Where in finland can i see northern light

The more traditional ways to go Aurora spotting are snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or snowmobile and sled dog touring. If gazing at the dark sky in crispy winter air is not your thing, you can simply add comfort.

Scroll down for places that have made it very easy to keep cosy and sleep well under the Aurorae. In Lapland, swapping the hustle and bustle of ski resorts and cities to the peace and quiet of the wilderness takes mere minutes. Seeing them requires clear skies and just a bit of luck. Chances of catching them get better the further north you go. Located on the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Lapland these 37 TreeHouses have a warm, wooden interior which highlights the exclusive Scandinavian design of the suits that combines local tradition and Lappish heritage.

You can discover the spectacular views over the Northern skies from the nest like atmosphere of these thoughtfully designed suits. More info. Beautiful and quiet villa area is located next to the SnowCastle and just couple of minutes away from the Kemi city centre. To begin with there will be 20 of these villas with small kitchen and bathroom. In Sea Lapland the nature presents its beautiful light show from early autumn until late spring.

Now we know the best time and place to see the northern lights in Finland, what is it that causes the northern lights? Before science could explain this natural phenomenon, local people developed myths and legends of their own. The Sami told tales of a fox that sped through the snow casting colourful sparks up into the sky in its wake.

Nowadays scientists agree that the aurora borealis is caused by solar activity. Wind from the sun sends electronically charged particles towards Earth. The aurora australis is the same phenomenon as the aurora borealis, but it occurs in the Southern Hemisphere. If you are planning to chase the aurora in Europe this winter, you may find yourself asking the question: is Norway , Iceland , Sweden or Finland better for northern lights hunting?

The answer is that you have a high chance of seeing the northern lights in all four countries. Although each has its advantages, in Finland you can choose from plenty of fun winter activities. We recommend snowmobiling, dog sledding, meeting reindeer and even paying a visit to Santa Claus himself! Our travel experts make finding the right northern lights tour for you simpler. Whether you are looking for a bucket list Christmas trip or a unique honeymoon experience, we can tailor and adjust tours to suit your needs.

A dedicated travel consultant will organise hotels, excursions and transfers on your behalf. All you need to do is relax and look forward to an amazing trip! Contact us and realise your dream of taking a northern lights tour in Lapland. Born and raised in Scotland, Catherine has a background in trip organisation and design. When not travelling, or writing about travels, you can find her rock climbing and exploring remote corners of Scotland.

We'd love to give you the same amazing travel experiences as you read about in our blog! To visit the destinations and attractions mentioned in this post - and to discover a few new highlights along the way - check out these recommended Nordic Visitor tours. Northern Lights , Lapland , Finland , Guides.

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The larger town of Ivalo is a few minutes north and has more accommodations, but terrain and light pollution make viewing from Ivalo more difficult. This gives you the perfect opportunity to watch the Aurora dance above your head as you lay in bed. Would you believe aurora-spotting can be a luxurious experience? Here, you can admire the stunning dance of the Northern Lights while lying on a comfortable bed in a warm glass igloo. If you want to lift your aurora experience up a notch, choose a Kelo glass igloo that combines the advantages of glamping and cottage holiday.

Levi is a ski resort town in western Lapland. There are a lot of activities to do here, including some fun nightlife, so if you get restless this may be a great place to visit and base your Aurora expedition.

Levi is also close to the Sammaltunturi meteorological station in Pallas. According to the World Health Organization, this measurement station records the cleanest air in the world. Finland is among the top three countries in the world for clean air.

These give you a degree panorama of the night sky from the comfort of a heated glass cabin. An upscale restaurant on-site will treat you to delicious Scandinavian food with the Northern Lights. Getting to Levi: There are many ways to get to Levi because of its status as a popular Finn vacation spot. You can also either fly or take a train into Rovaniemi, then continue to Levi via bus.

The term Aurora Borealis was coined by Galileo in the early 17 th century. Aurora is the goddess of the dawn in Roman mythology, and Borealis is the name of the Northern Winds in Greek. All of the exterior lights turn off at 10pm from November to February to reduce light pollution. Luosto is right in the centre of Lapland and is another popular winter destination with its ski resort, reindeer sleigh rides, snowshoeing, and snowmobile tours. The resort is very conscious of the Aurora and will literally sound the bells when the Aurora is going on.

There is a restaurant on site and the hotel concierge will be more than happy to help you find the right winter activity, some of which are run through the hotel. Getting to Luosto: Rovaniemi is the closest transportation hub to Luosto. You can take a plane or train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi.

From there you can take a bus or taxi to Luosto. Lapland's capital Rovaniemi has a lot going on, but it also has a lot of light pollution at night.

One hotel is ideally situated to the north of Rovaniemi, across the river Kemijoki, allowing you to get away from the lights of the city.

Getting to Rovaniemi: You can find direct flights from Helsinki to Rovaniemi. Rovaniemi is also a major railroad hub, so you may also want to see the landscape via train. Do you want to see the Northern Lights directly from the side instead of below?

Astronauts on the International Space Station are at the same altitude as the Aurora and watch them from a different angle. That brings us to camera requirements. This will help minimize camera shake. If you can, turn off autofocus, and then manually focus on an object in the far distance. Set your aperture to stops above maximum. This will help with focus and ensuring the lens is close to its sharpest aperture. A very dim, fast-moving Aurora will require a higher ISO and shorter shutter speed, like 5 seconds at most.

You can use a longer shutter speed, like 20 seconds, and a lower ISO for a slow-moving Aurora. Try to stay away from extremely high ISO numbers, like above , as this will degrade your image. Dark is good! You can always make the picture brighter afterwards. Get away from city lights and try not to point your camera towards even the smallest village.

Long exposures will amplify the orange glow coming from the ground. Aurora photos are pretty by themselves, but if you can plan to get some interesting foreground and background subjects the photos will stand out that much more. So think about location. Is there a body of water or snowscape, or some other interesting subject in the scene too? If clouds are blocking your view of the sky but the forecast is calling for a high probability of Aurora formation, try going to a different spot.

Some hotels offer transportation to take you around to various nearby viewing locations in search of clear sky. If you have a rental car you can try going somewhere else on your own. The Aurorae are very erratic. The sky could be pitch black one minute, then glowing green the next. Unfortunately there is no guarantee that you will see the Northern Lights every night, or at all, while you are visiting Finland. Being in Lapland does give you the highest chances of seeing the Northern Lights in Europe.

But sometimes both space weather and terrestrial weather will prevent Aurora viewing. Not to mention the health benefits of winter hiking. You can rent snowshoes almost anywhere. Locals can tell you some of the best places to go snowshoeing nearby. Dogsledding is another fun way to see the Finnish countryside. Considering also the weather, the best time for seeing auroras in Northern Finland is in March and early April.

The solar activity, which varies with the year sunspot cycle, also affects the frequency of auroras. The amount of large auroral displays tends to follow the amount of sunspots with a lag of a couple of years. The previous sunspot maximum was in , so the winters of — are excellent time for auroras.

This solar cycle effect is most pronounced in Southern Finland. In Lapland auroras are quite common always, even during solar minimum.

Geomagnetic activity is closely linked with auroras: when the activity level exceeds a location-specific threshold, it is probable to see auroras weather permitting. Following the magnetic activity serves as nowcasting: when activity reaches a "red" level in the service on the station closest to you, it is time to go out to watch the sky. Nighttime, the service also displays images from selected all sky cameras in Finland.