destination for people wanting to get away for a short break in Swedish Lapland but focus totally on trying to see the northern lights is our Aurora Pick n Mix break based in the northern lights capital of Abisko. The Adventure Tour Company opened up Abisko to the international Northern Lights holiday market. Whilst many of our holidays to see the Aurora Borealis touch base in Abisko this 3 night break allows you to totally design your own perfect break to this stunning location. From snowmobile and sled dog safaris to spending time at the famed Aurora sky station in Abisko or out with a professional photographer on a northern lights photo hunt you have all the options for a truly high impact and memorable northern lights break.
There are certain times of the year when getting away for a refreshing short break is a must. New Year and the February half term holidays are popular times to travel to Swedish Lapland in search of the northern lights.
At New Year we have a fabulous Traditional New Year celebration at Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge. Besides including the standard husky, snowmobile and Ice Hotel tours it offers a New Year dinner themed around traditional ingredients and a visit to a Sami homestead.
February half term is one of the only times that families can get away to experience a northern lights holiday together and we have constructed a break based at one of the cabins at the excellent Camp Ripan in Kiruna. Fabulous sled dog, reindeer and Snowmobile day time activities are combined with visits to the ICEHOTEL and use of the fantastic Spa at Camp Ripan.
For those interested in a city break type northern lights holiday we offer a great value break based in Lulea situated on the edge of the Bay of Bothnia in the Eastern part of Swedish Lapland and very much the emerging Northern lights holiday destination.
Take a look at our weekend aurora break to the Lulea Archipelago which offers the opportunity of staying in an excellent 4 star hotel with access to the bars and restaurants with day trips out into the surrounding wilderness to do drive your own husky tours or snowmobile adventure.
On this break you also have the option of extending your stay to stay in the Iconic Tree Hotel run by our good friends Kent and Britta Lindvall.
Swedish Lapland has infinite possibilities for a high impact northern lights short break.
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
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
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
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.
Carol Mumford
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
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
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
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
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