Tips on Visiting Levi

While I initially created this site to share photos with family and friends, I've received enough inquires about visiting Levi that I am including a few tips on visiting Levi.

Clothing and the Weather

When I was in Levi in late January and early February, the weather was at its coldest.  The daytime temperatures ranged from -12 to -40 C.  It was cold.

But the first year I was hot, too hot.  You see, I bought a parka rated to -40.  I was going to the Arctic and wanted to be warm enough.  Even on the coldest day, I never zipped it shut. 

The second year I took taking a parka rated at -10F (-22C) with street clothes and  then I mult-layered.  I think two layers of longjohns on the coldest days are better than sweating most days.  And on longjohns (socks too)...100% merino wool is best!  When necessary to use a second layer, silk (or panty hose) works well. Modern blends and "moisture wicking" synthetics are not warm enough.  Some of the fleece thermal bottoms are great for indoors and on moderate days suffice with outerwear pants outside, but on the colder (-25C or colder) you will want the wool underneath.

Inside is a different story.  Indoors is generally HOT!  In my hotel, I turned the heat down as much as possible and still slept with the window open!  Restaurants and dance clubs are even hotter.  Have some indoor clothes with you!

So how do you get from your hotel or cabin to your favorite night spot on foot without freezing?  Many places have large cloak rooms for checking your outdoor apparel.  The best idea though is to take a taxi!  They are cheap and provide door to door delivery.  On my last day at the Hotel Levitunturi I hired a cab to take me and my several bags to the lobby to check out -- I was in a remote building, it was very windy and I was running late.  The cost was only a half euro more than I would have tipped a bellhop at a US hotel!

Getting Around

So you arrive at the Kittila airport.  What next?  A bus runs to Levi after every scheduled flight.  It leaves about  20 minutes after the plane arrives, so get on out to the bus.  The Levi bus will be well marked so you can't miss it.  The bus will drop you off in front of the Hotel Levitunturi or the Hullu Poro. (It will also pick you up at the same location one hour before your return flight departs.)  You are then within easy walking distance of the other hotels and many cabins, unless you have lots of luggage.  The taxi stand is located a few meters from the Hotel Levitunturi bus stop! 

Once in Levi you will find everything within walking distance.  To reach slopes, cabins and restaurants on other sides of the fell, there are free ski buses.  Some of the reindeer and husky farms require cross country skis or snowmobiles. To reach sites more remote from the village such as the  several art galleries without a car, you will need a snowmobile or check with your hotel or the tourist information center - they often schedule transportation to these locations.

Digital Cameras in the Arctic

Photography around Levi can be at once  rewarding and frustrating.  The few tips below will help you go home with wonderful pictures and a working camera.

Keep it inside your parka when not in use (the warmth of your body will keep the battery from draining

If it begins "misbehaving", don't panic, just put it back in your parka to warm up

Do NOT have the camera on or in the process of shutting down when you enter a building. The latter caused the final demise of my camera. Rapid change in temperature caused condensation and shorted the circuitry.

Camera software features may "randomly" misbehave. I was able to track this closely with geomagnetic factors resulting from solar activity. As the Finns put it simply, "We're too close to the North Pole."

Simple, non-zoomed shots always turned out fine.  Use a high resolution setting and zoom in with software on your computer after you get home.

Language

Finland, including Levi, is the most English speaking, non-English speaking country I have ever visited.  If you stay in a hotel and do not have a car, there is little necessity to learn any Finnish before you visit Levi other than a few polite greetings.

If you chose to stay in a cabin and rent a car, you may find your experience a little more "authentic" than anticipated. A few Finnish language and metric "cheat sheets" will come in very handy.

My first realization of needing to know some Finnish was buying food in the grocery shops. For the most part, there was no problem. Either I was looking at fresh meat and produce or the container had a picture (though jellies and jams were a little difficult to distinguish the berries). Then I attempted to find some butter. There was nothing in the dairy section that contained any images of butter! Finally, in the second shop I checked, I found a yellow container in the dairy case.  It was butter!

These "Cheat Sheets" contain the basic words and measures that will come in handy on your visit.  Remember that the Finnish language uses many different word endings.  You should be able to identify the base word, however.