Okay, so – WHY exactly would I want to go to Sweden in the dead of winter (with minimal daylight) and call it a “vacation”? Aside from all the fun things to do in Abisko that I tirelessly researched, I found stupid stupid cheap tickets. Like $440 round trip cheap from San Francisco to Stockholm. Not too bad, eh?
So, we went to Abisko at the end of January, in the middle of the freaking winter. I was real worried that the lack of light would leave us bored to tears (when I looked online, it said it would only be light out from like 10AM-1PM), but I thought it was fine! It actually ended up being light outside from 9AM-2PMish.聽Plus we just had so much fun hanging out in our hostel, and met so many cool people!
It’s also not that bad walking around in the dark though, as long as you have a head lamp in my opinion. It’s kinda fun, actually!
However, if you still want to see the northern lights but want longer days, go during February!

So, northern Sweden was definitely on my radar – specifically, Abisko, since it has some weird ‘blue hole’ in which the cloud cover seems to dissipate no matter the weather around it.
And for some reason I’ve always been fascinated by the Arctic (I mean I’m like 1% Norwegian according to my grandma so like, NBD) even though I’m a total baby when it comes to the cold. But I was willing to be brave to experience a TRUE WINTER聽since I’m from Northern California and anything below 50 degrees F is terrifying.

Spoiler alert: we did not see the lights. But I did about half freeze to death – luckily Hostel Haverskog (and Hostel Winterday!) is a short walk from a sauna that we were able to use afterwards to defrost 馃檪

The cute red houses.
The supermarket that pretty much only sells meat and candy.
The stunning scenery.
The relaxed and very chill vibes.
The freezing cold that made me want to find a dog named Toto and let him know that we definitely weren’t in California any longer.

Would I want to live there? Ummmm probably not although it is super beautiful (and also in the summer! I’m dying to do Kungsledden, or King’s Trail – it takes about a month and the pictures of the scenery look gorgeous!).
I couldn’t hang with all the snow and lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. But ahhh there is something sooo magical about it.
So, here are the best things to do in Abisko, Sweden in the middle of winter.
SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, DUH

There was like a verrrry faint green cloud and people lost their shit. Apparently they do dance, though (although I have yet to believe anything I’ve heard – guilty until proven innocent).
We did a tour through our hostel – it was roughly $100/per person, and probably not so worth it if you’re on a budget (you can just run out to the back of the hostel or the frozen lake and see them; Lights Over Lapland has an Aurora Webcam that they post photos from online so you know when to run outside), although the tours do take you to a much darker area.

However, I wish we had been given some history behind Lavvus and The Sami people. To be fair, I didn’t ask, either. Looking back I really wish I had!
ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET AT TURISTATION

They also have lots of options for vegetarians/vegans聽(I had this fake meat called Oumph! which was super tasty, plus they have lots of yummy sides). The Turistation is also super cozy, and has a great view of the frozen lake and surrounding areas.
It takes about 30 min to walk to from the Hostel Haverskog/Winterday, although it took us much longer because we went the wrong way twice and had to keep asking people lolol.
FROZEN WATERFALLS ARE JUST AS COOL AS THEY SOUND


WALK ON THE FROZEN LAKE

It was super cool! Especially because I’d never been on a frozen lake before.
Apparently it’s like 4 inches thick and a car can drive over it, so we knew we were chill (although I was still slightly terrified). There’s a really cool trail you can do that was recommended by one of the hostel workers, but we didn’t get a chance to do it because of the crazy wind from the storm.
WALK TO THE STORNABBEN VIEWPOINT

It didn’t take that long to hike it round trip either – maybe like an hour.
The signage isn’t that great, so just repeatedly ask someone working at your accommodation how to get there in great detail, like I did. They even gave me a map and marked it with a star. They loved me 馃檪

DAY TRIP TO NARVIK

If you’re just doing a day trip you’ll only be able to stay there for like 3 hours due to the train times, but it was soooo worth it!
The train ride alone is absolutely beautiful, and you can see fjords right out the window.
Once we got into Narvik, we didn’t exactly have a plan so I asked a lady walking her dog where we could get the best view of the city (side note: always ask people with dogs! They’re usually nice, most likely local, and will probably know good spots since they’re always walking around), and she suggested the Totta Bar at the Scandic Hotel. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS!

WATCH THE SUNRISE AND SUNSET

CHOOSE FROM AN ARRAY OF TOURS

Tours include ice climbing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, hiking, dog sledding, seeing the Northern Lights, and a tour to learn about the Sami way of life.


HOW TO GET TO ABISKO

The train goes straight into Abisko, but the plane flies into Kiruna, and then you can take a train or a shuttle to Abisko. Or hitchhike like one guy we met did!
However, the trains sometimes get cancelled due to bad weather (that happened when we arrived in Abisko; we were going to take the train back BUT our flight left before the train did, so we had to take the shuttle to the airport).
So, we ended up taking the shuttle each way. It’s a little expensive – about $50 USD – but very comfy and takes about an hour. And, like I said, the way there was worth it since we got to see Reindeer! However, that was only because the guy driving our shuttle had to tend to them before the storm. So you may not get so lucky.
WHERE TO STAY

They have private rooms and rooms for multiple people. Winterday has a sauna that you can use from 9PM-10PM, even if you’re staying in Haverskog – it’s amazing after you’re freezing to death from looking for the northern lights!
You can also stay at the Turistation or the Mountain Lodge, both of which are more expensive.
OTHER THINGS TO NOTE

The supermarket also doesn’t sell hard alcohol, just beer. There aren’t any bars/clubs in Abisko, either. Just FYI if you’re tryina get your party on.
Also, the trains/transportation in general can be cancelled due to weather, so keep that in mind, and feel free to ask the person working at your accommodation what the status is.
There are only 2 “restaurants” that I know of: the Turistation Buffet聽(which was actually really good!), and a little food truck that was located right outside the supermarket (I never tried it though – not much for vegetarians).
You’ll probably do a bit of walking, so be prepared for that! Or, you can rent a snowmobile. Have fun! Abisko is an amazing place, and I miss it so much!

Happened upon your blog about Abisko Sweden while I was researching an upcoming trip to Abisko Sweden! We are planning a trip for February 2024. While we won鈥檛 be staying in a hostel I found the info you included to be great. Of particular interest was the train to Narvik. I thought how fun to go to Norway just to say we were there. Then what do I see is the movie Narvik trending on Netflix. It鈥檚 destiny that my friend and I go now.
Thanks again.
Happy and safe travels
Susan
Hey Susan, happy to hear it. I’m so excited that you’re going to Abisko, you’ll love it! And yes, going to Narvik is definitely worth it, in my opinion. The train itself is gorgeous and I’d recommend it just for that alone! We honestly didn’t spend a ton of time in Narvik, but it was a pretty city to stop in nonetheless.