Getting from Kiruna to the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi
Twenty minutes by road separate Kiruna from the Icehotel, which sits in the river village of Jukkasjärvi east of town. Four ways cover that distance, and the right one depends on your budget and on how you feel about winter roads.
How far Jukkasjärvi lies from Kiruna
Jukkasjärvi, the Icehotel's village, lies on the bank of the Torne River. Kiruna is some 17 km (11 miles) to the west, and the tour vans take about 20 minutes between them.
Kiruna Airport lies roughly between the town and the village. That helps if you hope to fit the Icehotel into an arrival or departure day.
The hotel shares the village with the old church and Nutti Sami Siida, the two other stops on both guided tours. Getting to Jukkasjärvi is the only part of the day that needs planning.
A tour with pickup in Kiruna
Scandinavian Sami Photoadventures at ~$182 meets at the Camp Ripan reception on Campingvägen 5 at 9:30 am. The Viator listing adds a second stop in front of the Kiruna tourist office at 9:40 am.
Lights of Vikings at ~$182 collects from six places in town, among them Camp Ripan and Scandic Kiruna. Its pickup note asks you to wait outside the hotel, not in the lobby, so dress for the cold.
The rest of its list covers Elite Hotel Frost, Best Western Hotel Arctic Eden, STF Kiruna Hotell & Vandrarhem and Samegården. If you are staying elsewhere, choose the closest stop when you book.
A tour also solves the return. You come back to Kiruna with the group, so there is no waiting in the dark for a taxi or a bus.
Picked up in Kiruna, back by lunchtime
The van leaves Camp Ripan at 9:30 am for a three-hour morning with a Sámi guide. The reindeer camp and the old church come first, then about 70 minutes in the ice.
A taxi on your own schedule
A taxi is the simplest way to go when you please. Book it ahead in winter and arrange the return before you go in, since you may not find a car waiting when you come out.
We do not quote fares because they change and we cannot confirm them. Ask for a price when you book. For one person, a return taxi can eat a good share of what a guided tour costs, as our price guide explains.
The local bus
A regional bus runs between Kiruna and Jukkasjärvi. It is the cheapest way out of town, and the hardest one to plan a whole day around.
Check times with the regional operator, Länstrafiken Norrbotten, before you set off, including the last bus back. Missing it in midwinter means waiting in the cold for a taxi.
The bus pairs naturally with the entrance ticket alone. Budget travelers who go this way save most of a tour price, but give up the reindeer stop and the guide at the church.
Driving yourself in winter
The drive is short, but it is a winter drive in the Arctic. Expect snow and ice on the road, and darkness early in the afternoon for much of the season.
Rental cars in Sweden usually come with winter or studded tyres in the cold months, but confirm this with your rental company. Drive slowly and watch for reindeer on the road, which are common in Lapland.
The ticket listing gives the hotel's address as Marknadsvägen 63, Jukkasjärvi. Pack warm layers even for the drive, because a stop by the roadside at −20 °C (−4 °F) is no small thing.
Coming from Abisko or the airport
Abisko lies roughly 95 km (59 miles) west of Kiruna. Lights Over Lapland runs a coach day from there with the Icehotel ticket included, and our Abisko guide covers its seven hours.
From the airport, a taxi straight to Jukkasjärvi is the obvious choice. The guided tours pick up in Kiruna itself, not at the terminal, so plan a night in town if you want one of them.
The four ways at a glance
| Way | Time each way | Good for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour with pickup | About 20 min | Solo travelers, first visits, the reindeer | A fixed morning start |
| Taxi | About 20 min | Groups sharing the fare, airport days | Booking the return ahead |
| Local bus | Check the timetable | Tight budgets with time to spare | The last bus back |
| Own car | About 20 min | Families and groups of two or more | Icy roads with reindeer about |
All the times assume a clear road. Heavy snow slows every option, and the bus timetable is the one to confirm on the day itself.
Timing a visit in the short winter days
In midwinter Kiruna gets only a few hours of usable light, and for a few weeks around the turn of the year the sun stays below the horizon. Inside the ice that hardly matters, but the road feels easier in daylight.
A morning start, like our pick's 9:30 am pickup, puts you back in Kiruna around midday. On your own, set out early enough that a slow bus or a late taxi still leaves you a way home.
From February the days stretch quickly, and by late March the light often lasts into the evening. That makes a self-drive visit simpler in the second half of the winter.
Why walking is out
At about 17 km, Jukkasjärvi is too far to walk in winter. The cold can be severe and the daylight short. Pick one of the four ways above instead.
If you have two days in Kiruna, put the Icehotel early in the stay, so weather can push it back a day without losing it. Our two-day plan and the guide to the best time to visit help with the timing.