Kiruna is one of the largest cities in northern Sweden, and within the Arctic Circle. In this city to 17 hours by train from Stockholm, you can practice the experience of living in the North Pole.

Photography by Ruben Laguna

Given the geography of Kiruna, the city lives six months ago and six months of day, without respite. And if we add the characteristics of its climate, resulting in perpetual snow. You can practice all year for winter sports like skiing, riding a dog sled, snowmobile, among many other activities.

In Kiruna (more exactly Jukkasjärvi) is the original ice hotel opened the way for the creation of ice hotels, ice castles and museums worldwide ice.

This hotel was created in 1990 when the company that runs the Icehotel asked the French artist Jannot Derito if I could create some artwork with ice near Kiruna. This created an igloo with ice from the Torne River, which was visited by many curious tourists, until a group of strangers spend the night deicide, equipped with sleeping bags. That was the opening of the Kiruna ice hotel, a spectacular complex that today is designed by dozens of artists to decorate their ice over 30 suites, as well as having over forty standard rooms for visitors to sleep lower prices, but at the same temperature. The five-star hotel also has the church of ice and ice bar, sponsored by the Swedish vodka Absolut.

To get to the ice hotel, I recommend using snowmobiles, very popular in the north pole, since it is impossible to navigate without snowmobiles for most of the roads, except roads in the area. With hundreds of frozen lakes, walking with bikes will delight any visitor where you like to see the nature of Kiruna at full speed.

Photography by [flype]

Another highly recommended activity is to take a ride with sled dogs, most are bred husky. If you go snowmobiling is a delight, walking in the middle of the woods on a dog sled, becomes a fantastic experience, where you glide through the silent nature of the North Pole.

Photography by EveryDamnNameIsInUse

At night, we recommend you enjoy a sauna, typical of Scandinavia. Often you get a sauna on one of the many lakes in the area, therefore, in many lakes there are holes to be able to refresh when exiting the sauna. The feelings is incredible, pass the heat of the sauna, to the icy waters of a frozen lake, is a brutal contrast, but thoroughly recommended. They say the Swedes who practice this «sport» that they never get colds.

And finally, do not forget to see the sky at night, if they are lucky, you can see the unique spectacle of the aurora borealis.

Note:

– Book in advance and activities catering for some adventure sports company, as in Kiruna there is only one Youth Hostel quite small, and once there is hard limit such activities.

– Snowmobiles normally be reserved for 2 people, in the case that everyone wants to drive one, you have to ask. In Kiruna you can also go ice fishing, making cross-country skiing, sleeping in the woods in a tent, hiking or snowmobiling to one of the highest points of the area.

– You should know that the people Kiruna is the largest mine in Sweden, therefore, you can also make a visit to the mines. In a few years «move» the people, why they have to open new tunnels in mines.

– If you look you will see that the town of Kiruna, is full of watches, is a way to realize how important it is for the people time.

Enjoy winter sports in Kiruna!