Traveling to Kungsleden: From Germany to Sweden, Lapland and the trailhead

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There are many ways to travel to Kungsleden. But how exactly do you get to the starting point of your hike on Kungsleden? The best way of traveling to Kungsleden depends on your personal vacation plans: do you have a long vacation or does every day count? Do you want to make the trip a journey in itself and see places in between? Are you traveling with children or a dog?

In this article we summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the most common ways to get from Germany to Sweden and finally to the entry points of the Kungsleden. Especially the last part from Sweden to the entry points might still be interesting for you even if you are not starting your journey from Germany. Have fun reading! If you want to know more about traveling and trekking with a dog in Sweden, be sure to check out this article!

Traveling to Kungsleden: by train

If you don’t mind the travel time, you can already decelerate on the train. I myself have traveled by train several times: with and without Lando, in the sleeping car and on a seat. Without dog – but then with a bed – is definitely one of my favorite travel options.

Price-wise, the train ride depends on the booking time, but if you book well in advance, you can get away quite cheaply. I estimate the prices per person with early booking at about 50 € from Germany to Copenhagen and from there about 130 € to Kiruna. With berth 170 €.

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Traveling to Kungsleden: by car

It’s about 2,500 kilometers to Lapland, maybe a little more or less, depending on where in Germany you live. Pooh, that’s pretty far, I can tell you. Especially since the Swedish roads get smaller once you get past Stockholm. On large sections of the trip the speed is limited to 100 km/h or even 90 km/h. In addition, you will have to take rest stops. Therefore, I would calculate a similar time for traveling by car as for traveling by train.

When traveling by car, you need to consider in advance whether you want to drive through the night or rest somewhere. Well of course only if you don’t drive alone.

If you have your dog with you and he is a relaxed when taking the car, then traveling by car can be very practical. It allows you to take breaks in the way that suits you best. Even detours to see a little more of the country, are easy to include.

Cost of the car trip (one way, 2,500 km, 7 l fuel consumption, gasoline price: 1.50 €): about 265 € + wear and tear. The gasoline price in Sweden is about 10-15 cents higher than the German price. The car trip is especially economical if you are traveling with several people and possibly your dog.

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Traveling to Kungsleden: by plane

By plane, of course, you can get up north faster than by any other way of transportation. A change in Stockholm is always necessary, because you rarely find direct flights. As destination airport I recommend Kiruna, Luleå or Umeå, depending on where you want to hike. Whether you can and want to justify the flight from the environmental aspect, you can best decide for yourself.

If you are traveling with a dog, you will of course have to consider whether your four-legged friend can handle the flights. We have summarized more information about flying with a dog in a separate article.

Cost of the flight to Lapland: about 300 € per person and direction, duration about 7-10 h.

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Traveling to Kungsleden: by caravan/camper/van

If you have more time, you can make the trip to Lapland to an adventure itself. You can choose to drive along the coast or inland on the Inlandsvägen. There are numerous stops, places of interest and overnight accommodations. This way, you also see a bit more of the country than on a straight tour to Lapland.

If you want to park your vehicle at your destination, it is better to plan in advance where you can park it. We had the problem, that there were no parking facilities for a camper in Arvidsjaur. At the tourist information we looked for help and got the tip to ask at a nearby garage. There we were allowed to park in the yard for two weeks. This worked out well in the end, but is certainly not a tip that we would generally recommend.

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Traveling to the trailheads of Kungsleden

In the following sections we have summarized the most common entry and exit points for you. To research your specific connection, I recommend resrobot.se. There you will find all means of transportation and so quickly get the best connection. Like most Swedish websites, it is also available in English. Don’t worry about changing between different bus lines: The transfer times are sufficient and usually the buses wait for each other.

Abisko

You can easily travel to Abisko by train from Luleå or Kiruna. The stop is “Abisko Turiststation”. Note: do not get off shortly before at “Abisko Östra”! If you travel by night train from Stockholm, you don’t even need to change trains.
Travel time: Abisko – Kiruna: 1:13h, Abisko – Luleå: 5:36h
Timetable and costs: sj.se

An alternative is to take bus 91 from Kiruna to Abisko twice a day during the season.
Travel time: 1:15h
Timetable and costs: ltnbd.se

Nikkaluokta

The Nikkaluoktaexpress runs twice a day from Kiruna to Nikkaluokta during the season when the STF cabins are open.
Travel time: 1:30h
Timetable and costs: nikkaluoktaexpressen.se

Vakkotavare

Traveling to Vakkotavare is a bit more complicated. Coming from Kiruna you take bus 52 to Gällivare and from there bus 93 to Vakkotavare. If you take the night train from Stockholm you can get off in Gällivare. From Luleå you take the train to Gällivare.
Travel time: Kiruna – Vakkotavare: approx. 6h, thereof Gällivare – Vakkotavare 3:20h
Timetable and costs: sj.se (train), ltnbd.se (buses Norbotten)

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Saltoluokta

Traveling to Saltoluokta is basically the same as to Vakkotavare, but you get off the bus a little earlier. After 1:45h bus ride you will reach Kebnats, from where you have to take the boat transfer to Saltoluokta.
Travel time: Gällivare – Kebnats: 1:45h, Kebnats – Saltoluokta: 15 minutes
Timetable and costs: sj.se (train), swedishtouristassociation.com (boat)

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Kvikkjokk

To get started in Kvikkjokk, it is best to travel by night train from Stockholm or Luleå. First you need to get to Murjek, which you can reach by train. From Murjek you can take bus 43 to Jokkmokk, from there bus 47 to Kvikkjokk. You can also take the train from Kiruna to Gällivare and change there to bus 44 to Jokkmokk.
Travel time: Luleå – Kvikkjokk: approx. 7:30h, Umeå – Kvikkjokk: approx. 11h, Murjek – Kvikkjokk: approx. 5h, Kiruna – Kvikkjokk: approx. 8h
Timetable and costs: sj.se (train), ltnbd.se (buses Norbotten)

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Jäckvik

The best way to get to Jäckvik is from Luleå. From there you can take bus 21 to Arvidsjaur, bus 26 to Arjeplog and finally minibus 104 to Jäckvik. Alternatively, you can take bus 20 from Umeå to Skellefeteå, then bus 26 to Arjeplog and from there continue as described above. In Jäckvik you have the chance to buy supplies and gas in the supermarket. Convenient, especially if you travel by plane, because you are not allowed to take any gas with you.
Travel time: Luleå – Jäckvik: approx. 6:30h, Umeå – Jäckvik: approx. 9h
Timetable and costs: ltnbd.se (buses Norbotten)

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Ammarnäs

The easiest way to travel to Ammarnäs is from Umeå. From there, take bus 31 to Lycksele, then bus 36 to Sorsele and finally bus 341 to Ammarnäs. Traveling from Luleå is slightly longer: Take bus 21 to Arvidsjaur, then bus 45 to Sorsele, and finally bus 341 to Ammarnäs. Bus 21 from Arvidsjaur is the only bus still operated by Länstrafik Norbotten. All other buses are operated by Västerbotten.
Travel time: Umeå – Ammarnäs: approx. 5:30h, Luleå – Ammarnäs: approx. 7:15h
Timetable and costs: tabussen.nu (buses Västerbotten), ltnbd.se (buses Norbotten)

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Hemavan

Traveling to Hemavan is very simple. In Umeå you get on bus 31 and ride it all the way to Hemavan. You can also travel from Luleå. Take bus 21 to Arvidsjaur, bus 45 to Storuman and finally bus 31 to Hemavan.
Travel time: Umeå – Hemavan: approx. 5:45h, Luleå – Hemavan: approx. 8:30h
Timetable and costs: tabussen.nu (buses Västerbotten), ltnbd.se (buses Norbotten)