The aurora is free, and in Swedish Lapland it is frequent. The real question is how you get yourself under a clear, dark sky at night in deep cold. That is what a tour sells, and what you have to solve yourself if you go without one.
When you need this
Read this if you are weighing a guided aurora tour against going out on your own, staying in Kiruna or Abisko without a car, or planning to rent one and chase clear skies. It also covers the two DIY questions tour sellers rarely answer: where you are allowed to stop on a Swedish road, and whether a frozen lake is a safe place to stand. When and where the aurora appears, forecasts and photo technique are in northern lights in Sweden.
Tour or DIY at a glance
According to the Swedish National Space Agency (Rymdstyrelsen), statistics give aurora in Kiruna on about every other clear night. So in Lapland the question a guide answers is rarely “is there aurora?” It is “where is the sky clear, and how do I get there?”
| Guided tour | Doing it yourself | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting away from town light | Transport included | On foot, by train to a dark base, or by car |
| Finding a clear sky | Guide reads weather and aurora forecasts, drives to gaps | You watch the cloud forecast and IRF’s alert |
| Clothing | Some tours include overalls | Your own layers for standing still |
| Photos | Photo tours can include coaching and preset cameras | Your own tripod and method |
| Main risks | Weather, a single booked night | Night roads, reindeer, lake ice, cold |
| Cost | Varies by type and season | Free |
Neither option beats the weather. Winter cloud can sit for weeks, according to SMHI, the national weather agency. Whichever you choose, plan several nights.
What a guided tour actually adds
Kiruna’s destination organisation is candid: the aurora “kan ofta ses på egen hand”, it can often be seen on your own. Its case for a guide is that local guides know where the sky is clearest and read weather and aurora forecasts with local eyes.
Tours in the area come in a few types:
- Aurora chase (norrskensjakt): usually a minibus, driving to wherever the sky is clearest, away from light.
- Photo tours: can include a photographer guide, preset cameras, warm overalls and hot drinks. Contents vary, so check.
- Activity tours: dog sled, snowmobile, snowshoes or skis, with the aurora as a possible extra. See dog sledding and snowmobile tours.
No one can guarantee the aurora. A guide improves your odds of standing under a clear sky, not the Sun’s activity. Before booking, ask:
- How far will the vehicle drive to find clear sky?
- What happens on a cloudy night?
- How large is the group?
- Are overalls and boots included?
- Are photos or preset cameras part of it?
Nature’s Best is a voluntary Swedish ecotourism label for nature-tourism companies. It is a useful signal, but unlabelled operators are not necessarily worse.
What doing it yourself takes
Going on your own needs four things:
- A dark place you can reach and leave safely. Headlights and phone screens reset about 20 minutes of dark adaptation in under a second.
- Clothing for standing still. Kiruna’s normal January mean is −11.3 °C, against 6.0 °C in September and −7.3 °C in March. See packing for a Swedish winter.
- A way to watch clouds and activity. The free IRF Aurora Alert app and IRF’s all-sky camera show whether it is happening over Kiruna right now.
- Several nights. One cloudy night is normal, not bad luck.
For photos, Visit Sweden’s advice is to wear two pairs of gloves so you never bare your hands. Seal the camera in a bag before you go back indoors to avoid condensation.
Without a car: Kiruna town and Abisko
In Kiruna, the aurora is sometimes visible in the center, but it is better to move a little away from the worst light pollution. Places free of artificial light are close. Wear reflectors and a red headlamp: it is pitch dark, and you need to be seen. Town buses run a limited timetable in the evenings and at weekends, so check the return before you walk out.
In Abisko, about 100 km west of Kiruna, the train does the work. Trains run daily year-round between Kiruna and Narvik. They stop at Abisko Turiststation, opposite the tourist station, and tickets are bought online in advance. Visit Sweden says Abisko’s mountain setting often gives clear skies when nearby areas are cloudy. Treat that as a local-climate tendency, not a guarantee. See night train to Lapland and Abisko National Park.
The bus catch: regional bus line 91 (Kiruna–Abisko–Riksgränsen) runs a winter season starting in February, plus summer. From autumn until February, in the darkest months, it does not help. Kiruna’s destination organisation gives the end of the winter season as April on one page and May on another, so check the operator’s timetable.
Inside Abisko National Park, fires and grills are allowed only at designated places, and motor vehicles only on designated roads, parking areas and snowmobile trails.
With a car: where you may stop
A car lets you chase gaps in the cloud yourself, but the risks move to the road:
- Never park on a priority road (huvudled, marked by a yellow diamond sign). Stopping near a hill crest or blind bend is banned too. Choose a safe parking place in daylight; a verge is not a viewpoint. Detail in parking rules in Sweden.
- Reindeer are herded animals on the roads in the northern counties, and wildlife moves most at dawn and dusk. Any collision must be reported; see wildlife and reindeer collisions.
- Polar night: Kiruna’s destination organisation advises driving by day in December. Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration, says to expect winter journeys to take much longer than normal.
- Before you go, check Trafikverket’s road-condition map. Fill the tank, and carry a scraper, shovel, blankets, extra warm clothes, a torch, a charged phone and a reflective vest.
The full picture is in winter driving in Sweden.
Frozen lakes and cold
A frozen lake gives a wide-open view north, which is why DIY watchers walk out onto one. Swedish ice-safety advice warns that new ice, spring ice and snow-covered ice can be weak. Snow also hides weak spots, and in the dark you cannot read the ice. Never go alone. Carry ice claws and a phone packed waterproof, and tell someone where you are going. Without that kit and knowledge, watch from the shore. See ice safety.
Cold is the other quiet risk. Skin turning white and cold is a frostbite sign. Drowsiness, or shivering that stops, points to hypothermia: call 112, which is free and works without a SIM. Basic mobile coverage reaches 90% of Sweden’s land area, with gaps mostly in the northern mountains and interior. See cold safety.
How to choose
| Choose a tour if… | Go on your own if… |
|---|---|
| You have only one or two nights | You can give several nights |
| You have no car, or no winter-driving experience | You are staying somewhere dark, such as Abisko or a cabin outside town |
| You are travelling with children or cold-sensitive people | You are comfortable in deep cold for hours |
| You want photo coaching | You have your own tripod and warm kit |
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Aurora odds in Kiruna | About every other clear night |
| Main season (Kiruna area) | September – March |
| Watching on your own | Free; no ticket or permit |
| Guided tours | Aurora chase, photo, dog-sled, snowmobile types; price varies by type, length and season |
| Train Kiruna–Abisko | Daily, year-round; ticket online in advance (checked 2026-09-25) |
| Bus line 91 Kiruna–Abisko | Winter season from February, plus June–September; app, web or card on board (checked 2026-09-25) |
| Kiruna temperature normals | September 6.0 °C · January −11.3 °C · March −7.3 °C |
| Emergency | 112 |
FAQ
Do you need a tour to see the northern lights in Sweden?
No. Watching is free and needs no permit, and in the Kiruna area statistics give aurora on about every other clear night. What you need is darkness, a clear sky and patience. Kiruna’s destination organisation says the aurora can often be seen on your own, a short move away from the town’s light pollution. A tour helps mostly with transport and finding clear sky.
What does a northern lights tour include?
It varies by operator. Common forms are a minibus aurora chase, where a guide who reads the weather drives to where the sky is clearest, and photo tours, which can include a photographer guide, preset cameras, warm overalls and hot drinks. Others combine the evening with dog sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoes or skis. Ask what is included before you book.
Are northern lights tours guaranteed?
No. A guide can improve your odds of standing under a clear sky, but no one controls the Sun or the weather. In Kiruna the aurora shows statistically on about every other clear night, and winter cloud can sit for weeks. Ask what the operator does on a cloudy night, and plan several nights whether you book or not.
Can you see the northern lights in Kiruna town?
Sometimes, but it is better to move a little away from the worst light pollution. Around Kiruna, places free of artificial light are close, so a short walk or drive is often enough. Wear reflectors and use a red headlamp, because it is pitch dark and you need to be seen. Headlights and phone screens also cost you your night vision.
How do I get to Abisko for the northern lights without a car?
By train. Trains run daily year-round between Kiruna and Narvik and stop at Abisko Turiststation, opposite the tourist station; tickets are bought online in advance. Regional bus line 91 from Kiruna runs only from February and in summer, so it does not help in the darkest months. Abisko lies about 100 km west of Kiruna.
Is it safe to drive around Lapland at night looking for the aurora?
It can be, with care. Plan where you will park before dark: parking on a priority road is banned, and verges are not viewpoints. Reindeer are herded on the roads in the far north, and Kiruna’s destination organisation advises driving by day during polar night. Check Trafikverket’s road map and carry a winter kit with blankets and a charged phone.
Is it safe to watch the aurora from a frozen lake?
Only if you know ice. A frozen lake gives an open view, but new ice, spring ice and snow-covered ice can be weak, and in the dark you cannot read it. Ice-safety advice is never to go alone, to carry ice claws and a phone packed waterproof, and to tell someone where you are going. Otherwise, watch from the shore.
Related guides
- Northern lights in Sweden — when and where, the forecasts, and how to photograph it.
- Winter driving in Sweden — black ice, ploughing and convoys before you drive at night.
- Cold safety in Sweden — frostbite and hypothermia on long, still nights.
- Night train to Lapland — the car-free way to Kiruna and Abisko.
- Ice safety in Sweden — before you step onto a frozen lake.
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Kiruna Lappland, Visit Sweden, Rymdstyrelsen, SMHI, IRF, Trafikverket, Sveriges Riksdag, Länsstyrelsen Norrbotten, 1177, Issäkerhetsrådet, PTS — full register in this topic’s source file. We name no tour operators and publish no tour prices. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.