Can you see the northern lights in Abisko tonight?

The Swedish Lapland Visitors Board says more or less active northern lights can be caught around Abisko every night from October until the end of March. According to the board, the question in Abisko is not auroral activity but clear skies. The board says Abisko usually has clear skies because the area gets less rainfall than the rest of Sweden.

When to see the northern lights in Abisko

The Swedish Lapland Visitors Board says more or less active northern lights can be caught around Abisko every night from October until the end of March. On the same page where it promotes its own STF Abisko Turiststation and STF Aurora Sky Station, the Swedish Tourist Association (STF) gives the best time to see the northern lights as mid-November to mid-March. You can check how night length changes across winter in the guide to Abisko daylight.

The Swedish Lapland Visitors Board says that in Abisko the question is not the auroral activity but clear skies. The board says Abisko usually has clear skies because the area gets less rainfall than the rest of Sweden, and that it often has a "blue hole" even when the rest of the sky is covered. STF also says the area is often called "the blue hole" because the sky there is frequently clear even when it is cloudy in surrounding areas.

A blog post by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) on the 1991 to 2020 normals names Abisko for the lowest normal annual precipitation, 347.2 mm, and says Abisko, in a so-called precipitation shadow for most wind directions, has long been known as a very dry place. SMHI notes that Riksgränsen, a short way further west, gets three times as much precipitation as Abisko. For another perspective on northern conditions, see the guide to Tromsø northern lights.

STF says the Aurora Sky Station is open during two separate seasons, one in the dark part of winter when the northern lights are at their best and one during the summer's midnight sun, with a closed period in between, so check the current opening hours before you book.

How to get to Abisko

The village, where most homes, shops and the petrol station are, is usually called Abisko East; STF Abisko Turiststation is 3 km away in Abisko West. The village is 93 km from Kiruna along the E10 to the north-west, a drive of just over an hour. For connections in the regional hub, read the guide to Kiruna northern lights.

The nearest airports are Kiruna and Narvik (Evenes):

• From Kiruna Airport, a Länstrafiken Norrbotten airport bus goes directly to the tourist station, or you can take a taxi or a rental car.
• From Evenes, an airport bus goes to Narvik bus station, then the train or a Länstrafiken Norrbotten bus to Abisko.

SJ runs trains between Kiruna and Narvik daily all year round, along the railway between Torneträsk and Riksgränsen. SJ trains stop at a station called Abisko Turiststation, directly opposite the tourist station and about a 5-minute walk from its reception. Train tickets should be bought online in advance, because they cannot be bought at the station or on board.

To reach Kiruna from Stockholm by rail, Kiruna Lappland says you can sleep part of the journey on SJ's night train, which runs between Stockholm and Narvik, choosing a seat, a sleeping car or, in first class, your own sleeping compartment with shower and toilet. From Kiruna, you can take SJ's daily trains on to Abisko Turiststation. At the end of November 2026, Snälltåget runs what Kiruna Lappland calls a unique night train journey from Malmö via Stockholm to Narvik, stopping at Abisko and Björkliden among others; it leaves Malmö on Monday 23 November 2026 and returns from Narvik on Friday 27 November 2026.

Where to stand to see the aurora

The Swedish Lapland Visitors Board says Abisko National Park has some of the best conditions in the world for watching the northern lights, with mostly clear skies and almost no light pollution. You can compare how locations across the region stack up in the guide to the best places to see the northern lights.

STF says the chance of seeing the northern lights is just as high down at the tourist station as on Mount Njullá; from the top of Njullá you get panoramic views and even lower light pollution than around the tourist station.

The Aurora Sky Station stands on Mount Njullá, 900 metres above sea level, in a spot with very few distracting lights or sounds. The easiest way up to the Aurora Sky Station is the chairlift from its base station, a 10-minute walk from STF Abisko Turiststation. In the northern lights season, warm overalls and winter boots are included for guests who have booked the Sky Station's northern lights dinner or night visit, handed out at the base station.

The Swedish Lapland Visitors Board advises dressing warmly, because it could be a long wait outside for the lights. Kiruna Lappland says there are many guided activities for experiencing the northern lights in Abisko, and suggests a photo tour with professional northern lights photographers.