Skip to content

Lapland Stay Guide

When to go · Polar night

Lapland in January

The darkest time of the year. North of the Arctic Circle the sun stays low or below the horizon, and the day is a few hours of blue light. Long, clear nights are good for watching the northern lights.

Daylight on 15 January

Place	Jan	Polar night and midnight sun
Rovaniemi 66.5°N	4 h	31 days of midnight sun
Levi 67.8°N	3 h	20 days of polar night 49 days of midnight sun
Saariselkä 68.4°N	2½ h	32 days of polar night 57 days of midnight sun
Utsjoki 69.9°N	no sunrise	51 days of polar night 71 days of midnight sun

Calculated from each place’s latitude.

Open this month

291 of 310 stays

Stays open by month

Guides for January

Aug–Apr · 5 min read
Northern lights in Lapland: when, where and how to see them
A realistic guide to aurora hunting in Finnish Lapland: the season, the best places, reading the forecasts and taking photos that work.
Nov–Mar · 3 min read
What to pack for Lapland in winter: clothing for −5, −15 and −30 °C
Layering, boots, mittens and different levels of cold: what you need for a Lapland winter, and why you dress differently for aurora watching than for skiing.
Nov–Jan · 3 min read
Polar night in Lapland: what kaamos is really like
Where the sun stays below the horizon and for how long, what the light looks like, how cold it gets and how to make the most of the dark season.

Stays open in January