By the second week of January, Rovaniemi settles into what we've started calling "the blue time." The sun doesn't clear the horizon, but for a few hours around midday the whole sky turns a deep, glassy blue that no phone camera quite captures. It's the month we get asked about most: is it too dark, too cold, worth booking anything in Rovaniemi in January at all?

Short version: January is one of our favourite months to send people out chasing the northern lights, and also one of the harder months to explain properly, because the polar night changes how every hour of the day works. This guide covers what January actually looks and feels like, what a small-group aurora hunting tour includes, what the different ways to chase the lights cost against each other, and what to pack so a −25°C evening doesn't ruin your night.

What January in Rovaniemi Is Actually Like

Rovaniemi sits just above the Arctic Circle, which means real polar night (kaamos) through most of January: the sun stays below the horizon and you get a few hours of blue-grey twilight around midday rather than a proper sunrise. Joona has worked around aurora guides and sled dog yards for years and still finds January the most atmospheric month to be outside after dark — the snow is deep and dry by now, the lakes are frozen solid enough to walk and drive on, and on a clear night the sky away from town is genuinely black, which is exactly what you want for the aurora.

The town itself leans into it rather than fighting it: shop windows and cafe lights feel warmer against the dark, footsteps crunch differently in dry, deep-cold snow than the wetter snow of early winter, and driving out toward a frozen lake at night, headlights are often the only light for miles. It's a stark, quiet kind of beautiful that doesn't photograph as easily as the Christmas-market version of Lapland, which is part of why we think it's underrated.

The trade-off is honest: this is also the coldest stretch of the Lapland winter, with daytime highs often sitting well below freezing and clear nights regularly dropping to −20°C, sometimes colder. It's dry cold rather than damp cold, which makes a real difference to how it actually feels, but it still catches first-timers off guard. If you've read about −30°C nights and wondered if that's an exaggeration — some years, some nights, it isn't. Every operator we work with issues full winter overalls, boots and gloves on top of what you're wearing, and that kit is doing a lot of the work.

Who January Suits (and Who Should Wait)

January rewards people who came for the extremes: real polar night, real cold, real quiet. It's a strong month for couples on an aurora-focused trip, for photographers, and for anyone who wants Lapland at its starkest rather than its prettiest. It's a fair month for families too, as long as you build in slow mornings — kids running on four hours of daylight and a lot of layering time need a gentler pace than the itinerary you'd plan in July.

Where we'd steer people toward a different month: if you want more daylight for husky or snowmobile days, or you're nervous about deep cold with young children, February or March gives you noticeably longer light and slightly milder nights for very similar tour prices — we've laid out that trade-off properly in our guide to Rovaniemi in March. January isn't harder to enjoy, it just asks a bit more of you.

What's Included on the Small-Group Hunting Tour

Our go-to recommendation for January is the Professional Small Group Northern Lights Hunting Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €199 per adult). It keeps groups to 2–8 people with a dedicated English-speaking guide and photographer, and the whole point of the small group is mobility: instead of parking at one viewpoint, the guide reads the forecast and drives toward the clearest patch of sky within reach of Rovaniemi. Winter clothing, overalls, boots, gloves and socks are provided in adult and child sizes, so you don't need your own Arctic kit.

Two details we think matter more than the marketing usually lets on: start time is set between 17:00 and 21:00 and confirmed by email that day, because it depends on the forecast; and StayLapland backs the tour with a genuine 100% refund if no aurora photos are captured on the night, on top of free cancellation up to 24 hours out. That's the kind of guarantee that only makes sense if the operator is actually confident in their weather-chasing, which is the main reason we point people here over a fixed-spot tour.

Timing It Right: Polar Night and Your Aurora Window

In early January you're looking at roughly three to four hours of pale daylight around midday, stretching out gradually as the month goes on — by the last week you'll notice a real difference from the first. None of that affects your aurora chances directly, since you need proper darkness for that anyway, and January delivers plenty of it from mid-afternoon onward.

What actually decides your night is cloud cover, not the calendar date, which is exactly why a guide who can drive to clear sky is worth the extra cost over a fixed departure point. As a rule of thumb, the most active viewing window tends to fall somewhere between 21:00 and 01:00, though displays can appear earlier or later on a strong night. A darker, moonless sky helps contrast, but we wouldn't plan a whole trip around the moon phase — a clear sky on a bright moon night beats a cloudy sky on a dark one every time.

What It Costs: Comparing Three Ways to Chase the Lights

January pricing runs in three clear tiers. At the entry level, the Northern Lights Sleigh Ride5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €109, around 4 hours) pairs a snowmobile-pulled sleigh ride with local snacks and drinks by a campfire in a teepee — it's slower-paced and doesn't actively chase clear sky, but it's a lovely, low-key evening if the forecast already looks promising. The Northern Lights Tour in an Atmospheric Cottage5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 sits at a similar price (from €109, around 3 hours) and trades the sleigh for time by a fire at a cosy cottage, snacks included, with a small gift for children.

Step up to the small-group hunting tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €199) and you're paying for mobility and a dedicated photographer, which is what we'd choose on a night with uncertain cloud cover. There's also a bus-based version of the hunting tour from €109 for around 5 hours if you want the chasing approach on a tighter budget, and a fully private version of the same guided hunt from €1,990 if you want the whole vehicle and guide to yourselves. All of these carry the same code, HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, for 5% off at checkout, and January's tours run most nights of the week, so availability is rarely the limiting factor — budget and appetite for a late night are.

Packing, Cutoffs and Cancellation

Pack for layers under the provided overalls: a proper base layer, wool socks, and a hat and gloves of your own as backup even though gloves are supplied. Hand warmers are cheap insurance on a −25°C night, and a headtorch is handy for the walk from the vehicle to wherever the guide decides to stop. Standing still to watch the sky is colder than moving, so the extra layer you think is overkill on the drive out usually earns its place by midnight.

Booking cutoffs are tight on purpose, since operators are watching the forecast right up to departure: the small-group hunting tour needs booking at least 1 hour ahead, while the sleigh ride and cottage tours need 4 and 3 hours respectively. All three offer free cancellation 24 hours out, with a 100% fee inside that window, so it's worth locking your date once the forecast starts to firm up rather than booking too far in advance. None of the January tours we recommend require a minimum group size beyond the standard weekday and Saturday thresholds, so solo travellers and couples are booked as easily as families.

Combine It With a Sauna or Reindeer Evening

Because polar night gives you dark skies from mid-afternoon, a lot of visitors pair an aurora tour with something calmer earlier in the day — a reindeer farm visit or a proper Finnish sauna evening both fit naturally into a January itinerary without exhausting anyone before the aurora hunt even starts. If you're trying to work out whether December or February gives you better odds instead of January, we've broken down the real differences month by month in our December vs February aurora comparison, which is worth a read if your dates are still flexible. Browse the reindeer and sauna picks below the calendar on this page if you want to build a fuller day around your evening hunt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is January too cold to enjoy Rovaniemi?
Not with the right kit. Clear January nights can drop to −20°C or colder, but full winter overalls, boots and gloves are provided on every tour we recommend, and the cold is dry rather than damp, which makes it far more bearable than the number alone suggests.

How many hours of daylight does Rovaniemi get in January?
Roughly three to four hours of pale, blue-toned daylight around midday in early January, gradually increasing through the month. The sun itself stays below the horizon for the first couple of weeks.

Is January actually a good month for the northern lights?
Yes. Long dark hours and frequently clear, cold spells make it one of the strongest aurora months of the winter, on par with December and February.

What's the difference between the sleigh ride and the small-group hunting tour?
The sleigh ride (from €109) is a fixed, relaxed evening with snacks by a campfire. The small-group hunting tour (from €199) actively drives to find clear sky with a dedicated guide and photographer, which matters more on an uncertain-weather night.

Do I need to book far in advance in January?
Not usually — tours run most nights and cutoffs are short (1–4 hours before departure) because operators are watching the forecast. It's fine to wait until a day or two out once you can see the weather.

Does the discount code work on every tour?
Yes, HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 gives 5% off any StayLapland activity on this page, entered at checkout.

Our Final Pick for January

If you only book one thing for a January trip, make it the small-group Northern Lights Hunting Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5. The combination of a mobile guide, a professional photographer and a genuine no-photos-no-charge refund policy is, in our experience, the best match for a month where the sky is dark enough but the weather is still the deciding factor. If your budget or your evening is more relaxed, the sleigh ride or cottage evening at roughly half the price is a completely reasonable way to spend a January night in Lapland. Either way, don't forget code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 for 5% off, and dress warmer than you think you need to.