In Sweden’s northernmost city, up above the Arctic Circle, the snow cover is so relentless you have to take an ice test when you get your driver’s license. Parking lots offer places to plug in your car so it will restart. And there’s so little winter sunlight that temperatures hover just above zero — although minus 30 is not an anomaly.

But such conditions don’t much matter inside the LKAB mine. The world’s biggest iron-ore mine is so large there are highways inside. From May through September, there’s even an underground multimedia show for visitors. Tours can be arranged through the local tourism office.

Sven-Ivan Melle, a retired miner, was my guide to this underworld, some 1,640 feet below the earth’s surface. Nearly everything about the mining operation is automated and computerized, so, according to Melle, “sitting in an office with a control panel, a cup of coffee and nice soft music — that’s today’s (Swedish) miner.”

Kiruna is a company town, to be sure. The city dates to 1890, when the mine first opened, and most of the buildings here were built to house miners or suppliers. Hjalmar Lundbohmsgarden, the circa-1895 home of the first manager of the LKAB mine, now houses a museum that’s open to visitors.

The City Hall and Kiruna Church are worth checking out, as both award-winning structures are considered among the most beautiful buildings in Sweden.

The other big business in the region is Esrange, Europe’s only civil space station. The facility is open for tours, arranged through the local tourism office.

Regardless of when you visit Kiruna, you’ll want to explore the surrounding Lapland wilderness. In winter, go dogsledding, snowmobiling or skiing; visit a native Sami reindeer camp; or try ice fishing. If you are out on a clear night, you might glimpse the Northern Lights.

In warm weather, head for the surrounding mountains, 6,200 lakes and four rivers — you can even fish for trout right in downtown Kiruna. Swimming, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, hiking and Icelandic horse riding are among the popular summer activities. At this latitude, the sun rarely sets from late May to mid-June, so there’s plenty of daylight in which to see and do it all.

The Icehotel (www.icehotel.com) in the nearby village of Jukkasjarvi is one of Sweden’s top attractions. Here, you can sleep in a giant igloo on a bed of ice at 23 degrees — just to say you did. Even if you don’t stay overnight, it’s worth a visit to see the place, which is open from mid-December through April. Equivalent in size to four football fields, the Icehotel boasts 60 guestrooms, a bar and a chapel, all made of snow and ice (or what they refer to locally as snice). Ice sculptures adorn the interior. Make sure to stop by the Absolut Icebar for vodka served on an ice bar in ice glasses.

For more information about these and other attractions, visit www.lalpland.se.