How to get to Abisko, Sweden from Berlin
How do I get from Berlin to Abisko, Sweden? I have a Eurail pass, so I would like to make the most out of that.
UPDATE: I will be traveling in Winter. Still not sure yet, but any time between late October to end early January. I would prefer not to hitchhike, but am looking for an economical way to get there as long as it doesn't take too long. (My definition of too long is anything that would be more than an overnight ride. In fact, an overnight ride may be good in some instances as it doubles as lodging.)
Ideally, I would like to get into Abisko in the afternoon, see the lights, and leave before midnight, get to Kiruna and take the train back to Stockholm. I don't even know if train times run that late, but the point is that I want to save money and time!
UPDATE 2: Traveling in November/December.
Best Answer
How do I get from Berlin to Abisko, Sweden? I have a Eurail pass, so I would like to make the most out of that.
I recommend to take train 94, the direct train from Stockholm to Abisko. November is the low season, and it's certainly the cheapest option for the last leg, if you are satisfied with just a seat. Even with a couchette, it can be quite cheap. If you book several months ahead for November, you can get an adult ticket for 550–650 SEK (65–75 EUR), or around 100 SEK more if you want a place to sleep, which I recommend. Youth or student tickets are cheaper, and if you're on Eurail you pay only reservation fees. The train also stops at Arlanda (there is normally an extra fee for boarding there). Train 94 is often late, so you might arrive Abisko only at 13:00, but that should not be a disaster. There is also a later sleeper train that departs 23:00-ish from Stockholm or Arlanda. I've taken this train many many times, far more enjoyable than a flight, on-board restaurant, nice views of forests, lakes, and mountains, and in November not crowded at all.
That leaves the travel from Berlin to Stockholm. There used to be a nightly CityNightLine to Copenhagen but this train unfortunately no longer exists. You will need to connect with various day trains, probably spending the night in Hamburg or Copenhagen. The good news is that the Swedish railways are good at guaranteeing domestic connections; if you have tickets to and from Stockholm, the train from Stockholm either waits for you, or you will be booked onto the next train. Just be sure to tell the train crew about your transfer.
In case of delays
For train travel within Europe, all connections are guaranteed in case of delays occurring in Sweden¹. I think I've travelled by train from Kiruna to southern Europe (Spain, Italy) five times now. Three times, a delay in Kiruna – Stockholm caused me to miss all connections. On every occassion, SJ replaced all connecting reservations without any bureaucracy. All I needed to do was to go to the customer service, show my Kiruna – Stockholm reservation, Stockholm – Spain/Italy reservations, and they would give me new reservations. Took less than 20 minutes, with no forms to fill and nothing to pay on my side. In summer, trains may get full, but this won't be a problem for you unless you travel around Christmas, so they can just give you the fastest connection as-is.
In Abisko
Ideally, I would like to get into Abisko in the afternoon, see the lights, and leave before midnight, get to Kiruna and take the train back to Stockholm. I don't even know if train times run that late, but the point is that I want to save money and time!
It is not possible to see the northern lights in Abisko without staying there for the night if you depend on public transportation.
In the low season (late September - early February), Abisko is served by only two trains per day. Exact times for southbound trains vary, but in some years the last southbound train departs 14:30, so you cannot see the lights. From the Luleå–Kiruna–Narvik timetable. You should really spend the night in Abisko to have a good chance to see the lights.
Alternative
As an alternative, you could consider flying to Stockholm Arlanda Airport and take the train from there. SAS and SJ have an agreement to guarantee any connection flight+train (if you travel within Europe with SAS) and the sleeper trains from Stockholm to Abisko (either direct or with change in Boden) stop at Arlanda. This is a reasonable compromise between price, travel time, and a scenic train ride through Swedish forests, certainly now that sleeper trains (in particular international ones) are less and less common in Europe.
¹In theory, the same is true in other countries, but it can be much harder bureaucratically to get your right. For example, in Germany, I had to pay new tickets out of pocket and apply to get money back for the old ones that I could not use. That took months to be fixed.
Pictures about "How to get to Abisko, Sweden from Berlin"
How do you get from Abisko to Germany?
You can take a train from Berlin to Abisko via S+U Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Berlin Hbf, and Stockholm Centralstation in around 35h 46m. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Berlin to Abisko via S S\xfcdkreuz Bhf, Stockholm, and Abisko Turiststation in around 40h.How do you get to Abisko Sweden?
The national park is easy to get to by train, bus or car from Kiruna or Narvik. Both European route 10 and the railway go through the national park. The railway station in the national park is called Abisko Turist. The tourist station and Naturum visitor centre are right next to the highway and railway station.How do I get from Malmo to Abisko?
Train, bus10 Things To Do in Abisko, Sweden during your Vacation
More answers regarding how to get to Abisko, Sweden from Berlin
Answer 2
I made a search here in Sweden in SJ and found a train possibility:
Start: 22:30 Berlin Hbf - 08:10 Malmö C
Change 1: 12:11 Malmö C - 16:40 Stockholm C
Change 2: 17:58 Stockholm C - 11:33 Abisko Östra
Its a 37 hour trip.
If you have a better way to get to Copenhagen (Danmark) or Malmö (Sweden), then the train is very easy from there.
EDIT: Just checked there are 2 trains a day from Stockholm to Abisko in November/December periods.
To Abisko from Stockholm
17:58 - 11:40 ( 17:42 hours trip)
22:12 - 16:31 ( 18:19 hours trip)
And back to Stockholm (also 2 a day):
12.00 - 06.30 ( 18.30 hours trip)
14.30 - 09.20 ( 18.50 hours trip)
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Skylar Kang, Tatiana Syrikova, Daniel Spase, Mathias Celis