Things to see in the North Sweden in November [closed]

I'm going to visit Sweden in two weeks, landing in Arlanda (Stockholm). I'm renting a car and was thinking of spending the first weekend driving around and seeing its natural beauty. I have lived there for a year, though in the South of the country, and I have also visited all big cities such as Stockholm, Malmo and Gothenburg. For this reason, and since I like driving, I thought of checking upon some natural sites - and the North or mountains would be my preference. I understand that November is not the best month to visit: it's already cold, so the green is gone, but there won't be much snow yet. I had the following things in mind:

I was suggested to visit Mora, but I guess that would make sense in Summer, and mountains for sure are not visible from there.
Another suggestion was to go to Kebnekaise, and I think that would be the thing I'd love to see indeed, but that's 12 hours drive one way.
I was thinking of going to Oslo, I have a friend living there, so I could drive for 7 hours to get there, stay there for two nights and spend one day driving around Oslo, perhaps there are some beautiful spots over there. I have not been to Norway.

Do you have better suggestions? I do not want to drive more than 7 hours a day, and I'd be interested in seeing some mountains/forests kind of nature. Fwiw, I'm renting a Volvo S90, so I think I'll have to stick to good roads.

Best Answer

Do not drive to Nikkaluokta (nearest village to Kebnekaise) from Arlanda in November, unless you are experienced driving long distances in the dark on icy roads. It's not a 12 hour drive, 18 hours more likely. If you wish to visit Nikkaluokta, take the overnight train to Kiruna and rent a car from there. The Kiruna car rental will provide a car with dubbdäck (studded tyres), which you can carefully drive on snow-packed or icy roads, preferably in daylight.

Now (November) is the worst time of the year to visit Kebnekaise.

The nearest parking to Kebnekaise is Nikkaluokta, which has a tourist station. The tourist station in Nikkaluokta is closed in November. It tends to be open February to September (or February to April and June to September). Most of the parking lot will normally be buried in snow this time of year (possibly deeply already), but there is a village (2 inhabitants, no services), you will be able to park a car along the road. To get to the foot of Kebnekaise means skiing through deep winter conditions. To get to the summit this time of year requires mountaineering experience. Remember that there are only several hours of daylight per day this time of year, so prepare for long (16 hour) nights in a tent.

There are however two interesting reasons to visit Nikkaluokta in November:

Along the drive between Kiruna and Nikkaluokta and back (round trip around 140 km), you have a very good chance of seeing moose. Drive accordingly slowly, 50 km/h is plenty. Do not be fooled by the empty-looking road along Holmajärvi. I've driven this road twice at this time of year, and saw moose on both occasions, including once right in front of the car, fortunately I was driving no more than perhaps 40 km/h at the time and there was some daylight/twilight. I never saw moose the dozen+ times I travelled this road at other times of year.
If there is no snow yet: ice skating in Vistasdalen is a great nature experience. Inquire locally. Vistasdalen has a dry microclimate so is often snow-free when Kiruna is already buried in snow. You can reach many km into the valley as the lower part is entirely flat. I'm told some have reached as far as the famous Lisas stuga, which would be a very exclusive place to spend the night and tell your grandchildren about (if you survive; do not forget wilderness ice skating safety rules)

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Is November a good time to visit Sweden?

\u2013 For warm weather and sunshine, the best time to visit Sweden is May to September. \u2013 If you want snow, aim to go between late November and March. \u2013 You can visit the country all year round, but you'll need to wrap up during winter.

Can you see the northern lights in Sweden in November?

If you're hoping to narrow it down, the absolute best time of the year for seeing the northern lights in Sweden is probably on either side of the winter. These shoulder seasons \u2013 late-September to early November, and March to April \u2013 provide a good mix of light and dark.

How cold is Sweden in November?

The last month of the autumn, November, is also a wintry month in Stockholm, Sweden, with temperature in the range of an average high of 4.5\xb0C (40.1\xb0F) and an average low of 0.7\xb0C (33.3\xb0F).

Can you see the northern lights in Stockholm in November?

The short answer is yes! Sweden is a great country to see the northern lights in winter. But the long answer will give you a better idea of what to expect.

Life in North Sweden - Virtual Walk, Small Town in November

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Images: Karolina Kot, Jonathan Petersson, Mihis Alex, Subin