Short answer
- Rule one: three layers. Wool or synthetic next to the skin, something warm in the middle, windproof on top.
- Rule two: hands and feet go first. Mittens over thin gloves, wool socks, boots with room for your toes.
- Good to know: many small-group tours lend thermal overalls and boots. Coach tours usually do not.
Arctic cold is manageable. What catches people out is not the temperature in town but standing still for an hour on an aurora night, or sitting on a snowmobile at 40 km/h. Dress for the coldest part of the tour, not the walk to the bus.
How cold it gets
In January, Tromsø averages about −2 to −4 °C. It is mild for the Arctic, but it is damp and often windy. Rovaniemi and the rest of Finnish Lapland average about −8 to −10 °C and can drop below −20 °C, sometimes much lower, in a cold spell. An aurora site by a lake at midnight will be colder than either average. See Arctic winter weather and daylight for the month-by-month picture.
Layers
- Base layer: merino wool or synthetic thermal top and leggings. No cotton: it holds sweat and then chills you.
- Mid layer: a fleece or wool jumper, or a light down jacket.
- Outer layer: a windproof, ideally waterproof, jacket and trousers. On the coast, wind and wet snow matter as much as cold.
If your tour lends thermal overalls, they replace the outer layer, and sometimes the middle one too. Wear the base and mid layers underneath.
Hands, feet, head
- Hands: thin liner gloves for using a phone or camera, with thick mittens over them. Mittens are warmer than gloves.
- Feet: one pair of thick wool socks, not two tight pairs. Insulated winter boots with room to wiggle your toes; tight boots cut circulation and freeze faster.
- Head: a hat that covers your ears, and a neck gaiter or balaclava for your face, especially on a snowmobile.
- Warmers: disposable hand and toe warmers are cheap, light and worth packing.
What tours usually lend you
Most small-group aurora tours in Tromsø and Rovaniemi include thermal overalls and boots. Snowmobile safaris include overalls, boots, gloves, a balaclava and a helmet. Husky and reindeer tours often include overalls. Coach tours, and the coach option of tours sold both ways, often do not, so read the listing. Some operators ask you to request boots or suits in advance.
Phones and cameras in the cold
- Cold drains batteries fast. Keep your phone in an inside pocket and bring a spare battery or power bank.
- For aurora photos, a tripod matters more than the camera. Many tours bring tripods; check whether they suit phones.
- When you come back inside, leave the camera in its bag for a while so condensation forms on the bag, not the lens.
In town
Streets and pavements are icy for months. Clip-on ice grips for your shoes are sold in local shops and save a lot of slipping, especially in Tromsø’s hilly centre.
Pack for standing still at midnight, not for walking to dinner.
Next: weather, daylight and cancellations, and the tour guides for Tromsø and Rovaniemi.
Tour inclusions were checked in our catalogue on 8 November 2026. They vary by operator and option; the listing on Viator when you book is the one that counts.
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