FINLAND · AURORA & MIDNIGHT SUN
Snow, silence, and a sky full of light.
From aurora nights, husky sledding and Santa’s Arctic Circle up in Lapland, to island cruises and sea fortresses down in Helsinki. The best of Finland, north to south.
Only in Finland
Three things you come this far north for.
Snow and sledding turn up across the Arctic. These three are pure Finnish Lapland: the lights overhead, Santa on the Arctic Circle, and a reindeer sleigh through the trees. Build the trip around them.
After dark
Hunting the Northern Lights
Finnish Lapland sits right under the auroral oval, so a clear winter night here shows the lights more often than almost anywhere on earth. Guides drive you out past the town glow to frozen lakes and open fells, then wait. Some nights it is a faint green arch. Some nights the whole sky moves.
- 1 Rovaniemi: Northern Lights Tour with Guaranteed Sightings
- 2 Northern Lights Rovaniemi: Guaranteed Viewing & Unlimited Mileage
- 3 Rovaniemi: Lapland Northern Lights Tour with BBQ
On the Arctic Circle
Santa’s Home at the Circle
Rovaniemi is the official hometown of Santa Claus, and the Arctic Circle runs straight through his village just north of town. You can cross the line, collect the stamp, and meet Santa any day of the year. It is the one place on the planet built entirely around that idea.
- 1 Rovaniemi: Reindeer, Huskies & Santa Claus Village
- 2 Rovaniemi: Snowman World Entrance Ticket
- 3 Rovaniemi: Santa Claus Village and Arctic Circle
With the herders
A Reindeer Sleigh Ride
Reindeer have pulled sleighs across this country for as long as the Sami have herded them. A short ride takes you into silent, snow-covered forest at walking pace, the harness bells the only sound. You are not watching the tradition from the outside, you are sitting inside it.
- 1 Rovaniemi: Apukka Reindeer Journey
- 2 Rovaniemi: Snowmobile Safari, Reindeer & Husky Sleigh Ride
- 3 Rovaniemi: Reindeer Experience with Sleigh Ride
The one everyone comes for
Start with the northern lights.
If you only plan one night in Lapland, make it this one. The aurora chase that pulls most travellers north in the first place.
The classics
Finland’s Most Popular Trips
Aurora hunts, husky sleds, snowmobile safaris and the run up to the Arctic Circle. The trips most travellers come to Finland to do.
Plan by season
Finland runs on two clocks.
Come in winter for deep snow, silence and the northern lights. Come in summer for white nights, open water and forest that never quite goes dark. Pick a season and the trip almost plans itself.
Snow & the Lights
Polar nights, frozen lakes and the aurora overhead. The season for sledding, snowmobiles and Santa.
White Nights & Water
The midnight sun, a thousand lakes and green forest. The season for cruises, trails and the city.
By region
Pick a part of Finland.
Rovaniemi for Santa and the lights. Levi for the snow. Saariselkä for the empty fells. Helsinki for the sea and the city.
By experience
Or pick what you came to do.
Northern lights if you want the sky. Huskies and reindeer if you want the snow trails. Snowmobiles for range, ice floating for the story, national parks for when the snow melts.
Your own team
Take the reins of a husky sled.
A team of huskies, a wooden sled and a track through frozen forest. You stand on the runners and drive your own line. Three husky days we would book first.
Open the throttle
See Lapland at speed.
The quickest way to a frozen lake, a fell top or a far-off cabin. Forest loops by day, aurora runs after dark. The three rides worth booking before the rest.
Down south
A day on the Baltic.
Finland is not all snow. The capital sits right on the water, read best from a boat, between the market square, the islands and the old sea fortress. Three ways to spend a day in Helsinki.
Beyond the towns
Where Finland goes quiet.
Frozen waterfalls in Korouoma, snowshoe trails through old forest, summer paths in the national parks. The wide-open country between the towns, and three trips that take you into it.
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