If December sold out before you decided, do not give up on Lapland. The second week of January is one of our favourite times to be out under a dark sky, and bookings are usually easier to find.

We live here, so we will tell you how we would plan a week of aurora attempts on a sensible budget, and where we would spend a bit more.

Why the second week of January is a smart time to hunt

There is a particular rhythm to Rovaniemi in the first half of January. The Christmas rush has gone home, the lights in the shop windows are still up, the snow is usually well settled and the town breathes out. For anyone who stayed up late planning a December trip and found everything full, this is the week we point people to instead.

We are careful not to promise anything about the sky, because nobody can. What we can say is that mid-January is a good moment to plan an aurora hunt around: the evenings are long and dark, the pressure on bookings usually eases after the holidays, and you can build your trip around two or three attempts rather than one. If you are looking at the week of 11 to 17 January 2027, this is how we would use it.

What the bus tour is and how it works

The Professional Guaranteed Northern Lights Hunting Tour from Rovaniemi by Bus5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is the lower-priced way of going out with professional aurora guides. The idea is simple: instead of staying at a fixed spot and hoping, the guides look at the weather on the night and take the bus where the clouds are thinnest. The product page describes expert guides, weather-based routing and professional photos included, with a 100% refund if no aurora photos are captured.

That last line deserves a careful reading. It is a promise about photographs, not about the experience you will have with your own eyes. We always tell friends to think of it as insurance for the money rather than a promise from the sky. Good aurora tours are honest about that distinction, and so should you be when you plan your evenings.

What you pay and what is included

The tour starts from €109 per adult, takes about five hours and is rated easy. The listing shows places for ages 13 and over and for ages 3 to 12, and the child price appears in the live calendar when you pick a date. We never quote child prices from memory because they depend on the booking, so open the calendar further down and choose your date to see the full number.

If you want 5% off, type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the discount field at checkout. It works on every StayLapland tour and does not expire, so you can use it on the bus tour, on a husky day and on anything else you book on the same trip.

Cancellation rules vary between products and dates, so the booking window shows the live policy. As a general principle we recommend booking your first aurora attempt early in your stay and keeping free cancellation as long as the tour offers it, because that is what lets you move the evening if the forecast changes.

What a long bus evening feels like

Five hours is a long time, and it is worth imagining it before you book. You meet the group, board the bus, drive for a while, stop, step out into the cold, look up, get back on, drive on. Between stops there is time to warm up and talk. The guides use that time to explain how the aurora works, and, if you ask, to help you with camera settings.

Our honest read: the bus suits curious people who like structure, groups of friends, and travellers on a tighter budget who still want a guide to make the decisions. It suits teenagers better than toddlers. It is less ideal for anyone who needs to sit still in a heated space for most of the evening, because the point of the bus is to get you outside at the right place.

We have written a more detailed look at the bus tour for first-timers, including what the guides do on a cloudy night, and it is a good companion to this article.

Choosing your night in the 11–17 January window

You will see two kinds of advice about picking a night: stay flexible and book early. They are not in conflict. Book early so that you hold a seat, then use the cancellation window to move if the forecast shifts. Our rule of thumb for a week-long stay is to put the first attempt on your second or third evening, once jet lag has settled and you know your way around, and to leave at least two later evenings open as backups.

Look at the long-range cloud forecast but do not trust it more than three or four days out. Look at the aurora activity forecast too, but remember that activity and cloud cover are separate questions: a strong forecast under a thick blanket of cloud is still a cloudy night. This is exactly why the weather-based routing is the whole point of the tour.

For a couple of friends who visited us in mid-January last year, the plan that worked was a quiet daytime, an early dinner, a nap and then the bus. They did not try to fit a snowmobile safari in the same day. If you want ideas for daytime activities, our guide to activities in Rovaniemi sorts them by type and by season.

One more planning habit that has saved friends of ours a lot of stress: write down your three possible evenings before you arrive, and decide in advance what each one is for. The first is the real attempt. The second is the repeat if the first was cloudy. The third is the one you are happy to skip if you have already seen the lights, in which case you can swap it for a husky or reindeer day instead. Having that decision made on paper means you are not negotiating with a tired family at the hotel desk at five in the afternoon.

It also helps to know the practical side of a week in Rovaniemi in January. Daylight is short but growing, so daytime activities are best planned for the middle of the day, and you will want to be back in the warm by the time the real dark arrives. Restaurants are easy to find without a booking at this time of year, but if you have a specific one in mind, reserve it for the evening before or after your tour rather than the night itself, because a delayed return is possible and you will want to eat without watching the clock.

Bus tour or small group at this time of year

The question we get most: should we pay more for the smaller vehicle? The small group version5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 starts from €199 per adult and takes two to eight people. In mid-January, when there is less competition for seats than in December, both tours are usually easier to get. That makes the decision about your group rather than availability.

Take the bus if you want the lowest price per person, if you are a group of friends who enjoy the shared atmosphere, or if you want to try the aurora twice on a budget. Take the small group if you are travelling with someone who tires easily, if you want a bit more time to take photos, or if the extra money is less important than a calmer evening. You can read our fuller comparison in which one to book in 2026–27.

What to wear and what to bring

The booking page lists warm clothing as part of many StayLapland tours, but always check the live listing for your specific product and date. Even if thermal overalls are supplied, your inner layers are your own responsibility: a wool base layer, a warm mid layer, thick socks and a hat that covers your ears. Our full packing advice is in what to wear in Lapland in winter.

Bring a fully charged phone and a spare battery in an inside pocket, because cold drains batteries fast. If you have a camera with manual mode, a small tripod is worth carrying, though the guides take professional photos too. Bring a flask of something warm, and a small snack for the children. Avoid wearing anything tight around your toes or fingers.

When you book, remember to enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 for 5% off and to check the pick-up details on the confirmation email. Keep the evening free of other commitments so that a delayed return does not become a problem.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the bus tour?
The product listing shows about five hours, so plan a full evening.

Is the aurora guaranteed?
No one can guarantee the sky. The tour states a 100% refund if no aurora photos are captured, so read the terms in the booking window.

Can children join?
The listing shows places for ages 13 and over and for ages 3 to 12. Check the age notes and child price in the booking calendar before you pay.

Is mid-January a good time for the northern lights?
It is within the main season. What you see depends on cloud cover and solar activity on the night, which is why we suggest planning more than one attempt.

Is it cheaper than the small group tour?
Yes. The bus starts from €109 per adult and the small group starts from €199 per adult.

How do I use the discount code?
Type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off any StayLapland tour.

Our pick for mid-January

For a first attempt in the second week of January, we would book the bus tour on one of your first evenings, keep the next two evenings open for a second try, and treat everything else as a bonus. If your party is small and the budget is flexible, upgrade to the small group.

Pick your date in the live calendar, type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout and enjoy the quiet side of Lapland's winter.