Looking at various options for a trip to the Arctic Circle. Does anybody have experience doing it over the winter months? Looking to combine 'snow', Sleepers, etc, with at least some day light hours. All thoughts welcome, but please, not speculation. TIA.
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Question about a trip to the Arctic - time of year
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Gloster
Established Member
My preference is late March or early April. Still plenty of snow, but a reasonable amount of daylight and not so cold that only Norwegians can stand it.
TravellingPhil
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We took a trip by train from Coseley in the West Midlands all the way to Narvik last October. Probably the most amazing thing I ever done.
October was a great time to be in the Arctic. Plenty of blustery showers but plenty of pleasant gaps between them. We stayed on the Lofoten Islands. Daytime highs were around 4-5C with it dipping to just below freezing at night. Narvik was a bit colder and the weather was more crisp there. The best bit was having an half an hour fresh air break on the sleeper train in Kiruna on the way back. It was -7C and deep snow. Great to experience in early October, but even greater to get back into our cosy sleeper cabin when we finished! We had passed through Kiruna northbound a week earlier and there was no snow then, so a lot must have fallen in that time!
In October, it got dark around 5pm and was light around 7am...so a decent amount of daylight and enough dark hours to try and catch the Northern Lights...which we did on most nights (between the showers!).
Whatever time of year you choose...I cannot recomment this journey enough. The sleeper from Stockholm to Narvik is by far the best train I have ever ridden. So smooth and comfortable and the scenery just before Narvik was insane. Just magical. (I would've loved to return via Bodo/Trondheim/Oslo, but storm damage from last summer on top of major engineering works made it too difficult...but plan on going that way another time, I hear it's just as spectacular)
Narvik itself is no more than a convenient place to stay overnight and stock up on supplies. But the Lofoten Islands...just wow! An incredible place (we hired a car in Narvik to explore them).
March might be a better call if it's snow you're after. October was stunning but snow was quite sproadic...and March will be similar to October in daylight/night hours.
I hope you manage to go...you won't regret it!
October was a great time to be in the Arctic. Plenty of blustery showers but plenty of pleasant gaps between them. We stayed on the Lofoten Islands. Daytime highs were around 4-5C with it dipping to just below freezing at night. Narvik was a bit colder and the weather was more crisp there. The best bit was having an half an hour fresh air break on the sleeper train in Kiruna on the way back. It was -7C and deep snow. Great to experience in early October, but even greater to get back into our cosy sleeper cabin when we finished! We had passed through Kiruna northbound a week earlier and there was no snow then, so a lot must have fallen in that time!
In October, it got dark around 5pm and was light around 7am...so a decent amount of daylight and enough dark hours to try and catch the Northern Lights...which we did on most nights (between the showers!).
Whatever time of year you choose...I cannot recomment this journey enough. The sleeper from Stockholm to Narvik is by far the best train I have ever ridden. So smooth and comfortable and the scenery just before Narvik was insane. Just magical. (I would've loved to return via Bodo/Trondheim/Oslo, but storm damage from last summer on top of major engineering works made it too difficult...but plan on going that way another time, I hear it's just as spectacular)
Narvik itself is no more than a convenient place to stay overnight and stock up on supplies. But the Lofoten Islands...just wow! An incredible place (we hired a car in Narvik to explore them).
March might be a better call if it's snow you're after. October was stunning but snow was quite sproadic...and March will be similar to October in daylight/night hours.
I hope you manage to go...you won't regret it!
Zerothebrake!
Member
- Joined
- 26 Mar 2012
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- 123
I go to Abisko in Swedish Lapland twice a year (October & March). Fly BA to Stockholm then 17 hours on an overnight train leaving either at 18.00 (direct) or 22.00 ( to Lulea) with a short change of trains in Boden. The trains are operated by Vy (Sweden) but can also be booked on the SJ website as well. Tickets are usually available to buy three months before travel. Hope this helps.
Iskra
Established Member
I visited in April a few years ago and I felt it a nice time to visit.
In the Stockholm area the weather was cold but sunny so felt fine to walk around in.
It started snowing about 1/3 of the way up Sweden although the coastal areas seemed to escape. It was -9 when I was waiting for my sleeper North in Umea and by Lapland/Kiruna it was blizzards, deep snow and very cold. At Narvik it was snowing but not too bad and not much on the ground. Throughout all this, the trains were warm although my shower was cold, which was sub optimal while in the Arctic!
Personally, I don’t see the point of going to the Arctic Circle at a time when it’s not snowing, but each to their own!
In the Stockholm area the weather was cold but sunny so felt fine to walk around in.
It started snowing about 1/3 of the way up Sweden although the coastal areas seemed to escape. It was -9 when I was waiting for my sleeper North in Umea and by Lapland/Kiruna it was blizzards, deep snow and very cold. At Narvik it was snowing but not too bad and not much on the ground. Throughout all this, the trains were warm although my shower was cold, which was sub optimal while in the Arctic!
Personally, I don’t see the point of going to the Arctic Circle at a time when it’s not snowing, but each to their own!
Snow1964
Established Member
Have been once to north Finland, Saariselka, flew by Jet2 to Ivalo (was a charter for 5 day Santa specials) arrived day before Christmas Eve.
Just got about 3 hours of greylight (a sort of twilight), sunrise was 2 weeks away. Definitely worth doing as snowy wilderness is amazing. Especially if get couple of hours driving husky sledge, and/or skidoo safari
Haven't been that far north in mid summer, but been close enough that when the sun set, never got totally dark, and sun was rising again less than 3 hours later. Basically further you get from equator twilight is longer.
Have been to Alaska (and train from Fairbanks to Anchorage) with overnight stop at Denali. That was early September, Autumn is only about a week long, (leaves had gone yellow, and snow was starting to settle on hills). Daylight rate changes rapidly, was about 9 minutes less each day in September.
Definitely would recommend a winter trip, but if do it late Dec, early Jan, just accept you will not really see anything because of the dark 20 hours a day, but take a head torch and enjoy snow when dark.
Just got about 3 hours of greylight (a sort of twilight), sunrise was 2 weeks away. Definitely worth doing as snowy wilderness is amazing. Especially if get couple of hours driving husky sledge, and/or skidoo safari
Haven't been that far north in mid summer, but been close enough that when the sun set, never got totally dark, and sun was rising again less than 3 hours later. Basically further you get from equator twilight is longer.
Have been to Alaska (and train from Fairbanks to Anchorage) with overnight stop at Denali. That was early September, Autumn is only about a week long, (leaves had gone yellow, and snow was starting to settle on hills). Daylight rate changes rapidly, was about 9 minutes less each day in September.
Definitely would recommend a winter trip, but if do it late Dec, early Jan, just accept you will not really see anything because of the dark 20 hours a day, but take a head torch and enjoy snow when dark.
ac6000cw
Established Member
Even in mid/late January, while the sun doesn't get above the horizon in the far north, you do get reasonable daylight for few hours at least - and also some fabulous long sunrises and sunsets. A few photos from a Hertigruten ferry cruise we took back in January 2014:
Around sunrise (7am) in Trondheim (station and city on the right):
...and looking across Kirkenes (in the far north of Norway) at around 10am:
...MS VESTERALEN (our ship) at Kirkenes around 11am (there was a reasonable amount of ice floating on the sea in that area):
Further south around 10am:
Around sunrise (7am) in Trondheim (station and city on the right):
...and looking across Kirkenes (in the far north of Norway) at around 10am:
...MS VESTERALEN (our ship) at Kirkenes around 11am (there was a reasonable amount of ice floating on the sea in that area):
Further south around 10am:
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Zerothebrake!
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There's usually some hightened Northern Lights activity around when the clocks change in the Spring and Autumn which is also worth considering.