Northern lights expedition! I’ve never done so much planning for any trip. We leave from Denver, flying with Icelandair directly to Iceland before going to Stockholm. From there we take night train it to the Arctic Circle for five days!
This is what I have got lined up for our ten days in Sweden.
Day One: Arrive in StockholmWe arrive about lunchtime at ARN airport. It’s a 20min train ride to Stockholm Central station. The rest of the day I figure we would just relax, explore, hit up the local grocery store for snacks.
Day Two: Vasa Museum and ExploreI honestly did not do a lot of research on Stockholm and what to see/do there. The chick who cuts my boyfriend’s hair told him about the Vase Museum. It houses a Viking ship that’s over 300 years old. I heard it sunk 20 minutes into its maiden voyage. That’s all I’ve planned for that day.
We spend most of our day in Stockholm. Our SJ night train does not depart till about 5:30pm. Again no plans. May try to check out the one Christmas Market open during our stay in Sweden. That first week of December it appears there are not many markets open or they are only open on weekends till later in the month.
I booked a private compartment on the SJ night train. Not a 100% sure what we’re getting. But I hope there is a bar on this train.
We wake up in Lapland, a province in northernmost Sweden. Our destination, Abisko Östra Station. That’s just one station away from the Abisko Turiststation, which is where the lifts are to the Aurora Sky Station. I chose Östra because there is a grocery store in that village.
Depending on the weather, we might go up to the Sky Station in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights. If not, we’ll find something to do.
Aurora Sky Station
Day Five: Dogsledding
We may book a dogsledding tour this day. It’s about two hours of magical snow-covered terrain through the backcountry of Abisko National Park. Given we are visiting in December when daylight is about an hour or two, I bet our ride will be in the dark. Got our headlamps ready and I’ve packed extra batteries.
Day Six: Explore Day
Nothing booked for this day. Perhaps we’ll go out for a hike. The temperature will be in the twenties (Fahrenheit). So maybe we’ll be in our cozy room watching all of the Star Wars since the newest film is coming out later in December!
Day Seven: The IcehotelI’ve booked two nights at the Icehotel. To my relief the cold rooms were unavailable. My boyfriend loves to keep our bedroom at Arctic temperatures all year long. I know what it feels like. So two nights in a warm room for us!
Just down the road from the Icehotel is the Sámi Siida – Márkanbáiki. It looks like a cultural center devoted to the reindeer herding natives, the Sámi people. In the afternoon we have a Reindeer Sledding tour. I’m looking forward to this the most!
We leave the Icehotel and taking a SAS flight out of Kiruna to Stockholm. The thought was we would have another chance to go to a Christmas Market. The oldest of Stockholm’s Christmas Markets will be open and perhaps worth checking out.
Day Ten: Begin Journey Back HomeOur flight does not leave until the afternoon. We’re staying next to the Central Station for convenience. No rushing and we can enjoy my favorite meal of the day, brunch.
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