Tips to Keep in Mind to Have the Best Northern Lights Experience in Finland

Seeing the aurora or the northern lights is truly a breathtaking experience. In fact, many people even make an effort to travel just to see it.

Finland is one of the countries where you can enjoy the northern lights. However, there are tips that you have to keep in mind so that you can fully maximize your experience.

Here are some of them:

When to Go

According to Visit Finland, aurora season in the country starts earlier that you probably expected. It begins in the month of August and stretches all the way to the start of April. So if you really want to see the northern lights, you should time your visit during this period.

While people have the idea that winter is the best time to go, that's not exactly the case if you want to higher chance of seeing the norther lights. This is because they are most active during autumn and spring.

"This is when the earth's orientation towards the sun maximizes the probability of solar flares interacting with the planet's magnetic field, which creates this mesmerizing phenomenon," says Visit Finald. "Statistically, the lights are visible on every second night."

Where to Go

The region of Lapland is the place you want to be in if you want a higher chance of seeing the northern lights. There, the northern lights are visible for around 200 days. Places in southern Finland aren't as lucky as they are only visible there for 10 to 20 days a year.

Basically, the trick here is to go anywhere near or above the Arctic Circle.

Avoid the Bright Lights

It goes without saying that the best way to see the aurora is if the skies are clear. However, it also won't do if the area you are in is way too bright.

With that being said, avoid bright lights and generally being in the city if you really want to see the aurora. Make sure to also check the local weather forecast first to see if there will be clear skies that night.

Get an Alert

Believe it or not, you can now be alerted by an app in Finland if the northern lights are expected to grace the night sky. There are also websites that update if the aurora will be a no-show or not.

For a list of suggested apps and websites, head here.