Kittilä

Kittilä is a municipality in Finnish Lapland. The best known destinations here are the Levi ski resort at Sirkka, Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park in the west (Ylläsjärvi, Jerisjärvi/Rauhala) and Lemmenjoki National Park in the north. The sculptures in the snow village in Lainio got a lot of attention in the late 2010s.

Understand


The main tourist information is in Levi:

Kittilä covers a vast area consisting mostly of taiga forest and bogs, with only 6,500 permanent residents (2021). The municipality is monolingually Finnish. English is widely understood.

River Ounasjoki runs through the municipality almost directly from north to south. Some remote villages got a road connection only after World War II. The fell massifs, especially Pallastunturi and Levi, got some fame for their sights already in the 18th century but the remoteness was a major issue until the main village got a suitable road and a coach connection from Rovaniemi in 1923. Already in the 1930s a small hotel was built at Pallastunturi, but the visitors had to hike or travel in a reindeer sleigh(!) to get there until the road to the fell was accomplished in 1956. The 55 km long trekking route between Pallastunturi and Hetta in Enontekiö was opened in 1934 and is the oldest marked hiking trail in Finland.

In the aftermath of World War II, known as the Lapland War, almost all buildings in the area were destroyed by retreating German troops, including the hotel at Pallastunturi and even some of the roadless villages.

Today Kittilä is a vivid and economically stable community and one of the very few municipalities in Lapland having positive net migration. The is one of the most popular winter sports centres in Finland with almost complete set of services and top level nightlife for after ski.

For nature enthusiasts, parts of, and  extend to Kittilä but the landscape is more or less backcountry elsewhere as well.

, about 40 km from the main village as the crow flies, is the largest gold mine in Europe and an employer for over 1000 people. This ore rich municipality is struggling between interests of international mining companies and increasing request for unspoiled nature.

The coldest temperature ever recorded in Finland,, was measured in the on 28 January 1999.

By car
Kittilä is about 150 km north from Rovaniemi. Many people coming from the south choose to take the car with them on the train from Helsinki, Turku or Tampere and then drive from either Rovaniemi or from Kolari, which is 60 km away from Kittilä (however the train to Kolari only runs twice a week). Helsinki has a car ferry from Travemünde in Germany.

Optionally you can drive from Helsinki. The distance is almost 1,000 km and the drive will take some 12–14 hours depending on road conditions. Helsinki is reached via the Via Baltica and a short ferry passage from Tallinn, Estonia. If driving from Germany or Central Europe in general, the shortest route goes through Sweden along road E4 all the way to Luleå and then through Pajala to the Finnish border and on to Kittilä.

By rail
There are overnight trains to Rovaniemi and to Kolari (sparsely to the latter) from southern Finland and to Luleå, and onwards to Haparanda, from southern Sweden. From there you can continue by coach.

By bus
There are coach services from e.g. Rovaniemi, Hetta, Kilpisjärvi, Kolari, Sodankylä and Haparanda. In summer a daily direct connection from Tromsø is also available.

By taxi

 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi

See



 * The midnight sun is visible from late May to mid-July for about 45 days on the latitude of Levi. The polar night starts in early December and lasts about one month. During the winter, the northern lights are a common sight.

Do
Most people come to Kittilä for downhill skiing in the winter. They head for the nearby ski centres Levi and Ylläs.

There are also a host of other outdoor activities offered by tour providers, see below, sorted by village.

You can also go hiking or cross-country skiing on your own in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. The nearest trailheads are around Aakennustunturi, both trails and skiing tracks.
 * Totovaara: 16 km by road 80 towards Kolari; also (15 km) and Joutsenpolku (7 km) nature trail
 * Äijänkuusikko (10 km farther; skiing tracks, on the other side of Aakennustunturi.
 * Trail via Niritsa: 20 km from Kittilä, turn right to road 9403; also Aakennustunturi nature trail (starting 4 km from the road). The skiing tracks start at Levi 20 km away.
 * Kalliokoski: 25 km from Kittilä, drive 5 km further along road 9403. The trail and the skiing tracks start at Levi 20 km away.

Sirkka and Köngäs
For activities in or near the villages Sirkka and Köngäs (about 10km north of Sirkka/Levi), see Levi.

Rauhala


In or near the village Rauhala at lake Jerisjärvi, near Pallas-Yllästunturi fell chain and national park.



Eat
Try the Lappish speciality Poronkäristys (reindeer meat).

Jerisjärvi/Rauhala
See also Do above.

Sirkka and Köngäs
Large selection. See listings in Levi.

Lainio
30 km from Kittilä centre, near the road between Kittilä and Ylläsjärvi.

Stay healthy
In emergencies, call