Swedish Lapland: Kiruna to Narvik on the E10

Route description

Begin at Jukkasjärvi on the Torne river, where the Icehotel is rebuilt every winter and a permanent ice building can be visited all year. Kiruna, a mining town being moved piece by piece away from the spreading iron ore mine, is close by.

The E10 runs north-west along the railway and the long lake of Torneträsk to Abisko. The national park is famous for clear skies: walk to the canyon, take the chairlift up Nuolja to the Aurora Sky Station, or look for Lapporten, a U-shaped valley that frames the mountains.

Beyond Björkliden the road climbs to Riksgränsen on the Norwegian border, a ski resort where people ski into June. From there it drops steeply past lakes and old railway stations down to the Ofotfjord and Narvik, whose port ships Swedish iron ore.

The E10 is open all year, but winter driving in the dark requires proper tyres and caution in high winds on the border section. The midnight sun lasts from late May to mid-July; for northern lights come between September and March.