Things to do in Kiruna & Swedish Lapland

In Jukkasjärvi, day visitors can walk through ICEHOTEL and its art suites carved from ice and snow, open all year with the full ice rooms in the cold season, and at Nutti Sámi Siida, a Sámi-run reindeer business, you can visit the Márkanbáiki open-air museum or book a reindeer encounter or a reindeer-sled ride. From the Kiruna Tourist Center, a guided tour heads to LKAB's visitor centre at the 540-metre level of a working iron ore mine, and from a kennel just outside Kiruna, teams of Alaskan huskies pull sleds on morning and midday tours. In Abisko National Park, trails from Naturum Abisko lead to the Abiskojåkka canyon, where the river rushes through a dramatic ravine, and along a blue-marked path toward Paddus to a Sámi site, and in summer marked trails including the Kungsleden let you hike under the midnight sun; in winter, guided snowshoe walks of about 3–5 km start from Abisko Turiststation, and evening trips ride an open two-seat chairlift up Mount Nuolja to the Aurora Sky Station with its viewing terrace and aurora exhibition. Ájtte in Jokkmokk is Sweden's main museum of Sámi culture, also covering the nature and culture of the mountain region, and in Harads non-guests can see Treehotel's architect-designed tree rooms from outside on a self-guided visit or a pre-booked guided tour. Just outside Luleå, Gammelstad Church Town keeps over 400 church cottages around Nederluleå Church, the largest late-medieval stone church in northern Sweden and in use since 1492, with the Hägnan open-air museum close by, Teknikens Hus is a hands-on science centre where you touch, turn, push and pull exhibits from big machines to small turbines, and when the sea ice is thick enough, roads of about 30 km are ploughed across the frozen archipelago so you can drive out to islands such as Hindersön and Storbrändön for lunch.

Good to knowHusky rides, snowshoe hikes and the Luleå ice roads are winter activities, and the ice roads open only when conditions allow, so check the city's ice-road status page before setting out; the Aurora Sky Station runs in autumn and winter. The northern lights are a natural phenomenon and never guaranteed, warm overalls and boots are lent at the chairlift base, and the minimum age is 12, as it is for the snowshoe hike, where children need a parent or guardian along. ICEHOTEL is entirely cash-free, so bring a card and dress warmly, and husky tours include transfers from Kiruna city, warm clothing, and coffee or tea with a snack. The LKAB mine tour has limited places and children must be at least 6 years old and 110 cm tall, so book ahead. Most of Nutti's reindeer are there in winter, with only a few at the museum in summer. Ájtte is free for ages 0–16 with a guardian and closes on Sundays and Mondays in autumn and winter, and Teknikens Hus opens Thursday to Sunday with online pre-booking. Treehotel's grounds are private, so do not enter rooms or photograph guests; self-guided visits run on weekdays from 11:00 to 15:00. Book a Gammelstad guided tour at the Gammelstad Visitor Center, and on cold days the mine tour, Ájtte and Teknikens Hus are good indoor picks.