Finland Weather in January 2025: Travel Tips for First-Timers

Finland Weather in January 2025: Travel Tips for First-Timers

Written by Margaux Updated May. 7, 2024

For the perfect winter holiday, there is no better place than Finland. We suggest visiting Helsinki, Rovaniemi, Tampere, and Turku. Read on to find out more about travel and weather, including temperatures, rainfall, humidity, and tips for January.

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Finland Weather in January : Overview

Averages: 

  • Temperature range: -9–-3°C (16–27°F)
  • Rainfall: 5 cm (2 inches)
  • Rainy/snowy days: 13
  • Sunshine hours/day: 1
  • Humidity: around 91% (very humid)

Finland is freezing in January, with temperatures well below freezing point, particularly in the north of the country. The entirety of Finland is generally covered in snow in January, with occasional exceptions in the city centers.

There are approximately 13 rainy or snowy days, and around 5 cm or 2 inches of rain/snow falls in January. Due to Finland's northern position, there is only around 1 hour of sunshine per day on average in January.

January Climate Comparison (Averages) for Finland's Top Tourism Areas

City/Area High Temps. Low Temps. Rain/Snow
Helsinki (main city, travel hub, architecture, art, history) Freezing Freezing Low
Rovaniemi (Lapland capital, Santa culture, arctic beauty) Freezing Freezing Low
Tampere (vibrant third city, oldest sauna, scenic Lakeland) Freezing Freezing Low
Turku (oldest city, archipelago gateway, food, culture) Freezing Freezing Low
City/Area High (ºC) Low (ºC) Rain/Snow (cm)
Helsinki (main city, travel hub, architecture, art, history) -1 -6 5
Rovaniemi (Lapland capital, Santa culture, arctic beauty) -7 -14 5
Tampere (vibrant third city, oldest sauna, scenic Lakeland) -3 -8 4
Turku (oldest city, archipelago gateway, food, culture) -1 -7 6
City/Area High (ºF) Low (ºF) Rain/Snow (in)
Helsinki (main city, travel hub, architecture, art, history) 30 21 2
Rovaniemi (Lapland capital, Santa culture, arctic beauty) 19 7 2
Tampere (vibrant third city, oldest sauna, scenic Lakeland) 27 18 2
Turku (oldest city, archipelago gateway, food, culture) 30 19 2

The Best Places to Visit in Finland in January

Finland is magical and snowy in January, with freezing temperatures and snow throughout, covering the country. While not a huge amount of new snow might fall, the vast majority of the country is covered in white blankets, making for a beautiful winter trip, as well as an interesting experience for those of us who don't live in snowy places.

In January, we suggest visiting Helsinki, Rovaniemi, Tampere, and Turku. If you need a little help on planning out your trip to Finland in January, reach out to us, and our team of Global Highlights Finland experts will be able to plan your ideal itinerary for you. What could be better than a trip without the stress of planning how to get around? Reach out to us and we'll design a Finland trip to suit you.

1. Tour Helsinki's Cathedrals and Visit a Public Sauna

Helsinki, as Finland's capital city, is the best place to start exploring the country from. Given that January's temperatures are freezing, we suggest heading out to explore, and following it up with some indoor time to warm up in a sauna.

For your first trip, you will definitely want to check out the Helsinki Cathedral and the Uspenski Cathedral.

Helsinki Cathedral is the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki, and was built between 1830 and 1852. It was built as a tribute to the Grand Duke of Finland, Tsar Nicolas I, and is also known as St Nicholas' Church as a result. It's one of the biggest landmarks of the city, and its neoclassical architectural style stands out in the skyline by the sea.

Uspenski Cathedral is different because it is a Greek Orthodox, or Eastern Orthodox, cathedral. It was built in the Russian Revival style, and visiting both gives great insight into the differences between the two, both on the inside and the outside. We suggest visiting with a tour guide to get the full history of both.

Afterwards, learn more about Finnish spa culture at one of the many public saunas. There really is no better way to warm up in Helsinki's winter. Your hotel might also have its own sauna, as they are very common in Finland.

2. Explore Turku's Medieval Castle

Approximately two hours from Helsinki you'll find Turku, the third biggest city after Helsinki and Tampere. Turku is the regional capital of Southwest Finland, and is located on the mouth of a river. It is also Finland's oldest city, meaning there is a lot to discover and explore.

One of the most iconic sights is Turku Castle, a beautiful medieval castle, which is one of Finland's oldest surviving medieval buildings and one of the oldest buildings still in use today. The castle is the most visited museum in all of Finland today.

Turku Castle was built in the 13th century and served as a bastion that defended Finland from Russian invaders in 1318. Throughout time, more features have been added, for example the Renaissance Floor and King's and Queen's halls were added in the 16th century by Duke John of Finland and Catherine Jagellon. It even served as a prison for some time, as well as a granary.

The exhibits inside give background to all of these amazing parts of its history, and there are interactive parts that are fun for all ages. After your visit, we suggest sampling local Turku cuisine which includes lots of Baltic fish, including the famous herring, often served with smooth skinned potatoes.

3. Try Ice Swimming in Tampere

Tampere sits between two beautiful lakes, Näsijärvi Lake and Pyhäjärvi Lake, and the Tammerkoski rapids are found in between these lakes. This area is also known as the Finnish Lakeland, one of the four regions into which the geography of Finland is often divided.

The landscapes there are incredible, with the lake plateau's originating from glacial deposits that receded around the end of the ice age thousands of years ago. One of the top things to do in this area is to enjoy the beautiful landscape, and we highly suggest trying one of the locals' favorites: ice swimming. One of the places to do this is Rauhaniemi folk spa, which has beautiful views and ice swimming spots.

If you are more adventurous, there are also ice fishing expeditions, or you could try your hand at skating, or even sailboarding depending on the weather. For afterwards, there are plenty of saunas to warm up at, and we suggest wrapping up warm afterwards!

4. Find the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland's Rovaniemi

Finland is one of the top countries to go to for gazing at the Northern Lights, and there is no better place to do this than Rovaniemi, in Finnish Lapland. The city itself is located close to the Arctic Circle, and is home to approximately 65,000 people.

While you can see the aurora borealis in Rovamiemi between late August and early April, it does also depend on the weather conditions of the specific day. It's worth checking in with your hotel, or letting us know that this is one of your main reasons for traveling to Finland, as you might have to travel a little from the city to find the aurora!

Other spots near Rovaniemi to see the northern lights include Arktikum Park, or the Arctic Circle Hiking Area. During the day, the Arctic Circle Hiking Area also has some incredible hiking routes that will really give you a feel for the landscape there.

Low Season (Except New Year's Eve): Less Expensive and Fewer Crowds

January does not fall in the tourist high season in Finland, predominantly because of the cold weather and the few hours of sunshine during the daytime. However, it is a really beautiful time of the year to visit with higher chances of seeing the northern lights.

The days around New Year's Eve can be busier in some of the most popular spots, so we suggest booking ahead, if you're traveling around those days, to avoid higher accommodation and transportation costs.

What to Wear in January

Finland is freezing in January, and we suggest investing in some special gear for your trip, unless you also happen to live somewhere as freezing. Thick winter coats that are waterproof and windproof are suggested, and we also recommend woolen sweaters, fleece jumpers, or special thermal underwear to keep you warm. Layering up can really help you beat the cold.

Don't forget to also protect your feet, hands, and head. We recommend bringing snow boots and extra thick socks from winter sports stores, and packing waterproof gloves and bringing a hat and scarf. The more you can wear the better, because the temperatures really do drop, particularly around the Arctic Circle.

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