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Why Finnish Lapland is a good place to see the Northern Lights
I spend most of my time in the Tromso region, but I go to Finnish Lapland a lot for one specific reason: the weather there is often better than in Norway, especially in winter.
The climate is drier, less cloudy (in general), and it has to be said that we’re much further from the ocean. It’s also much colder in winter. And this climate is more favorable for seeing the aurora.
That’s why, when it’s overcast in Tromso, I often head for Kilpisjärvi in Finland.
So the weather is the first good reason.
Secondly, Lapland is a beautiful region! Yes, there are lakes, forests, lakes and forests, it’s flat, with beautiful landscapes, but it’s not very varied. Less varied than Norway, yes. But it’s a great place to see the northern lights, because the views are unobstructed.
As it’s a vast, sparsely populated region, there’s no light pollution, and that’s great. In some other regions, light pollution is a real problem (as in Lofoten, for example).
Finally, as we’ll see below, Finnish Lapland is also a great place to do lots of other things, especially in winter.
- obviously, you need to check when the best time to see the northern lights is!
Where to see the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland
You need to be above the Arctic Circle, at the very least. Rovaniemi, Lapland’s main town, is pretty well situated, but it’s still 500km south of Tromso.
So in Rovaniemi, you’ll see the classic aurora on the horizon, but as soon as it gets a bit strong, you’ll have it over your head. Don’t hesitate to drive a little north to get a little closer, it really helps!
Otherwise, resorts such as Levi, Yllasjärvi and Muonio are very well located further north. A little further northeast, Inari and Ivalo are perfectly located. Finally, Kilpisjärvi, up north on the border with Norway, is very good.
As you can see, the most important thing is to be in the north. The further north you are, the closer you’ll be to the “classic” aurora, the northern oval. But if there’s a lot of activity, then you’ll be underneath it even in Rovaniemi!
See the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi
Advantages:
- It’s THE capital of Finnish Lapland, with dozens of activities, aurora tours (and more).
- it’s ideal if you want to let yourself be carried away by the agencies and have a bit of a social life.
Disadvantages
- It’s a big city, with lots of activity and light pollution.
- There are a lot of people and agencies, so if you’re looking for peace and quiet, this isn’t quite the place to get it
- you have to get outside to escape the light pollution and the clouds that are sometimes there. So either with a car, or with an agency
Easy to see the Northern Lights:
- yes “but”.
- Rovaniemi is well south of the northern oval, so the aurora aren’t overhead all the time, they’re quite often on the horizon. It’s not as well located as the other places we’re going to talk about.
- And you have to get out of the city and its light pollution. On foot, it’s complicated.
Recommended Northern Lights agencies:
See the Northern Lights in Levi
Advantages:
- We’re further north, at a pretty good latitude!
- It’s Finland’s biggest ski resort, so there’s plenty of social life and pubs.
- And a beautiful ski area
- But you’re in the middle of nature very, very quickly
Disadvantages
- If you’re looking for real peace and quiet, this is not for you.
Ease of viewing the Northern Lights:
- Yes
- The weather is generally very good
- It’s easy to find places to see the northern lights on foot
- And plenty of agencies to help you just in case
Recommended Northern Lights agencies :
See the northern lights at Ylläs / Äkäslompolo
Advantages:
- Two small, well-situated stations on different slopes of Mount Ylläs
- Little light pollution
- Family resorts, a good compromise as there’s plenty to do and not far from Kittila airport.
Disadvantages
- Perhaps too family-oriented for some? For me, that was no problem at all!
Easy to see the northern lights:
- Yes
- Good weather, good northern location
- Agencies to help you just in case
- But I would say that, especially in Ylläs, it’s not easy to find a place on foot without light pollution.
- It’s easy to find places to see the northern lights on foot.
- And a few agencies to help you just in case
Recommended northern lights agencies :
See the northern lights in Ivalo / Inari / Saariselkä
Advantages:
- Inari is a small lakeside village
- Saariselkä is a little livelier, a little further south.
- In the very north of Finland, these are the best-located resorts with the best weather.
- Much less touristy than Rovaniemi or Levi
Disadvantages
- Ivalo has an airport, but it’s not particularly interesting.
- To be honest, I don’t see any.
Easy to see the northern lights:
- Yes yes yes
- The weather is perfect! The sky is clear for most of the winter, really.
- It’s ideally located to the north, almost under the northern oval
- It’s easy to get away from the light pollution on foot, especially in Inari.
- And a few agencies to help you just in case
Recommended Northern Lights agencies :
See the northern lights in a glass igloo
Since Finnish Lapland is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights, you can sleep under them! That is, you can find transparent igloo-shaped accommodation that lets you see the Northern Lights from your bed. Not bad, eh? These accommodations are usually located in the heart of nature, in a magnificent setting.
In the following article, I’ll tell you about the best igloos for sleeping under the northern lights in Lapland, but here are the main ones and their locations (because Finnish Lapland is a big place!):
- luxury: the Skyview Igloos in Rovaniemi, brand-new and top-of-the-range
- the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort in Saariselkä, full of small (or large!) igloos in the middle of the forest, magical
- Northern Lights Village in Levi, a little piece of paradise in a forest of petrified trees
SANTA’S IGLOO ARCTIC CIRCLE
- At Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi
- 8,9/10 on Booking
- From 320€
How to find the right places to see the Northern Lights
I talk about it a lot, but to see the northern lights, you have to find nice places but especially suitable places that meet certain conditions:
- an unobstructed view
- a view facing north, west and ideally east. If a solar storm is forecast, you’ll need a view to the south.
- away from city and road lights
And for this, Finnish Lapland has many advantages. It’s flat, very flat! So don’t worry about getting an unobstructed view.
I’ve been up there in autumn and winter, and both seasons have their advantages and disadvantages when it comes to finding places to go. In winter, the lakes and rivers are frozen, so there’s a lot more space. On the other hand, snowploughs don’t clear the parking lot recesses. And that’s a bit of a pain. The snow-covered trees are magnificent. But in autumn, with so many lakes, you can get some great aurora reflections!
So there are lots of possibilities for nice spots!
As Finnish Lapland is huge, it’s difficult to give you precise spots, such and such a lake, such and such a road. But my advice is:
- the lakes offer an unobstructed view and a beautiful composition
- look on google maps for places far from the city with a fairly unobstructed view
- don’t stick to the trees
- high vantage points, such as the gondolas at Levi or Yllasjärvi, offer superbly vast and magnificent views (but it’s freezing!)
- in winter, trees petrified by the cold are super photogenic
Do you need an agency to see the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland?
Hmm, not necessarily. If you’re in a small, pollution-free place with clear skies, you don’t need one.
Just remember that an aurora is big! So what you need most of all, as we’ve seen :
- clear skies (if not, you’ll have to move)
- an unobstructed view
- no light pollution (if you’re in the center of Rovaniemi, you’ll have to go through an agency if you don’t have a car)
After that, you can drive. IF (and only IF) the weather is good and there’s no snow, then yes, you can drive. Otherwise, you risk an accident because you can’t see anything, and you need to be experienced (I sound like an old fart saying this, but I’ve actually seen more accidents in the last two years)
So, you need an agency if :
- you don’t want to be bothered
- you’re not in a quiet place with no light, and you don’t have a car
- the weather is bad and you need to move to see the aurora
- above all: you want to optimize your chances of seeing them and leave it to “those who know” (I know it sounds like a bit of a joke to say it like that 😀 ).
You don’t need an agency if :
- the sky is clear, you’re already in a place with an unobstructed view and no light
- you’re going to drive to find the right conditions, but be careful all the same
When can you see the Northern Lights?
Easy, the Northern Lights are visible from early September to early April. Well, you can actually see them in late August and mid-April, but that’s very limited.
Here we have several periods:
- Autumn, from September to mid-October, with its magnificent colors and orange leaves. It’s not cold, the lakes aren’t frozen, which makes for great compositions. A truly beautiful period.
- November and December: it gets darker and darker, and the snow starts to fall. The weather will be more difficult, but there are always possibilities for auroras.
- January: it’s dark, but under the snow and in the cold! it’s winter, it’s beautiful but there’s little light.
- February March: a great time of year, with snow, cold and longer days, so we can enjoy the day and night.
So you have to ask yourself whether you want snow or not, and why not go for Christmas with a visit to Santa’s village!
The best way to see the northern lights
Above, I talked about the importance of having a clear view. Now we’ll look at other recommendations that are at least as important.
First of all, look at the weather. You need a clear sky, so you know where the clouds are. If there are clouds overhead, it may be different 50km further north, so you need to know where and when the clouds will be, so you know where to go.
For this, I recommend the Ventusky website (and app), which lets you know hour by hour how the cloud cover is evolving, with great precision.
Then, be patient! There’s no telling when the aurora might appear. Be ready soon after nightfall, and be in place where you want to be, which is why it’s important to have seen the weather forecast a little beforehand to know where to go. You can see them at 7pm or midnight. From 15 minutes to 8 hours, anything’s possible!
Finally, be prepared! That means warm clothes, because it’s freezing at night up there (and I’m not talking about -30° in winter), but also something to eat, something to drink while you wait, tea or coffee in a thermos. And full batteries and empty memory cards
The best Northern Lights agencies in Finnish Lapland
Going through an agency to see the Northern Lights is easy. After that, it all depends on where you are. The main providers are in Rovaniemi, Levi and Saariselkä. In other places, it’s harder to find, but there’s a good chance that hotels will offer outings. We’ll take a look.
Other essential activities in Lapland
- In the following article I’ll tell you more about all the best things to do in Finnish Lapland.
If you go to Finnish Lapland before the snow, then your main activities will include :
- hiking, everywhere! in magnificent, well-stocked natural surroundings
- picking, as you’ll have plenty of edible berries to pick (there are monstrous mushrooms too!)
- see reindeer, almost everywhere, on the roadside in the wild
- see Santa Claus in his village
But if you come in winter, you have even more choice!
- dog sledding, of course
- see reindeer farms and take a sleigh ride
- snowshoeing or cross-country skiing
- see Santa Claus in his village!
- fishing in a frozen lake
Map of Finnish Lapland
I’ve created a map of Finnish Lapland that includes everything you’ll need to plan your trip:
- accommodation, including ice igloos under the northern lights
- all the best activities, in every town, such as dog sledding and snowmobiling
- all reindeer farms
- aurora borealis agencies
- and lots more info for each resort!
Conclusion
And now I think you know almost everything! In practical terms, Finnish Lapland is a really good place to see the aurora, thanks to its climate and unobstructed views. But it would be a shame not to take the opportunity to discover the region and do some fun activities, especially in winter. And wherever you go in Finnish Lapland, you’ll find roughly the same conditions.
Above all, go beyond the Arctic Circle, Rovaniemi and further north, and don’t hesitate to travel, either by car or with an agency, to find the right places and, above all, escape the clouds. That’s the most important thing!
Here are a few more resources to help you make sense of it all:
- What to do in Finnish Lapland: discover the best activities and must-dos for your stay!
- How to prepare your trip to Finnish Lapland: find all the information you need (when to go, best place to go, how to prepare…) in a single article.
- Where‘s the best place to go in Finnish Lapland: Rovaniemi? Levi? a quieter place? I tell you everything!
- Sleeping under the Northern Lights in Lapland: discover ice hotels and glass igloos for a night in paradise!
- What to do in Kilpisjärvi: this little resort in the very north of Lapland is full of charm!
- Economic hotels in Rovaniemi – discover the most convenient places to stay in Rovaniemi
- Discover Rovaniemi during winter – is it winterwonderland? absolutely! and discover why !
For more information on the Northern Lights, I recommend the following articles:
