Did you know that the sun in the northern part of Sweden does not set in the summer for a few weeks? From April to August it never gets completely dark at night. In the winter months you have the opposite phenomenon. During the polar night you will not see the sun above the polar circle for several weeks.
Where to see the midnight sun?
The midnight sun or polar day can only be seen above the polar circle. Like in Kiruna and near the ice hotel. The sun stays above the horizon for 24 hours a day. The further south you go, the longer the sun will disappear below the horizon during the summer months. Around the 21st of June, even as south as Stockholm it never really gets completely dark at night, but here you can’t see the midnight sun.
When can you see the midnight sun?
Of course it can’t be cloudy. As you can see from the photo above, I have not yet succeeded in capturing the true midnight sun. That one sunny day when I spent the summer in Swedish Lapland, I got into the tent at half past ten with severe migraines. I thought I would get to see the midnight sun several times in the 2 weeks that followed. I still regret not setting my alarm at midnight at the time. In the days that followed the clouds came every night. So I have to go back 😉
Between April the 20th and mid-August you have the best chance of seeing the midnight sun. The higher you are, the greater the chance that the sun won’t disappear behind the horizon at night. Furthermore, it also depends on how north you are to know in which period the midnight sun can see. This website tells you when the next equinox is.
Sleep masks and biorhythm
How nice are those long days in the summer? The Swedes spend as much time outside as possible and get the maximum out of the summer. Perhaps the only drawback is that you sometimes have to sleep and that, if it doesn’t get dark outside, is more difficult. Although the Swedes are used to the long summer evenings and the dark winters, it can quite confuse your biorhythm as a visitor.
Most bedrooms have blackout curtains and a sleeping mask is not a luxury. Certainly if you go camping or if you are a poor sleeper, it is best to put a sleep mask on your packing list.
