Chris Winfield-BlumMade by a dad in Adelaide
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Dreaming · Sep 17 – 30, 2029

The Grand Arctic Rail Odyssey

Fly into Tromsø, coach to Narvik, then the Arctic night train through Swedish Lapland to Stockholm and on to Copenhagen.

ChrisAAmandaNorwaySwedenDenmark

This one is special. My sister Amanda turns 50, and this trip is my birthday present to her. It’ll be the first time we’ve ever travelled together, and I can’t think of a better way to do it than chasing the northern lights and crossing Scandinavia by train. While we are still sketching out the day-to-day details and leaving plenty of room for plans to evolve, we have a few major must-sees and potential highlights in mind.

Tromsø and the Northern Lights

We are hoping to kick things off in Tromsø, about 350 km north of the Arctic Circle. Late September is the start of aurora season when the nights get dark enough again, so heading out of town to hunt for the northern lights is a top priority. For our daytime explorations, potential highlights include checking out the Arctic Cathedral, taking the Fjellheisen cable car for panoramic views over the city, and spending as much time out among the fjords as the weather allows. We plan to keep our schedule loose so we can adapt to the best clear-sky conditions.

The Overland Route to Narvik

Since Tromsø has no railway—it’s on an island among the fjords—we are looking at taking a scenic coach down to Narvik to start our rail journey. If we take this route, it promises a beautiful coastal drive past the mountains to connect us to the train network.

The Arctic Night Train

A major must-do on our radar is catching SJ’s Arctic sleeper train from Narvik to Stockholm. The dream is to ride the historic Ofoten Line, winding high above the fjord before crossing into Sweden. From there, it’s a journey through Swedish Lapland—passing Abisko, Kiruna, and endless stretches of forest and lakes. The goal is to fall asleep in the Arctic and wake up heading south.

The itinerary will undoubtedly shift and change as we get closer, but the northern lights, the night train, and giving Amanda a 50th to remember are absolutely non-negotiable.

Plans

The overland adventure: Tromsø has no railway, so a scenic coach to Narvik joins the SJ Arctic Night Train through Swedish Lapland to Stockholm, then the X2000 to Copenhagen. Three countries, six nights in Tromsø and one under Lapland skies.

Rough costs per person (AUD): long-haul economy return $1,900–2,600; coach $60–80, sleeper $140–250, X2000 $70–120.

  1. Day 1Mon, Sep 17

    1. 1
      FlightTromsø Airport, Tromsø, Norway
      Fly Sydney to Tromsø

      One open-jaw ticket: into Tromsø, home from Copenhagen. Straight to the Arctic for the equinox dark skies.

    2. 2
      Hotel6 nightsTromsø, Norway
      Six nights in Tromsø

  2. Day 2Tue, Sep 18

    1. 3
      TourTromsø, Norway
      Aurora chase #1

      Chases early, while we’re fresh: small-group minibuses inland toward Finland.

  3. Day 3Wed, Sep 19

    1. 4
      TourTromsø, Norway
      Aurora chase #2

  4. Day 4Thu, Sep 20

    1. 5
      TourTromsø, Norway
      Aurora chase #3 (if needed)

      A spare night for the clearest forecast.

  5. Day 6Sat, Sep 22

    1. 6
      SightseeingTromsø, Norway
      Last day in Tromsø

      A relaxed day: museums around town, or a daytime fjord catamaran.

  6. Day 7Sun, Sep 23

    1. 7
      Bus8:00 amabout 4¼ hoursNarvik Station, Narvik, Norway
      Coach to Narvik

      Bus 100 from Prostneset, along the coastal fjords and over mountain passes in autumn gold.

    2. 8
      SightseeingNarvik War Museum, Narvik, Norway
      Narvik War Museum
    3. 9
      Train3:00 pmabout 18½ hoursStockholm Central Station, Stockholm, Sweden
      Arctic night train to Stockholm

      SJ’s Arctic Night Train in a private two-berth sleeper: up the Ofoten Line, through Abisko National Park and Swedish Lapland, then down into central Sweden.

  7. Day 8Mon, Sep 24

    1. 10
      Hotel9:30 am2 nightsGamla Stan or Norrmalm, Stockholm, Sweden
      Two nights in Stockholm

      Into Stockholm Central around 9:30, then the cobbled lanes of the Old Town and the waterfront.

  8. Day 9Tue, Sep 25

    1. 11
      SightseeingVasa Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
      Vasa Museum and Skansen

      The 17th-century warship at the Vasa Museum, and Skansen on Djurgården.

  9. Day 10Wed, Sep 26

    1. 12
      Trainabout 5¼ hoursCopenhagen Central Station, Copenhagen, Denmark
      X2000 to Copenhagen

      The tilting high-speed train across southern Sweden and over the Øresund Bridge.

    2. 13
      Hotel4 nightsCopenhagen, Denmark
      Four nights in Copenhagen

  10. Day 11Thu, Sep 27

    1. 14
      TourChristianshavn, Copenhagen, Denmark
      Nyhavn and Christianshavn by bike

  11. Day 12Fri, Sep 28

    1. 15
      SightseeingTorvehallerne, Copenhagen, Denmark
      Royal palaces and Torvehallerne

  12. Day 13Sat, Sep 29

    1. 16
      OtherCopenhagen, Denmark
      Danish bakeries and a free day

  13. Day 14Sun, Sep 30

    1. 17
      FlightCopenhagen Airport, Copenhagen, Denmark
      Fly home from Copenhagen

    Still being planned. Check-ins appear here once we’re on the road.