Seasonal Highlights
Each season in Finland offers unique experiences, making it an all-year-round destination for tourists seeking nature, culture, and adventure.
Spring in Finland: The Awakening
Spring in Finland is a period of awakening and rejuvenation. As the snow melts, nature bursts into life with vibrant colors and fresh scents. The days grow longer, making it perfect for exploring the countryside. In Lapland, spring skiing under the midnight sun offers a unique experience. In Southern Finland, you can enjoy the greenery of spring and the lushness of nature at the same time as people are still skiing in Lapland.
Summer: The Land of the Midnight Sun
Finnish summers are renowned for their beauty, especially the magical white nights when the sun barely sets. This is the best time for outdoor activities like hiking, cycling, and lake cruises. Summer cottages by the lakeside become a hub of relaxation and social gatherings. Traditional Midsummer celebrations, marked by bonfires and local festivals, are a must-experience. The Archipelago Sea and the Lakeland offer breathtaking natural scenery and opportunities for kayaking and fishing.
Autumn: A Symphony of Colors
Autumn in Finland is a visual treat, with forests turning into a symphony of reds, oranges, and yellows – a phenomenon known as ‘ruska’ in Finnish. It’s a fantastic time for hiking and lingonberry and mushroom picking. The cooler temperatures and fewer tourists make for a peaceful exploration of cities and nature. Autumn also marks the start of the Northern Lights season in Lapland, offering spectacular displays of auroras on clear nights.
Winter: A Wonderland of Snow and Ice
Winter transforms Finland into a snowy wonderland. It’s the season of skiing, ice skating, and snowshoeing. Lapland, covered in snow and darkness, provides a mystical backdrop for a winter holiday, with opportunities to meet Santa Claus and experience Sami culture. The Finnish tradition of sauna followed by ice swimming offers a unique and invigorating experience. Moreover, winter is the peak season for viewing the Northern Lights, making it a dream destination for many.
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See Northern Lights in Finland
Where can you see the Northern Lights?
In Finland, the best chances to witness the Northern Lights are in the northernmost regions, especially Kilpisjärvi and Utsjoki in Northern Lapland.
In these areas, the auroras can glow on as many as three out of four nights, provided the sky isn’t completely overcast. Due to the low level of light pollution in these wilderness regions, expansive landscapes offer ideal conditions for spotting the auroras.
When can you see the Northern Lights?
The prime Northern Lights season runs from the beginning of September until the end of April. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, Earth’s position is especially favorable for this to occur, so the likelihood of seeing the auroras is higher around those times.
At other times of the year, it remains too bright this far north for the auroras to be visible.
Are the Northern Lights easy to see?
You can maximize your chances by planning your trip to the most favorable location and timing, and by staying a bit longer.
January can be one of the most impressive months if you can tolerate the cold and have sufficiently warm winter clothing—and by choosing a location as far north as possible, as noted.
It is best to stay for a longer period, so that a short cloudy spell doesn’t completely erase your opportunity to see the auroras.
What do the Northern Lights really look like?
They may initially appear as a faint greenish arc stretching east to west across the sky. With a bit of luck, they can then spread across nearly the entire sky.
Green is the most common color, but purple, blue, and even red can sometimes be seen.
It’s impossible to guarantee how strong the lights will appear in advance. You might witness truly spectacular auroras lighting up the night sky, or you might barely see anything at all – most often, the reality falls somewhere in between.
It is important to note that cameras capture the auroras more strongly than the human eye. This is why photographs of the Northern Lights often look more vivid than what you actually see in the sky.
HOX! Anyone viewing aurora footage on social media should be mindful of this, as there are many highly exaggerated videos, some produced with artificial intelligence—bearing little resemblance to reality—and some shot in time-lapse, making the auroras appear much faster than they are in real life.
What beliefs are connected to the Northern Lights?
In many ancient cultures, the Northern Lights were seen either as the dancing souls of the dead or as a harbinger of impending bloodshed. This explains why, in the past, they also inspired fear and sorrow.
In Finnish, the name revontulet literally means “fox fires.” This stems from an old belief that the Northern Lights are created by sparks thrown into the sky by a magical fox running across the fells.
How do the Northern Lights form?
The Sun emits a solar wind that carries charged particles toward Earth’s magnetic field. In the polar regions, these particles discharge as a light phenomenon, which we see as the Northern Lights.
How do I prepare for Northern Lights hunting?
- Follow space weather forecasts (for example, from the Finnish Meteorological Institute).
- Dress warmly and bring a headlamp.
- Remember to turn off your headlamp and any other lights when you start gazing at the sky. Any artificial light reduces your eyes’ ability to see the Northern Lights.
- If you want to photograph the Northern Lights, use a tripod. Modern smartphone cameras can also produce decent aurora photos.
- Head to a location with minimal artificial light and an open view of the northern sky. A good spot might be somewhere on the southern edge of a field or lake, far from streetlights or big cities.
- Always prioritize safety and good manners, even if the sky is ablaze:
- Never leave your car parked on the roadside, as this can create hazardous situations, especially for heavy vehicles. Additionally, do not park on private property without permission. Always park your car carefully in a safe and appropriate location, away from the road.
- Avoid venturing onto ice to watch the Northern Lights, as ice near river mouths or bridges may be very unsafe, even in the middle of winter. Instead, explore open spaces like fields, where you can safely ski or snowshoe under the expansive sky.
