Kittilä

The main tourist information is in Levi:

1 Kittilä Tourist Information, Myllyjoentie 2, FI-99130 Levi (in Sirkka), ☏ +358 16 639 3300, levi.info@levi.fi. Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00. Kittilä Tourist Information is operated by Visit Levi.

Kittilä covers a vast area consisting mostly of taiga forest and bogs, with only 6,500 permanent residents (2021). The municipality is monolingually Finnish. English is widely understood.

River Ounasjoki runs through the municipality almost directly from north to south. Some remote villages got a road connection only after World War II. The fell massifs, especially Pallastunturi and Levi, got some fame for their sights already in the 18th century but the remoteness was a major issue until the main village got a suitable road and a coach connection from Rovaniemi in 1923. Already in the 1930s a small hotel was built at Pallastunturi, but the visitors had to hike or travel in a reindeer sleigh(!) to get there until the road to the fell was accomplished in 1956. The 55 km long trekking route between Pallastunturi and Hetta in Enontekiö was opened in 1934 and is the oldest marked hiking trail in Finland.

In the aftermath of World War II, known as the Lapland War, almost all buildings in the area were destroyed by retreating German troops, including the hotel at Pallastunturi and even some of the roadless villages.

Today Kittilä is a vivid and economically stable community and one of the very few municipalities in Lapland having positive net migration. The 2 Levi skiing resort is one of the most popular winter sports centres in Finland with almost complete set of services and top level nightlife for after ski.

For nature enthusiasts, parts of 3 Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, 4 Lemmenjoki National Park and 5 Pulju Wilderness Area extend to Kittilä but the landscape is more or less backcountry elsewhere as well.

By plane:

1 Kittilä Airport (KTT IATA) (5 km north from the centre). It is served from Helsinki by Finnair (daily) and in season by Norwegian (4 times a week), in season also services by Lufthansa from München (weekly) and TUI Fly from Brussels (weekly), as well as some charter airlines from the British Isles and Central Europe.;Public transport to several destinations, partly, especially off season, as shuttle services that have to be booked in advance. There are several car rental companies at the airport, but advance reservation may be needed. The airport serves many destinations also outside Kittilä.

Tunturilinjat Oy, ☏ +358 400-694-927, tunturilinjat@levi.fi. Regular service to Levi in season. Also other connections.

Rundgren ky, ☏ +358 40-502-5691, yllaskutsuliikenne@hotmail.com. Services to Ylläsjärvi and Äkäslompolo

Kilpisjärven Taksi, ☏ +358 16 537-716. Taxi to Hetta and Kilpisjärvi. Reservations a day before.

Other shuttles, ☏ +358 20-014-919. Shuttles to Muonio, Olos, Jeris and Pallas.

Other coaches. For Eskelisen Lapinlinjat, Gold Line etc, passing the airport and centre on their way from Kilpisjärvi or Hetta to Rovaniemi (about three services daily), see Matkahuolto. €3.30–6.60.

By car:

Kittilä is about 150 km north from Rovaniemi. Many people coming from the south choose to take the car with them on the train from Helsinki, Turku or Tampere and then drive from either Rovaniemi or from Kolari, which is 60 km away from Kittilä (however the train to Kolari only runs twice a week). Helsinki has a car ferry from Travemünde in Germany.