The Best Resources to Help You See the Northern Lights in Sweden

menorca chaturvedi July 14, 2018

10 min read

Actually getting to see the Northern Lights in Sweden can be a tricky business but there are a number of ways that you can up your chances to see this fickle, but stunning, light show. Mark, a Swedish local, avid Couchsurfer and Northern lights expert, shares his best resources and tips to help you see the Northern Lights in Sweden.

Facebook Pages and Groups About the Northern Lights in Sweden

To start with, I highly recommend that you sign up to a few Facebook groups and pages if you are planning to see the Northern Lights in Sweden. Here are a few of my favourites:

Northern Lights in Luleå

I started this group to show people how intense the aurora can be and how often it is seen from Luleå, where I live in northern Sweden, up by the Arctic Circle (but Abisko is still the best place to go, more on that later).

Aurora Alerts by Soft Serve News

As well as having up to date alerts for the Northern Lights in Sweden and around the world, you can also visit the Soft Serve News website for hands down the BEST aurora forecast information. Links to the website from the Facebook page.

Lights Over Lapland

I have never met Chad, the dude that runs this company, but from what I have read and seen, he is one of the friendliest “ self-employed business owners” there is. Chad doesn’t just share his business with you, he shares his passion for the Northern Lights.

STF Abisko Turiststation

This is the official Facebook page for the Abisko Tourist Information Center. (You will read later why it is worth remembering the name ”Abisko” and believe me, if there is ONE word to remember for Sweden Northern Lights planning, then it is Abisko).

Book a night photography tour in Abisko National Park

Websites About the Northern Lights in Sweden

Along with Facebook Pages and Groups, there are also a number of useful websites to help you plan your Northern Lights adventure in Sweden:

Soft Serve News

The website for the Facebook page mentioned above, and the link I use the most, Soft Serve News is the BEST Aurora website for Sweden and around the world – it even has an easy to use app for cell phones. There are countless sites and links to be found that have information about the Northern Lights in Sweden and I have seen and used most of them before settling on this one.

Space Weather Prediction Center

This website features an Aurora Forecast Model that shows the intensity and location of the aurora that is predicted for the time shown on each map.

Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet’s article about the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights, with Abisko in Northern Sweden rated as number one.

The best places to see the Northern lights

I live in Luleå, and we have some pretty intense auroras here. But, my personal recommendation is to go to Abisko. “The Lonely Planet” voted Abisko as the best place on the planet to see the auroras.

Tromso or Abisko for Northern Lights?

The most popular alternative to Abisko in Scandinavia seems to be Tromsö in Norway. Now, firstly I ought to point out, I have NOT been there. So here are some pros and cons of each.

1. Tromsö has Norwegian prices. So, it is WAY more expensive than Abisko.

2. Tromsö has about 70 000 inhabitants. Abisko has about 50 permanent residents. And about 100 working/living there for tourism.

3. There are a lot more other things that can be done in Tromsö; nightlife, clubs, restaurants etc.
In Abisko you can, enjoy the nature, ski, read a book and wait for the auroras.

4. Tromsö has an airport close to it. Abisko doesn’t.

To get to Abisko, you can either fly to Kiruna then take the train to Abisko, or fly to Luleå which means a further train journey, but there are more “cheap” flights to Luleå. And if you travel via Luleå then you also have the opportunity to see Kyrkbyn – a hamlet which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. You can also get to Abisko via Norway if you take the train from Narvik to Kiruna, in Sweden. Abisko is in the middle shortly after you pass the Swedish border.

READ: Solo travel in Northern Sweden in the winter

Other Activities to do in Sweden During Winter

Though most of the above resources and tips are related to visiting Sweden for the Auroras, it would be a shame not to partake in some of Sweden’s other winter activities while you are there, the best of which I have listed below:

Skiing

No matter where you are in northern Sweden you are rarely further than an hour away from great downhill/Slalom skiing slopes. There are too many to list, but two worth mentioning are the slopes in Abisko and the neighbouring slopes in Björkliden. You can also go cross-country skiing, which is much easier for beginners as it is similar to walking or jogging on skis.

Book a snowmobile expedition Aurora tour with dinner in Kiruna, Sweden

Dog Sledding

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to go dog sledging then you can find out in Sweden during winter, with many places offering dog sledging trips through Sweden’s winter wonderland.

Ice Hockey

Watching an Ice Hockey match in Sweden during winter is a must. Northern Sweden has some of the best ice hockey teams in the world, one of which is from my hometown of Luleå. I am not a great fan of ice hockey and don’t follow the clubs, but what I really liked about the match I went to was how close the public is seated to the action. Unlike football or other arena sports, with ice hockey, you are literally as close as 2 meters from the match, which makes for a fantastic and intense atmosphere.

Visit a Local Swimming Pool

Every town in Sweden has a local swimming pool, and they ALL have saunas. You can’t visit Sweden and not have a Sauna (Finland is even more fanatical). Nearly all swimming pools will have one mixed-sex steam sauna, and each changing room will have their respective saunas which are much hotter than the steam saunas.

Ice-Skating

There are a number of outdoor ice-skating rinks and long distance ice skating paths in Northern Sweden in winter. Many of the towns by the coast plough snow roads specifically for people to walk or ice skate on the frozen sea. As there is no salt in the sea here (you can drink it during summer, I do) the ice is very smooth.

Check out some winter tours in Northern Sweden here

For more tips for things to do in Northern Sweden in winter, check out this article from Lonely Planet.

Lastly, though the northern lights are nothing short of magical, Sweden is also the ”Land of the Midnight Sun” and it is just as spectacular during the summer months.

In summer, Sweden is home to two-meter tall sunflowers, and we even grow our own hops for beer. There are many lakes for swimming, with some of the lakes getting up to 25C in summer.

Some other ideas for your trip to Sweden :

There are many more reasons why you should visit Sweden in summer too, but I will leave the tips and suggestions for summer travel in Sweden for another time.