Car Hire Kiruna - Mini guide to Kiruna

Almost 1,500kms north of Stockholm and covering an adminsitration area of 3,000 square miles, this city, the most northern in Sweden, is actually the largest city in the world. Home of the great Kebnekaise mountain and Lake Tornetrask, it is an ideal city to start an exploration of the Arctic wilderness.

There are plenty of interesting sights to see in Kiruna; the Stadshus, southeast of the railroad station, is a massive tower with a carillon of 23 bells that rings out at noon and 6pm daily. The interior of the tower has some fabulous artwork from around the world.

Even though Kiruna is geographically huge, the town is easily navigated. Just round the corner from the Stadshus is Kiruna Kyrka, a stylish church with an origami design of rafters and wood beams. The roof is adorned with gilt bronze statues that represent various states of the mind.

It’s worth travelling 16kms east of the centre of Kiruna to Jukkasjärvi Wärdshus och Hembygdsgård, said to be the best restaurant in Swedish Lapland. It serves traditional dishes such as arctic char with apple cider sauce, or filet of reindeer with Arctic shiitake mushrooms.

Eighty kilometres away from the commercial centre of town is the highest mountain in Sweden, Kebnekaise. To reach the mountain, take a bus to Aroksjokk village from the bus stop in Kiruna's centre, and a motorboat will take you to the Lapp village of Nikkaluokta. There, the Sami will offer themselves as guides.

There are three flights daily to Kiruna from Stockholm (duration: 95 minutes). By train, two or three trains per day make the 16-hour trip to Gällivare, a major rail junction. From here, you can change trains to Kiruna, a trip of 90 minutes. By bus, there's a daily bus service between Gällivare and Kiruna. By car, you can come from Gällivare, and continue northwest along E10.