Kiruna, Sweden (Dog sledding tour and Church)
Stepping off the SJ night train to Kiruna was magical. We absolutely loved Kiruna. Kiruna is one of the most northern little towns in Sweden and is situated in the province of Lapland. The city was built in the 1890's to serve the mine. Due to this town being a mining town the whole city of Kiruna is currently being moved east due to the massive iron ore mine operated by LKAB the town is sinking at a rate of 2 inches per year. The move is expected to be almost complete by 2035.
We stayed at the Best Western Artic Eden here in town and there are several great places to stay while you are here that are family friendly. We highly recommend for accomodation:
Best Western Artic Eden: Hotel Kiruna Sweden | Best Western Hotel Arctic Eden
Ice Hotel: The ice hotel in Sweden | Since 1989 | ICEHOTEL
Scandic Ferrum: Select Rate | Scandic Hotels
We absolutely loved the Best Western and this hotel was paid for by points through Chase Sapphire credit card points. Chase's Sapphire credit card gives you quite a good amount of bonus points for signing up and the points are flexible to use where you needed. We were able to book this whole week at this hotel with the points. Average room costs range but are more expensive during Kiruna's high season in the winter.
When we got in the first day, we walked directly down to the tourism center to book dog sledding. Something the whole family has been wanting to do and on the bucket list. We were extremely lucky as they had a cancellation that night to a family that couldn't make it because of the covid restrictions. We highly recommend booking these tours in advance and not waiting until the last minute like we did.
We went with a company called Arctic Dogsled Adventure AB
Book tours here: Dog sledding and snowmobile tours in Kiruna Sweden | Arctic Dogsled AB
We absolutely loved (Artic Dogsled Adventure AB) this is a small family business, and we love to support small family businesses whenever we can when we travel. The minute you are picked up by them you know you are in good hands, and they are extremely passionate about what they do. We were picked up by Asa the owner who told us about the town while driving to pick up a few others for the tour. Our guide was Hanna, and Rick took the other group who was with us. They were personable and very friendly. They made the trip fun, and you can see how much they love and care for these dogs. Click to watch our video below so you can see all the action of the dog sledding tour. You may even get lucky enough to catch the auroras on your outing.