Book now

Best northern lights tour in Tornio: which one for whom

A bright green aurora curling above a low wooded ridge, with snowy flat ground lit orange by a lamp in the foreground

Illustration photo: an aurora over snow in Lapland, not on one of the tours described here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

If cloud is your worry, book the car hunt with the bad-weather refund: it collects in Tornio and Haparanda. If you want to move rather than wait, take the snowshoe walk to the Swedish island. If your group is four or more and happy to stay up late, the fire in the woods is the cheapest evening sold from Tornio. If you have no winter clothes, take the Kemi evening that lends them.

How the operators compare

Prices are the operators' own published starting prices as of the date this guide was updated, and they change through the season.

e-CoachNordic Safaris: ToivolaNordic Safaris: EveningSea Lapland Safaris
Price €99 – the lowest price per person €135 €110 €115
Length 3–5 h 2 h 2 h 2.5 h
How you look By car, one or more spots On snowshoes By a fire By car, then a campfire
Collects in Tornio Yes – the listing names Tornio as a pick-up area Not stated Not stated Not stated
Winter clothing lent Not stated Not stated Not stated Yes – a winter outfit is part of the price
Money back for bad weather Yes – the listing promises a refund when the weather spoils the night Not stated Not stated Not stated
Minimum group Not stated 2 4 Not stated

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per person, the listing names Tornio as a pick-up area, a winter outfit is part of the price and the listing promises a refund when the weather spoils the night. All four price per person. The photographer's evening and the forecast-led tour sold in the twin towns are compared on this site's main Tornio aurora page and are left out here.

Where these figures come from
  • e-Coach: A car hunt that collects from your accommodation in Kemi, Tornio-Haparanda or Ylitornio and drives to one or several spots, with a refund for bad weather.
  • Nordic Safaris: Toivola: Two hours on snowshoes in deep snow, through the woods and over the ice to an island on the Swedish side.
  • Nordic Safaris: Evening: Two late hours in the wilderness near Tornio with sausages roasted over a fire, for groups of four or more.
  • Sea Lapland Safaris: Two and a half hours driving away from the lights of Kemi to a campfire, with overalls, boots, wool socks and gloves lent when needed.

Four aurora evenings reach Tornio besides the two this site compares on its main Tornio page, and each suits a different kind of evening.

If the weather is what worries you

The car hunt run by e-Coach is the one to book. It collects from your accommodation in Kemi, Tornio, Haparanda or Ylitornio, drives to wherever the sky looks clearest, and promises money back if bad weather spoils the night.1

If you would rather be moving

The walk to Toivola is two hours on snowshoes through deep snow, the woods and the ice to an island on the Swedish side.2 The watching happens on the way rather than beside a car, which is the point for anyone who gets cold standing still.

If there are four of you and you keep late hours

The fire in the woods runs from ten to midnight, with sausages over the flames. For a group already in Tornio, it is the cheapest evening sold from the town itself, and the late start leaves time for dinner first.

If you came without winter clothes

The Kemi evening lends overalls, boots, wool socks and gloves when the cold calls for them, then drives away from the town lights to a campfire. Its listing shows a pick-up without naming Tornio, so ask before booking.

The photographer’s evening and the forecast-led tour are set side by side on northern lights in Tornio.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

The Tornio company prints its times in UTC+2. Does that matter?

It does if you are sleeping in Haparanda. UTC+2 is Finnish winter time, and Swedish time is an hour behind it, so the snowshoe walk that starts at 20:00 in Tornio starts at 19:00 on a Haparanda clock, and the late fire that ends at midnight ends at 23:00 Swedish time. Agree the meeting time in one country's clock when you book.

Which of these can we cancel if the forecast turns bad?

The two evenings sold on a booking platform, the car hunt and the Kemi evening, allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The Tornio company refunds only if you cancel more than 48 hours ahead, which is before most forecasts are worth reading. With the Tornio company the decision has to be made more than two days out; with the platforms, a day ahead is enough.

What should we wear for the snowshoe walk?

The walk's page does not say that clothing is lent, so plan on your own. The company's general advice for its outdoor programmes is to dress in layers: a base layer, an insulating layer and a windproof shell. Walking in deep snow warms you up, and the stops to watch the sky cool you down again, so a spare warm layer and dry gloves in a pocket are worth carrying.

Written by

Lapland Handbook Staff

Lapland Handbook is written by its editorial staff in Rovaniemi. Every price, age limit and group size in a comparison is read from the operator's own page and marked "Not stated" when the operator does not publish it. Each guide names who should not book, and names the operator that suits each kind of group, whichever it is.

More about Lapland Handbook →