Kiruna
Kiruna - Northernmost Swedish town
Kiruna is the northernmost town in Sweden, located in Swedish Lapland above the Arctic Circle. With around 20,000 inhabitants, it serves as an important gateway for travellers exploring the far north of Sweden and neighbouring regions of Norway and Finland. Many of our winter journeys through Swedish Lapland pass through Kiruna due to its convenient transport connections.
Kiruna Airport (KRN) is located about 10 km from the town centre and offers regular flights to Stockholm, making it the main arrival point for visitors travelling to northern Swedish Lapland. From Kiruna, travellers can easily reach several well-known Arctic destinations including the ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, located about 20 minutes away, and Abisko National Park, one of Scandinavia’s best places to view the Northern Lights. The railway line connecting Kiruna with Narvik in Norway and Luleå on the Swedish coast also makes the town an important transport hub in the region.
The area around Kiruna has a long cultural history connected to the Sámi people, the Indigenous population of northern Scandinavia. Evidence of Sámi settlement in the region dates back thousands of years, and traditional livelihoods such as reindeer herding continue to play an important role in the surrounding landscapes.
Kiruna was founded in the early twentieth century and today offers visitors a welcoming small-town atmosphere surrounded by vast Arctic wilderness. One of its most notable landmarks is the Kiruna Church, often regarded as one of Sweden’s most beautiful buildings. Constructed in the early 1900s, it is one of the country’s largest wooden churches and combines Gothic Revival architecture with Art Nouveau interior details.
Today, Kiruna serves as an excellent base for exploring Swedish Lapland, with easy access to winter activities, Sámi culture, Arctic landscapes and some of Scandinavia’s most reliable Northern Lights viewing locations.
