Discovering Lapland

Lapland (Lappi) is Finland's largest and northernmost region — an area as large as Portugal, with only 180,000 inhabitants. North of the Arctic Circle, an endless landscape of fells (treeless highlands), birch forests, rivers, and swamps unfolds. Here, more reindeer than people live (about 200,000), and the Sami indigenous people have maintained their culture for thousands of years.

Lapland has two faces: In winter (November–April), everything is covered by a thick blanket of snow, temperatures drop to -30°C and lower, and the Northern Lights dance across the sky. In summer (June–August), the sun doesn't set, the fells bloom in all colors, and mosquitoes rule the wilderness.

The main places: Rovaniemi (Lapland's capital, Santa Claus Village), Levi and Saariselkä (ski resorts), Inari (Sami culture), Muonio (dog sledding tours), Kemi (icebreaker cruises), and Kilpisjärvi (tripoint Finland-Sweden-Norway).