CityBest December – March for the aurora, June – August for the midnight sun

Rovaniemi

The official hometown of Santa Claus, and the practical gateway to Finnish Lapland's aurora season.

Rovaniemi sits almost exactly on the Arctic Circle and rebuilt itself after being burned in WWII, so the city itself is modern rather than historic — the reason to come is what's around it: aurora season from roughly December to March, and the midnight sun in summer. It's the main airport and hub for Finnish Lapland, so most trips into the wider region pass through it.

Photo: Jari Kolehmainen, Flickr user lindstormORG, Idobi, Andriychenko, Biergerry, Arktikum, and Vincent Guth vingtcent, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Logged in Rovaniemi

Boutique hotel4.4(641)

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel

Rovaniemi, Finland

Glass-walled suites above Rovaniemi, built so the northern lights are visible from bed.

Where to stay in Rovaniemi

Stays shown via Stay22 — booking through the map supports the log.

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Boutique hotel4.4(641)

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel

Rovaniemi, Finland

Glass-walled suites above Rovaniemi, built so the northern lights are visible from bed.