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Northern Lights Adventure | Stockholm | Helsinki

Abisko, a small village in the Abisko National Park of the Swedish Lapland and 250km into the Arctic Circle, sits in the middle of the Aurora Zone.  The surrounding mountains around Abisko provide it with a micro-climate that affords clear skies on more days – and nights – than most other places in Lapland (be it Swedish, Norwegian or Finnish).  Add to that the fact that light pollution in Abisko is near zero, Abisko offers near-ideal conditions for catching the Northern Lights (aka Aurora Borealis) during the months from September to early April.  No wonder therefore that the chance of catching the Northern Lights in Abisko has been among the highest in the world at above 80% when the sky is clear – and it usually is.

Northern Lights

Not surprisingly, in 2015, and on the back of the United Nations’ proclamation of 2015 as the International Year of Light,  Lonely Planet picked Abisko, and in particular the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko, as the best place in the world to experience the Northern Lights.

Northern LightsAurora Sky Station

Whilst you don’t even need to be at the Aurora Sky Station to catch the Northern Lights when you are in Abisko as the phenomenon can be viewed from the village and its vicinity – and often from right outside your hotel! – the Aurora Sky Station, which was purpose built for catching the Northern Lights and at an elevation of 900m above sea level, offers an ideal location for viewing the greatest natural light show on earth.  Viewing the Northern Lights from a vantage point such as the Aurora Sky Station is an experience commonly and deservedly described by many as truly bucket-list stuff! 

For daytime activities, apart from activities like dog-sledding, snow-shoeing, snow-mobiling, reindeer experiences and exploring the national park, you can do daytrips to the world-renowned ICEHOTEL in the Swedish Lapland and to the beautiful port-town of Narvik on the Ofotfjord (aka Narvik Fjord) in Norway

Icehotel

Narvik

After a few days in Lapland, you will probably want to head south to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, to warm up a little and to enjoy the offerings of a big city.  Spend a couple of days in Stockholm before returning home.

Stockholm

However, if you are able to spend more time in the region, you may wish to board an overnight cruise in Stockholm that will take you to Helsinki, the capital of Finland.  Whilst in Helsinki, a daytrip to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, a Baltic nation, is highly recommended.  The old town of Tallinn is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki

Helsinki

Tallinn

The overnight cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki has been described by Rick Steves as the most scenic boat ride in Europe.  The sights as you leave Stockholm and as you arrive at Helsinki are both beautiful and spectacular.

In summary, the highlights of this itinerary are: (1) Abisko – one of the world’s premier locations with high probability of catching the Northern Lights; (2) daytrips to the ICEHOTEL in Sweden and Narvik in Norway; (3) Stockholm; (4) scenic cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki; (5) Helsinki; (6) daytrip to the old town of Tallinn in Estonia, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can have such a trip tailored to suit your preferences in terms of the number of days, the destinations and the activities. 

If you are interested to find out more, please do not hesitate to contact us at customerservice@atlastravelz.com.