swedish lapland
Swedish Lapland covers a quarter or Sweden and contains almost none of its population. It stretches from the treeline of the boreal forest to the open fell plateau that runs along the Norwegian border mountains, tundra, river valleys and marshlands across a territory roughly the size of the United Kingdom. Very few people live here. That is, in large part, why it is worth visiting.
ICEHOTEL is located in Jukkasjärvi, a village of fewer that 1000 permanent residents, on the banks of the Torne River, 200 kilometers above the Arctic Circle and 17 kilometers from Kiruna. It has been here since 1989, and it re-built every winter from ice and snow harvested from the river directly below it. ICEHOTEL is re-designed entirely by invited artists each year, and open to guests from the middle of December, until it melts back into the river in spring. Since 2016, ICEHOTEL 365 has kept the ice alive year-round using solar energy from the midnight sun. The hotel is open year-round, and so is the landscape around it.
What is Swedish Lapland?
Swedish Lapland it the northernmost region of Sweden, a vast, sparsely populated territory above the Arctic Circle that has been home to the Sámi people for thousands of years. Their reindeer herder culture still shapes the land's rhythm and legal framework. You are a guest in a place that had been lived in, carefully, for a very long time.
The landscape is defined by its rivers and its seasons. The Torne River runs along the Swedish-Finnish border and freezes to a depth of more than one metre each winter. Torneträsk, to the west, is one of Sweden's largest lakes and the water source for the clear, cold streams that feed the fell plateau above Abisko. The birch forests that cover the valley floors turn gold in September and bare white by November, then dense green again by June.
The region sits between two extremes that most of the world's populated places never reach: Months of near-total darkness in the winter, and weeks of sun that never sets in summer. Both are worth experiencing. Neither is something you can fully prepare for.
winter in Swedish Lapland - october to april
Winter in Swedish Lapland is the reason most people come to visit, and it is every bit as extreme as described.
The northern lights
The polar night - Kaamos in Swedish and Sámi - produces the darkness that makes Swedish Lapland one of the world's best places to see the aurora borealis. In Jukkasjärvi there is no light pollution, no industrial haze, and a wide unobstructed sky above a flat, white landscape. The aurora is visible from September through March, with February and March being the clearest months. At its most active, it moves across the sky in curtains of green and white, occasionally violet, folding and unfolding.
dog sledding
You sit in the sled, the dogs do the rest. ICEHOTEL's dog sledding excursion is a 1,5 hour tour through the winter landscape of Northern Lapland. You are a passenger, which means you are entirely free to be in the moment. What registers first is the sound: the runners cutting through packed snow, the dog's breathing, and then silence as the forest opens up around you. The tour includes a wilderness coffee and cake served by an open fire.
Snowmobiling
The Northern Lights Safari on snowmobile takes you out into the wilderness, driving through the dark winter landscape, where the Northern lights are the most visible. This is an exciting adventure where you both get to drive a snowmobile and get a chance to see the Northern lights. Along the way you stop in a warm wilderness cabin where your guide served a two-course dinner. No prior snowmobile experience is required.
The ICEHOTEL itself
Each November, around 1000 tonnes of Torne River ice is shaped into that year's ICEHOTEL; a new building with new rooms, designed by a new cohort of international artists. No two years look the same. Guests sleep in -5°C in sleeping bags suited for the temperature, on beds carved from ice and in rooms that only exist for a few months. Parallel to the seasonal hotel, ICEHOTEL 365 contains year-round ice art suites and the ICEBAR, at the same temperature, powered by solar energy.
Summer in Swedish Lapland - May to September
Summer in Swedish Lapland is less visited and, for the right traveler, more surprising than the winter.
The Midnight Sun
Fram late May until mid-July, the sun does not set in Jukkasjärvi. It drops towards the horizon around midnight and then rises again - never disappearing. The 47 consecutive days of midnight sun transforms the landscape: The birch forest that was bare and white in January is dense, green and full of migrating birds in June. The river that was frozen solid is , cold and fast-moving. Everything that was still and silent is now in motion.
The light at midnight in June is warm and directional, with the same quality as golden hour, but sustained for eight weeks.The Torne River turns copper under its light. Long shadows fall over the landscape in the middle of the night. It is one of the most specific and unrepeatable things a place can offer, and Jukkasjärvi in June is the least crowded, most immersive version of it available in Scandinavia.
What the midnight sun is and why Jukkasjärvi is where to see it
When it happens and how Sweden compares to Norway and Iceland
River activities
Put on a wetsuit, helmet and jacket and spend the day on the Torne River on one of ICEHOTEL's river rafting group activities. The river runs through calm waters, rough rapids and untouched nature. Together with our experienced guides you will head downstream on the Torne River, and along the way you will stop for lunch cooked over an open fire, followed by coffee and Swedish fika.
Read more and book one of our group river rafting tours here
The Wilderness Dinner
ICEHOTEL's signature summer evening: Taste the season on our Wilderness dinner - a delicious dining experience in the woodlands. You head out to a secluded wilderness camp by boat or minivan (depending on the weather) together with a guide. The northernmost part of Sweden has eight seasons, each with its own characteristics, which inspires the exclusive three-course wilderness dinner made and served by your guide.
Midnight sun activities in Jukkasjärvi - Full guide
Year-Round at ICEHOTEL
Several of ICEHOEL's best-known experiences run regardless of season.
The Jukkasjärvi Sauna Ritual is a ten-step ritual shaped by Arctic contrasts - heat, cold, silence and the clarity of nature. In includes a wood-fired sauna, birch, whisk, tar soap, a plunge into the Torne River, and much more. Take the opportunity and use the sauna like a local. In winter the plunge is through a whole cut in the river ice. In summer it is into the flowing river water under a sun that doesn't set. The full sauna ritual takes around two hours.
Ice sculpting is available year-round in ICEHOTEL 365. Here you work with professional tools on a block of Torne River ice, with instructions from experienced guides. The room's temperature does not change between January and July - it is kept at -5°C year-round - and neither does the tools or the materials.
ICEHOTEL 365 maintains permanent ice art- and deluxe suites and the ICEBAR at -5°C throughout the year, powered by solar panels installed on the hotel's roof. The solar panels generate energy from the midnight sun, which is then used to keep the building cold enough to house ice through the warmest months. In summer it is possible to step from 20°C sunshine into -5°C architecture and back again within the same afternoon.
Getting to Jukkasjärvi
By air
Direct flights from Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) to Kiruna Airport (KRN) take approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. The flights are operated by SAS and Norwegian. From Kiruna Airport to ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, it is 17 kilometres and the transfer takes around 15 minutes by car. During the winter season, ICEHOTEL offers a transfer service to and from the airport. Door to door from Stockholm, the journey takes approximately three hours.
By train
The overnight sleeper train from Stockholm to Kiruna takes around 18 hours and arrives at Kiruna train station in the morning. From the station, it takes around 20 minutes. During the winter season, ICEHOTEL offers a transfer service to and from the train station. For those who want to experience the Swedish landscape, this is the journey to take.
By car
ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi is approximately 17 hours from Stockholm via the roads E4 and E10. Winter road conditions require winter tires and experience of driving on ice.
Plan your trip
ICEHOTEL's packages are designed to make the logistics straightforward. Standard packages run two to three nights and include accommodation in both warm and ice rooms, entry to ICEHOTEL, breakfast and at least one activity. Winter packages sell out quickly in December and January, while summer packages around midsummer (approximately June 21st) are the first to fill for the summer season.
The different seasons means genuinely different trips. Winter is darker, colder and oriented around the aurora, the winter activities and ICEHOTEL itself. Summer is warmer, much lighter and oriented around the river, the forest and a sun that will not let you go to sleep before midnight. Many guests who visit in winter will return in summer, and vice versa.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Swedish Lapland known for?
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Swedish Lapland is known for the northern lights, the midnight sun a, dog sledding, snowmobiling, the Sámi cultural heritage and ICEHOTEL - the world's first and most visited ice hotel, located in Jukkasjärvi. It is one of Europe's last genuinely wild landscapes, above the Arctic circle, with almost no light pollution and incredible seasonal variation.
- When is the best time to visit Swedish Lapland?
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It depends on what you want to experience. Winter (November to March) is the season for the northern lights, dog sledding, snowmobiling and the annual winter ICEHOTEL. Summer (May to September) is the season for river rafting, fishing and the midnight sun's consecutive days of continuous daylight in Jukkasjärvi. Both seasons are extraordinary. Many visitors return for both.
- How do I get to Jukkasjärvi?
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Fly to Kiruna Airport (KRN) from Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) in around 1 hour 45 minutes. ICEHOTEL is 17 kilometres from the airport, and during the winter season we offer a transfer service between the airport and the hotel. The full journey from Stockholm is approximately three hours. The overnight train rom Stockholm to Kiruna is an alternative for those who want to travel by rail. The ere are also seasonal direct flights from Copenhagen and Düsseldorf.
- Is Swedish Lapland the same as Finland's Lapland?
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No. Swedish Lapland is the northernmost region of Sweden, bordering Norway to the west and Finland to the East (part of the border runs along the Torne River). Finnish Lapland is the equivalent northern region of Finland. Both are part of Sápmi - The homeland of the Sámi people. But as travel destinations they are distinctly different, with different infrastructure, experiences and attractions.
- Can you see the midnight sun and northern lights on the same trip?
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No they do not overlap. The midnight sun requires the continuous daylight of summer (mate May to mid-July in Jukkasjärvi). The northern lights require darkness, which does not exist in Jukkasjärvi during the midnight sun period. If you want to experience both, plan two visits: One in winter (September to March for the aurora) and one in summer (May to July to experience the midnight sun). Many guests who visit ICEHOTEL do exactly this.
- How cold does it get in Swedish Lapland in the winter?
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The temperatures in Jukkasjärvi average around -15 C to -20 C in January and February, with occasional drops to -30 C or below. ICEHOTEL provides warm outerwear for guests visiting us, and before all outdoor activities arranged by us. The winter cold is part of what makes the experience unique: Not something to avoid but something to dress correctly for.
See also: The northern lights at ICEHOTEL | What is the midnight sun? | Midnight sun in Sweden - When, where and to expect | Midnight sun activities in Jukkasjärvi | How ICEHOTEL works