Travel bucket list idea:
Lapland, Finland
|The world’s greatest light show is Mother Nature’s own – the famous ‘Aurora Borealis’ – or more commonly known as the ‘Northern Lights’. It’s an extraordinary natural spectacle, caused by shifts of magnetic energy in the ionosphere, and it’s magical to watch them dance across the heavens, ethereal shapes in shimmering colours forming and dissolving. No wonder seeing them features on so many travel bucket lists.
If you haven’t already, see our round-up of great ways to see the Northern Lights that also explains why they happen, where and when you’re most likely to see them (NB the best viewings are spring and autumn).
Lapland is in the so-called ‘Aurora Belt’, where Northern Lights are at their most intense and colourful. Its vast wilderness is about as far from civilisation as you can get in mainland Europe, with star-studded, inky black skies – making it one of the best places in the world to see the Lights.
Still, there’s no specific one best place or time to see this notoriously fickle phenomenon, so we always recommend pairing it with another experience as part of a broader holiday adventure. See below for our recommendations of other great bucket list experiences in Lapland, where you’re also likely to see the Northern Lights along the way.
Abisko, Lapland, Sweden
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This mountain-top observation station lays on an enticing evening for Northern Lights watching. After a 20-minute chairlift up from Abisko village, you’re treated to a four-course dinner inspired by Lapland and Nordic cuisine, and a guided tour. 900m up, in the heart of the Aurora Oval, sightings are excellent.
Best for ages 4+
Lapland, Finland
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Snowmobiling at up to 100km/h is the high-octane way to experience the Arctic wilderness, allowing you to cover huge distances and get a feel for just how remote and vast the area is. Options range from ‘try it out’ experiences lasting several hours, to multi-day camping-out adventures.
Adult price: £30
Min age 3
Best for ages 6+
Duration: -
Saariselka, Lapland, Finland
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The iconic igloo has been used by generations of Inuit for shelter, where air pockets in the ice insulate the inside up to 16°C degrees. Here’s your chance to sleep in one.
Adult price: £60
Best for ages 13+
Duration: 1 night
Kemi, Lapland, Finland
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An extraordinary real-life ‘ice castle’ that you can stay over in and/or dine in. It’s rebuilt every year, using giant blocks of ice cut from a nearby frozen sea.
Adult price: £350
Best for ages 8+
Harads, Norrbotten, Sweden
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If staying in a treehouse AND seeing the Aurora are both on your travel bucket list, this is the place. Even if they’re not, go anyway. This extraordinary concept offers 7 unique treehouses – including a UFO and a bird’s nest. See the Aurora from your room, the jacuzzi or on special Northern Lights tours.
Adult price: £400
Best for ages 8+
Duration: 1+ nights
Harads, Lapland, Sweden
|Official star rating:
A wilderness resort in the empty wastes of Swedish Lapland that celebrates wellbeing through Sami indigenous culture.
Average £350
Extra beds
Pool
2+ bedrooms
Beach
Kids menu
Fitness center
Kids club
Muoni, Lapland, Finland
|Official star rating:
A comfortable mid-range hotel that’s also the biggest husky dog centre in Finland, and the place for husky dog sledding. It’s also a Mecca for a host of other winter and summer outdoor activities, and seeing the Northern Lights.
Average £230
Extra beds
Pool
2+ bedrooms
Beach
Kids menu
Fitness center
Kids club
Saariselka, Lapland, Finland
|Official star rating:
An exceptional wilderness and adventure resort, offering a full range of outdoor activities. Their best known for their glass-domed igloo rooms for star- and Northern Lights-gazing from bed.
Average £400
Extra beds
Pool
2+ bedrooms
Beach
Kids menu
Fitness center
Kids club
The best time to see the Northern Lights is spring and autumn. If you haven’t already, see our round-up of the best places and ways to see the Northern Lights that also explains in more detail why they happen, and thus when you’re most likely to see them.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
Rovaniemi
Price: €125
Min age: 10
Rating 4.66 / 5 [311 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Rovaniemi
Price: €125
Min age: 0
Rating 4.54 / 5 [221 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Rovaniemi
Price: €119
Min age: 2
Rating 4.60 / 5 [143 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Rovaniemi
Price: €155
Min age: 0
Rating 4.92 / 5 [136 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Rovaniemi
Price: €90
Min age: 2
Rating 4.65 / 5 [69 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Finnish Lapland, Finland
An unspoilt wilderness and outdoor adventure paradise. Summer and winter bucket list experiences galore – husky dog sledding, igloos and the Northern Lights – plus the real home of Santa.
Round-ups that include this experience
