
Lapland – the land of northern lights, reindeer and perfect silence
Finnish Lapland takes your breath away – if you want to see some reindeer and auroras, or if you want to know what bright sunshine looks like in the middle of the night, this is your place!
Lapland is situated above the arctic circle. From Helsinki it is quite a journey to get to Lapland:
In Lapland there are several airports: the most popular ones are Rovaniemi, Kemi, Ivalo and Kittilä. Which one should you choose?
If you want to see the Arctic Circle and meet Santa, Rovaniemi is your choice. From Rovaniemi it’s easy to take a bus also to Pyhä-Luosto national park.
Would you like to experience Lapland and Baltic Sea at once? Choose Kemi! In Kemi you’ll also find the world famous snow castle.
If you’re interested in the northern parts of Lapland, where there are only few small villages and lots of wild nature, choose Ivalo. From Ivalo it’s easy to reach Urho Kekkonen and Lemmenjoki national parks as well as wilderness areas such as Kevo, Vätsäri and Sompio.
From Kittilä Airport it’s easy to reach big fells like Levi and Ylläs, where there are lots of local safari companies at your service or you can go downhill skiing. Here you can also visit Pallas-Yllästunturi national park.
Polar Night is something that can not be explained – you have to experience it yourself. One might think that as the sun does not rise at all, the polar night must be very dark, right? Wrong!
In the northernmost parts of Finland the sun really doesn’t come up for weeks, but thanks to the snow, northern lights and moonlight, the polar night is actually very beautiful and colorful. Also, the noon looks like a sunrise turning into a sunset without the sun never actually getting up – this is when you can see some beautiful pink and orange colors in the sky!
In Southern Finland the polar night actually seems darker because of the lack of snow that would light the surroundings. Here, however, the sun does get up every day at least for a few hours.
For an outdoor traveller the polar night of Finland offers a one of a kind experience of natures silence and the miracles of the night sky; this is the time when you can see some northern lights and the Milkyway!
In Lapland you can meet some supercute reindeer and siberian jays. Here you can also find out what perfect silence sounds like. Here are some ways to explore Lappish nature!
You know that Santa Claus lives in Finland, right? You’ll Find Santa in the city of Rovaniemi, where he has a large village right on the arctic circle! But this is not Santa’s childhood home. If you want to see where Santa was born, you’ll need to visit Levi fell in Kittilä.
Lapland has several national parks, where you can easily enter the true Lappish nature by exploring well-marked nature trails. By these trails you’d also find open huts, campfire places (with firewood) and even outhouses. To find out more about national parks in Lapland and Finland, visit nationalparks.fi. Most of the national parks are quite easy to reach also by bus.
What is life in Lapland like? What are the most extreme things that you can experience here – or would you like to live like a local? Here you can find our articles about life in Lapland!