Awesome Things to do in Kiruna Sweden

Kiruna is a magical winter wonderland full of winter activities, including see the Northern Lights, Dog Sledding and Snowmobiling! Check our list of things to do in Kiruna before your trip to make the most of your Swedish Lapland holiday.

Visiting Kiruna

Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden. It is a town of 22k and is located in the beautiful Swedish Lapland. It is famous for seeing the Northern Lights Kiruna, so it is more popular in the winter months. The long hours of darkness, average days with clear skies, and easy airport access make it an ideal location to try to catch the elusive Northern Lights Kiruna. There are lots of other winter activities like going for a dog sled rides, snowmobiling, and relaxing by the spa.

Top Things to do in Kiruna

Northern Lights

Kiruna is located 160 kilometers north of the Artic Circle. We booked a tour through the Lights of the Vikings, which I highly highly recommend. While you can find them on your own, the dedication, knowledge, and persistence of the Lights of the Vikings guides was just incredible. In the course of one night, we drove to 5 different locations chasing the Northern Lights Kiruna and were rewarded with a spectacular show over 100km from Kiruna. I cannot recommend them enough as we would not be able to find the lights on our trip with them.

We booked the tour for three nights, which helped a lot to ensure we could catch the lights on our long weekend in Kiruna. We had a snowstorm in the middle of our trip, so we were really thankful to have multiple days of opportunity to see the lights.

The tour with the Lights of the Vikings lasted about 5-6 hours. They picked us guests from designated meeting points across the city and then set out to find the lights. One night, we got lucky on a frozen lake and stayed there for the night, building a fire in the snow. The other night, we traveled to 5 different locations to catch more lights and clear skies throughout the night. Both nights, they offered warm tea and cookies to keep the energy up through the cold.

Dog Sledding

One of the favorite parts of our trip was dog sledding with the Alaskan Huskies through the Swedish Lapland Forest. We booked it with Husky Lapland Tours, who were excellent. They picked us up in Kiruna and took us 40 minutes outside Kiruna to their farm. We explored their farm and cuddled with all the beautiful huskies before setting out on our sledding experience. We chose to drive the sled ourselves with one of us sitting on the sled and the other driving the sled. We took our team of 5 huskies on a guided 18km route through the beautiful forest.

We were in such awe of the beauty of the snow covered forest and power of the dogs. They ate snow along the way while running for water and to cool down. We stopped after about 40 minutes of sledding for a quick break to allow the dogs to rest and switch drivers. Disco, our favorite dog, happily accepted cuddles the entire break. We then circled back in a loop back to the farm for another 40 minutes.

Highly recommend this experience as it was such a unique way to see the beautiful forest. Back at the farm, we feed the dogs and met the newest puppies that start training after only 6 months. The dogs were so well taken care of at the farm and absolutely loved to run. They got so excited to start the sled run. It was a once in a lifetime unique experience that I definitely recommend!

Enjoy the Spas in town

We stayed two nights at Camp Ripan, which has a spa on site. I highly recommend if it is in your budget to book a hotel with a spa. Swedish Lapland is VERY cold so outside of your scheduled things to do in Kiruna, you will have a lot of down time. It is really amazing to have a spa and restaurant in your hotel for your downtime without going outside again.

Snowmobiling around Kiruna

A lot of the locals own snowmobiles and use them in their daily life. If you visit in the days with more sunlight (September, October, February, or March), it is a great way to get out and explore more of the countryside around Kiruna. Book a tour though since there is very little street signs even on the road so it is very easy to get lost.

When to visit Kiruna

The best time to visit to see the Northern Lights is from September to March each year. Our guide told us the best light shows are usually at the beginning and the end of the season.

Getting to Kiruna

The Kiruna Airport has multiple flights per day from Stockholm. The airport is tiny but well organized. There is a bus connected to the flight times that takes you into the city of Kiruna. The driver was super friendly and helped everyone on the bus understand when which stop was best for their hotel. There are also taxis available outside the airport, but they are quite expensive. On the return, there is no need to be at the airport for more than an hour or an hour and a half before your flight, as the airport is tiny.

There is also an overnight train from Stockholm if you prefer to travel by train.

Getting around Kiruna

Most of the activities that you book will pick you up directly from your hotel, so we did not rent a car. We were able to walk to the supermarket and around town. There is snow taller than you all throughout the town, so do not rent a car if you do not have experience driving in the snow.

Where to stay for in Kiruna Sweden

We spent two nights at the Camp Ripan Spa and two nights at a budget hotel. Depending on your budget, I highly recommend both.

Best Budget Friendly Hotel for Kiruna Sweden

This small hotel at Sandstensgatan 24 has five rooms and a large common area that feels like a very nice hostel. During the snowstorm, we played Uno with some new French friends. If you are okay with sharing a bathroom/toilet, this budget-friendly option was great!

Best Overall Hotel for Kiruna Sweden – Camp Ripan

Camp Ripan hotel and spa makes for a beautiful trip. Swedish Lapland is VERY cold so outside of your scheduled activities, you will have a lot of down time. It is really amazing to have a spa and restaurant in your hotel for your downtime without going outside again. The breakfast is amazing and the SPA was fantastic for warming up in the freezing Kiruna Temperatures.