When to go
When to Go to Finnish Lapland: Month by Month
For most first winter trips, late February to mid-March works best: real daylight, deep snow and dark nights for the aurora. December is for Christmas, September for autumn colours, June and July for the midnight sun. Our best time to visit guide explains the trade-offs.
January
Deep cold and short but quickly lengthening days. Snow is dependable and hotels are a little less full than in December.
- Daylight (15th)
- 4 h 15 min
- Mean temp
- -10.3 °C
- Aurora
- Possible
- Hotels full (2025)
- 86%
February
Cold, bright and busy: deep snow, long enough days for activities and dark nights for aurora.
- Daylight (15th)
- 8 h 10 min
- Mean temp
- -10.3 °C
- Aurora
- Possible
- Hotels full (2025)
- 93%
March
Snow near its deepest, long days and still-dark nights. Our pick for a first winter trip.
- Daylight (15th)
- 11 h 40 min
- Mean temp
- -5.6 °C
- Aurora
- Possible
- Hotels full (2025)
- 79%
April
Spring skiing on thinning, crusted snow. Nights get too light for aurora by mid-month.
- Daylight (15th)
- 15 h 25 min
- Mean temp
- +0.1 °C
- Aurora
- To mid-April
- Hotels full (2025)
- 42%
May
Melt season: wet trails and few activities. The quietest month of the year.
- Daylight (15th)
- 19 h 25 min
- Mean temp
- +6.5 °C
- Aurora
- No
- Hotels full (2025)
- 35%
June
Midnight sun. Hiking season starts as the snow leaves the fells.
- Daylight (15th)
- Sun up all day
- Mean temp
- +12.5 °C
- Aurora
- No
- Hotels full (2025)
- 42%
July
The warmest month: long light evenings, hiking and cloudberries, and mosquitoes.
- Daylight (15th)
- About 21 h 30 min
- Mean temp
- +15.6 °C
- Aurora
- No
- Hotels full (2025)
- 51%
August
Berries and hiking, with the first dark nights and aurora chances arriving late in the month.
- Daylight (15th)
- 17 h 05 min
- Mean temp
- +13.1 °C
- Aurora
- From late month
- Hotels full (2025)
- 48%
September
Ruska, the autumn colours on the fells, peaks mid-month, and dark nights bring the aurora back.
- Daylight (15th)
- 13 h 15 min
- Mean temp
- +7.7 °C
- Aurora
- Possible
- Hotels full (2025)
- 53%
October
Late autumn turning to winter. First snow typically arrives around 21 October in Rovaniemi.
- Daylight (15th)
- 9 h 40 min
- Mean temp
- +0.8 °C
- Aurora
- Possible
- Hotels full (2025)
- 58%
November
Darkening fast, snow often arriving late in the month, and prices well below December.
- Daylight (15th)
- 5 h 45 min
- Mean temp
- -4.4 °C
- Aurora
- Possible
- Hotels full (2025)
- 79%
December
Christmas, Santa and the shortest days. The busiest and most expensive month.
- Daylight (15th)
- 2 h 30 min
- Mean temp
- -7.7 °C
- Aurora
- Possible
- Hotels full (2025)
- 94%
Where do these numbers come from?
All figures are for Rovaniemi: sunrise to sunset on the 15th from the US Naval Observatory, 1991–2020 mean temperatures for Rovaniemi airport from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the aurora season from Visit Rovaniemi and 2025 hotel room occupancy from Statistics Finland. Farther north is colder and darker in midwinter; see Lapland in numbers for polar night dates by place and Lapland winter weather for snow and cold.