Things to do in Sodankylä

Sodankylä sits around 130 km north of Rovaniemi on the road towards Saariselkä and Inari, and it functions mainly as a waypoint rather than a destination: fuel stations, shops and the last sizeable village before the road runs on into the far north.

Its main draw is the wooden Old Church, dating from 1689 and among the oldest surviving churches in Lapland, worth a 20 to 30 minute stop rather than a detour of its own. Each June the town hosts the Midnight Sun Film Festival, screening under 24-hour daylight. Do not plan aurora trips from here; those depart from Rovaniemi or Saariselkä.

For hiking, fells and national park terrain, continue on to Pyhä-Luosto, roughly 40 km south-east of Sodankylä.