Say Yes to Lapland for a Summer Adventure:
This Is How to See the Midnight Sun in Lapland Finland
When it comes to summer adventure, there is nothing more idyllic than long warm days under the summer sun. Swinging on rope swings, swimming in the cool waters of a lake, or hiking endless miles through green meadows, where you can stop to pick blueberries while marveling at wildlife. My summers growing up were a perfect mixture of these activities, but it’s been many years since I have experienced a summer quite like I did from my childhood. That was until I went to Finland to spend a week in Finnish Lapland during its period of midnight sun. If you can’t get enough of summer adventure activities, then you will want to say “Yes” to a summer in Lapland under the midnight sun.
Where is Lapland
Lapland is an area in Northern Finland that lies within the Arctic Circle. It encompasses about a third of the country and stretches across Finland’s land borders with Sweden, Norway, and Northern Russia. Commonly referred to as the North Pole, many consider Lapland to be the official residence of Santa Claus and you can visit his workshop in Lapland too.
What is the Midnight Sun
The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer when the earth’s axis is tilted towards the sun. During this time, the Arctic Circle, including Lapland, experiences significantly more sunlight that lasts throughout the day and into the night. Since the sun doesn’t set, you can see it all hours, even at midnight, hence the name “Midnight Sun.”
When Can you see the Midnight Sun
In Finland, you can experience the midnight sun for 45 days, from June to mid-July. The further north you go in the Arctic Circle, the longer this period lasts. Towns and cities like Rovaniemi that sit on the southern side of the Arctic Circle experience almost 45 days exactly of midnight sun. If you’re wondering how to see the midnight sun, these are some of the best places to go, as they have several midnight sun experiences and activities set up for visitors.
Best Places to Visit in Lapland
Lapland is an area the size of Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands combined. It’s home to a lot of great small towns that you can visit, where you’ll find few people, lots of lakes, wandering reindeer, waterside saunas, and beautiful nature. The best places to visit in Lapland have a great mix of adventurous activities, accommodations, saunas, and restaurants. Here are my picks for the best places to visit in Finnish Lapland if you wish to explore under the midnight sun.
Levi
Levi is a year round destination, 170 km north of the Arctic Circle, and famous for having the cleanest air in the inhabited world. It is one of the premier winter ski destinations in Finland. Hosting winter World Cup races for the last decade. Levi Ski mountain is the centerpoint of the town and is also open in the summer for mountain biking, hiking and sightseeing. The ski area has an alpine slide for summer fun and a gondola that brings visitors to the top of the mountain, where they can enjoy hiking trails, a mountainside cafe, the Levi Bike park and even walk to one of Santa’s summer cabins. At the base of the mountain kids can enjoy the adventure park which has ropes course, zipline and fun for all ages.
There are more saunas than people in Finland and Levi also has a great indoor pool and sauna facility with waterslides and almost a dozen different soaking pools of various temperature and size. Levi is also home to the Levi Golf Course which has 9 holes and a driving range.
Levi has a small but well appointed downtown with shopping and restaurants too. In Levi many visitors choose to stay in the hotels or rented apartments that are close to town but for a unique experience you can also stay in a glass pyramid, where the midnight sun is ever present.
Where to Eat: Restaurant Panorama on the Mountain
King Crab House
Where to Stay: Aurora Pyramids – Elves Village
Things to Do: Biking at Levi Bike Park
Visit the Levi Husky Park and learn about sled dogs and meet the movie star foxes
Golf at Levi Golf
Ride the Gondola to the top of the Levi Fell and go for a hike
Visit Santa’s cabin at the Levi Ski Hill
Midnight Sun Cruise and sauna with Kino Safaris
Yllas & Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park
Yllas has authentic villages surrounded by 7 fells that offer year round experiences for active adventurers. It is the gateway to the Pallas –Yllästunturi National Park, which is the most popular national park in Finland. If you’re interested in going on a biking or hiking vacation, you will love this area of Lapland. Yllas has one of the largest ski resorts in Finland that gets turned into a biker’s paradise during the summer months. Here, you can take the Gondola up to the bike park for some serious twists and turns. Meanwhile, for those not so inclined to bomb down the mountain, you can head to the National Park after picking up some E-bike rentals and meander along more than 50 km of trails. These trails go by lakes, rivers, and marshes. There are a few challenging uphill climbs, but most of your ride can be flat if you so choose, with a lot of variety in elevation and skill level available. What’s more, there are wilderness cafes along the trails where you can stop for a hot meal, a cold beverage, and, in the cooler months, a warm fire.
One of the best parts about Lapland during the Midnight Sun are the evening rainbows. I was wowed by one almost every evening and in Yllas a great way to get out in the evening hours is to hike up to one of the 7 fells.
Where to Stay: Arctic Skylight Lodge
Things to do: Take a Fat Tire Bike tour of the National Park & Eat at the Wilderness Cafe
Take a midnight hike up to the fells
Ride the Gondola to the top of Yllas ski area
Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland and the second-largest city in Northern Finland. Located on the banks of the river and on the southern side of the Arctic Circle, Rovaniemi is also the official hometown of Santa Claus. Rovaniemi was certainly my favorite destination in Lapland that I had the pleasure of visiting as it had a great mix of outstanding restaurants and activities.
The city is well set up for walkers with miles of trails and walkable streets laden with ice cream shops and stores. Some of my favorite activities were a midnight sun photography tour with Beyond Arctic, an afternoon canoe adventure along the river that runs through town, a midnight horseback ride, and, of course, visiting Santa at Santa’s Office.
Where to Eat: Restaurant Nabo
Roka Kitchen & Wine
Where to Stay: Arctic Light Hotel
Things to do: Canoeing on the river with Wild about Lapland
Visit Arktikum – Museum and science Center and learn about Lapland
Take a midnight photography tour with Beyond Arctic
Visit Santa’s Village, feed the reindeer and mail your letters to Santa
Why You Should Visit Lapland to see the Midnight Sun
If you’re interested in spending a summer in Finland, check out my travel video guide to Yllas, Levi, and Rovaniemi here or on the Finland Travel Page. Lapland is one of my favorite midnight sun locations in the world as it has really catered to late night activities. There are few places in the world where you can ride horses at midnight or hike under rainbows at 1am. Lapland really has it all if you’re looking for adventures under the Midnight sun.
If you need help booking a trip fill out my travel form and I can help you craft and book the trip of your dreams.
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