Lapland- the land of the five seasons

There is a region, on the roof of Europe, where nature has an extra season. In fact, in Lapland the ‘ruska’ season is underway - the season when the autumnal colours explode This season usually begins in mid-September and lasts a few weeks, until the leaves fall and the arrival of winter.
The colouring of the autumn foliage is a special period, during which the nature of Lapland dresses itself in splendid shades of red, orange and yellow, offering unforgettable experiences for both locals and visitors. During this phase, the forests, hills and bodies of water of Lapland are transformed into a colourful work of art. Birches, rowans and dwarf birches shine with bright colours, and shrubs such as blueberries and cranberries add depth and contrast to the landscape. This natural spectacle attracts photographers, hikers and nature lovers from all over the world. You can even follow the progress of autumn and choose the best destinations to see the cycle with Visit Finland’s Autumn Foliage Live service.
The season of brilliant autumn foliage is also a great time for all kinds of outdoor activities, with Lapland’s many national parks and hiking trails providing excellent conditions for hiking, cycling and berry picking. The air is cool, but still warm enough to enjoy long days outdoors. The nights start to get dark and the Northern Lights, can appear in the sky, adding a touch of magic to the atmosphere.
Lapland is also becoming increasingly within reach. The Finnish national airline Finnair offers year-round flights from Helsinki Airport to Finavia Airports in Lapland. In addition, Norwegian offers scheduled flights from Helsinki Airport to Rovaniemi. Lapland is connected to many different destinations in Europe with direct routes in winter and, from next summer, also all year round. Since October 27, Ryanairhas scheduled flights from Milan’s Bergamo Airport with three weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. In April 2025, flights will continue twice a week, on Fridays and Sundays, making the route, operated with 189-seat Boeing 737 aircraft, possible all year round. “The Milan route will further strengthen the year-round accessibility of Rovaniemi and the whole of Lapland,” says Petri Vuori, Finavia’s vice president for route development. “Rovaniemi has been actively developing its year-round accessibility and now we will have an important air connection for the area from Bergamo airport.
Rovaniemi’s reputation as a winter destination has created a good basis for demand in the Southern European market even during the snow-free seasons. The new route offers excellent connections for both those travelling north and for locals who want to visit Europe,” says Sanna Kärkkäinen, CEO of Visit Rovaniemi. The route will already be the third international connection to Lapland that will be operated all year round. Discover Airlines and Edelweiss Air, part of the Lufthansa Group, have announced that they will continue their scheduled flights to Kittilä Airport in summer 2025: Discover from Frankfurt and Edelweiss from Zurich.
As for the other airlines in the Lufthansa Group, Lufthansa will open a route from Frankfurt to Rovaniemi during the winter season 2024-2025, Edelweiss Air from Zurich to Kittilä and Rovaniemi, Austrian Airlines from Vienna to Kittilä and Ivalo and Eurowings from Hamburg to Kittilä and Rovaniemi and from Stuttgart to Rovaniemi.
In turn, the Spanish airline Vueling will start scheduled flights from Paris Orly Airport to Ivalo Airport in December 2024. With the opening, Vueling will offer three international routes to Finavia airports for the next winter season. Vueling will fly the route from Paris to Ivalo once a week on Saturdays between 28 December 2024 and 29 March 2025. In addition to the new route, Vueling will resume its flights from Barcelona to Rovaniemi Airport and Helsinki Airport for the 2024-2025 winter season. "The new opening is great news and will increase the number of international routes at Ivalo Airport to seven next winter. Thanks to these routes, the record growth of tourism in Lapland will continue in the future", adds Vuori.
But from Milan it will also be possible to reach further north of Rovaniemi, to Kittilä, which serves the entire winter sports area of Levi and Ylläs. In fact, Easyjet opens a new route in November, operated twice a week. The first direct scheduled flight from Italy to Kittilä will bring a new, culturally interesting and growing international flow to the Lapland region. Along with the needs and interests of Italian tourists, the offer of tourist services is expected to become increasingly diverse. "It is nice to see that interest in this region is growing in more and more countries and we are happy to welcome a new group of customers. The Italian customer is looking for unique and authentic nature experiences all year round, which offer new opportunities for companies in the region", says Kati Vehmas, CEO of Visit Ylläs.
The new route also allows Finnish tourists to visit Italy. Starting in November, the new route from Milan to Kittilä on holiday will allow you to get to know the traditions and explore Italian culture, gastronomy and fashion. And you will be able to see if Italians also like Lapland reindeer meat as a pizza topping.
Detailed flight schedules and all information are available on the websites of the relevant airlines or from the tour operators.
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