Ylläs
Ylläs is a popular ski resort in the municipality of Kolari in Finnish Lapland. Ylläsjärvi is south of the Ylläs fell, while Äkäslompolo is north of it, 10 km away, mostly sharing the same services.
Understand
Get in
By plane
Kittilä airport is about 50 km east from Ylläs. There you may take a bus or airport taxi. Another possibility is to fly in Sweden from Stockholm to Luleå and from there to Pajala airport. There you may take an airport taxi for the 30-km trip to Finland.
By train
Kolari is the northernmost train station in Finland. During the winter season there is a direct train connection daily from Helsinki via Tampere; at 995 km, this is the longest single train route in Finland. An overnight trip takes 13 hours and is most comfortable in a sleeping cabin. Sometimes the train contains a special club car serving as a nightclub during the trip.
From Kolari there is a bus for the remaining 35 km.
By car
Drive by E75 from Helsinki to the north. Switch to E8 after Kemi. Drive to Kolari and follow signs to Ylläsjärvi (road 939). Alternatively you can come via Kittilä.
From Sweden there are bridges, e.g. at Haparanda/Tornio, Övertorneå/Ylitornio (Aavasaksa), Pello and Pajala/Kolari
Get around
By ski, car, snowmobile, bus or taxi. In the villages everything is within walking distance. In the winter there are ski buses (single ticket €2).
Talk
Most Finns are fluent in English, and Ylläs is no exception. Russian is also spoken by some people, due to large numbers of Russian tourists.
See
Do
Winter sports
Ylläs is Finland's largest downhill ski resort in terms of total drop (465 m), single slope length (3000 m) and number of slopes (60 slopes in total). The slopes are usually opened sometimes in November.
The most important locations are Äkäslompolo and Ylläsjärvi villages located on different sides of the Yllästunturi fell. The network of ski tracks around the fells there is the largest in Finland (330 km). It connects to the tracks of Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park.
Several T-lifts and one chairlift line are available. The chairlift line only operates at good weather. There is also one gondola lift line operating at Ylläsjarvi.
Both resorts maintain snow parks for freestyle snowboarding. These parks contain various sizes of jumps (kickers) for beginners and pros. There are also a good selection of jibbing rails (especially on the south side, i.e. Ylläsjärvi). However, half-pipes are usually absent.
Snow safari
Ylläs travel agencies offer practice of Lappish activities like husky or reindeer sleigh trips, visits to reindeer farms and traditional Sami lávvus, as well as snowmobile safaris.
Hiking
- Visitor Center Kellokas, Tunturintie 54, ☏ +358 405502424. Become acquainted with the nature of the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park and its wide range of hiking possibilities. At Kellokas you will find Ylläs Café Milli, Kellokas Gallery, the Ylläs Travel Association and Kolari municipality’s Ylläs tourist information.
Concerts
The Ylläs area hosts two major music festivals: Ylläs Jazz Blues in February and Ylläs Soikoon in July. There are also concerts in the larger restaurants and nightclubs.
Buy
- Gifts. For instance trinkets of the local Wood Jewel brand, you can buy them any souvenir shop in either Kolari, Ylläs or Levi.
- Lakkalikööri, a signature Lappish cloudberry liqueur, from Äkäslompolo Alko store.
- Cloudberry jam or sauce, from any retail store.
Eat
Drink
Sleep
The Ylläs area is one of the largest winter sport resorts in Finland and it has a great variety of accommodation opportunities.
Go next
- Levi — just north of Kittilä, for more skiing.
- Lainio Snow Village in Kittilä, halfway to Kittilä centre. Admire the ice sculptures or spend the night among them in a warm sleeping bag.
| Routes through Ylläs |
| Tromsø ← Kilpisjärvi ← | W  E |
→ Tornio → Turku |