In the winter months, more and more people are drawn to the far north of Europe to watch an extraordinary spectacle in the sky at night: the aurora borealis — a light phenomenon that enchants the observer.
Northern lights in NorwayImage: Getty Images/AFP/O. Morin
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Among the most fascinating natural and weather phenomena are those luminous phenomena in the sky that occur particularly north and south of the 66th parallel in the polar regions around the magnetic north and south poles.
Who has the best aurora borealis?
Today people travel especially to the far north to admire the so-called aurora borealis, which in recent years has increasingly developed into a winter attraction for Scandinavian holidaymakers. Alta in the northern Norwegian province of Finnmark is considered to be the city of the northern lights; there are reportedly only a few places in the world where you can experience the glow more intensely than here. Tromso even self-confidently describes itself as the "capital of the northern lights."
There is almost an excursion industry around the northern lights here — probably also because of the many photos posted on Facebook & Co that make you want to experience them. Several dozen providers have nocturnal bus tours in their program. The season for polar lights lasts from the end of September to the end of March, but in the dark season they are particularly good to see.
Northern lights in IcelandImage: picture-alliance/blickwinkel/W. Pattyn
Nature as an incentive to travel
Stefan Gössling, professor of Sustainable Tourism and Mobility at the University of Lund in Sweden, has observed a growing interest in tours to the northern lights. For example, winter trips providing a chance to see the northern lights were being "marketed very offensively" by the Norwegian postal shipping line. In his opinion, people are attracted by phenomena that are rather rare. The aurora borealis is such a "particularly unique and very aesthetic natural spectacle." Other holidaymakers are concerned with "the creation of social status through the consumption of particularly exotic experiences."
Northern lights in SwedenImage: Getty Images/AFP/J. Nackstrand
10 reasons to visit Finland
A visit to Finland is not only worthwhile during the polar light season. That's one more reason to get to know this northern European country with its many lakes, forests - and moose.
Image: DW/B. Riegert
Northern Lights
Seeing the Aurora Borealis in a clear night sky can be an awe-inspiring experience. In Lapland in northern Finland, the Northern Lights appear on about 200 nights a year. Auroras, seen mainly at high latitudes, are produced when electrically-charged particles in the solar wind meet oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the earth's atmosphere.
Image: picture-alliance/robertharding/R. Moiola
Helsinki
Of course in 2017, the hundredth anniversary was celebrated in grand style in the capital Helsinki, especially on December 6, Finland's independence day. But a visit to this port city is also worthwhile because of its architecture and many restaurants and bars. Before independence in 1917, Finland was an autonomous grand duchy in the Russian Empire.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Goldmann
Saunas
Saunas are integral to Finland and the Finnish way of life. For centuries, Finns have been sweating, relaxing and discussing issues in these hot bathhouses - and the icy Finnish winters provide the perfect contrast. There are saunas everywhere in Finland. There's even one in the parliament in Helsinki.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Reboredo
Skerry coast
The Finnish coast in the southwest of the country is dotted with tens of thousands of rocky offshore islets, the skerries. The Kvarken Archipelago is part of the skerry coast and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot/Y. Pingfan
Design
Finland is world famous for design. Several renowned designers, such as Alvar und Aino Aalto, came from Finland. Design District Helsinki boasts countless shops featuring young creative artists' work, and in the Design Museum you'll find Finnish design classics from vases and tableware to furniture.
Image: picture-alliance/Lehtikuva/M. Tynkkynen
Moose
Some 100,000 moose live in Finland's huge forests, but you'll rarely run across these shy animals in the wild. If you want to see moose it's better to go to one of the parks or zoos in which they live. At Moose Manor near Jämsä in central Finland, you can stroke tame moose.
Image: picture-alliance/Lehtikuva/J. Nukari
National parks
To mark the 100th anniversary of independence, Finland's 40th national park was opened in 2017. Many wild animals including bears, lynx and eagles live in the parks. A rare subspecies of freshwater seal, the Saimaa ringed seal, lives in the national parks around Lake Saimaa.
Image: picture-alliance/Lehtikuva/I. Pekkarinen
Wodka
Finland has a venerable vodka-making tradition. Finnish vodka is usually made from barley, and the distillation process can take months. There are vodka varieties flavored with bilberries, Arctic raspberries or lingonberries.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. S. Gustafsson
Snow
There is certainly no lack of snow in Finland in the winter. If you enjoy skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or dogsledding, this is the place for you. Many husky breeders in Lapland have specialized in tourism and offer dogsled tours through the wilderness.
Image: picture-alliance/robertharding/L. Grier
Licorice
Almost all Finns love salmiakki, or salty licorice. Traditional salty licorice comes in both hard and soft varieties, but you can also find new types of this typically Finnish specialty - for instance, with chocolate.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. S. Gustafsson
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But the risk of standing in front of a closed cloud cover simply speaks against a hip weekend trip with the plane to the far north. The longer the stay, the more realistic the chance of actually catching a glimpse of the glow in the sky. And for some years now, there have even been special apps for this, which observe solar activity and reliably predict the probability of northern lights.
For example, the website "Auroras Now!" of the Finnish Meteorological Institute offers free email notifications after registration, which are sent whenever the magnetic conditions in the sky over Finland are particularly favorable for northern lights. Whoever then stands at the right place, away from settlements, thickly packed at midnight in the icy silence, experiences a glow that he will not forget for the rest of his life.
