Abisko · Things to do

Founded in 1909 and the most-visited national park in Norrbotten: birch forest, meadows and the Abiskoeatnu canyon, which is dramatic and reachable on a short walk from the visitor centre. Naturum holds a permanent exhibition on the plants, wildlife and geology of the park; entry is free and parking at naturum costs nothing.

Sweden's best-known long-distance trail starts at the tourist station and runs south through the park along the Abiskojåkka. Most visitors walk the first leg as a day or overnight trip; the station rents equipment and will make you a packed lunch at breakfast.

The next settlement up the E10 towards Narvik, with hiking, fishing, mountain biking and Sweden's northernmost golf course in summer, and skiing and dog sledding in winter. Accommodation is Hotel Fjället or the Kåppas cottages, and it makes a straightforward half-day out from Abisko.

The lake below the station is one of Scandinavia's largest mountain lakes, and the gap in the mountains to the west produces a local pocket of clear sky that keeps working when the weather elsewhere in Lapland does not. It is the reason aurora operators cluster here rather than in Kiruna.

Abisko Turiststation has its own halt directly opposite the station buildings, five minutes from reception, served by SJ on the Kiruna–Narvik line; the ride through the mountains is itself the sightseeing. By road it is 100 km from Kiruna along the E10.