Riding Sweden’s Polar Express: A Magical Train Journey from Stockholm to Abisko
Are the Northern Lights on your bucket list? And can you imagine taking a train ride to a place with endless sunshine?
That’s the unique journey I’m gonna take you on today and I hope it becomes a part of your travel wishlist by the end of this blog post!
The Polar Express, from Stockholm to the Arctic
I lived in Sweden for more than 7 years and experienced so much in that beautiful country. But nothing came even close to the unforgettable train ride I took to the Arctic.
This magical train ride has gotten the nickname of Polar Express and that’s a perfect name for it.
It will take you all the way from Stockholm’s city center to the wilderness of Northern Sweden in what is one of the longest and most beautiful train journeys in Europe.
📍 Stockholm Central Station
🚞 SJ Train to abisko
After you bought your Polar Express tickets, it’s time to board your train and get ready for one of the most special train rides of your life.
The SJ train that will take you to Abisko in Northern Sweden is actually headed all the way to Narvik, in Norway. You can choose to go to the end destination and explore Sweden’s gorgeous neighbor but, if you wanna take my advice, hop off the train in Abisko this time. That way, you’ll get to explore one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
Here is what you need to know about the SJ Train to Abisko:
🥪 You can bring your own snacks but there is a bistro on the train, so there are some basic food options onboard
🌙 It‘s a night train: this train takes 17 hours to complete the journey from Stockholm to Abisko in Northern Sweden, so you will depart in the afternoon and arrive on the day after.
💤 Luckily, there are several different options (for all budgets) to sleep on the train:
💲 The absolute cheapest option is of course to sit all the way. It‘s not the most comfortable option but you gotta do what you gotta do when you‘re on a tight budget!
💲💲 Here is a comparison of your options if you are willing to spend so more money to have a bed. Click here to learn more about these different compartment options
2nd Class Sleeping Compartment before and after making the beds
🛤️ The train ride
Since it‘s heading to the North of Sweden, the Polar Express actually crosses the Arctic Circle and continues traveling across the region of Sweden that is located above it.
Views from the train ride between Stockholm and Abisko
📍 Abisko
Like I mentioned above, you can take this train from Stockholm all the way to Narvik, in Norway. It’s a popular destination to visit in Northern Norway and I’m sure that it’s such a special experience to take the Polar Express all the way there.
But if you want to visit one of the best places in the World to see the Northern Lights and one of the most beautiful places to see the Midnight Sun, hop off the train at Abisko Turiststation.
That was my final destination on this train ride and during the few days I spent in Abisko, I fell completely in love with Lappland as I’m sure you will too.
I booked my trip with the Polar Express to fulfill a bucket list experience I had been dreaming about for a long time. Ever since I learned that the sun never sets for months in certain places in the World, I knew I had to experience that. Lappland is one of those places, so I knew this adventure had to happen!
You can have that once-in-a-lifetime experience anywhere above the Arctic Cicle, but Abisko is one of the best places in Sweden to see the midnight sun.
Abisko is one of the best places to see the midnight sun in Sweden
If you’re looking for that unforgettable experience of seeing the sunlight outside at midnight, Abisko is the place to be!
It’s located in the middle of nowhere in Northern Sweden and I was amazed at its gorgeous nature as soon as I got there. The first thing I thought was that I really need to come back some other time during winter and experience the Northern Lights in Abisko!
Such a unique, yet forgotten place, has to be one of the biggest hidden gems in Europe.
I hope that this blog post inspired you to visit Abisko in Northern Sweden. It’s one of my favorite parts of the whole country and you won’t regret including it on your travel bucket list!
DO YOU WANT TO HELP THIS PROJECT? USE THE LINKS BELOW AND I’LL GET A SMALL COMMISSION THAT REWARDS MY WORK 👇🏼
- Skyscanner: Flight deals 🛫
- Booking.com: Hotels, flights & car rentals 🛏️
- Hostelworld: Hostels around the World 📍
- AirHelp: Get paid for a delayed or cancelled flight💰
- Airalo: Get an Esim 📱
- Omio: Book transportation 🚆
- 12goAsia: Book transportation in Asia 🚌
- Trip.com: Flights, hotels, car rentals & transfers 💰
- Get Your Guide: Tours & entrance tickets 🎫
- Tripadvisor: Find other travelers’ opinions ✍🏼
- Rental Cars: Rent a car for your trip 🚗
- Discover Cars: Get up to 70% discount on car rentals 💰
- Revolut: The best international card 💳
- Surfshark: Stay safe online (86% discount & 3 extra months for free) 💻
- Klook: Get 8% discount on Klook with my FLIPFLOPS Promo Code 🤑
- IATI Insurance: Get 5% discount on your travel insurance 🔒
- Worldpackers: Voluntering opportunities in more than 140 countries 🌎
- Viator: Tours & activities anywhere in the World 🎟️
- Osprey: The best backpacks 🎒
- LARQ: Self-cleaning bottles that kill viruses and germs 🦠
- TravelSpend: 50% discount on the best budget-tracking app 💰
