Getting to Abisko

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Abisko is small, but it is well connected for a village of its size. The E10 road and the railway from Kiruna to the Norwegian port of Narvik both run straight through the national park, and the village has two stations of its own. Kiruna is 93 km away by road, which Kiruna Lapland puts at just over an hour's drive, and Narvik about 80 km in the other direction. There is no airport in Abisko itself, so a flight always ends in Kiruna or at Evenes in Norway, followed by a bus, train, shuttle or rental car.

By night train from Stockholm

SJ runs night trains on the route from Stockholm via Abisko to Narvik. You board in the evening and arrive the next day, in a couchette or a sleeping car. Under a new contract from December 2026 to December 2028, SJ operates one daily return trip between Stockholm and Narvik, and the sleeper and couchette cars run through to Narvik again without a change of train. Until now passengers for Kiruna, Abisko and Narvik had to change in Boden. On 19 October 2026 SJ released tickets on the night train line Stockholm–Boden–Kiruna–Narvik for travel from 13 December 2026, so check the times on sj.se when you book.

Abisko has two stops on this line. Abisko Östra serves the village, and Abisko Turiststation is the stop for STF Abisko Turiststation and the naturum visitor centre, about 800 metres away. The chairlift to the Aurora Sky Station is a ten-minute walk from there. Which station you need depends on where you stay, so check your booking before you set off. A local tour company notes that train tickets are usually released about 90 days before departure.

Flying to Kiruna

Kiruna Airport (KRN) is the closest airport, about 100 km from Abisko. SAS and Norwegian fly from Stockholm all year, and the flight takes about 90 minutes. In winter 2026/27 Norwegian increases its Arlanda service from two to four flights a week. Direct flights from abroad are seasonal: SAS flies from Copenhagen three times a week from 17 December 2026 to 7 March 2027, and Eurowings flies from Düsseldorf on Saturdays from 6 February to 20 March 2027.

The airport bus only goes into Kiruna. For Abisko there are several options:

• The Arctic Route, run by Kiruna Buss, connects Kiruna Airport with Narvik station twice a day in each direction and stops in Abisko, Björkliden and Riksgränsen. You can book online or pay on board if seats are free.
• Länstrafiken's bus 91 runs from Kiruna to Riksgränsen via Abisko, but only in late winter and spring and again in summer, so check the dates with Länstrafiken. It runs to its timetable and does not wait for delayed flights.
• Visit Abisko offers a door-to-door shuttle from the airport to accommodation in Kiruna, Abisko and Björkliden, which Kiruna Lapland lists for the winter season from December.
• Rental cars are available in Kiruna and at the airport.

Kiruna Airport has no cash machine. The airport coach takes cash or cards, but bus 91 takes cards only, so have a card ready.

Our sister guide kirunatourism.com covers Kiruna itself, from the Icehotel to the town centre, if you stop there on the way.

Via Narvik and Evenes

From the Norwegian side, the nearest larger airport is Harstad/Narvik Evenes, with daily direct flights from Oslo by SAS, Norwegian and Widerøe. The airport bus FB82 to Narvik takes about 50 to 60 minutes for a distance of about 57 km. From Narvik the SJ train and The Arctic Route bus, with two departures a day, continue east into Sweden. By car, Björkliden and Riksgränsen are about two hours from Evenes. This route makes sense if you combine Abisko with a few days on the Norwegian coast.

By car

From Kiruna it is 93 km to Abisko, 104 km to Björkliden and 132 km to Riksgränsen, and Kiruna Lapland gives 178 km from Kiruna to Narvik. In Sweden winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 31 March whenever there is snow, ice, slush or frost on the road, and studded tyres are allowed from 1 October to 15 April. Björkliden warns that the road over the border is sometimes closed or driven in convoy when strong wind and snowfall cause whiteout, and to watch for reindeer and elk on the road, especially at dusk and dawn. Check the road conditions with Trafikverket in Sweden and Statens vegvesen in Norway before a long drive.

Entry rules

Since 12 October 2025 the EU Entry/Exit System has been in use for short stays by travellers from outside the EU. It registers your travel document, the date and place of entry and exit, a facial image and fingerprints. Citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are not affected. The EU expected the separate ETIAS travel authorisation to start in the last quarter of 2026; check travel-europe.europa.eu for the current status.

Leaving Abisko

Your last day does not have to be spent only on travel. A day trip to the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi takes your luggage along and can drop you at Kiruna Airport afterwards, and a second trip, which adds the Nutti Sámi Siida reindeer centre and the church in Jukkasjärvi, can also end in Kiruna or at the airport. Once you have arrived, our page on getting around explains the local buses, the trains to Björkliden and Riksgränsen, and how far you can walk.