Can you see the northern lights in Levi tonight?

Visit Levi states that the northern lights appear from August, with September to March usually offering the best conditions. You can reach the resort by flying into Kittilä airport, 15 km away, or by taking the train to Kolari or Rovaniemi followed by a connecting bus. The Finnish Meteorological Institute records aurora activity in central Lapland on three to four nights a week when skies are dark and clear.

When to see the northern lights in Levi

Visit Levi says the aurora appears again in August, as the evenings start to darken after the summer. According to Visit Levi, the best time for the northern lights is usually from September to March. The Finnish Meteorological Institute's statistics put central Lapland—including Ylläs, Levi and Sodankylä—at aurora on three to four nights a week, which is how often it could be seen if every night were dark and cloudless.

Visit Levi says the aurora can be seen from the time it gets dark, with the best chances statistically between 9 pm and 1 am, and recommends watching for it any time after dark. Visit Levi also says autumn is often the best time to photograph the aurora, when the land is dark and there is little scattered light. Check the computed dark hours for Levi to see the seasonal daylight changes.

The weather does not affect whether auroras occur, but because the aurora forms above all clouds it cannot be seen when the sky is covered by thick cloud. Cloud cover in Finland is especially abundant in autumn and winter, when about 65% to 85% of the sky is covered, and clear days are least frequent in November and December. From mid-December to April Visit Levi says to expect snow and colder weather and to dress warmly when going out to look for the aurora.

How to get to Levi

Kittilä airport is 15 km from Levi, and about 5 km from the centre of Kittilä municipality. Finnair flies daily from Helsinki to Kittilä all year, with several flights a day in the high season.

In winter, Finnair and other airlines, including Austrian Airlines, Discover Airlines, EasyJet, Eurowings, Lufthansa and Transavia, fly direct to Kittilä from Europe, starting in November. According to Finavia's route listing for the 2026-2027 winter season, which runs from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027, scheduled flights connect Kittilä to Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Luton, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Paris, Riga, Vienna and Zurich; charter flights are not included.

Tunturilinjat runs the bus between Kittilä airport and Levi; in summer and outside the main season, transfers run on demand and must be booked ahead.

The nearest railway station is Kolari, about 80 km from Levi, followed by Rovaniemi, about 170 km from Levi's centre. Visit Levi says a connecting bus meets each arriving train at Kolari for onward transport to Levi, and that there are frequent and reliable bus connections between Rovaniemi and Levi. VR gives the connecting bus from Kolari station to Levi as around 1 hour 15 minutes for 80 km, and from Rovaniemi station around 2.5 hours for 170 km. VR's trip search finds bus connections that match the trains to Levi, and train and bus tickets can be bought together. VR's night trains run to Rovaniemi, Kolari and Kemijärvi and can carry your car; on the busiest ski-season nights two night trains leave Helsinki for Kolari.

By road Levi is 170 km from Rovaniemi, 370 km from Oulu and 980 km from Helsinki. If driving north from Rovaniemi, you can check the live road conditions between Rovaniemi and Levi beforehand.

Where to stand to see the aurora

Visit Levi says that to see or photograph the aurora at Levi the sky needs to be clear and you must be far from any excess light. Visit Levi advises finding a place with an open sky to the north, says the aurora often crosses the sky from east to west, and says patience is a virtue. Visit Levi names Immeljärvi and Levijärvi lakes as good spots with little light pollution.

Visit Levi's aurora map lists several specific viewing locations:

• Immeljärvi: Visit Levi's aurora map calls the frozen lake Immeljärvi the best viewing spot; its listed address has no parking and is private property, and the map says you may safely walk on the lake after the winter trails have been officially opened. Visit Levi's aurora map asks visitors on Immeljärvi to walk only on the marked walking trails and to beware thin ice at the northern end, where the river mouth's running water weakens the ice, and at the man-made ice hole in front of the Saunabaari (sauna bar).
• The top of Levi fell: Included on Visit Levi's aurora map, with free parking at the end of Tunturitie (fell road).
• South Point: Located on Levin ympärystie (Levi ring road), listed as a dark viewing area with free parking.
• Muoniontie: A dark viewing area off Muoniontie; follow the signposts to the designated spot.

When cloud hangs low by the tree line, Visit Levi suggests going up Levi or Kätkä fell, where you might be above it.

Visit Levi's aurora map asks visitors to respect private property and avoid private yards, and to be cautious with Google Maps, because some roads may be snow-covered and used for snowmobiling or cross-country skiing, and walking on those trails is not allowed. Visit Levi says several guided aurora tours run in Levi, on snowshoes, on horseback, by dog or reindeer sleigh, by snowcat, by snowmobile and by car.