Holiday Club Saariselkä
Spa hotel with pool area in the village centre. The warm-water pools and saunas fill the polar-night afternoons for families; central pickups and restaurants on site.
See the whole baseChoose the night, then the base
In Saariselkä the igloo is one night; the other nights decide the trip.
Every safari collects from the village hotels, the airport is about 30 minutes away and the glass-igloo resorts sit a few kilometres out along the E75. Stay in the village for tours, the spa and the ski trails, move to Kakslauttanen or an aurora-cabin village for the glass-roof night, or go to Lake Inari for quiet dark-sky stays with their own programmes.
The call
Village for the tour nights, one igloo night, Lake Inari if silence is the point.
Use the Saariselkä village hotels when safaris, dinners and the airport bus matter more than the room; everything is within a short walk or a hotel pickup. Book one night, rarely two, in a glass igloo or aurora cabin, because the price is high and the sky does the same thing from a cabin window. The Wilderness Hotels around Lake Inari and Nellim are worth it for couples and photographers who want dark skies from the door and an included activity programme, but they cost transfer time and are not a base for village tours.
- Bases
- 3
- Named stays
- 11
- Reviewed
- 2026-09-26
- Live prices
- Stay22
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Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort
Glass igloos, kelo-glass igloos and log cabins. The original glass-igloo resort with an East and a West Village, small and large igloos, log cabins with saunas and on-site husky, reindeer and snowmobile safaris.
See the whole baseWilderness Hotel Inari
Lakeside hotel with aurora cabins in Inari village. On the Lake Inari shore a short walk from the Siida museum and the village; aurora cabins face the lake and the lodge runs its own safaris.
See the whole baseCompare the bases
Where each base wins, where it loses, and how you get there.
Verdicts come from reviewed route evidence; prices come live from the booking provider for your exact dates.
Village
Saariselkä village and Kaunispää
Best all-round base for tour pickups, the spa, ski trails and polar-night evenings.
The village holds the hotels, the restaurants, the spa, the ski hire and the pickup points for every husky, snowmobile and aurora operator, with the Kaunispää slopes and the national park trails starting at its edge. A hotel here removes every transfer except the airport.
Value case
Usually the best value for a three- or four-night trip because the pickups, the dinners and the floodlit trails are all on foot, and the rate is far below an igloo.
Watch out
Restaurants are few and close early outside the Christmas and February peaks; book dinner or choose a hotel with half board on tour nights.
Best for
- First-time visitors who want the fewest unknowns on tour evenings
- Families combining the spa, the toboggan run, huskies and one igloo night
- Cross-country skiers and snowshoe walkers using the trails from the door
- Anyone arriving by coach, which stops in the village and not at the resorts
Trade-offs
- Street and hotel lights hide weaker aurora; walk to the trail edges or take a hunt.
- The village is small, so a fifth or sixth night can feel repetitive without a car.
- Prices peak sharply between Christmas and New Year and in the February holiday weeks.
Access
- Airport buses and pre-booked taxis run the roughly 25 km from Ivalo Airport in about 30 minutes.
- Coaches from Rovaniemi and Ivalo stop in the village centre, according to Matkahuolto.
- Every operator collects from the named hotels; Kiilopää and the park trailheads are a short transfer.
Holiday Club Saariselkä
Spa hotel with pool area in the village centreThe warm-water pools and saunas fill the polar-night afternoons for families; central pickups and restaurants on site.
Santa's Hotel Tunturi
Village hotel with cabins and restaurantsLong-running village hotel with rooms, apartments and cabins around a central building; a common named pickup point for safaris.
Lapland Hotels Riekonlinna
Chain hotel at the forest edge with ski accessOn the quiet side of the village next to the trails and the national park edge, so a short walk reaches dark sky; reliable rooms and breakfast.
Star Arctic Hotel
Fell-top hotel with glass-walled aurora suitesOn the summit of Kaunispää above the village, with glass-fronted suites facing the open fell; a sky view without a resort transfer.
Stay22 · every stay in this baseCompare all stays around VillageLive totals, map position and cancellation terms for the exact dates.
Check live pricesGlass igloos
Kakslauttanen and the aurora-cabin resorts
Best for the one glass-roof night the trip is built around.
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, about 10 km south of the village on the E75, is where the glass igloo started, with an East Village and a West Village 4 km apart. Northern Lights Village Saariselkä at the village edge and Aurora Village Ivalo near the airport sell the same idea as heated cabins with glass roofs.
Value case
Worth the premium for exactly one night: the glass roof turns a clear night into a stay-in-bed aurora watch and gives the trip its photograph.
Watch out
Igloos are small, the bathroom is often in a separate building at the older units, and a cloudy night looks like any other; two igloo nights rarely add value.
Best for
- Couples marking an anniversary or honeymoon with one glass-roof night
- Photographers who want to shoot from a warm bed on a clear night
- Families who want the igloo night without a long drive from the village
- Travelers who prefer resort dinners and on-site safaris over a village
Trade-offs
- Dinner is the resort restaurant; there is no walkable alternative.
- Village tours still collect from the village, so plan the igloo night at the start or end.
- Rates over Christmas and New Year are the highest in Finnish Lapland.
Access
- Kakslauttanen is about 10 km south of the village and about 35 km from Ivalo Airport; the resort arranges transfers.
- Northern Lights Village Saariselkä is at the edge of the village on the main road, a short taxi from the hotels.
- Aurora Village Ivalo is a few kilometres from Ivalo and the airport, so it suits an arrival or departure night.
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort
Glass igloos, kelo-glass igloos and log cabinsThe original glass-igloo resort with an East and a West Village, small and large igloos, log cabins with saunas and on-site husky, reindeer and snowmobile safaris.
Northern Lights Village Saariselkä
Aurora cabins with heated glass roofsCabins with a glass half-roof over the bed, a private bathroom in the cabin and a restaurant on site, a short taxi from the village pickups.
Aurora Village Ivalo
Aurora cabins near Ivalo and the airportGlass-roof cabins on a quiet site near Ivalo with an on-site restaurant; the shortest transfer from the airport for a first or last night.
Stay22 · every stay in this baseCompare all stays around Glass igloosLive totals, map position and cancellation terms for the exact dates.
Check live pricesLake Inari
Lake Inari, Ivalo and Nellim wilderness hotels
Best for dark-sky couples and photographers who want a lodge with its own programme.
Ivalo, about 30 km north of the village, is the municipal centre on the Ivalo river; Inari village, about 70 km north, sits on Lake Inari with the Siida Sámi museum; Nellim is a small village on the eastern shore near the Russian border. The Wilderness Hotels here run aurora, husky and ice-fishing programmes from the lodge.
Value case
Worth it when the stay is the activity: half board, aurora cabins and safaris from the door replace village tours, and the lake horizons give the darkest skies in the area.
Watch out
Transfers of 30 to 90 minutes each way, few restaurants and no walkable village; first-time visitors and families usually get more from the village plus one igloo night.
Best for
- Couples who want dark skies from the room on several nights
- Photographers working frozen Lake Inari and the forest shore
- Repeat visitors who have already done the village safaris
- Travelers interested in Sámi culture at the Siida museum in Inari village
Trade-offs
- Inari village is about 70 km and Nellim about 45 km from the airport; storms and reindeer slow the drives.
- Dinner is the lodge restaurant, usually on half board, with fixed sittings.
- Village safaris and the spa need a return to Saariselkä, so plan these nights at the start or end.
Access
- Wilderness Hotels arrange airport transfers for guests; confirm times against the Finnair schedule before booking.
- Coaches on the Rovaniemi to Ivalo and Inari route stop in Ivalo and Inari village, according to Matkahuolto.
- A rental car makes a village plus lakeside split simple; keep the last night near the airport if the flight is early.
Wilderness Hotel Inari
Lakeside hotel with aurora cabins in Inari villageOn the Lake Inari shore a short walk from the Siida museum and the village; aurora cabins face the lake and the lodge runs its own safaris.
Wilderness Hotel Nangu
Small lakeside lodge with aurora cabins south of InariA quieter lodge on the western shore of Lake Inari with cabins and lakeside sauna; suits couples who want the lake without a village.
Wilderness Hotel Muotka
Forest lodge with aurora cabins between Ivalo and InariSet in pine forest off the E75 between Ivalo and Inari, with aurora cabins, half board and safaris from the lodge; a short drive from the airport.
Wilderness Hotel Nellim
Remote lakeside lodge near the eastern borderAbout 45 km east of Ivalo on the eastern shore of Lake Inari, with aurora cabins, ice fishing and the darkest skies of the area; a destination stay, not a base for village tours.
Stay22 · every stay in this baseCompare all stays around Lake InariLive totals, map position and cancellation terms for the exact dates.
Check live pricesChoose in four questions
Match the base to the trip before comparing prices.
Is this your first aurora trip and are you staying three or four nights?
Stay in the village and book one night at Kakslauttanen or Northern Lights Village. Every safari starts within a hotel pickup, the airport bus is direct and the spa covers a cloudy afternoon.
Is the glass igloo the reason for the trip?
Book the igloo night first and build the flights around it, then add village nights on either side. One igloo night is enough; put it in the middle of the stay so a cloudy first night does not decide it.
Are dark skies and photography the main goal?
Split the trip between the village and a Wilderness Hotel at Inari, Muotka or Nellim, and let the lodge programme replace the village safaris on those nights.
Are you travelling with children in December?
Stay in the village. Twilight days, −15 °C and early dinners are easier with a spa pool, the toboggan run and short walks; book one guided hunt and one igloo night rather than nightly drives.
Are you arriving by coach from Rovaniemi?
Choose a village hotel. The coach stops in the village centre and not at the resorts; a resort night can still be added with the resort's own transfer.
Compare live prices across all of Saariselkä
Use the destination-wide comparison when the base is still open, then come back to the named picks above for the final choice.
Affiliate disclosure: the Stay22 comparison link is commercial. If you book through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost. Providers control prices, payment, changes and refunds; the picks stay editorial.
Stay22 · live value comparisonFind best-value stays around SaariselkäCompare live totals, map position and cancellation terms for the exact dates.
Check live pricesPractical questions
What travelers ask about staying in Saariselkä
Which Saariselkä hotels are the usual tour pickup points?
Most operators collect from the village hotels, naming Holiday Club Saariselkä, Santa's Hotel Tunturi and Lapland Hotels Riekonlinna in their pickup lists, and some collect from Kakslauttanen for a surcharge. Confirm the exact spot in the booking confirmation; it changes by operator and season.
Is one night in a glass igloo enough?
Yes for almost everyone. The igloo is a bed under a glass roof; on a clear night one stay gives the full experience, and on a cloudy night a second would not help. Spend the difference on a guided hunt or a husky day.
How far is Ivalo Airport from the village hotels?
About 25 km. The airport bus and taxis take around 30 minutes to the village; Kakslauttanen is about 10 minutes further south and Aurora Village Ivalo a few minutes from the terminal.
Can I stay by Lake Inari and still do the village safaris?
Yes, but most village operators do not collect 30 to 70 km away, so book the lodge's own programme on those nights and plan the village safaris for the nights you sleep in Saariselkä.
Is Star Arctic Hotel an igloo?
No. It is a hotel on top of Kaunispää with glass-walled suites facing the fell, so you get a sky view and a full bathroom without a resort transfer. For a glass roof over the bed, book Kakslauttanen, Northern Lights Village or a Wilderness Hotel aurora cabin.
When do Saariselkä hotels and igloos sell out?
Christmas to New Year first, then the Finnish and European school-holiday weeks in late February and early March. Igloos for those dates go many months ahead; other winter weeks usually hold availability a few weeks out.
Is Hotel Ivalo a good base?
Hotel Ivalo on the river in Ivalo village suits a first or last night close to the airport and a coach connection, but the safaris and the ski trails are in Saariselkä, about 30 km south, so it is a transit stop rather than a base.
Sources
What the base verdicts rest on
Checked 2026-09-26. Distances, transport and access facts come from these sources; live prices and terms come from the booking provider.
- Finavia: Finnish airports, including IvaloFinavia
- Matkahuolto: coach timetables and ticketsMatkahuolto
- Inari-Saariselkä tourism: villages, activities and arrivalInari-Saariselkä Tourism
- Kakslauttanen Arctic ResortKakslauttanen Arctic Resort
- Wikipedia: Ivalo AirportWikipedia
- Wikipedia: Inari, FinlandWikipedia
Keep planning
Saariselkä guides for the dates you have
Glass igloos in Saariselkä: which resort to book and why one night is enough.
Kakslauttanen, Northern Lights Village, Star Arctic and the Wilderness Hotels compared: what a glass igloo is, why one night is enough and what to confirm.
Read the guideNorthern lights in Saariselkä: strong odds, dark sky a short walk away, and when to pay for a hunt.
Northern lights in Saariselkä: why 68° N gives strong odds, where the dark sky starts at the village edge, how guided hunts work and which forecasts to read.
Read the guideSaariselkä in December: polar night twilight, deep dry cold and the darkest aurora sky of the year.
Saariselkä in December: polar night from about 6 December, five hours of twilight, −9.7 °C average with −20 °C spells, Christmas-week prices and what to book first.
Read the guide