Set Foot Inside The Arctic Circle
Ticked off
Cross the line where the summer sun refuses to set and the winter sun barely bothers to rise.
The adventure
The Arctic Circle sits at about 66°33′ north, and crossing it changes the rules of daylight. North of the line there is at least one day each summer when the sun never sets, and at least one in winter when it never rises. In Norway, the road and railway cross it on the bare plateau of Saltfjellet, where a globe-topped monument and hundreds of stone cairns left by travellers mark the spot.
Keep going and it gets wilder. In Tromsø, the midnight sun shines round the clock from late May to late July, while in winter the polar night brings weeks of blue twilight and, on clear nights, green ribbons of aurora overhead. There are reindeer on the roads and sea eagles over the fjords, and if you cross by ship along the coast, there's a ceremony that usually ends with ice-cold water down your back.
Why it’s epic
- Midnight sun in Tromsø from around 20 May to 22 July.
- The Arctic Circle Centre on the E6 at Saltfjellet, surrounded by travellers' cairns.
- The Arctic Circle creeps north by roughly 15 metres a year as Earth's tilt slowly changes.
- Northern lights from September to March in places such as Tromsø, Abisko and Rovaniemi.
What it is
The Arctic Circle marks the latitude above which the sun stays above the horizon for at least one day each summer.
How to do it
Cross it by train or road in Norway, Sweden, Finland or Alaska, or by flying to places such as Tromsø or Rovaniemi.
Top tip
The Arctic Circle Centre in Norway and Santa Claus Village in Finland both have marked crossing lines.
Need to know
- Winter temperatures well below freezing are normal, so pack proper thermal layers and boots.
- Northern lights are never guaranteed; allow several nights and hope for clear skies.
- Rovaniemi in Finland sits right on the circle and has winter flights from the UK.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £750 to £2,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 1 to 2 days
- Best time to go
- June to August for midnight sun, winter for the northern lights
- Fly into
- TOS airport
Flights are short and the line costs nothing to cross, but Norway and Finland are expensive once you're there.
Do it yourself
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My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
Over to you
Is “Set Foot Inside The Arctic Circle” on your bucket list, or have you already done it? Tell me in the comments, and if you've got a question about it, ask away and I'll answer.