Getting to Jukkasjärvi

Getting to Jukkasjärvi and the Icehotel is usually easy enough, though if you’re relying on public transport it’s worth planning ahead. In the depths of winter, when the mercury sinks far below freezing, you really don’t want to get stuck outside waiting for a bus.

 

By bus

From Kiruna

Bus number 501 from Kiruna’s bus station (see our Kiruna guide for details) runs to Jukkasjärvi, taking around 30 minutes to complete the journey. There are around six departures per day from Mon–Fri and two daily at weekends. Buses pull up right outside the Icehotel. To check exact times, visit the Länstrafiken Norrbotten website (available in English).

If you’re planning to visit the Icehotel on a day trip from Kiruna, be sure to check the last departure times from Jukkasjärvi – on Saturdays and Sundays it can be as early as 2.30pm.

From Abisko, Riksgränsen and Norway

Taking the bus to Jukkasjärvi from Abisko, Riksgränsen and Narvik (Norway) involves an inevitable change at Kiruna. The easiest option is to take the train to Kiruna first and then continue by bus to Jukkasjärvi and the Icehotel.

By taxi

If you’d rather not take public transport then you can charter a taxi from Kiruna to Jukkasjärvi. The bad news is that it will be expensive – at the time of writing local firm Taxi Kiruna was charging 450 SEK for a one-way trip. If you go for this option, make sure you book the return leg in advance; your chances of hailing a cab in Jukkasjärvi aren’t great, though the Icehotel will always be able to arrange one for you.

By car

Jukkasjärvi is well signposted off the E10, around 9.5km east of Kiruna. Hire cars are available at Kiruna Airport.