Kittilä is a municipality inFinnish Lapland. The best known destinations here are theLevi ski resort at Sirkka,Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park in the west (Ylläsjärvi, Jerisjärvi/Rauhala) andLemmenjoki National Park in the north. The sculptures in the snow village in Lainio got a lot of attention in the late 2010s.
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 inEnontekiö 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. The67.7824.852Levi skiing resort 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 of67.6624.433Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park,68.3125.274Lemmenjoki National Park and68.2624.745Pulju Wilderness Area extend to Kittilä but the landscape is more or less backcountry elsewhere as well.
67.9125.46Suurikuusikko mine, 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,−51.5 °C (−60.7 °F), was measured in the68.156425.75957Pokka village on 28 January 1999.
Kittilä is about 150 km north fromRovaniemi. Many people coming from the south choose to take the car with them on the train fromHelsinki,Turku orTampere and then drive from either Rovaniemi or fromKolari, which is 60 km away from Kittilä (however the train to Kolari only runs twice a week). Helsinki has a car ferry fromTravemünde 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 theVia Baltica and a short ferry passage fromTallinn, Estonia. If driving from Germany or Central Europe in general, the shortest route goes throughSweden along road E4 all the way toLuleå and then throughPajala to the Finnish border and on to Kittilä.
There are overnight trains toRovaniemi and toKolari (sparsely to the latter) from southern Finland and toLuleå, and onwards toHaparanda, from southern Sweden. From there you can continue by coach.
There arecoach services from e.g.Rovaniemi,Hetta,Kilpisjärvi,Kolari,Sodankylä andHaparanda. In summer a daily direct connection fromTromsø is also available.
(updated Feb 2017)Most people come to Kittilä fordownhill skiing in the winter. They head for the nearby ski centresLevi andYlläs.
There are also a host of other outdoor activities offered by tour providers, see below, sorted by village.
You can also gohiking or cross-country skiing on your own inPallas-Yllästunturi National Park. The nearest trailheads are around Aakennustunturi, both trails and skiing tracks.
For activities in or near the villages Sirkka and Köngäs (about 10km north of Sirkka/Levi), seeLevi.
In or near the village Rauhala at lake Jerisjärvi, near Pallas-Yllästunturi fell chain and national park.
Try the Lappish specialityPoronkäristys (reindeer meat).
See also Do above.
Large selection. See listings inLevi.
30 km from Kittilä centre, near the road between Kittilä andYlläsjärvi.
Inemergencies, call☏112
| Routes through Kittilä |
| Muonio←Levi← | N  S | →Rovaniemi→END |
| Thiscity travel guide toKittiläis ausable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but pleasefeel free to improve itby editing the page. |
