Abisko National Park

Abisko National Park is close to the Norwegian border, and some tours include trips into Norway, but most travelers visit Abisko National Park from Kiruna, the mining town that’s a Swedish Lapland travel hub. Guides offer hikes through the magical landscape year-round. While you can join tours to perfect your landscape photography skills alongside a professional photographer, the snaps most folks chase are the northern lights (aurora borealis), witnessed most often in the far, far north.

• Abisko National Park is a great choice for hikers, snowshoers, cross-country skiers, photographers, nature lovers, and aurora chasers.

• There are no entrance fees to visit the park.

• Camping is only permitted in designated campsites, and you are not allowed to land drones anywhere but on the road.

• Bring mosquito repellent in summer and serious layers in winter.

• Avoid disturbing grazing reindeer or the herders who work with them.

• Abisko National Park is as wheelchair-friendly as wilderness gets, with two accessible trails, one following the stream through the canyon and another along the shores of the lake, plus bathrooms and ramps in the tourist station and Naturum visitor center.

Abisko National Park sits in the heart of Swedish Lapland, close to the Norwegian border. It’s roughly equidistant between Norway’s Narvik, about a 50-mile (80-kilometer) drive away, and Sweden’s Kiruna, about a 60-mile (95-kilometer) drive away, but most travelers visit from Kiruna. The No. 91 bus runs from Kiruna Gamla bus station to Abisko village twice daily, but most travelers will find self-driving or a tour easier, particularly in winter.

Lapland is a region of extremes, and the best times to visit Abisko National Park are either in the short, dark, icy days of winter or the long “white nights” of summer. You can see the northern lights from as early as mid-September through to late March, but the best chances are in January and February. The park and tourist station are open year-round, but the Abisko Naturum visitor center only operates from December–September.

Many travelers come to Abisko National Park in search of the northern lights: The lack of urban light pollution makes it a good area to see them. Winter temperatures regularly drop to -6° F (-21°C), so effective layering is key—some providers include outside layers. Know that the aurorae look better on screen than in real life. Consider booking a tour that includes hot snacks, hot drinks, or even a bonfire to warm you up.