Most people commute in and out of New York City by train, ferry, or car. But some in the upper echelons of society can afford to fly above the chaos.
24.01.2025 - 14:15 / lonelyplanet.com
Jan 23, 2025 • 8 min read
Our slow travel series explores how you can take more mindful journeys by train, boat, bus or bike – with tips on how to reach your no-fly destination, and what to see and do along the way. Here, Sian Lewis explains how she boarded a night train bound for Sweden’s frozen Arctic Circle from the capital, Stockholm.
All aboard for the Arctic! I was standing in Stockholm’s Central Station on a December night, snowflakes beginning to dust the tracks as a white train chugged to a halt in front of me. SJ’s (Statens Järnvägar, Sweden’s national train company) inaugural service of the Arctic Circle Train would soon trundle from Stockholm to the winter-bound north, stopping at Kiruna, 150km (93 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. The final stop comes into view some 19 hours later at Narvik in Norway, Europe’s northernmost railhead.
This overnight train had previously been run for years by a Norwegian company (VY) but SJ had taken it over just in time for its first winter journey of 2024. The Arctic Circle service offers passengers the chance to fall asleep in Sweden’s buzzy capital and wake up in pristine, snow-laden Lappland – all while saving the price of a night in a hotel (or the environmental cost of a plane ticket) in a snug bed aboard the train. You can now even travel all the way from London to Lappland by train if you so desire.
The whistle blew at 6:09pm precisely and after lugging my bag aboard, I went in search of my cabin. Put all ideas of the Orient Express (or even the fictional Polar Express) train out of your mind – the Arctic Circle service may be bound for Sweden’s wondrous wilderness, but it’s not especially romantic or luxurious. Cabins are functional and can be shared between three or six people, while some hardy souls opt for reclining chairs.
You can book an entire compartment for yourself or share it with others – when sharing, travelers choose between women's or men's compartments.
I’d splashed out on a second-class cabin sleeping three to myself, which while still pretty compact, did allow me the luxury of privacy. My bed had been made up for me and could also be flipped upwards to form a sofa, and the rest of the narrow space was made up of a dinky sink, a luggage rack and a window from which I could see the last twinkling Christmas lights of Stockholm rush by. Toilets and a shower were tucked away down the corridor.
After unpacking (popping my toothbrush by the sink), I went in search of supper. The train’s bistro dining carriage remained open until 11pm and was full of excited travelers in hiking gear musing over whether they’d see the northern lights at the end of their journey. Since this was Sweden, the food was on the pricy side but it was also delicious – I
Most people commute in and out of New York City by train, ferry, or car. But some in the upper echelons of society can afford to fly above the chaos.
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