Lapland, Finland67°46.8′ N · 025°36.0′ E

Finnish Lapland Planner
Saana fell and frozen Ala-Kilpisjärvi on a frosty February day

Where to stay in Lapland

Fell villages, ski resorts or the town with most flights

Photo: Ximonic, Simo Räsänen / CC BY 2.5

Of the six bases, Kilpisjärvi has the best aurora odds but no airport or railway station. Pick Levi for the shortest airport transfer, Saariselkä or Inari if you fly into Ivalo, Ylläs if you take the night train to Kolari, and Rovaniemi for the most flights and the mildest January.

By Finnish Lapland Planner editorial team Updated

Six bases side by side

Six Finnish Lapland bases: aurora odds, polar night, January cold and how you arrive
BaseAurora odds, dark clear night (FMI)Polar nightMean January temp, 1991–2020Arrive by
Rovaniemi1No town figure from FMI; Visit Finland: every second night "above Rovaniemi"Sources disagree (see Best time page)−10.3 °C (Rovaniemi airport)Night train or flight, both into Rovaniemi
Levi (Kittilä)2About 50% of nights10 Dec 2025 – 1 Jan 2026 (Levi.fi)−13.7 °C (Muonio station, about 53 km away)Flight to Kittilä, 15 km; or night train to Kolari
Ylläs (Äkäslompolo)3About 50% of nightsNot published by a primary source we could read−13.7 °C (Muonio station, about 44 km away)Night train to Kolari, or flight to Kittilä (about 35 km)
Saariselkä4About 50% of nightsNot published by a primary source we could read−12.1 °C (Saariselkä station)Flight to Ivalo
Inari village4No FMI figure for the village itself; nearby Saariselkä is in FMI's roughly 50% groupNot published by a primary source we could read−11.8 °C (Ivalo airport, about 37 km away)Flight to Ivalo
Kilpisjärvi5About 75% of nightsNot published by a primary source we could read−12.2 °C (Kilpisjärvi village station)No airport or railway station; last leg by road
Aurora odds are FMI statistics for a dark, cloudless night, not a forecast. Temperatures are FMI 1991–2020 monthly means; where a base has no station of its own we name the station used and its straight-line distance.Checked · 1 source, source, source · 2 source, source, source, source · 3 source, source, source, source · 4 source, source, source · 5 source, source

Muonio is the nearest FMI station to both Levi and Ylläs, so treat their temperature as a regional guide.

Pick by priority

  • Aurora odds: Kilpisjärvi, about 75% of dark, clear nights (FMI). No airport or station.
  • Short transfer: Levi, 15 km from Kittilä Airport.
  • Night train: Rovaniemi, or Ylläs via Kolari (timetable).
  • Far north by air: Saariselkä or Inari, both served by Ivalo Airport.
  • Mildest cold, most flights: Rovaniemi, −10.3 °C January mean and 39 direct winter routes.

Questions about Finnish Lapland

By the editorial team

Is Rovaniemi or Levi better for a first trip to Finnish Lapland?

Rovaniemi is easier to reach, with the night train into town and the most direct flights. Levi is 15 km from Kittilä Airport and in FMI's roughly 50% aurora group. Rovaniemi's January is milder (−10.3 °C mean against −13.7 °C at Muonio, the nearest station to Levi).

Where in Finnish Lapland has the best chance of northern lights?

Kilpisjärvi, where FMI says auroras appear on about 75% of dark, cloudless nights.

How do you get to Kilpisjärvi?

By road. There is no airport or railway station, and we found no bus timetable from a primary source.

How cold is Saariselkä in January?

−12.1 °C on average, from FMI's 1991–2020 normals for the Saariselkä station.

Which Lapland base can you reach by night train?

Rovaniemi, where train 265 arrives at 07:20, and Ylläs or Levi via Kolari, where train 269 arrives at 10:55 (15 December 2026 timetable).