Where to See the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland

A fox's tail over the fells

A faint, still glow sits over a lakeshore, pale enough that you wonder if it is cloud, and then within seconds it breaks into ribbons that race across the sky. That is the moment you come to Lapland for, and we think Finland is one of the easiest places to find it: base yourself in Rovaniemi, spend your last nights further north around Saariselkä or Inari, and go in September to October or February to March rather than December. We have planned 10 trips to Finland for travellers, and every one of them ran through Helsinki and Rovaniemi.

Over Rovaniemi there is an aurora about every second night, and in the far north up to three nights in four on clear skies. Clouds are the usual problem, and they decide most of what follows in this guide. Finns call the lights revontulet, "fox fires", after the old story of a giant fox whose tail throws sparks across the northern fells.

Rovaniemi, the base that works for everyone

Most first trips should start in Rovaniemi. It has its own airport and a night train from Helsinki, and it has the widest range of aurora trips in Lapland.

You can go out by car, minibus, snowmobile or reindeer, or join a photography trip that knows where to point the camera. Prices run from €79 for a Lappish barbecue with an aurora hunt to a full snowmobile safari with a campfire at several times that.

The one thing to know is that town light washes out the sky. Plan to ride out of Rovaniemi on your aurora nights, to a lakeshore or hilltop with a wide view. Most trips include transport and a stop at a kota, a wooden hut with a fire inside, so you are warm while you wait.

By day, Santa Claus Village is the obvious draw, and it is good fun even for adults. You can post a card with the village postmark and meet Santa. You can also stand with one foot on either side of the Arctic Circle. There is ice skating, a snow disco and an ice bar for the grown-ups.

Our favourite simple pleasure is quieter. Along the river around Rovaniemi there are some 70 fire shelters with firewood provided, so you can roast sausages or marshmallows over an open fire among snowy forests. It costs nothing and fills a slow afternoon well. If you have a spare day, Pyhä makes an easy trip out for a taste of the fells.

Further north: Saariselkä, Ivalo and Inari

From Rovaniemi the road runs about 284 km north to Ivalo, and the sky changes as you go. Up here there is less light, fewer people and wider, darker horizons, which is why the far north gives you the stronger odds. If seeing the aurora is the main reason for your trip, this is where you put your last nights.

We'd give it two nights, not one. A single cloudy evening can cost you the lights entirely, and a second night gives you another chance without much extra effort. Around midwinter the days are short, with three to four hours of blue twilight.

Inari is our pick for autumn. Wilderness Hotel Inari has cabins on the lakeshore, and in autumn, before the lake freezes, the aurora reflects on the water, so you get the sky twice. In Saariselkä, Gáldu Hotel & Spa is a small 31-room hotel that suits couples who want comfort after a cold night out. Ivalo has Aurora Village and its own airport, so you can fly home from the far north without driving back to Rovaniemi.

Levi, if you want skiing as well

Levi suits a different trip. It is a resort town in Kittilä with snow-sure, uncrowded slopes, plenty of runs, cosy restaurants and small bars for the evening. If someone in your group wants to ski by day and chase the lights by night, Levi gives you both from one base.

It is livelier than the wilderness further north, so for aurora nights you head out of town. Levi Igloos sit on Utsuvaara fell, about 10 km from the resort, with 12 glass huts looking straight up at the sky. The way we'd plan it is Rovaniemi first, then the drive to Levi, then a flight from Kittilä back to Helsinki, which saves you retracing the road south.

Watching from a glass roof or a sauna

Finland has its own ways to wait for the lights. The famous one is the glass-roofed cabin, where you lie in a warm bed and watch the sky through the ceiling. One traveller who spent eight nights in a glass igloo at Kakslauttanen called it pure luxury. The other very Finnish option is the sauna: sit in the heat, step out into the cold air and look up.

For something stranger, try ice floating. Finns swim in holes cut into frozen lakes after a sauna, but floating is the gentler version. You lie back in a rescue suit on the water, face to the sky, and if the aurora comes, you are already in position.

Glass igloos are the priciest part of any Lapland trip, and on a cloudy night the roof shows you nothing but cloud. Book one for a single night as the treat, and spend the other nights with a guide who can drive towards clear sky. Near Rovaniemi, Apukka Resort and Arctic TreeHouse Hotel are close to town, while Aito Igloo is about 40 km out and darker for it.

When the sky is clearest

December is the month everyone books, for Christmas and Santa, but it is not the good window for the lights. It has fewer auroras, more clouds and higher prices. September to October and February to March are the stronger periods, with more aurora activity, milder cold and fewer crowds.

Clear skies make the biggest difference. In September, Rovaniemi's sky is clear or partly clear about 32% of the time, roughly twice as often as in January. September also lets you see autumn colour and the lake reflections at Inari, with daytime highs around 11°C. March brings deep snow, about 10 hours of daylight and lows around –9°C, which is much easier for a first winter than January's –14°C.

Whatever month you choose, the lights tend to show between 9pm and 2am. Forecasts are fairly reliable only one to three hours ahead, so you cannot book your aurora night in advance. So plan several nights in good places rather than one booking.

Getting there and staying warm

Indian passport holders need a Schengen visa, applied for in person by appointment at a VFS centre in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad or Kolkata, costing €90 (about ₹9,700) plus a €20 (about ₹2,150) service fee (official VFS page). Finnair flies non-stop from Delhi to Helsinki in about 10 hours. From Helsinki, the night train reaches Rovaniemi in under 12 hours, or you can fly in about 1h 20m. Winter clothing can be rented locally, and cards work almost everywhere.

Which route fits your trip

Each step north trades a little convenience for a darker sky, so the right route depends on what matters most to you. Rovaniemi is easy, with flights, trains and the most to do by day. Saariselkä and Inari ask for a longer journey but give you the wider horizon.

If it is your first trip or you are travelling with children, stay 3 to 4 nights in Rovaniemi. If seeing the aurora is the whole point, add 2 nights in Saariselkä or Inari and fly home from Ivalo. If you want skiing as well, swap the far north for Levi.