Kiruna

Kiruna (Sami: Giron) in Norrbotten County is Sweden's northernmost city and home to 18,000 citizens. It is the centre of Kiruna Municipality, Kiruna kommun, which also includes several small villages, resorts and settlements scattered around a large wilderness area.

Understand


Kiruna houses the largest underground mine (iron ore) in the world, and is also known for the space research (the space centre is beyond Jukkasjärvi), the Sámi culture, the long winters, the modern town planning, the beautiful church and town hall, and the easy access to the wilderness and adventures of northern Lapland.

At N67°49 '48'' latitude, Kiruna is about 145 km north of the Arctic Circle, making it possible to experience the midnight sun and polar night there; the sun shines 24 hours a day from roughly the last week of May until the middle of July. From the first week of December until the second week of January, the sun never rises above Kiruna's horizon.

Kiruna's iron mine makes up a piece of the 500-kilometre-long Norrbotten Megasystem. The mining has caused subsidence near the town. As of the 2020s, old buildings are abandoned and demolished, and a new central district is being built 3 kilometres to the east – the town is "moving".

In 2013 some of the infrastructure for the new centre was ready and the last train left the old train station, in 2018 the new town hall was ready and the old town hall demolished in 2019. A park between the mine and the new centre will serve as a buffer.

By plane
SAS has direct flights from Stockholm (Arlanda) and Umeå. Also Norwegian Air Shuttle has direct flights from Arlanda.

The small is a few kilometers outside the city centre. An airport bus service to the city center serves all arrivals and departures at the airport. Another option is a taxi, which should be reserved, otherwise you risk waiting a long time. Another, more hardcore option is to walk 3 km from the airport (there is only one road) until you reach the E10 highway, and take bus 501 from the stop near the crossing. It runs many times during weekdays, a few times in the weekends. Hitchhiking is also easier from that spot than from the airport.

By train
Vy operates two daily night trains, from Gothenburg and Stockholm, continuing north along the Baltic coastline, passing cities like Uppsala, Gävle and Boden, where sometimes a change of trains is required to get to Kiruna (otherwise you'll end up in Luleå). The travel time from Stockholm is about 17 hours. Some trains continue the scenic route to Abisko and Narvik.

Two types of sleeping cars are available, liggvagn with six seats/beds in each compartment and the slightly more expensive sovvagn with 2–3 (softer) beds. Cheapskates might try out sittvagn, but 17 hours in a seat is not a pleasant experience. An onboard restaurant serves dinner and breakfast, it also doubles as a bar during the evening. However prices are high. Bringing your own food is allowed, but consuming alcohol is not (although the enforcement is quite lax).

Due to the destruction of the town centre by spreading of mining areas, the moved in September 2013 and is no longer in the city centre, but several kilometres away. Free shuttle buses are available to and from the bus station, with times fitted to train timetables and advertised at the bus station, the train station, and the municipal website. The bus station is very close to the town centre. At the train station, information boards inform about the region but neither a ticket vending machines nor Wi-Fi are available, so you either have to buy tickets via mobile network or before going to the train station or for a 55 kr higher price on board.

By bus
Long distance buses serve towns and cities in Norrbotten County, such as Luleå, Gällivare, Jokkmokk, and Haparanda. Regional buses connect to Kebnekaise and Nikkaluokta, and other places.

By car
Kiruna is on the E10, which is considered to be one of Sweden's most scenic roads.

It is possible to rent a car and drive to Kiruna, but it is very far away from all other major cities, the roads are quite narrow, and often not in a good shape. Due to weather conditions and the frequency of wildlife such as hares, reindeer and moose on the road, the trip can be a bit more interesting than bargained for.

The road distances from Kiruna are: Gällivare (closest city) 115 km, Narvik 178 km, Luleå 344 km, Umeå 600 km, Stockholm 1240 km.

Get around
The city is small, and most attractions are within walking distance. Still, be sure to dress for the season, even for a short walk.

As of 2019, roads are occasionally blocked for building relocation.



See


The Northern Lights are regularly visible in Kiruna during winter. A small walk into the nearest forest, so as to get rid of the city lights, notably improves the visibility.



Do
There are many things to do around the Kiruna area if you like outdoor activities and wilderness adventures. Many companies offer the same or very similar packages, here a list of popular and common activities can be found, sorted by season. Some other activities are also available. Pollution of the wilderness (and the city) is not appreciated; it's illegal in Sweden to litter. So be sure to not leave trash behind you in the fells, etc. It also keeps the environment in its best condition.

All year

 * Cinema
 * Dancing
 * Bowling
 * Gym
 * Swimming
 * Wilderness safaris
 * Swimming
 * Wilderness safaris

Winter

 * Northern Lights tours. A short walk into the forest away from the city is enough to observe auroras without light pollution.
 * Snow mobile excursions
 * Dog sled tour
 * Cross country skiing or snowshoe tours
 * Backpacking by ski or snow shoes, often multiple days from mountain hut to mountain hut, e.g. along Kungsleden
 * Downhill snowsports at, the city's abandoned mine. The slope is 2 km walking from the center, and local buses drop you 5 minutes away from it. Ski equipment can be rented.
 * Ice-fishing
 * Tour to the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi

Summer

 * Hiking
 * River rafting
 * Kayaking
 * Fishing
 * Orienteering
 * Golf
 * Hunting
 * Gold digging
 * Waterpark

Special events

 * Kiruna Snow Festival  (Snöfestivalen) in January.
 * The winter market  - One weekend in February.
 * The Kiruna festival (Kirunafestivalen) - A cultural and musical festival around June-July.
 * FjällRäven Classic: A 110-km hiking tour in the first and second week of August
 * The autumn market  - In early September.
 * Arctic Light Film Festival (commonly: Filmfestivalen) in mid November.

Buy

 * Several smaller COOP and ICA stores spread out around the city.
 * Several gas stations with long opening hours
 * Sport shops like Höjdmeter or Intersport (the store in the city centre is limited to clothing while the one next to COOP has the full range) sell (and some also rent out) alpine, cross country or backcountry ski equipment as well as equipment for other sports and clothing - especially useful if you did not bring along (enough) for the rather cold winter temperatures. Also tour operators like Camp Ripan (see in section "Sleep") or Kiruna Guidetur rent out ski equipment and very warm winter clothing they do not need for their guests. The choice is quite good for a small town.
 * Several smaller COOP and ICA stores spread out around the city.
 * Several gas stations with long opening hours
 * Sport shops like Höjdmeter or Intersport (the store in the city centre is limited to clothing while the one next to COOP has the full range) sell (and some also rent out) alpine, cross country or backcountry ski equipment as well as equipment for other sports and clothing - especially useful if you did not bring along (enough) for the rather cold winter temperatures. Also tour operators like Camp Ripan (see in section "Sleep") or Kiruna Guidetur rent out ski equipment and very warm winter clothing they do not need for their guests. The choice is quite good for a small town.

Eat
Don't miss any of the local specialities consisting of various forms of reindeer meat that can be found in almost any diner; there is everything from simple reindeer kebab, and sandwiches with reindeer meat to luxurious reindeer dishes at the fanciest restaurants. Also salmon, moose, other fish and animals "from the wild" can be seen as specialities.



Drink
Let's face it, the nightlife in Kiruna is hardly award winning in any way. It is a rather small city that does not offer great variety. The crowds going out are most usually the same people from time to time, and the chances are quite high that most locals going out already know each other, if not as friends then at least by name and/or face. This is both a blessing and a curse, depending on circumstances. People tend to drink quite heavily and some are reluctant to talk to strangers, but some would love to, don't give up!

However, this does not mean that going out in Kiruna is not fun. Sure after a few times it starts to feel a bit repetitive (which might not always be bad) but going out a night or two can often be quite fun, just don't expect too much, take it as it is, ignore things that bother you and enjoy the night.

Friday and Saturday are the main days for going out, but Wednesdays ("little Saturday") can sometimes get lively as well.

The waterholes include Bishop Arms, a lively pub with good food and a wide selection of beer, and Landströms, a more upscale restaurant that turns into a younger crowd bar late Friday and Saturdays.

Sleep
Kiruna offers many opportunities for a good nights sleep despite its small size.

Go next

 * Kiruna Municipality is enormous.
 * Jukkasjärvi is famous for the Ice Hotel; the Esrange Space Center is a bit farther yet.
 * Abisko national park
 * Riksgränsen ski resort
 * Kebnekaise and Nikkaluokta
 * Karesuando
 * Laponia national park
 * The railway to the port town of Narvik in Norway offers excellent views year-round.