7 guides, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.
Very safe as a town. The risks are the cold, the ice and the dark: −15°C is ordinary for weeks, the pavements are glazed, and in midwinter the sun is up for about two hours. Rovaniemi is just south of the Arctic Circle, so it never quite has a polar night. Aurora tours drive long distances on icy roads to find clear sky; choose on the operator, not the price. Nobody can promise the lights.
Comfortable: the centre · Ounasvaara · Santa Claus Village · the Arktikum riverside
the pavements in winter — sheet ice under fresh snow; spikes that clip over boots are sold in town
the river ice — the Kemijoki and the Ounasjoki meet at the centre, and the current keeps patches thin all winter
reindeer on the roads — they stand in the road at dusk, which in midwinter is mid-afternoon
the cold on a northern lights tour — you stand still outside for hours, which is a different thing from walking in it
Santa Claus Village before Christmas — crowds rather than crime, on the days the charter flights land
One of the safest capitals in Europe. Late at night the area around the Central Railway Station has drunkenness rather than crime. In winter the risks are ice on the pavements and the frozen sea, which people do walk out on and which is thinner near the shore and the harbour channels than it looks. The gulls at Market Square take food out of hands. Helsinki is not an aurora destination: it is a night train or an hour’s flight north to where the odds are worth a trip.
Comfortable: Kruununhaka · Kallio · Punavuori · Töölö · Suomenlinna
Helsinki Central Station — late at night, for drunkenness rather than anything aimed at visitors
Market Square — pickpockets on cruise-ship days in summer, and the gulls, which take food out of hands
the frozen sea — people walk out on it, and the ice near the shore and the shipping channels is thinner than it looks
the pavements in winter — ice under fresh snow, from late autumn to the spring thaw
The village is very safe; the cold is the hazard. −25°C is not unusual, and the walk home from the bars is where it catches people. For a couple of weeks around the winter solstice the sun does not rise at all, and the day is a few blue hours at noon. Snowmobiles are heavy and new to most drivers: keep the gap the guide sets. The aurora is a matter of clear sky and patience, and no hotel can promise it.
Comfortable: Levi centre · Sirkka · Kittilä
the walk home after the bars — at −25°C the cold is the risk late at night, not the people
driving a snowmobile — heavy, fast and new to most people; keep the gap the guide sets
reindeer on the roads — they stand in the road in the dark, which in midwinter is most of the day
the fell top in a whiteout — flat light hides the edges and the piste markers disappear
the cold on a northern lights tour — hours standing still outside, which is a different thing from skiing in it
Very safe; the cold and the distances are the hazards. A loop on the trails is easily 20 km, the day is short in deep winter, and at −25°C it is stopping that chills you. Reindeer wander along every road. The aurora wants a clear sky and a dark spot, and the village lights are a short walk to get away from. Nobody can promise it.
Comfortable: Äkäslompolo · Ylläsjärvi · Kolari
a long day on the ski trails — twenty kilometres goes quickly until the light goes; carry a layer for stopping
the fell top in a whiteout — flat light hides the edges and the markers disappear
the frozen lakes — walk where the ski and snowmobile tracks go, not where nobody has been
reindeer on the roads — at dusk, which in midwinter is mid-afternoon
Very safe; the cold and the wilderness are what to plan for. For about four weeks around the winter solstice the sun does not rise, and −25°C is ordinary. The national park begins at the edge of the village and is big and empty: carry a map, tell somebody your route, and turn back when the light goes. Reindeer stand on the main road in the dark. No glass roof makes the aurora more likely; clear sky does.
Comfortable: Saariselkä village · Kiilopää · Ivalo
Urho Kekkonen National Park — open wilderness from the edge of the village; carry a map and tell somebody your route
Kaunispää in a whiteout — flat light hides the edges and the markers disappear
reindeer on the main road — they stand on it in the dark, which in midwinter is nearly all day
the cold on a northern lights tour — hours standing still outside at −25°C, which is a different thing from walking in it
Very safe; plan for the cold and the trails. −20°C is common in deep winter. Ruka is south of the Arctic Circle, so there is no polar night and the aurora appears less often than in northern Lapland, though it is seen here on clear dark nights. In Oulanka the rapids are strong and the rocks beside them wet: stay on the boardwalks. Reindeer stand on the roads at dusk.
Comfortable: Ruka village · Kuusamo · Juuma
Kiutaköngäs — strong current and wet rock; stay on the paths and boardwalks
Oulanka trails in winter — short light and deep snow; ask at the visitor centre which are packed before setting out
reindeer on the roads — at dusk, which in midwinter is mid-afternoon
the walk home after the bars — at −20°C the cold is the risk late at night, not the people
Very safe, and very remote. For about five weeks around the winter solstice the sun does not rise, and −30°C happens most winters. The lake is frozen for half the year and is crossed by snowmobile routes that are marked for a reason. Reindeer stand on the main road in the dark. July brings mosquitoes in numbers people do not believe until they arrive. The aurora is frequent this far north, but it still needs a clear sky, and nobody can promise one.
Comfortable: Inari village · Siida · Ivalo
Lake Inari ice — frozen for half the year; keep to the marked snowmobile routes and ask locally before walking out
the Pielpajärvi trail in winter — short light and deep snow; start at midday at the latest and take snowshoes
reindeer on the main road — they stand on it in the dark, which in midwinter is nearly all day
mosquitoes in high summer — genuinely extraordinary; bring repellent and a head net
the cold on a northern lights tour — hours standing still at −30°C, which is a different thing from walking in it
The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.
