Back in a pre-corona 2012 I got inspired by my friend Erik to make an epic rail trip through a part of Europe. I persuaded my best friend to tag along and together we decided to head north, to Scandinavia, to a part of Europe we both hadn’t visited yet and where fascinated about.

After spending the day in Östersund we took a Norrtag train in the evening towards the tiny station of Bräcke where we would change for a night train heading north for Lulea.

We had booked a compartment for 2 persons, with our own private shower and toilet. The Swedish sleeper car had a real IKEA like look inside, it doesn’t get much more Swedish than this. In the compartment they provided some soap and towels as well as some water. There is no breakfast included in the sleeper fare in the morning but you could go and buy something in the Bistro car if you wanted.

We had a good night rocking to sleep at the rhythm of the track.

The next morning we alighted in the final stop of Lulea, where we first took a stroll through the city centre. A bit later we boarded a train in the direction of Narvik until the Swedish city of Gallivare, just to cross the Polar Circle. After enjoying a meal of Swedish meatballs we turned back to Lulea.

In Lulea we boarded a sleeper again taking us all the way south towards the Swedish capital of Stockholm.

Once again we booked a two-berth sleeper compartment with our own private shower and toilet.

The trip towards Stockholm was long and relatively boring as the Swedish landscape is much more repetitive than Norway’s with lots of lakes and forests along the route. We did however have a nice night and a good sleep and where ready to discover the city of Stockholm the following days.

Some of the highlights of Stockholm included the city hall and the royal palace.

Have you passed the Polar Circle? When and where did you do it? Let us know in the comments below!