Staying at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä: Ultimate Guide

Are you considering staying at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä?

We are the crazy travellers who organised their whole wedding around staying at the resort, meaning:

1. We did A LOT of research beforehand to make sure it’s a good idea
2. We can now give you our honest review of what it was really like

If you are interested in:

• Doing Lapland without breaking the bank
• Living the dream by staying in a glass igloo
• Absolutely epic, wild, once-in-a-lifetime trips
• Increasing your chances of seeing the Northern Lights

then this post is perfect for you.

Here is our honest review of what staying at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä (NLV Saariselkä) was like.

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please read our Disclaimer.

Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.

After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full-time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆

During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia. Btw, even our secret wedding was more of an expedition than a wedding. 😅

And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful travel tips and info with you!

Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own epic adventures too!

What do you need to know: our story

We believe in giving you information and sharing our experience so YOU can then make the best decision for YOURSELF.

Because no one else out there can and should be choosing for you!

So, with that in mind, here is some context about our trip to the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä, so it all makes more sense to you:

• We stayed at the NLV Saariselkä at the very start of April 2025
• We spent 4 nights there
• The travel party was us (Mirka & Daniel) and Mirka’s sister, the witness/photographer/only guest at our wedding (unknowingly, since it was a secret wedding absolutely NOBODY knew about)
• We got married 4 days before our stay at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä, in Copenhagen (part of the same trip)
• The main goal of our stay at the NVL Saariselkä? To see the Northern Lights, of course (first time for all 3 of us)

If all of this sounds wild and you have questions, drop them in the comments below or DM us on our Instagram. 😄

And make sure to check out our main post – Lapland on a Budget. You will find all the money-saving tips and hacks there.

Now, let’s talk all about the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä. Here is our honest review.

Northern Lights Village: key facts

Let’s talk some basics, in case you don’t know anything about the Northern Lights Village resorts.

Here is some key info:

• Northern Lights Village is a glass-roofed resort in the arctic – yes, the beautiful aurora cabins you saw on social!
• Located in Lapland, Finland
• There are actually 4 locations: Saariselkä, Levi, Pyhä and now a brand-new one (opened in 2025) –Ivalo
• The first resort was created in 2016, by a husband and a wife duo
• Their idea? Experiencing the incredible Northern Lights and getting close to the wild nature of Lapland while staying comfortable
• The husband CEO, as well as all of the guides, are experienced aurora photographers, so if you are after amazing pics, this is the place for you

Sounds great, right?

Now the big dilemma though. Which of the 4 locations will you choose?

Why you should pick the Saariselkä resort

While we knew we wanted to stay at the Northern Lights Village hotel, we struggled to decide on the location.

We were torn between Pyhä and Saariselkä.

The big attraction in Pyhä?

Their Taiga Forest Cabins.

We were considering these because:

• They are big cabins that can accommodation up to 6 guests
  This wild trip of ours? It was the two of us plus Mirka’s sister, our unsuspecting wedding guest. So we worried about space in the small Aurora Cabins and thought the Taiga one would be more comfortable.
  
  Another thing to think about? It’s not just 3 people. It’s 3 people plus their luggage plus all the winter gear. And not just that – winter gear that you might need to dry every day somewhere. Consider this when choosing the right cabin for your travel party.
• They come with their private sauna, right in the cabin!
  A private sauna in a forest cabin in Finland? What a dream, right? You can relax in the heat after spending the day out and about in the arctic winter and, if you are adventurous enough, plop yourself into the snow afterwards for a bit of cold exposure therapy.

So why did we choose Saariselkä, instead of Pyhä, in the end?

Why Saariselkä is the best location

Disclaimer: Saariselkä is the best location if you need the things we needed. As always, we share our story and info with you, and you then decide what works best for you.

For us, the Saariselkä resort was the best, because:

1. At the time, Saariselkä was the northernmost location from the 3 Northern Lights Village resorts. And the further up north you go? The better are your chances of seeing the Northern Lights. And since that was our top goal, we wanted to maximise our chances.
   
   Note: We are saying “at the time”. Now, with the addition of the 4th resort in Ivalo, that one might be the northernmost location. Currently, an address isn’t available yet, so we shall have to wait and see!
2. The resort is within a walking distance to Saariselkä – the village. That means that while you will feel surrounded by nature, you can also easily pop into shops, restaurants or even go play bowling if you want – it’s all just a short walk away. This is quite rare for a northern lights resort as they are usually isolated, away from towns and villages.
   
   For us, the village was a back up, in case we needed more food, since our stay came only with half board (spoiler: we didn’t, the food was delicious and more than enough). We did go buy some beers and snacks though, from the local supermarket (a surprisingly big K-Market).
3. Saariselkä is not only accessible by a plane, but also by public transport from Santa’s Village. So if meeting Santa is on your bucket list, NLV Saariselkä is a great option.
   
   Our magical trip? A Santa Claus Express night train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi – get on a train in rainy Helsinki, wake up in the snowy arctic. ❄️ Spend the day in the Santa Claus Village and meet the big man himself! 🎅🏻 Take a bus to the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä and continue our Lapland winter adventures there.
4. And the last reason Saariselkä tops the list? It’s where all the fun actually happens. The reindeer live there, the huskies get dropped off daily for their rides, and there’s even a kids’ snowmobile track. So instead of being driven somewhere for your adventures, they basically start on your doorstep.

In the end, we all agreed that we wanted to stay in an Aurora Cabin, rather than the Taiga one, since it doesn’t have a glass roof. 

The Aurora Cabins are available at all locations, but, as you can see from the list above, Saariselkä is the best – so that’s what we chose.

We mentioned getting to the resort using public transport (car-free travellers here!), so let’s talk more about that.

How to get to the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä

By car

We didn’t drive to Northern Lights Village Saariselkä ourselves (car-free life ✌️), so we can’t share first-hand tips. But! If you’re planning to get there by car, here are a few things worth keeping in mind:

• The condition of the roads
• Your driving skills (our bus driver had to break 2 times unexpectedly because a reindeer jumped out of the forest right in front of our bus!)
• The early darkness in winter (if you don’t like or are not confident driving at night)
• Parking 
• Missing out on other experiences, such as travelling to Lapland on the Santa Claus Express night train
• The cost of petrol, car rental, insurance

By plane

The nearest airport to the Saariselkä resort is Ivalo (the northernmost airport in Finland and in the European Union!). The airport is just a 30-minute ride away from NLV.

To get to/from the airport, you have 2 options:

• Book a transfer with Northern Lights Village Saariselkä – drives you right to the resort/airport
• Take a public bus from Saariselkä – slightly cheaper than the NLV transfer, but you have to get to the village from the resort (and vice versa) yourself. We wanted to take the public bus, but we’d have to drag our suitcases through the snow from NLV to the village, so we opted for the private transfer instead. Only consider doing this option if you can carry your luggage (for example if you are backpacking).
  
  Note: the public bus meets flights, so you don’t have to worry about timings too much. Here is all the info.

By public transport

We made our stay at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä even more magical.

How?

By taking the Santa Claus Express night train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi. 

Not only did we get to shower on a train (!!), but we also woke up in Santa’s village. (Kinda. You have to get a bus there from the train station, but that’s details!)

As we mentioned, one of the reasons we chose the Saariselkä resort was that we could get there using public transport.

As car-free travellers, this is a big must-have for us (also a big pain in the butt, but that’s again another story).

How to get from Santa’s village to Northern Lights Village Saariselkä 

There is a direct bus that you can hop on either in Rovaniemi or directly in front of Santa’s Village that will take you to Saariselkä.

Actually, there are a few buses each day, run by different companies.

You can check the schedule, see the prices and book tickets on this website.

Key things to know:

• The bus takes around 3 hours
• We’ve been told the buses do sell out in peak season, so booking in advance is necessary
• We travelled on the 31st of March, so not during the peak season, and the bus was still relatively busy
• Tickets go on sale a few months in advance
• Pro tip: If you are looking at buses far ahead on the website, click on the “info” next to the ticket price. It will show you when the tickets for that bus will go on sale, so you can put it in your calendar, and book as soon as, making sure they don’t sell out

Make sure to plan this in Saariselkä

One more thing you should know?

Check where the bus stops in Saariselkä.

When we were there, it stopped in a few places, but it didn’t detour to the Northern Lights Village, even though it does come up in the search function on the website as one of the possible stops.

The problem

We did say the Northern Lights Village resort is just a few minutes’ walk from Saariselkä, right?

The issue is, the path is a snow trail. 

Meaning you won’t be able to drag your suitcases on it, at least not without them getting soaked and the whole process taking ages.

The solution

If you are a backpacker, you will be able to walk to the resort. Just pick the bus stop nearest to the resort to get off at, when buying your bus tickets.

If you are bringing suitcases though (or a pram. Or have mobility issues), like we did, you’ll have to arrange a pick up service.

The resort offers this – you just need to email them in advance to book.

The only problem with that is, it costs an awful lot of money, for what is, essentially, a 3 minute drive (we paid €5 per person in 2025).

And since you pay per person, it doesn’t get cheaper if you are a bigger group – on the contrary.

But this is Finland and you’ve got to be prepared to spend a lot of money.

There are always other ways that you can save, if you need to. We talk about them in our Lapland on a budget guide, so check it out.

Now that you know how to get to the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä, let’s talk about where you can stay there!

Where can you stay at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä?

Okay, the exciting stuff now!

What is the accommodation like?

Well, in NLV Saariselkä, you’ve got two awesome options:

1. Polar Sky Suites

• These are bigger, cottage-like suites.
• You’ve got a kitchen and a private sauna (also a TV, unlike in the Aurora Cabins).
• They are not actually located in the Northern Lights Village resort – instead, they are perched on the top of Kaunispää fell. Their location means you get gorgeous views in a more tranquil area, high above Saariselkä.
• The disadvantage of this, of course, is the fact that Saariselkä village is a 2km instead of a 10-minute walk away. Also activities and meals happen in the NLV resort, but transportation is provided several times a day for this.

Side note

If you are reading this and wondering: “You guys wanted to stay in Pyhä, but here you would have more space and the sauna as well! Why did you not just book a Polar Sky Suite?”

Wanna know why?

We didn’t even know these were a thing.

When we discovered the resort and looked at the available dates, the Aurora Cabins where all that was left. We talk about how much in advance you have to book later in this post (or skip there now, you impatient muffin).

So we have no personal experience of staying in a Polar Sky Suite – we didn’t even see them IRL since they are not directly in the Northern Lights Village resort. But it does sound like a great solution, if you are a bigger group, want more privacy, to have awesome views, chill in your own sauna and generally, be further away from people (the dream!).

2. Aurora Cabins

The second option is to stay in an Aurora Cabin which yes, is like those beautiful, glass-roofed cabins you see on Instagram.

This is what we did – here are the key things you need to know, based on our personal experience:

• The cabins are surprisingly big. There were 3 of us and we had enough space.*
• They are beautifully decorated. It’s all wood, forest colours and themes, very modern, very Scandinavian. You’ll love it.
• The cabins are all quite close together, but we never had an issue with privacy. The only problem is the automatic lights outside the cabins, which switch on every time someone walks by – can be quite disturbing and is totally stupid for viewing the Northern Lights.
• Speaking of the Northern Lights, you are most likely wondering whether you can really see them from the cabins. From your own bed even, like the influencers make it look? Aha, don’t worry. We’ll get to that soon.
• There is no TV in the cabin, but there is wifi (of course).
• While there’s no kitchen, you do have a kettle with complimentary tea and coffee, if you want to heat yourself up after a long day (or night) of freezing your butt off outside in the Arctic winter.

*Space in the cabins – disclaimer

We know the size of the cabins might be a concern, so here’s what you should know:

• We had enough space, but we only had one bigger suitcase and one small one (plus 3 daypacks).
• Mirka’s sister slept on a sofa bed which was, surprisingly, large. If this wasn’t pulled out into a bed (if there were only 2 of us), we’d have been absolutely fine for space.
• The bathroom was spacious – we feared train/cruise-like bathroom situation, but our worries were totally unjustified.
• The 2 problems we had with space were: 1. Nowhere to hang towels and 2. Once we brought all our (free!) rental gear in and unpacked our own winter gear, the cabin got quite busy. But we are talking x6 sets of winter shoes, x3 snowsuits, x3 winter jackets, x6 sets of gloves etc. = a LOT of clothes.

We know you are desperate to find out one thing though.

Can you actually see the Northern Lights straight from your bed??

Can you see Aurora Borealis from the Aurora Cabin?

There are two contradictory narratives out there:

1. The influencers with their stunning pics of lounging in a bed, in a glass igloo or a cabin, with the Northern Lights dancing above them.
2. The people who say it’s all a lie and the chances of seeing the lights right over you, from your bed, are so minimal, it’s not worth paying the premium prices for such accommodation.

Who’s right then?

A bit of both, actually!

Here’s what you need to know about seeing the Northern Lights from a glass-roofed cabin.

Our story

First of all, did we manage to see aurora straight from our bed in the cabin?

Yes, yes we did!

It was absolutely amazing – standing outside, in the arctic cold, for hours, with your neck killing you, because you just don’t wanna miss a second of the beautiful show happening in front of you? Best feeling (and neck pain) ever!

But the fact that once your fingers are about to fall off, you can just walk back to your cabin, plop yourself into your warm, cosy bed, and just lie there, watching the lights right above you? That’s luxury at its finest.

Here are the must-know things:

• The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon. No one can guarantee you will see them at all, let alone see them right above your bed. But it can and does happen.
• It’s a different feeling, standing outside, in the middle of an arctic forest, watching the lights, than seeing them through a glass roof.
• If you’re travelling with small children, older family members, or anyone with mobility issues, glass-roof cabins can be a brilliant way to enjoy the Northern Lights without struggling with waking up, getting dressed and rushing into the arctic cold in the middle of the night.
• Are the glass-roofed cabins and glass igloos worth the extortionate price? Depends. What’s the price? What experience are you after? Can you afford it?
  
  If you can’t afford to stay in a glass-roof cabin, is it really the end of the world? You can still see the lights – any of the accommodation in the Saariselkä village would have been fine for that. The only thing is, you’d have to spend more time outside and, most likely, walk further away from the village to avoid light pollution. But if that’s all your budget allows, it’s better than not seeing aurora at all, right?
  
  We talk more about whether the glass-roof cabins are worth it in this post (plus share extra tips!).
  
  For us, the Aurora Cabin was absolutely worth it – a bucket list experience. But the price we paid is something we have to talk to you about – keep reading to find out more.

This will help you see the Northern Lights

Seeing the lights straight from your cosy bed is just one of the perks of northern lights resorts. 

Another big one?

Aurora alerts!

This means the resort has a system that tracks the Northern Lights and wakes the guests up when they are visible.

You might not think it’s that important, but here’s the thing:

• The lights are often most visible in the middle of the night. Unless you are a night person, staying up all night to keep watch is exhausting. And let’s not forget that if the lights don’t show up, you’ve just wasted a night of sleep and will be tired during the day, when you should be doing all the fun activities!
• The aurora apps you can get from the app store for free? Some are great. But they are often: inaccurate/ too complicated to understand/ too generic. If your resort is tracking the lights right above you? And lets you know the moment they appear? It doesn’t get more tailored than that.

The Northern Lights Village Saariselkä resort we stayed at uses an aurora tracking app. 

It’s available in the app store – you can even get it now, if you want.

But when you are at the resort?

You get a special premium membership (for free, of course) which comes with alerts for your specific location – in this case, the Saariselkä resort.

You might hate being woken up in the middle of the night. Especially by a blaring alarm.

But let us tell you, when that aurora alert alarm goes off, especially when your chances of seeing the lights are super low (the app also shows you forecast for a few days ahead), it’s one of the most exciting moments of your life. There is no sound more beautiful.

We could talk about the Northern Lights forever, but we don’t want to make this post even longer, than it already is.

In this post though, we’ll move on to what else you can do at the NLV resort—besides risking a stiff neck.

What can you do at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä?

The great thing about the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä resort?

It offers many activities in-house. 

Meaning you don’t have to:

• Look for another company
• Read reviews to make sure it’s a legit one
• Spend time travelling to and from activities

What you need to know about doing activities at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä

Here are some key things you should know about before booking activities at NLV Saariselkä:

• The resorts (Saariselkä, but also Levi, Pyhä and Ivalo) offer package holidays which include activities, full board dining as well as airport transfers. Check the list of activities and calculate whether a packages works out well for you.
  
  We, for example, realised we didn’t want to do half of the activities listed and we didn’t need lunches – the half board option was enough. That’s why we went for a Stay & Dine package, rather than the activities one.
• Speaking of prices of activities and also the quality – we did do research. Of course we did, you know us! Turns out, the activities offered by NLV are the best price and quality, when compared to other providers in Saariselkä or Santa’s Village (at least the ones that we could research online).
• The NLV resort encourages people to book activities in advance. In high season, it is true that they might get fully booked (even people who are not staying at the resort can book the activities, so there’s high demand), so make sure you don’t miss out. In April though? We booked once we were at the resort, when we could check the whether forecast, and see how we were feeling. And it was fine.

What activities did we do at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä?

Here are the 4 activities we did during our stay at the NLV Saariselkä (not counting seeing the Northern Lights):

• Reindeer ride – highly recommended, a fantastic experience of riding through the arctic forest, learning about reindeer and then feeding them (no touching rule, if you are concerned about ethical experiences).
• Sauna, jacuzzi & ice pool – Finish sauna while in Finland is a must and since you are in Lapland, you might as well throw in an ice pool (read: throw yourself into it). If budget allows, book more than 1hr because it goes by in a flash.
• Husky ride – mixed feelings on this one. Daniel enjoyed it. Mirka and her sister hated it. We shared our unfiltered experience here, because we think people aren’t aware of what they are getting themselves into (we certainly weren’t 😬).
• Aurora Trail hike – the great thing about staying at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä? You are right at the entrance to the Urho Kekkonen National Park, full of different trails – walking, snowshoes, cross-country skiing etc.
  
  We only had time and energy to do the short, Aurora Trail hike – we went during the day, but the hut is apparently visited by people at night for aurora viewing (hence the name!).
  
  If you have more time, the trails are a great option for doing more budget (or even free) activities. And we are all about saving money!

Something to think about

For any emergencies, accidents and incidents, it’s best to be protected by travel insurance.

Did you know we researched 23 insurance providers when choosing the right one for our full-time travels?

Yes, we are that crazy. But it was worth it. In the end, we actually found two companies whose insurance we are happy with.

If you are not sure who to go with, definitely check out SafetyWing or True Traveller. They are both great, both created by travellers for travellers, and both offer amazing value for money.

The cost of activities at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä

The one issue with doing activities at the Northern Lights Village resort? Actually not just NLV, because, as we said, they are actually well-priced, in comparison with others.

Basically, activities in Lapland are bloody expensive.

How expensive?

Well, let’s just say that we paid almost the same amount of money for activities (and transfers), as we did for the actual stay – and we only did 3 paid activities. Yikes.

Do this to avoid disappointment over activities in Lapland

1. Keep all costs in mind

When planning your Lapland holiday, don’t just take into account your accommodation. Scandinavian countries are known for being not budget-friendly locations.

Eating out is expensive. So are groceries. That’s why we loved staying at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä where food was already included in the accommodation price (more on this below).

You can easily spend one kidney on eating out and the other on paying for activities. Check out prices in advance to not be shocked and disappointed once you get to Lapland

Also read our post Lapland on a Budget to learn more money-saving tips and tricks.

2. Find the right balance

Consider experience vs budget. Would you rather postpone your holiday by a year, so you can save up more, to be able to do all the activities you want? Or are you happy skipping some things, as long as you get to go to Lapland, stay in an Aurora Cabin, and, fingers crossed, see the Northern Lights?

3. Gift experiences

A good way to approach this, especially if you decide to postpone your holiday? Experience gifting! We’ve been doing this for years – instead of material presents, we give each other experiences. It’s one of the ways we save money.

Maybe instead of giving your kids toys this Christmas, you give them a scratch card which reveals they’ll be going on a reindeer ride next winter.

Or you ask your parents to gift you a snowmobile safari experience for your birthday, instead of giving you a perfume and a bottle of wine.

Basically, turn your Lapland holiday into the ultimate gift – swap stuff for experiences and make planning the trip part of the present.

Winter clothes rental at the Northern Lights Village

If you are worried about freezing your butt off during all of these awesome activities, we totally get it.

We worried about that too.

In fact, not wanting to buy brand new winter gear just for one trip was one of the reasons we kept postponing travelling to Lapland!

How silly of us!

We later discovered there are ways to save money when buying clothes for Lapland.

And our best tip?

Staying at a resort like Northern Lights Village Saariselkä, where winter gear rental is already included in the price.

Yes, you read that right!

We could borrow the awesome snowsuits we mentioned here for FREE, for the whole stay.

We also got good winter boots and waterproof mittens from the hotel – saving our asses. (literally. There would have been many falls if we weren’t wearing these good winter boots).

Make sure to keep this in mind, especially when planning what to wear for aurora watching – you don’t have to worry as much about buying all the winter gear, if you are staying somewhere like the Northern Lights Village resort where you can rent it for free.

What is eating at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä like?

Remember how we mentioned we were on the Stay & Dine package, which included half-board meals?

Here is what you need to know about eating at the NLV Saariselkä resort:

• The Stay & Dine package is half board only. For us, this was enough and if you are also able to skip lunches (maybe by having a snack), it’s a good way to save money during your Lapland holiday.
• You can always go for a lunch at the resort restaurant or in the village, if you happen to get hungry.
• The activities packages include full board. Keep in mind that when you have lunches included, you won’t be able to take full-day trips, though, unless you want to miss out on the lunch.
• Breakfast and dinners are both buffet style, so you are able to eat as much as you need.
• All the food was tasty.
• Some staple items were available daily, but the mains and desserts were different each day (at least during our 4-night stay).

We worried about the meals a bit, not having lunch included, and also because buffet style in hotels often means crappy food that you have to fight over with other guests.

Thankfully, our worries were completely pointless – breakfast and dinner was enough for us, the food was yummy and it was always topped up. The only thing that forever kept running out? Bacon at breakfast! But that’s understandable, right?😆

When to book your Northern Lights Village Saariselkä stay

Wondering when you should book your stay at Northern Lights Village Saariselkä?

As early as possible.

We booked in August 2024 for April 2025 and it already was the only date which had:

• Enough consecutive nights available
• A higher chance of seeing the lights (more on this below)

That’s 8 months in advance, and it was all pretty much booked out.

So book as early as you can, taking into account a few things:

• Your ability to take time off work
• School holidays (travelling during them or, the other option, avoiding them)
• The experience you want. Are you looking to get in the Christmas mood? Or even spend Christmas in Lapland? Or would you rather avoid this period of time, since it’s the busiest one?
• Chances of seeing the Northern Lights. We are assuming that if you are staying at the Northern Lights Village, seeing the lights is one of your goals. Take into account the time of the year (aurora is not visible during the summer months), weather (Nov/Dec can be rainy and too cloudy to see the lights) and even the phases of the moon (Northern Lights are best viewed in darkness, so avoid full moon and the days around it)

What we did

Since seeing aurora was our main reason for going to Lapland, we picked our dates based on the moon.

First, we checked the calendar to see the dates of new moon (when the sky is the darkest).

We crosschecked these with the availability at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä resort.

As we mentioned, at that point (8 months in advance), there was only one set of dates that fitted these requirements, so we booked it fast!

And yes, as we said at the start, that meant we not only had dates for our Lapland holiday, but also pretty much a date for our wild, secret wedding too!

How many nights should I stay at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä resort?

This is a question that we wondered about too, when booking our stay at NLV.

How many nights do you book?

Especially with Lapland being an expensive destination and every night costing the equivalent of a week in Thailand*

*approximate, calculation based on actual numbers: our 2023 full-time travels in Thailand vs our daily average on this wedding/Lapland holiday

How to decide how many nights to book

Unless you have an unlimited budget, you will have to make tough decisions when it comes to your Lapland holiday.

The mistake many people make when staying at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä

What we noticed during our stay at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä, is that so many people come just for a night or two. 

Basically, booking one night just to stay in a glass igloo, take pics on Instagram and tick it off their bucket list.

The problem with that?

If you are reading this post carefully, you know the answer.

The chances of seeing the Northern Lights.

This is where a bit of math comes in.

When estimating your chances of seeing Aurora Borealis?

Always count with the lights being visible only on 50% of the nights during your stay.*

Meaning if you stay 1 night, your chances of seeing the lights are…

Well.

If you are a person who has good luck, you might still end up seeing them.

But if you have 💩 luck like us. Or if you simply don’t want to go all the way to Lapland and risk not seeing the lights, you need more than 1 night.

*The 50% chance applies once all the other conditions are met – going in winter, during the right moon phase etc. If you show up in summer, even math won’t help you see the aurora.

Here is how to decide

When deciding on how many nights you should stay, consider these things:

• Your budget
• Increasing your chances of seeing the lights*
• Other activities you want to do (you don’t wanna have to cram everything into one day. It wouldn’t even be possible if you wanted to do, for example, 4 activities)
• The availability – make sure to read this section

*This, obviously, depends on the rest of your holiday. If you are travelling through Lapland for 10 days, but only want to do 1 night in a glass igloo, fair enough. Chances are you will see the lights elsewhere, during your 10 days.

What did we do?

We originally considered staying just 3 nights, because of the cost. Thankfully, we decided to yolo it and booked the extra night.

And the math was correct – we ended up seeing the lights on 2 out of our 4 nights. 50% chance!

Speaking of budget, we know this is what you are dying to know. So let’s reveal the big number.

How much does it cost to stay at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä?

Ahh, finally, the thing everyone wants to know!

Will I have to sell a kidney and my collection of Pokemon cards to afford to stay at Northern Lights Village Saariselkä?

*Drumroll*

No.

At least for now. And at least if you plan well.

How much did we pay?

One thing you might know about us is we like to keep things honest on here.

No gatekeeping.

No misleading you.

No pretending.

We share things as they are, because there is enough fake stuff out there, in this world.

In that spirit, we’ll share with you exactly how much we paid for our stay at the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä hotel.

What you should know

With the price, keep in mind these things:

• We booked in advance (8 months prior to our stay)
• We were 3 adults, but we did share 1 cabin
• We chose the Stay & Dine package
• We booked the accommodation via Booking.com, after comparing the price with the official Northern Lights Village website

Right, we won’t keep you waiting.

The price?

We paid €1,542.

An absolutely insane amount.

The cost per person

If your jaw dropped when you saw the total price, we are not surprised.

It’s unreal, right?

Here’s some math to show you how unbelievable this price was:

€1,542 for 4 nights = €385.5 per night

There were 3 of us, so €385.5/3 = €128.5 per night per person

Now, if you are not absolutely blown away, here’s why you should be.

Why is this an insane price?

Let’s put this price into context.

€129 a night per person:

• In Finland, one of the most expensive countries in Europe
• For a stay in a beautiful Aurora Cabin where you can see the Northern Lights straight from your bed
• Tasty breakfast and dinner are included in that price
• This wasn’t a low season stay – we went at the start of April, which is one of the best times to visit to have snow and be able to see the aurora

Do you now see why we were so desperate to book the resort, hell, even pick a date of our wedding based on our stay there? 😄

Does it mean the Northern Lights Village resorts will always be this cheap?

No.

But they are definitely worth checking out, especially if you want an affordable, but still beautiful (and Instagrammable) holiday.

Northern Lights Village Saariselkä: Is it worth it?

This section is probably totally pointless, you must know the answer to the question yourself by now.

But, just in case you haven’t read the whole post, and only came here to see whether the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä resort is worth it:

Yes!

We had an amazing stay there:

• We got to see the Northern Lights (including from our own bed!)
• We got to try new things (activities as well as food)
• And we got to have a holiday in Lapland, without breaking the bank!

So if you are not sure whether you should go, our advice would be yes!

Check the prices.

Check your bank account.

Make a plan.

And make it happen.

Btw, if you want to ask more questions about Northern Lights Village Saariselkä, or need help planning the trip, just book a call with us and we can help!

Now, tell us the truth? How much do you wanna stay at Northern Lights Village Saariselkä? Are you already checking out the dates available? 🤭