Rovaniemi in March: Too Late For a Winter Visit? [My Thoughts]

If you’re wondering whether visiting Rovaniemi in March will still give you the classic winter experience, I’m here to answer with a pretty strong yes — only that there are a few things you ought to keep in mind.

From my experience, March is a bit of a transitional month in the Arctic. The region brushes off its layers of darkness it has been wearing since November, and the sun starts its rapid shift towards longer days… but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of aurora to see.

And by the end of March in the Arctic, you’ll find yourself often having longer days than places further south in Europe! That’s how fast the acceleration between polar night and midnight sun occurs in the Arctic.

However, while the sun may be increasing rapidly, the temperature is not rising quite as fast… which is a good thing if you are coming to Rovaniemi for all the winter wonderland feels. The sunlight gives you an appreciation for the beauty of the typically still snow-covered landscape, and a nice energy boost compared to the darker months of the year (especially if you have SAD like I do).

I visited Rovaniemi for a second time near the end of March and I found that even in the last few days of March, it was still a great time to visit (and the beginning of the month might be even better!).

Weather and Daylight in Rovaniemi in March

In March, the average high temperature is generally still below freezing (source) with daytime averages generally around 2 °C (~27 °F) and lows dropping to about –9 °C (~15 °F). This is ideal because it ensures snow cover remains (and therefore, winter activities that require snow can still run!)

It’s also ideal because days are significantly longer at this time of year, and get longer throughout the course of March. March gains nearly 4 hours of sunlight in just 30 days. The beginning of March, you’ll find sunset around 7:30 AM and sunset at 5:30 PM; by the end of March, sunrise is about 5:30 AM (!) and sunset at 7:10 PM (source).

Of course, the Arctic is a rapidly changing place from a climate perspective, sadly it is the fastest-warming place in the world. So while my temperature advice is valid from the 2025 perspective where I’m writing this, I can’t guarantee March will still be a good month for Rovaniemi in terms of snow in future years.

Even in the coming 2025-2026 season, there’s always a risk of unseasonably warm weather, which happened in Tromsø in February and March during the 2024-2025 winter season and ended a lot of snow activities earlier than anticipated as temperatures got as high as 7° C (45° F!)

Granted, as a coastal region Tromsø weather is a lot more fickle than inland Rovaniemi, but this is just a blanket warning that the Arctic region is changing rapidly. While I can give you the best advice possible based on past-precedent, that isn’t really a guarantee for any future weather given the unpredictability of the climate.

Seeing the Aurora in March in Rovaniemi

The caveat to all the extra daylight, of course, is the aurora. Perhaps obviously, the more sunlight there is, the fewer hours there are for chasing the auroras.

However, even at the end of March, you can still start looking for the Northern lights as soon as the sky gets dark enough. By the end of the month, that’s around 9 PM. (Tip: As a rule of thumb, it’s usually dark enough for aurora two hours after sunset).

That still gives you several hours of aurora-watching (at least 6!) before your chances would come to a halt the skies start to lighten, ending your aurora dreams.

Anecdotally, I spent nearly three weeks in Rovaniemi in January and February and saw the aurora just twice, both times rather faintly… and then I spent three days in Rovaniemi in late March and saw the most spectacular aurora show I saw the entire trip, which was both green and even red to the naked eye!

What to Do in Rovaniemi in March

Despite nearing the end of its winter season, Rovaniemi in March still offers cold weather magic — with the benefit of fewer crowds, more availability, and far better prices than you’d get at any other point in the winter season.

Generally, snow-based activities are still running all throughout March. That means yes to husky mushing, reindeer sled rides, snowmobiling through the forests, snowshoeing, and possibly even skiing (downhill and cross-country are both available in Rovaniemi).

Even aurora activities run until the end of March, and I do strongly recommend booking at least one if you don’t have access to a car or any prior experience chasing the Northern lights. Booking a good guide who can drive you away from light pollution and keep an eye on solar activity will maximize your aurora chances! This is a tour I whole-heartedly recommend that offers an aurora ‘guarantee’ and will refund you if conditions seem impossible to see the aurora.

As for Santa Claus Village? Don’t worry, it doesn’t close up shop in March. If that’s still on your wishlist, you can absolutely visit and it’ll still have the Christmas cheer going on, just without the crowds (noticing a theme here?).

March Rovaniemi Events and Festivals

As I write this post in November 2025 looking forward to March 2026, many festivals don’t have exact dates as of yet.

Arctic Pride is the only winter Pride event in Finland! To stay up to date, you can find the most current information on their Instagram (@arcticpride); however, they haven’t announced dates for 2026 year. In 2025, it ran from March 17 to 23, so my best guess is that it will follow a similar timing and run during the second-to-last week in March 2026.

The other big event in March is Arctic Design Week (@arcticdesignweek), which always takes place on the 12th week of the year. I believe that would make it run from March 16 through 20 or so. It depends when they start counting from — I’m not sure if they count the 12th week from January 1st or rather from the first full week of the new year). Anyway, they haven’t released exact dates yet, but follow their Instagram if you’re interested to keep yourself aware.

Note that the Reindeer Sprint Race does not happen in March anymore as is sometimes incorrectly reported on blogs; it now takes place in mid-February (@porokilpailutrovaniemi).

Tip: I suggest checking dates on the Instagrams as your trip gets nearer, because Instagram pages for events tend to stay more up-to-date than tourism board pages, event pages, etc.

Downsides to Visiting Rovaniemi in March

So far, I’ve been a pretty big hypewoman for visiting in March. But there are a few things to consider, none of which I consider deal-breakers, but they are worth mentioning

• Affordable flights are fewer and further between: A lot of low-cost carriers only fly to Rovaniemi during the peak winter months. By the end of March, very few routes are still running. So you may find it more difficult to find affordable airfare. I was able to find very affordable tickets to Rovaniemi via Milan-Bergamo on Ryanair, but those ended at the end of March.
• Snow can melt and ice over, causing issues: Even a few days above freezing temperatures when followed by a cold snap can create some trouble in the winter months. Slushy snow, iced over snow, partially-melted snow, icy roads and sidewalks: these can all wreak havoc on plans, whether it’s dangerous road conditions or winter cancellations of activities like dog-sledding for the safety of the animals.
• Shorter aurora windows: While I very much appreciate the extra daylight in March in Rovaniemi, the trade-off is that you have to stay up much later for the aurora window, especially at the end of the month. It was pretty tiring to force ourselves to go out for an aurora hike at 9 PM, but it was absolutely worth it because the aurora we saw was spectacular, and my local friends say that March is one of the best months for aurora!

Allison Green

Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016, visiting 75+ countries in total. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. As a former educator, she merges her writing and educational experience to encourage ethical, sustainable travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and TBEX. Her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. When she’s not on the road, she lives in Bangkok, Thailand.