Sleep in Abisko or in Kiruna?
Kiruna has the airport and the restaurants, Abisko has the dark sky and the tours. The choice matters more than it looks, because every evening tour on this site starts in or near the village. This guide covers the distance and the pickups. It also looks at the train and how many nights to plan.
Two places, roughly 95 km apart
Abisko is a small village on the south shore of Lake Torneträsk, roughly 95 km (60 miles) north-west of Kiruna by road. Both lie far north of the Arctic Circle and both see the aurora. The difference is what surrounds you after dark.
Kiruna is a mining town with an airport, a wider choice of restaurants and shops that stay open into the evening. Abisko has a railway line and a handful of places to sleep at the edge of a national park. For the tours on this site, that contrast decides a lot.
Why the tours on this site start in the village
All five tours we compare begin in or near Abisko, none in Kiruna. Lights Over Lapland picks up from hotels in Abisko and Björkliden on its aurora chase from ~$100 and on its photo tour from ~$160.
Chase pickups start at 7:45 pm in Björkliden and run from 8 to 8:15 pm in Abisko. The photo tour starts at 7:10 pm, either at STF Abisko Turiststation or with a hotel pickup in the same two places.
Explore Arctic's car chase with a photographer states that it does not pick up from Kiruna. AbiskoHikes meets at Lapportsvägen 32 in the village for its husky hike at ~$140, with a transfer from STF Abisko Turiststation on request.
Sleeping in Kiruna therefore means getting yourself to Abisko every evening and back again late at night. With a car it can be done, but a tour of three or four hours turns into a much longer night with roughly 95 km of winter road at each end.
Darker skies away from town
Abisko has few streetlights and little glow from buildings, so your eyes adjust within minutes of walking away from the hotel. The aurora often shows overhead here, because the village lies under the auroral oval rather than south of it.
Kiruna is bigger and brighter. A strong display is still visible from town, but faint aurora is easier to miss against the light. The local weather pattern differs too, which our guide to the blue hole over Abisko explains.
A clear sky is never promised in either place, and neither is the aurora. On a clear night a dark village gives you more chances to step outside even without a tour booked.
Where you can sleep in Abisko
The choice is small. STF Abisko Turiststation sits at the edge of the national park, and a handful of guesthouses and cabins make up the rest of the village.
Björkliden lies a few km west along the lake, and both Lights Over Lapland tours pick up there as well. Staying in either place keeps you inside the pickup area for the chase and the photo tour.
Rooms in the dark months often go early, because the village has far fewer beds than a busy aurora week brings guests. Book the room first, then choose a tour night that leaves a spare evening after it.
When Kiruna makes sense
Kiruna suits you if you land late in the day and fly out early, or if you want restaurants and shops close by. It also fits a trip that mixes the aurora with other plans in a bigger town.
The price is the commute. With a rental car you can reach Abisko for an evening tour, but you drive back on a dark winter road after hours outside. A common compromise is one night in Kiruna on arrival and the rest in Abisko.
Getting from Kiruna to Abisko
The railway from Kiruna to Narvik in Norway, the iron ore line, runs straight through Abisko. The ride takes roughly an hour and a half, and we give no timetable here, so check the current one with the rail operator before you travel.
Abisko has two stops on that line. Abisko Östra serves the village itself, while Abisko Turiststation is the stop for the mountain station of the same name and the national park trails.
Buses also run along the E10, the road that follows the railway west toward Norway. A rental car gives you the most freedom, though winter driving there means long hours of darkness and reindeer that sometimes stand on the road.
Staying in Abisko or Björkliden?
Lights Over Lapland's aurora chase collects you at your hotel, then hunts for the clearest sky on a drive that can reach 100 km (60 miles) in total. Viator reviewers rate it 4.9 from 200+ reviews; on GetYourGuide it has 4.5 from 350+. The fare starts at ~$100.
How many nights to plan
Stay at least two or three nights in Abisko. One evening rests on a single forecast, while three give the clouds and the sun several tries, and you can still move a tour if the first night looks grey.
Every listing on this site allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Book your tour for an early night of the stay, so a second attempt still fits if the sky stays shut. Our page on a night with no aurora covers that plan.
Per person, prices run from ~$100 on the bus chase to ~$160 on the photo tour, and our cost comparison sets all five side by side. To pick the weeks, start with the aurora season month by month.
Whichever base you choose, you will stand still outside for long stretches, so read dressing for −25 °C (−13 °F) before you pack. Travelling with children changes the plan again, as our guide to the northern lights with kids shows.