This is Kiruna

Kiruna is a special place in many ways. Sweden’s northernmost town is home to Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, to Sweden’s highest mountain, Kebnekaise, and to the world’s largest underground iron ore mine – a mine that is now forcing the town to move. Situated 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle,  Kiruna enjoys around two months of midnight sun in summer and ideal conditions for viewing the magical northern lights from September through March. Aurora Sky Station in Abisko in Kiruna municipality has been named by Lonely Planet as the best place in the world to experience light phenomena.

While Kiruna is a relatively small town with a population of around 23,000, the municipality encompasses an area of 19,447 square kilometres, which makes it the second largest municipality in the world. Kiruna’s border to the west is Sweden’s national border with Norway, and its eastern border is the  country’s national border with Finland. In the north, all three countries meet at Treriksröset – the Three-Country Cairn, which is the world’s northernmost tripoint and a landmark on the international Nordkalottleden Trail.

Kiruna offers easy access to vast areas of great natural beauty that invite to outdoor activities during both summer and winter. The snow-capped Scandinavian Mountains, the Scandes, are visible from the town centre and surrounding Kiruna you find boreal and birch forests, alpine tundra, wetlands, 6 unregulated rivers and more than 6,000 lakes. Abisko National Park and Vadvetjåkka National Park are both situated in Kiruna, as is the famous u-shaped valley near Abisko known as Lapporten – the Lapponian Gate. For hikers who pursue the entire 400 km long King’s Trail, Kiruna is either the start or end of the journey.

When you visit Kiruna, you also visit Sápmi – the land of the indigenous Sámi people. Kiruna shares a long history with the indigenous Sámi people and Sámi culture and language is highly visible in our society. Together with Swedish and Tornedalian culture, Sámi culture contributes to making Kiruna a unique and interesting destination in the Arctic.

Internationally, the name Lapland is often used to describe all of northern Scandinavia, but it is also the official name of Sweden’s northernmost province, where Kiruna is situated. Kiruna in Swedish Lapland is a large destination with many big attractions. At the same time, it is a destination that offers genuine, authentic and small-scale tourism with focus on people and encounters.

We invite guests from all over the world to share our Arctic way of life – close to nature and far from the ordinary.