The Best Time to Visit Saariselkä

We visited Saariselkä between Christmas and New Year’s, and if I were planning the same trip again, I’d choose winter. We wanted deep snow, winter activities and a chance to see the Northern Lights, and late December gave us almost everything we came for. The one thing we didn’t get was the Northern Lights.

But December isn’t automatically the best month for everyone. Saariselkä changes dramatically through the year, and even within winter there is a big difference between visiting during the dark days around Christmas and coming later when there is much more daylight.

So, When Is the Best Time to Visit Saariselkä?

For the kind of trip we took, I’d choose December through March.

December gives you the very dark Finnish Lapland experience we had, but January, February and March give you progressively more daylight while still being firmly in winter. If skiing is the priority, don’t overlook April. Saariselkä’s ski season continues into spring when conditions allow, and April is particularly popular for cross-country skiing because of the longer days and milder temperatures.

If you’re going primarily for hiking, biking and the midnight sun rather than snow, summer is an entirely different trip.

What Late December Was Like for Us

We arrived just after Christmas in 2017. There was an enormous amount of snow, very little daylight and temperatures dropped to around -30°C during our stay.

We completely underestimated the cold. The winter clothes we’d brought weren’t enough, my hair froze when I went outside and we ended up buying warmer gear in Saariselkä.

The limited daylight didn’t stop us from doing things. We went reindeer sledding and snowmobiling and spent a lot of time on the toboggan run at Kaunispää. But if you’re used to planning sightseeing around daylight, December in Finnish Lapland takes some adjustment.

This is also the period of kaamos, or polar night. In Saariselkä, December and January are dark enough that the Aurora Tobogganing lights can be experienced during the daytime as well.

Best Time for the Northern Lights

Don’t choose your dates based on the assumption that going in winter means you’ll see the Northern Lights.

We did exactly that.

We spent three nights in Saariselkä specifically hoping to see them and had cloudy skies every night. Our hotel even had an aurora alert system, and it never went off.

You need darkness, aurora activity and clear enough skies to see it. Even local aurora tour operators make it clear that sightings can’t be guaranteed.

If the Northern Lights are one of the main reasons for your trip, I’d worry less about picking one supposedly perfect week and more about giving yourself enough nights to have another chance if the weather doesn’t cooperate.

December vs. February and March

Choose December if you specifically want the very dark, Christmas-time Lapland experience. That’s what we did and we’d happily do it again.

Choose February or March if you still want a winter trip but would prefer more daylight for outdoor activities.

There’s a tradeoff. The darkness was part of what made our December trip so different from anywhere we’d been before, but having more daylight would make certain activities and exploring easier.

What About April?

April shouldn’t be lumped in with November through March as though they’re all the same winter.

There’s still winter recreation in Saariselkä in spring, and April is particularly popular for cross-country skiing because the days are longer and temperatures are generally milder. Exactly how long snow routes and ski facilities operate depends on that year’s conditions.

So if you want snow but don’t particularly want the darkness we experienced in December, spring is worth considering.

Visiting Saariselkä in Summer

We haven’t been to Saariselkä in summer, so I can’t tell you what it’s like from personal experience.

What I can tell you is that it’s not simply a winter destination without the snow. Saariselkä sits beside Urho Kekkonen National Park, and the warmer months are used for hiking, mountain biking, trail running and other outdoor activities. The region also experiences the midnight sun during summer.

That’s a completely different trip from the one we took, and I’d treat it that way when deciding when to visit.

When Would We Go Back?

I’d go back in winter.

Late December gave us exactly the kind of Finnish Lapland trip we wanted, even without the Northern Lights. But next time I’d seriously consider staying longer or going a little later in winter so we’d have more daylight.

And regardless of the month, I’d pack much better than we did the first time.

For everything we did during our trip, read our Saariselkä Travel Guide. If you’re short on time, our One Day in Saariselkä itinerary shows how we’d plan a single winter day.

Listen to Our Finnish Lapland Podcast Episode

Want to hear more about what our trip was actually like? In our Finnish Lapland episode, we talk about our three nights in Saariselkä, including the cold, our winter activities and going all the way to Lapland to see the Northern Lights only to have cloudy skies every night.

Planning More Finland Travel

Saariselkä was the main reason for our first trip to Finland, but we also spent a day in Helsinki before flying home. Read our One Day in Helsinki guide if you’re planning to combine the two, or see our Finland Travel Guide for all of our Finland coverage and practical information for planning a longer trip.