Clear Sky Lapland

Travel guide / Levi

Levi

Finland's best-loved ski village. A small village centre where everything is within walking distance, a gondola up the fell, and a sky that darkens as soon as you move a little way out of the village. It is also the last stop of our 7-day programme.

Northern lights over an open landscape

Getting there

  • By air: Kittilä Airport (KTT) is about 15 km from Levi. Finnair flies from Helsinki every day, with several flights a day in high season. From the airport to Levi takes about 20 minutes by bus, taxi or minibus.
  • From Rovaniemi by car: About 170 km, 2–2.5 hours. In winter the road is busy and dark, so put the long drive around midday. For hiring a car, see the car hire guide.
  • From Rovaniemi by bus: The Eskelisen Lapin Linjat Rovaniemi–Kittilä line takes about 2–3 hours; some departures go into the centre of Levi. For times, check the Matkahuolto or Eskelisen website.
  • By train: The night train from Helsinki goes to Kolari (~80 km from Levi); there is a bus connected to every train.

Free things to do

  • Walking around the village centre Free · village centre (Sirkka)

    The centre of Levi is small and compact; you can walk between the streets decorated with lights, the cafés and the shops. In the evening the village is at its liveliest, with people coming back from the slopes.

  • Getting up the fell on foot or by car Free · Levi summit

    Besides the gondola, you can reach the Samiland area at the summit by car, by bus in winter, or on foot from the village centre. You do not have to pay to look down over the sea of snow-covered forest from up there in the open air.

  • Cross-country ski trails About 230 km of marked trails

    There is a long network of cross-country ski trails around Levi, some of them lit. You can hire equipment in the village.

  • Waiting for the aurora in dark spots Free · outside the village

    It is enough to move a few kilometres away from the village lights. Frozen lake shores offer a wide horizon and a dark sky. Do not walk alone at night, in the dark, on the lake ice.

Paid activities

  • Gondola (Gondola2000) Return trip ~20 min · restaurant at the top

    It goes up to the summit from Activity Park. The ticket price changes with the season; in summer 2026 a return ticket cost €16 for adults and €12 for ages 6–11, and under-6s were free. Check the winter price on Levi's ticket page before you go.

  • Samiland Near the top of the gondola · reindeer November–April

    An exhibition and outdoor area about Sámi life; the guided tour takes about 1 hour and a hot drink is included in the entrance. Worth knowing: Levi lies outside the legal Sámi Homeland, and Samiland is a commercial experience centre. If you want to see Sámi culture at its source, go to the Siida museum and Sajos in Inari (Inari guide).

  • Alpine skiing More than 40 slopes, some of them lit

    One of Finland's biggest ski resorts. A World Cup slalom race is held here in November. The ski school and equipment hire are in the village.

  • Husky, reindeer and snowmobile With tour companies

    There are hundreds of kilometres of snowmobile routes around Levi. Instead of repeating the tours you did in Rovaniemi, using Levi for rest and the aurora is also a good choice.

  • Ice hotel and snow village Levi Ice Hotel ~8 km · Lainio Snow Village ~45 km

    You can visit the rooms and sculptures made of ice and snow during the day.

Northern lights

According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, in central Lapland, which includes Levi, the aurora is seen on roughly half of the clear, dark nights. The best months for northern Finland are March and early April.

Because Levi is a big holiday resort, the village itself is bright. Once you move away from the village the sky gets dark; that is why in the 7-day programme we spend the second aurora night around Levi, and there is no long drive back afterwards.

Where to stay and eat

  • Accommodation: Spa hotels, apartments, mountain houses and cabins; more than 20,000 beds in total. Everything fills up early for Christmas–New Year, the mid-February school holiday and Easter.
  • Food: Sautéed reindeer (poronkäristys) with mashed potato, smoked trout and salmon, Arctic char. The gondola restaurant at the summit has a lunch buffet; in the village there are plenty of familiar options such as burgers and pizza.

Season and darkness

  • Ski season: In 2026 it opened on 2 October with stored snow and runs until early May.
  • Polar night: In Levi the sun does not rise above the horizon between about 13 December and 1 January. The day is not completely dark: around midday there are a few hours of blue twilight, and the brightest hours are 10–13.
  • Cold: The January average is around −10 to −12 °C, but temperatures below −30 also occur. For clothing, see the "What to wear" note on the programme pages.

Who it suits, how many days

  • Families: Very suitable. Ski school, children's areas and everything within walking distance.
  • Couples: Suitable, but it can be crowded at the peak of the season.
  • How many days: 3–5 days. If you are combining it with Rovaniemi, 2–3 nights in Levi are enough.

If you want to add Levi to the programme

In the 7-day "The Whole North" programme, day 6 goes to Levi, takes the gondola up the fell and spends the night in Levi; on the way back you can fly from Kittilä. See the programme.

Sources

Information checked in October 2026. Times and prices change with the season; confirm on the official websites before you go.