Green northern lights over Vuopajanniemi near Inari in Finnish Lapland

Scandinavia in winter

Northern lights, huskies, snow and Christmas markets

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Travel ideas · December–February

❄️ Scandinavia in winter

Northern lights in Finnish Lapland
Photo: WikiLucas00 · CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) · Photo credits

In winter the north is at its quietest and most beautiful: snow, short blue days and a chance of northern lights in the evening. In the cities it’s Christmas time. Here are our winter ideas in one place, with links to the detailed guides.

Researched by Arjan from Zuidlaren, so you don’t have to · Sources: Visit Tromsø, Visit Finland, Transportstyrelsen · updated 24 October 2026 · About this page

  • Northern lights in Tromsø, Lapland and Iceland
  • Huskies, snow castles and Santa Claus Village
  • Tyre rules by country

Overview

📌 Winter at a glance

MonthsDecember, January and February
LightPolar night in Tromsø from late November to late January (Visit Tromsø)
Northern lightsTromsø late August–early April (Visit Tromsø); Iceland September–April (Visit Iceland)
NoteWinter tyres mandatory or strongly recommended; see the table
PricePrice: see the provider’s official website

Northern lights

🌌 Northern lights in winter

WhereBest period according to the source
TromsøLate August–early April (Visit Tromsø)
IcelandSeptember–April (Visit Iceland)
Finnish LaplandOn about half of dark, clear nights; March and early April are especially good (Ilmatieteen laitos (Finnish Meteorological Institute))

All about places, tours and chances: seeing the northern lights.

Days out

🛷 Winter days out

Days out we’ve already looked into; price, minimum age and times are always at the source.

🎯 Dog-sledding trip

Location: Tromsø Type: Dog sledding · winter

💶 Cost: current price from the provider

Half a day with huskies through the winter landscape around Tromsø. On the GetYourGuide tour you sit in the sled as a passenger while an experienced musher drives; afterwards you eat a traditional Norwegian stew. The Viator tour is a different one: there you drive a team yourself.

More info

For comparison: at Tromsø Villmarkssenter a dog-sledding trip costs NOK 3,390 per adult and NOK 1,695 per child (source).

👉 See current prices & availability

Also via Viator

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🎯 Santa Claus Village with a husky ride

Location: Rovaniemi Type: Day out · daytime

💶 Cost: current price from the provider

In Santa Claus’s village on the Arctic Circle you take a ride with a dog team. A good combination with a visit to Santa himself.

👉 See current prices & availability

Also via Viator

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The LumiLinna snow castle in Kemi
Photo: Dmit · CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped) · Photo credits

🎯 SnowCastle Kemi (LumiLinna)

Location: Kemi Type: Snow castle · winter

💶 Cost: Price: see the official website (source)

Every winter in Kemi a SnowCastle Winter Park is built from snow and ice, with slides, a snow maze and a snow chapel. All year round there’s also SnowExperience, a chilled hall with ice sculptures and an ice slide.

More info

Distance: ± 2,597 km from Utrecht (± 30.0 hrs drive, one way, no breaks); ± 120 km from Rovaniemi (± 1.8 hrs) (OSRM, 21 Oct 2026)

Season: Winter Park every year from mid-January to April

Suitable for: families

👉 See current prices & availability

Location on the map

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🎯 Northern lights hunt from Rovaniemi

Location: Rovaniemi Type: Tour · evening

💶 Cost: current price from the provider

A guide drives you away from the city lights to a dark spot. Whether warm overalls and a campfire are included differs per provider: it’s in the description.

👉 See current prices & availability

Also via Viator

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🎯 Northern lights tour around Abisko

Location: Abisko Type: Tour · evening

💶 Cost: current price from the provider

An evening walk with huskies through the Abisko valley, with a hot drink by the fire in a lavvu (Sámi tent). Through Viator you can also take a minibus from Kiruna to Abisko National Park. Compare duration, group size and minimum age.

👉 See current prices & availability

Also via Viator

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🎯 Jul i Tivoli

Location: Copenhagen Type: Theme park · Christmas

💶 Cost: Price: see the official website

The old amusement park in the middle of the city turns into a Christmas world of lights, stalls and rides from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. You need a ticket to get in.

👉 See current prices & availability

Also via GetYourGuide · See the official website

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Read on

❄️ More winter ideas

Husky safari near Levi in Finnish Lapland
Photo: Евгений Гранат · Public domain (cropped) · Photo credits

On the road

🚗 Driving in winter

Snowy road in Kelankylä in northern Finland
Photo: Ooketoo · CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) · Photo credits
CountryWinter tyresStudded tyres
NorwayAt least 3 mm tread from 1 November to the first Sunday after Easter Monday; in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark from 16 October to 30 April (Statens vegvesen)In the same periods (outside them when the weather calls for it), on all wheels
Sweden1 December–31 March mandatory in wintry conditions, foreign cars included (Transportstyrelsen)1 October–15 April, outside that only in wintry conditions
Finland1 November–31 March mandatory when the weather or road conditions call for it (Traficom)In the same period, on all tyres
DenmarkNo date-based winter tyre requirement; clearly unsuitable tyres can lead to a fine (Færdselsstyrelsen)1 November–15 April, on all wheels
IcelandWinter tyres at least 3 mm tread (Reykjavíkurborg)1 November–15 April

More rules by country: traffic rules in Scandinavia.

Quick to sort

✅ Sorted

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

When is the polar night in Tromsø?

From late November to late January the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon there (Visit Tromsø).

Where’s best for the northern lights in winter?

For example around Tromsø, in Finnish Lapland and in Iceland. See our seeing the northern lights page for places and chances.

Do I need winter tyres?

Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland have winter tyre rules in winter; Denmark has no date-based requirement. The table on this page gives the rules with their source.

Read on

🧭 Also useful

Accountability

📚 Sources

Every number and every rule on this page comes from a source. Here they all are in one place, checked on 24 October 2026. We only mention prices if the provider publishes them itself; otherwise we refer you to the official website.

View 8 sources

💛 To be upfront: this page contains a few affiliate links, marked “Advertisement · affiliate link”. If you book through one, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. That’s how we keep this site running. We decide for ourselves what we recommend. Read the full disclaimer.