Nestled above the arctic circle lies a coal mining town named Kiruna. Hopping off the plane, I immediately felt like I was in a special place. And not just because you had to walk outdoors from the plane into the terminal.
Taking the bus into town, you have a chance to view the majestic mountains, as the sun hits the tip of them, before going down for the day. They said the sun came back on the 6th of January, 2014, while I arrived a week later (aka–not tons of sun). But the snow lit-up the area, so you never was completely dark.
Upon arriving, you could clearly see that this was a place full of snow!
Kiruna is a great town to visit! (More information/links below the hostel)
But it’s a cold town.
A town where fathers play hockey with their sons in the street.
A town where reindeer cross the street.
We stayed at the Yellow House. It’s a cheaper hostel costing 220 kr per person per night. And you get what you pay for. So what did we pay for? Well, we paid for a hot room, and that’s what we got.
The hostel was that it’s close to town (like most hostels/hotels). But it was closer than others, like the infamous Camp Ripan, which is a really nice hotel and has all sorts of great information, outdoor equipment (skis, ice skates) and a lovely bar.
The positives: huge flat panel TV, decent kitchen, decently quiet
The negatives: almost never was there someone at the front desk and when trying to book the place the staff was never helpful (although wasn’t mean about it)
The neutral: the bathroom/shower is shared, the beds were single, but could be pushed together
Unknown: There was a sauna, but we never had a chance to use it, so I have no opinion on this
Camp Ripan is worth checking out if you can afford to pay a bit more and want access to different amenities. Click here to read more about Camp Ripan.
When leaving they took 30 minutes to clean all of the ice out of the engine (take as much time as you need 🙂
The Town has about 18,000 people with several shops and restaurants. Some of the shops are touristy and others are clearly there for the locals. There’s also a grocery store in the center of the town. I counted no less than three pizza joints within a two minute walk. And a Thai restaurant–who goes above the arctic to eat Thai? This guy!
The Sami are the native inhabitants of northern Sweden (Lappland) and sort of the native indians of Sweden who historically have and still heard reindeer for a living. It’s common to buy tourist items that are made by the Sami, none more still than their decorative knives and bracelets. Be prepared to pay 2000+ SEK for a knife and 300+ SEK for the bracelets.
Click here to read about dog sledding in Kiruna, click here to read about Cross Country Skiing in Kiruna, click here to read about my attempt at seeing the Northern Lights, and click here to read about the Ice Hotel.
Swedish Traveling, Culture & More Adventures 