Explore Lapland

About Lapland

Lapland is Finland in extreme form — polar night (Kaamos) means around 50 days a year of unbroken darkness in the northernmost towns, while the summer Midnight Sun runs for around 73 days when the sun never sets at all. Both are otherworldly. Winter (late November to early April) is the iconic Lapland season: reliable snow, frozen lakes, the deep blue 'sininen hetki' twilight, and an excellent chance of the aurora borealis on clear dark nights — the lights are visible on roughly 200 nights a year in places like Saariselkä and Utsjoki, the northernmost municipality in the EU. Glass igloo and aurora-cabin hotels at Kakslauttanen and Levi have become a defining experience. Levi (with the country's biggest ski resort, FIS World Cup slalom races) and Ylläs anchor downhill skiing; cross-country, snowshoe, and snowmobile networks run thousands of kilometres. The Saami capital Inari has the brilliant SIIDA Sami Museum, and Lake Inari with its 3,000 islands. In July and August, the whole region pivots to fly fishing, berry picking, hiking the Kärhäkkä wilderness trail, and pesky but bearable mosquitoes.