Winter in Sweden seems as though it’s been plucked directly out of a Christmas fairytale. It’s a time when dog sledding through snow-covered pine forests is just your regular weekend hobby; exploring traditional Christmas markets in cosy, candle-lit cities is the go-to evening activity; and admiring the multicoloured glow of the Northern Lights is very possible. But we should make one thing clear (if it’s not already obvious): Swedish winters are icy. We’re talking teeth-chatteringly Baltic and just about any other word you can think of to describe ridiculously cold weather. But, as any good Swede will tell you, there’s no bad weather, just bad clothing. So make sure to pack your thickest thermals, wooliest hats and chunkiest boots and let us whisk you off to the ultimate winter wonderland. And whether you have a penchant for city breaks or you’re a die-hard nature lover, we have you sorted for the best ways to spend winter in Sweden.
- Get Into the (Swedish) Christmas Spirit in Stockholm
- Seek out the Magical Northern Lights
- Get Active in Swedish Lapland
- Experience Sami Culture in Remote Villages
- Spend a Few Nights in the Iconic Ice Hotel
Get Into the (Swedish) Christmas Spirit in Stockholm
While the icy lands of the north are all about nature, the cosmopolitan cities to the south are all about culture. And boy do the Swedes know how to make Christmas all about culture. There’s glögg (mulled wine) and gingerbread galore, plentiful traditional Christmas displays and an unusual mid-December tradition that sees Swedes carry candles through the streets in white gowns as part of the annual Lucia procession. One of the best ways to sample a Swedish Christmas is to head to one of the many markets – our favourites include the old-fashioned Gamla Stan Julmarknader market, in the city’s old town, and the open-air Skansen market, which focuses on traditions, culture and history. Other musts on the Stockholm Christmas agenda include ice skating on the popular Kungstradgarden ice rink, tucking into a seasonal buffet (complete with meatballs, kale and ham) at a traditional restaurant and joining in with some local carols.
Seek out the Magical Northern Lights
If you’re spending winter in Sweden, you should expect long, dark nights. But don’t despair, for there are a few key advantages: drinking a generous amount of glögg is encouraged, eating cinnamon roll after cinnamon roll is a national pastime and, up north, the Northern Lights put on their finest show. The magnificent aurora borealis start showing their first glimmers in September, but the winter months are by far the best months to admire them in their full glory. Swedish Lapland is teeming with great spots to set up camp for the night – including the sweeping Abisko National Park and the nation’s northernmost city, Kiruna. And while seeing the Northern Lights in any shape or form is sure to take your breath away, we have a few activities up our sleeve that can make the moment that bit more magical. We’re talking admiring the lights while kicking back in a floating hot tub, snowmobiling through snow-covered pine forest under a blanket of green glow or being chair-lifted up to the Aurora Sky Station to enjoy a gourmet meal.
Get Active in Swedish Lapland
While evenings in the snowy north are a lazy affair dedicated to gazing up at the sky in search of the hint of green glow, the daylight hours in Swedish Lapland are all about getting active. One of our favourite spots is the Rane River Valley, which is one of the most off-grid destinations in the north, with nothing but untouched forestlands for miles in every direction. We can arrange for you to head into the Arctic wilderness on guided snow-shoe expeditions, Siberian husky trips and wildlife safari adventures to spot moose, red fox and reindeer. In Lulea, we can have you whisked off on a moose safari, which gives you the opportunity to spot these curious creatures with their huge antlers in the wild and in Harads you can enjoy a dog-sledding safari across snowy plateaus.
Experience Sami Culture in Remote Villages
The Sami peoples are a nomadic indigenous group that have called northern Scandinavia home for thousands of years. The Sami lifestyle is synonymous with the vast nature that surrounds them – they are said to have divided the year into eight seasons and have named every mountain, valley and river on their radar. We can arrange for you spend a day in the remote village of Flakaberg with a Sami family who has been living in the region for seven generations. This is a great opportunity to learn about this unusual culture in the most authentic way possible, hearing fascinating stories about their native lifestyle, meeting the household reindeer and enjoying a traditional lunch prepared by the family. Other vibrant hubs of Sami peoples include Kiruna, the northernmost city in Sweden, and Jokkmokk, which puts on a popular annual Christmas market to showcase Sami handicrafts.
Spend a Few Nights in the Iconic Ice Hotel
Our whistlestop guide for how to spend winter in Sweden ends in one of the most curious and captivating hotels in all of Sweden: the Ice Hotel. Located above the Arctic Circle, in a small town called Jukkasjärvi, this unique hotel promises a wintery hotel experience like no other. The rooms, restaurant and every other facility of the main part of the hotel are artistically carved out anew every year using ice from the nearby river. We can arrange for you to stay in an authentic ice suite fit with a reindeer skin covered bed and thermal sleeping bags or, if you’d rather have some modern comforts, you can opt for the suites in the non-iced part of the hotel, which feature chic Scandinavian furnishings. You can also enjoy a chilled beverage from the ice bar, tuck into some traditional dishes whipped up by the in-house Michelin-starred chef and enjoy plenty of adventurous activities in the surrounding area. Needless to say, the temperatures are icy (literally) cold, but not to worry – on arrival, you’ll be suited and booted in the finest arctic outerwear so you’ll be as snug as can be.
