06/15/2026
8-Night Swedish Lapland Summer
The Swedish Lapland winter business is well-marketed. The summer version is largely unknown. Eight nights covers the regions worth covering.
Nights 1 to 2: Kiruna. The city itself is functional rather than picturesque, but the surrounding territory is the trip. Day one covers the Esrange Space Center, the underground mine tour, and dinner in town. Day two is a transfer to the next base.
Nights 3 to 5: Abisko on Lake Tornetrask. The midnight sun runs to mid-July here. Day hikes from the Kungsleden trail, a private boat day on the lake, and the Aurora Sky Station for the views at 1am even though there is no aurora this season. Three nights here is the right pace.
Nights 6 to 7: A boreal forest base near Harads. The river systems open here. A private canoe day on the Lule River, a Sami summer cultural visit, and one night in a custom-built treehouse property.
Night 8: Lulea for the airport. The Bothnian Coast islands are accessible as a day trip if light and timing allow.
The trip works because Swedish Lapland summer is not what the region sells in winter. The aurora is gone. The light is permanent. The landscape is forest and lake and river, not snow. People who book this without expecting it tend to come back to it.
Photo: Landon Parenteau on Unsplash, Boreal Forest