Northern lights in Rovaniemi
By Jani Alakurtti · Updated
Can I see the northern lights in Rovaniemi?
- Season
- Every night has dark hours between 20:00 and 02:00 from September to March. Partly: April (62 % of nights), August (30 % of nights).
- Chance of at least one clear, dark night
Chance of at least one clear, dark night, by length of stay Stay March (best month) October (typical other month) 1 night 50 % 35 % 3 nights in a row 81 % 61 % 5 nights in a row 92 % 75 % April 1–15: 55 % for 1 night (n = 150 nights; fewer dark hours per night than in March).
A clear, dark night means at least one hour between 20:00 and 02:00 with cloud cover at most 2/8 and the sun more than 12° below the horizon. It is a precondition for seeing the northern lights, not the chance of seeing them. Typical other month = median of the other months from September to March. Details and sources below.
To the naked eye, most auroras look paler than in photos: often a grey-white or faint green arc low in the northern sky, which your phone camera will show as far greener. Stronger displays move fast, spread overhead and turn unmistakably green, sometimes with pink edges. Give your eyes 15–20 minutes away from lights and screens. Plan for the waiting too: most of a tour is standing still outside, typically between −5 and −11 °C on a winter night, and colder than −15 °C on one night in ten from December to February. How warm you are decides how long you can keep looking.
How many nights do you need?
| Stay starts | 1 night | 2 nights | 3 nights | 4 nights | 5 nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 40 | 59 | 71 | 77 | 81 |
| worst year | 40 | ||||
| October | 35 | 51 | 61 | 69 | 75 |
| worst year | 55 | ||||
| November | 29 | 45 | 55 | 63 | 68 |
| worst year | 40 | ||||
| December | 32 | 52 | 64 | 73 | 79 |
| worst year | 26 | ||||
| January | 36 | 56 | 70 | 81 | 88 |
| worst year | 77 | ||||
| February | 36 | 54 | 65 | 72 | 78 |
| worst year | 48 | ||||
| March | 50 | 71 | 81 | 88 | 92 |
| worst year | 77 | ||||
| April 1–15 | 55 | 76 | 87 | 93 | 95 |
| worst year | 67 | ||||
| April 16–end | 10 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
| worst year | 0 |
Share of stays with at least one clear (cloud cover ≤ 2/8) and dark (sun below −12°) hour between 20:00 and 02:00, in %. This is the chance of at least one clear, dark night, not the chance of seeing the northern lights. Stays are runs of consecutive nights from the historical record, grouped by the night the stay starts; n = 150–309 stays per cell.
April: split by start date because the dark hours between 20:00 and 02:00 run out during the month.
Worst year: the lowest yearly share for 5-night stays, out of 10 years with at least 10 stays.
Source: Rovaniemi railway station (FMI weather station), id 101928, 1 km, 2015-01-01..2024-12-31, FMI hourly cloud cover + astral (calculated)
Source file: data/monthly_metrics.csv
Read the table as a planning tool, not a promise. A single night gives you roughly a one-in-three chance of a clear, dark sky in most months and about one in two in March. Three nights take the odds past half in every month from September to March, and five nights to two-thirds or more. If seeing the lights matters, adding nights does more than picking the “right” month. Even five nights can fail in a cloudy year, as the worst-year row shows.
Month by month
| Month | Nights with a clear dark hour, 20–02 (%) | Dark hours, 20–02 (h per night) | Night temperature, 20–02, mean (°C) | Night temperature, 20–02, 1 night in 10 colder than (°C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | 14 | 0.5 | 14.3 | 10.3 |
| September | 40 | 3.7 | 8.9 | 4.6 |
| October | 35 | 5.7 | 1.6 | -3.8 |
| November | 29 | 6.0 | -3.5 | -12.0 |
| December | 32 | 6.0 | -7.3 | -16.8 |
| January | 36 | 6.0 | -10.9 | -22.8 |
| February | 36 | 6.0 | -8.6 | -19.7 |
| March | 50 | 5.1 | -4.6 | -11.1 |
| April | 33 | 1.4 | 1.2 | -3.1 |
- Nights with a clear dark hour, 20–02 (%): Rovaniemi railway station (FMI weather station), id 101928, 1 km, 2015-01-01..2024-12-31, FMI hourly cloud cover + astral (calculated); n = 282–309
- Dark hours, 20–02 (h per night): Calculated from destination coordinates (astral 3.2), no station, 0 km, 2015-2024, astral (calculated); n = 283–310
- Night temperature, 20–02, mean (°C): Rovaniemi railway station (FMI weather station), id 101928, 1 km, 2015-01-01..2024-12-31, FMI temperature observations (t2m, on the hour); n = 283–310
- Night temperature, 20–02, 1 night in 10 colder than (°C): Rovaniemi railway station (FMI weather station), id 101928, 1 km, 2015-01-01..2024-12-31, FMI temperature observations (t2m, on the hour); n = 283–310
Source file: data/monthly_metrics.csv
December is the busiest aurora month in Rovaniemi because of Christmas and the short days, not because the sky is better. In our data it is no better than most months from September to February, and it varies the most from year to year. If your dates are flexible, March gives the best odds of any whole month, and the first half of April is at least as good. If December is when you can travel, plan more nights rather than hoping for one lucky evening.
Which tour type?
| Transport | Tours | of which private | of which photography | Price per person, not private: from – typical | Typical duration | Winter clothing | Hotel pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By car northern lights tours by car | 176 | 26 | 56 | €43 – €116 n = 103 of 150 | 4 h 30 min n = 171 | 70 included 4 not included / on request 102 not stated | 118 included 37 available / pickup points 3 not included 18 not stated |
| Snowmobile snowmobile northern lights tours | 43 | 2 | 2 | €68 – €157 n = 18 of 41 | 3 h 30 min n = 40 | 35 included 8 not stated | 24 included 13 available / pickup points 6 not stated |
| Husky husky northern lights tours | 5 | 1 | 0 | €179 – too few stated prices n = 3 of 4 | too few stated durations n = 3 | 3 included 2 not stated | 2 included 3 not stated |
| Reindeer reindeer northern lights tours | 25 | 2 | 0 | €139 – €179 n = 7 of 23 | 3 h n = 19 | 11 included 1 not included / on request 13 not stated | 12 included 5 available / pickup points 8 not stated |
| Other or combined | 49 | 1 | 2 | €78 – €124 n = 31 of 48 | 3 h n = 43 | 28 included 21 not stated | 27 included 8 available / pickup points 1 not included 13 not stated |
| Transport not stated | 65 | 4 | 15 | €60 – €116 n = 26 of 61 | 4 h n = 38 | 12 included 53 not stated | 15 included 10 available / pickup points 40 not stated |
| All tours | 363 | 36 | 75 | ||||
Rows are mutually exclusive: each tour is in exactly one row. The row comes from the tour title; only if the title names none, from the collected listing text. Car and minibus count as base transport only, so a snowmobile tour with a minibus transfer is a snowmobile tour; a side mention such as a farm visit does not decide the row. By car: car, minibus, bus or an unspecified vehicle, with no other main mode. Snowmobile: snowmobile as the only main mode. Husky: husky sled as the only main mode. Reindeer: reindeer or reindeer sleigh as the only main mode. Other or combined: another single mode (e.g. snowcat, ATV, snowshoes, floating, horse sleigh) or two or more main modes in one tour. Transport not stated: no transport found in the title or the collected listing text.
Prices are the lowest listed per-person price of each tour that is not private (group prices and prices without a stated basis are left out; n = tours with a per-person price, of all non-private tours in the row). Where the operator’s own website states a price, that price is used. Listed prices can be discounted prices. Typical = median; not shown when fewer than 5 tours. Duration = midpoint of the stated range, multi-day tours left out.
Not stated = not found in the collected listing text, so a listing can say more. Of these, By car 0, Snowmobile 0, Husky 0, Reindeer 0, Other or combined 0, Transport not stated 2 are Viator listings whose details were not collected. Hotel pickup "available / pickup points" = pickup offered or pickup points listed, possibly at extra cost.
| Feature | Tours | Price per person: from – typical | Price not stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private | 36 | €60 – €225 n = 14 of 36 | 22 of 36 |
| Photography | 75 | €55 – €118 n = 49 of 68 | 19 of 68 |
Private: "private", "yksityinen" or "VIP" in the tour title (not a private place such as "private island"). Photography: photo or photography in the tour name. A tour can be both.
Private tours: a price is shown only when the platform states it as a per-person price. Group prices are not divided among people, and prices that "vary by group size", assume 2 adults or have no stated basis are counted as not stated, because the group size they apply to is unknown. Even a stated per-person price of a private tour can depend on group size. Other features: prices of non-private tours only, as in the table above.
What do northern lights tours cost?
Of the 363 northern lights tours, 188 state a price per person that can be compared: from €43 to €530, typically €125. 106 state a price we cannot compare per person (a private booking, a group price or no stated basis), and 69 state no price at all. See northern lights tour prices in Rovaniemi for the full breakdown by tour type.
Book a tour
49 of the 363 northern lights tours we list say when in the year they run: 1 all year, 23 in the snow season only, 25 in part of the year that covers both seasons. The other 314 do not say, which is not the same as saying they do not run. The snow season here is November to April.
Season comes from the operator’s own availability calendar in Visit Finland DataHub, or from a season stated on the operator’s own page. The snow season means the months when snow covers the ground on at least half the days at the weather station used on this site. A tour without a season simply does not state one.
No sort order on this site is affected by commission.
Sort by:
Grouped by duration; within each duration group, per-person prices and prices without a stated basis come first, lowest first, then group prices, then tours without a price.
By car (176)
More about northern lights tours by car: prices, duration and what is included.
Up to 3 hours
- Rovaniemi: Family-Friendly Northern Lights Tour
Authentic Experiences Rovaniemi · 2 h · €43 / person
Family-friendly
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) - From Rovaniemi: Family-Friendly Northern Lights Tour
RBK Travel · 3 h · €55 / person
Hotel pickupFood or hot drinksFamily-friendly
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) - From Rovaniemi: Lapland Aurora Hunt with Barbeque
ToTheNorth · 3 h · €56 / person
Hotel pickupWinter clothing
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) - Rovaniemi: Aurora Hunting Photography Tour with Barbeque
AMG Travel · 3 h · €59 / person
Hotel pickupFood or hot drinks
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) - Rovaniemi: Aurora Hunting Photography Tour with BBQ Snacks
RBK Travel · 3 h · €59 / person
Hotel pickupFood or hot drinks
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)
Up to 3 hours: 41 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on northern lights tours by car.
Over 3 and up to 5 hours: 58 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on northern lights tours by car.
Over 5 and up to 7 hours: 34 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on northern lights tours by car.
Over 7 hours: 33 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on northern lights tours by car.
Several days: 1 more tour is listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on northern lights tours by car.
Duration not stated: 4 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on northern lights tours by car.
Snowmobile (43)
More about snowmobile northern lights tours: prices, duration and what is included.
Up to 3 hours
- Northern Lights Snowmobile Adventure at Lapland Winter Park
StayLapland · 2 h · €59 (basis not stated)
Hotel pickupWinter clothingFood or hot drinks
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - Rovaniemi: Northern Lights Sledge Ride
Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park · 3 h · €77 / person
Hotel pickupWinter clothingFamily-friendly
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) - From Rovaniemi: Northern Lights Lookout
Wild Nordic · 3 h · €129 / person
Listed for Oct–Mar
Hotel pickupSmall groupWinter clothingFood or hot drinksFamily-friendly
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) - Evening Escape – Snowmobile safari and campfire
Safartica · 3 h · €149 (basis not stated)
Winter clothingFood or hot drinks
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - Rovaniemi: Northern Lights Family-Friendly Snowmobile Safari
Wild about Lapland · 3 h · €154 / person
Hotel pickupSmall groupWinter clothingFood or hot drinksGuarantee: partial refundFamily-friendly
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)
Up to 3 hours: 13 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on snowmobile northern lights tours.
Over 3 and up to 5 hours: 20 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on snowmobile northern lights tours.
Over 5 and up to 7 hours: 1 more tour is listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on snowmobile northern lights tours.
Over 7 hours: 1 more tour is listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on snowmobile northern lights tours.
Duration not stated: 3 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on snowmobile northern lights tours.
Husky (5)
More about husky northern lights tours: prices, duration and what is included.
Up to 3 hours
- Rovaniemi: Aurora Husky Safari Through the Forest
Santa Claus Holiday Village Safaris · 3 h · €205 / person
Hotel pickupWinter clothingFood or hot drinks
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)
Over 3 and up to 5 hours
- Rovaniemi: Northern Lights and Husky Sleigh Ride
NordicUnique Travels · 3 h 30 min · €229 / person
Listed for Nov–Apr
Winter clothingFood or hot drinks
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) - Private Northern Lights Husky Tour
North Tours · 3 h 30 min · €239 (basis not stated)
Small groupPrivateWinter clothingFood or hot drinksPhotos of you
Operator's website (opens in a new tab)
Duration not stated
- Northern Lights Husky Rides
Rovaniemi Tours · – · €179 / person
Hotel pickup
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - Northern Lights Safari with huskies in Rovaniemi
Christmas House Santa Claus & Safaris · – · –
Operator's website (opens in a new tab)
Reindeer (25)
More about reindeer northern lights tours: prices, duration and what is included.
Up to 3 hours
- Watching the Northern Lights from a campfire on a reindeer pasture in Rovaniemi
Porovaara Reindeer Hill · 2 h · €119 (basis not stated)
Runs in both seasons
Food or hot drinks
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - Night Safari: Chasing Northern Lights with Reindeer (sleigh ride about 40-60 min)
Sieriporo Safaris · 2 h · €139 (basis not stated)
Runs in the snow season
Winter clothingFood or hot drinks
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - In Search of the Northern Lights
Santa Claus Reindeer · 3 h · €169 (basis not stated)
Listed for Dec–Mar
Hotel pickupWinter clothingFood or hot drinks
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - In Search of the Northern Lights – Reindeer Sleigh Ride Under the Arctic Sky
Santa Claus Reindeer · 3 h · €169 (basis not stated)
Runs in the snow season
Food or hot drinks
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - Rovaniemi: 2km Aurora Reindeer Safari Through the Forest
Santa Claus Holiday Village Safaris · 3 h · €179 / person
Hotel pickupWinter clothing
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)
Up to 3 hours: 9 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on reindeer northern lights tours.
Over 3 and up to 5 hours: 5 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on reindeer northern lights tours.
Several days: 1 more tour is listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on reindeer northern lights tours.
Duration not stated: 5 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on, or see all on reindeer northern lights tours.
Other or combined (49)
Up to 3 hours
- On the Hunt of the Auroras
Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park · 2 h · €72 (basis not stated)
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - Aurora Basecamp Hike
Halo Igloos · 1 h 30 min · €78 / person
Winter clothingFood or hot drinksPhotos of you
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - Rovaniemi: Guided Snowshoeing Tour with Northern Lights Hunt
East Lapland Group Oy · 2 h · €79 / person
Small group
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) - Northern Lights Hunt by Car
Golden Circle Suites · 3 h · €88 / person
Winter clothingFood or hot drinks
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - Hunting the Northern Lights on snowshoes
Golden Circle Suites · 3 h · €101 / person
Winter clothingFood or hot drinks
Operator's website (opens in a new tab)
Up to 3 hours: 20 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on.
Over 3 and up to 5 hours: 14 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on.
Over 5 and up to 7 hours: 2 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on.
Over 7 hours: 2 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on.
Several days: 1 more tour is listed when JavaScript is on.
Duration not stated: 5 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on.
Transport not stated (65)
Up to 3 hours
- Rovaniemi: Autumn Northern Lights Tour with Local Guides
East Lapland Group Oy · 3 h · €71 / person
Hotel pickupSmall groupTitle says summer or autumnFamily-friendly
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) - Rovaniemi: Northern Lights with Photography & BBQ option
NordicUnique Travels · 2 h 30 min–3 h 30 min · €79 / person
Winter clothing
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) - Aurora Camp Sleigh Ride
Halo Igloos · 1 h 30 min · €89 / person
Winter clothingFood or hot drinksPhotos of you
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - Polarman’s camp Live ®, Rovaniemi
Scandinavian Travel Group · 3 h · €99 (basis not stated)
Food or hot drinks
Operator's website (opens in a new tab) - Rovaniemi: Northern Lights Magic Adventure
MagicSky · 3 h · €120 / person
Hotel pickupSmall group
Check on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)
Up to 3 hours: 8 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on.
Over 3 and up to 5 hours: 11 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on.
Over 5 and up to 7 hours: 11 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on.
Over 7 hours: 3 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on.
Several days: 2 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on.
Duration not stated: 25 more tours are listed when JavaScript is on.
What the marks mean
- Hotel pickup
- pickup from your accommodation stated as included.
- Small group
- at most 8 participants, or "small group" in the listing.
- Private
- "private", "yksityinen" or "VIP" in the tour title.
- Title says summer or autumn
- the tour title names summer or autumn.
- Winter clothing
- winter clothing (overalls, boots or thermal suit) stated as included.
- Food or hot drinks
- a meal, snack or hot drink stated as included.
- Photos of you
- photos taken of the guests stated as included.
- Guarantee
- a refund, free retry or partial refund if the northern lights do not show (terms vary).
- Family-friendly
- "family" in the tour title, or a stated minimum age of 4 years or less.
Features are marked from the text of the listings and the operators’ own pages. A missing mark means the listing does not mention it, not that it is left out. Duration groups use the midpoint of the stated range (a 3–4 hour tour counts as 3.5 hours): up to 3 hours, over 3 and up to 5, over 5 and up to 7, over 7 hours, and tours of several days. Season comes from the operator’s own availability calendar in Visit Finland DataHub, or from a season stated on the operator’s own page. The snow season means the months when snow covers the ground on at least half the days at the weather station used on this site. A tour without a season simply does not state one. Filters are offered only for features that the listings state for at least 70 % of the tours and at least 50 % of the tours from each source, so a feature can be marked on a tour without being offered as a filter. 111 more northern lights tours in our data are not listed here because they have no working booking link yet.
All northern lights tours in Rovaniemi on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)
Run a tour here that’s missing, or see an error? Email [email protected]. Reported tours are checked on the operator’s public website before they are added.
Combined with other activities
Before you book
How long do northern lights tours take?
Of the 314 tours that state a duration in hours, the typical (median) tour takes 4 h; the shortest 1 h 30 min and the longest 12 h. 5 tours last several days and 44 do not state a usable duration.
Can children join?
80 of the 363 tours here state a minimum age: from 1 year to 18 years (median 5 years); 23 from the operator's own page, 57 from the GetYourGuide age field. The other 283 do not state one, which is not the same as saying children can join — ask the operator. Tours with a stated minimum age of 4 years or less are marked family-friendly.
Is winter clothing included?
159 of 363 tours say winter clothing is included and 5 say it is not included or only on request. 199 do not mention it; 2 of these are Viator listings whose details were not collected. Checked from the listing text (on GetYourGuide, the start of the "included" list), so a listing can say more than we found.
What if the northern lights don’t show?
Of 363 tours: 89 say sightings are not guaranteed (No guarantee); 46 offer a refund if the lights do not show; conditions vary, for example the lights must not have been captured on the guide’s camera, or the tour is cancelled in advance because of cloud (Refund); 29 mention a guarantee, but its terms were not collected (Mentioned, terms not collected); 9 say explicitly that there is no refund if the lights do not show (No refund (stated)); 9 offer a partial refund (Partial refund); 5 offer a free second tour (Free retry); 176 do not mention it. These counts describe refund and retry conditions as the listings state them. A guarantee or a success rate in a tour title is a booking condition or the operator’s own figure, not a forecast; our own figure for how often the sky is clear and dark is on the northern lights page.
When should I book?
Book your aurora tour for the first or second night of your stay, not the last. If that night is cloudy, you still have time to go again, and some operators offer a discounted or free second attempt if nothing is seen. The terms vary, so check them before booking. Check the cancellation deadline as well. Christmas weeks can fill up early; at other times it can work to keep one night flexible and book it once the cloud forecast looks good.
Based on the 363 northern lights tours in our data, from operators’ own websites, GetYourGuide, Viator or visitrovaniemi.fi (2 of them Viator listings with title, duration and price only).
Background
The main thing a guide adds is not knowing where the aurora is, but knowing where the clouds aren’t. Guides follow cloud and aurora forecasts through the evening and drive to wherever the sky is clearest, which can be an hour or more from Rovaniemi. That is hard to do on your own on icy roads at night. They also take you away from the city lights, and many tours include warm clothing, a fire and hot drinks for the waiting.
Northern lights tours in other destinations
Each destination’s northern lights tours are collected from its own sources, so the counts on those pages are not comparable with the counts here.
Sources and method
Climate data
- Nights with at least one hour between 20:00 and 02:00 with total cloud cover ≤ 2/8 and the sun below −12°. Only nights with an observation for every hour of the window; n = nights. Source: FMI hourly cloud cover + astral (calculated) (opens in a new tab); Rovaniemi railway station (FMI weather station) (id 101928), 1 km from Rovaniemi; period 2015-01-01..2024-12-31; n = 282–309 per month.
- Year-to-year variation of the share of clear, dark nights: standard deviation between years, in percentage points; only years with at least 10 complete nights; n = years. Source: FMI hourly cloud cover + astral (calculated) (opens in a new tab); Rovaniemi railway station (FMI weather station) (id 101928), 1 km from Rovaniemi; period 2015-01-01..2024-12-31; n = 10–10 per month.
- Stays of N consecutive nights with at least one such clear, dark night, from the actual sequence of nights; n = stays. Source: FMI hourly cloud cover + astral (calculated) (opens in a new tab); Rovaniemi railway station (FMI weather station) (id 101928), 1 km from Rovaniemi; period 2015-01-01..2024-12-31; n = 282–309 per month.
- Hours between 20:00 and 02:00 with the sun below −12°, calculated from coordinates; n = nights. Source: astral (calculated); Calculated from destination coordinates (astral 3.2), no station; period 2015-2024; n = 283–310 per month.
- Mean of the hourly temperatures 20:00–02:00 per night, averaged over the month; only nights with every hour observed; n = nights. Source: FMI temperature observations (t2m, on the hour) (opens in a new tab); Rovaniemi railway station (FMI weather station) (id 101928), 1 km from Rovaniemi; period 2015-01-01..2024-12-31; n = 283–310 per month.
- 10th percentile of those nightly means: one night in ten was colder; n = nights. Source: FMI temperature observations (t2m, on the hour) (opens in a new tab); Rovaniemi railway station (FMI weather station) (id 101928), 1 km from Rovaniemi; period 2015-01-01..2024-12-31; n = 283–310 per month.
A clear, dark night is a precondition for seeing the northern lights, not the chance of seeing them. We do not compare destinations with these figures, because differences between weather stations can explain differences between places.
Tour data
How operators were found: no single list is complete, so we combined 619 candidate companies from several sources (Visit Finland DataHub 137, GetYourGuide 88, the Finnish Trade Register (PRH open data, tourism-related lines of business) 424, Viator 6, visitrovaniemi.fi listings 38, the visitrovaniemi.fi company directory 89, web searches in seven languages 141; a company can be in several). Each candidate with a website was checked on its own website. Tour details are taken first from the operator’s own website (or Visit Finland DataHub (opens in a new tab)); booking platforms fill in what the operator’s page does not state.
The tables and tour lists include the northern lights tours in our data that have a working booking link: 363 tours (175 with details from the operator’s own website or Visit Finland DataHub; listed on: DataHub 45, GetYourGuide 155, Viator 23, visitrovaniemi.fi 94, operator site 149 — the same tour is often listed in several places, so these add up to more than 363), collected 2026-09-21–2026-09-22. Northern lights tours: listed as a northern lights tour on GetYourGuide, Viator or visitrovaniemi.fi (Rovaniemi only), or naming the northern lights (aurora) in the title on the operator’s own website, or tagged or titled as one in Visit Finland DataHub. 26 platform listings that were not northern lights tours were left out. 111 tours were left out because they have no working booking link yet. A tour whose operating base is more than 50 km from the centre is listed only when the tour page says it departs from, or picks up in, the destination; the distance is then shown on the tour. Distances are measured from coordinates in Visit Finland DataHub, or from the postal code of the company’s registered address (PRH open data (opens in a new tab); postal code areas from Statistics Finland (opens in a new tab)). Prices change daily; check them on the booking page.
Links to operators’ own pages were last checked on : 1404 addresses across every activity on this site, of which 21 did not answer with a working page and are not linked. GetYourGuide and Viator links are not fetched.
No sort order on this site is affected by commission.
Data source files: data/monthly_metrics.csv, data/operators_products.csv, data/operator_catalog.csv, data/discovery/datahub_experiences.csv. Company register data: PRH open data (avoindata.prh.fi) (opens in a new tab).
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