The Icehotel as a day trip from Abisko
One tour on our site starts in Abisko rather than Kiruna. Lights Over Lapland's coach day takes about 7 hours, four of them on the road, and gives you about 2.5 hours inside the Icehotel for ~$152. Below, what that trade looks like and who it suits.
Why people in Abisko look at this trip
Abisko lies in the mountains roughly 95 km (59 miles) west of Kiruna, and most visitors stay there for the chance of the aurora. The Icehotel sits on the far side of Kiruna, so reaching it from Abisko means a long drive or a coach.
Lights Over Lapland's day trip solves the transport and little else. It suits people who already have a base in Abisko and want the Icehotel without hiring a car for a winter road.
How the 7 hours divide
The Lights Over Lapland day at ~$152 starts with hotel pickup, around 10:00 am in Abisko or about 9:45 am in Björkliden by Viator's times. The pickup list names Abisko Guesthouse and Hotell Fjället as well as STF Abisko Turiststation and Abisko Mountain Lodge.
- About 2 hours on the coach through mountains and forest to Jukkasjärvi
- About 2.5 hours at the Icehotel, with the entrance ticket handed out on arrival
- About 2 hours back to your hotel in Abisko or Björkliden
The whole day runs to about 7 hours. Four of them are spent on the coach, which is the trade you accept for not driving yourself.
Inside the Icehotel on your own
At the hotel you go round at your own pace. The listing points you to the art suites and the Ice Church among the rooms, and a host travels with the group rather than a guide who explains the building.
Two and a half hours is generous next to the guided tours from Kiruna, which give 70–90 minutes inside. You have time for every suite and a sit-down break, though nobody tells you how the ice was cut or who carved what.
If your ticket includes the experience room about how the hotel is made, go there first. It fills in part of what a guide would otherwise tell you, and the suites make more sense afterwards.
Dress for the cold rooms even though most of the day is spent seated. Inside the ice it stays below freezing, and our clothing guide covers the layers that work.
Lunch and drinks at the Icebar are at your own cost. Budget for a meal in Jukkasjärvi, which our price comparison counts among the extras no tour includes.
That photo is a night scene, and this trip runs by day. You are back in Abisko by late afternoon, and any northern lights you see will be over the mountains there on a clear, dark night.
What the coach day leaves out
There is no reindeer stop and no Sámi museum on this trip. If meeting the reindeer at Nutti Sami Siida matters to you, read our guide to the reindeer stop and think about a night in Kiruna to join a small-group tour.
The group can reach 28 people, far more than the eight on the Kiruna tours. With a host instead of a guide, the day works more like shared transport than a tour, which is fine if transport is all you need.
The Icehotel without leaving Abisko
Lights Over Lapland picks you up at your Abisko or Björkliden hotel and gives you about 2.5 hours at the Icehotel with the ticket included. Lunch is on you.
Scores and cancellation
The day scores 4.5 from 20 reviews on GetYourGuide and 5.0 from 6 on Viator. Both are small samples, so read them as a rough signal rather than a verdict.
Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start. That helps in Abisko, where many travelers shape their days around the aurora forecast and the weather on the mountain road.
Planning the rest of the day
The coach returns by late afternoon, leaving the evening for an aurora outing or a slow dinner. That makes the coach day easy to fit into a stay built around the night sky.
Pick a day with a poor aurora forecast for the trip, so you do not spend a clear night tired from the ride. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead gives you a little room to swap days.
Eat a solid breakfast before pickup, since lunch only comes at the Icehotel and at your own cost. A snack and a flask of something warm make the two hours on the coach pass more easily.
Other ways to do it from Abisko
Driving yourself saves some time on the road and lets you add the reindeer stop on the way. Winter driving on the E10 needs care, and our guide to getting to Jukkasjärvi covers the last stretch from Kiruna.
The other option is to split the stay. Spend a night or two in Kiruna, take a guided tour with the reindeer, then return to Abisko for the aurora, as in our two-day Kiruna plan.
Who should book it
- Travelers based in Abisko who do not want to drive in winter
- Anyone who wants plenty of time inside the ice at their own pace
- People happy to sit four hours on a coach for the mountain views
- Visitors who have already met reindeer elsewhere on the trip
Skip it if you have a spare day in Kiruna, where a 3-hour tour adds the reindeer and the old church for ~$182 against ~$152 for the coach. Our season guide helps you fix the dates.