# Muonio

Muonio is a municipality in Finnish Lapland. Most visitors head to the main destinations: Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park or the ski resorts. There are also businesses helping in canoeing, fishing and other activities.

## Understand

Standing by an important salmon river, Muonionjoki, the area has been inhabited for at least 7,000 years. The meaning of the name Muonio is unknown but probably of Sami origin. It appears first in manuscripts from mid 16th century and in a Swedish map from 17th century in forms Monanisk kyla, Mononiske or Muniosuij. The original name of the municipality was Muonionniska ("top of the rapids of Muonio[river]") which was abbreviated into its current form in 1923. There is notable amount of ancient holy places of the Sami people in the municipality.
Being inhabited by the Sámi for ages, the first mention of Finnish landownership in Muonio is from 1575, actually before the Crown of Sweden had taken the lands into its ownership, which officially happened in 1584. From the early 1600s Muonio area was administered from Pajala (in present Sweden) until 1812 when the newborn borderline between the kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire made Muonio an independent parish.
In the World War II aftermath known as the Lapland War the destruction was somewhat complete; well over 80% of all buildings were destroyed by retreating German troops. For example in the main village only the church and a few storehouses were saved.
For some decades Muonio has been one of the places where international car manufacturers test their new car models in harsh winter conditions. The proving grounds are vast but hidden in the forests. This business is shrouded in the utmost secrecy, but it provides a significant source of income to this small community.
Muonio has about 2,300 permanent residents, about half of them living in the main village. Like many other municipalities in Finnish Lapland, present day Muonio lives mostly from tourism. This was heavily boosted in late 1990s by shifting the municipality border so that the Pallastunturi fells became part of Muonio instead of Kittilä.
The municipality is unilingually Finnish even though the northernmost villages have names also in Northern Sámi. English is widely understood. Like in the other municipalities in the Muonionjoki-Tornionjoki river valley – on both sides the border – the local Finnish dialect is distinctive.
* 67.955923.68041 Discover Muonio, Puthaanrannantie 2, ☏ +358 40-585-1864, info@muonio.fi. Tourist info by Muonion Matkailu ry. (updated Sep 2023)

## Get in

Muonio village is at the crossroads of road 21 (E8) and road 79. Olostunturi skiing resort is located by road 79 some 8 km from the village and the Finnish road 957 to Pallastunturi area departs road 79 about 12 km from the main village.
There is a 67.9398623.663361 border crossing from Sweden 1 km south of the centre. The customs office (defunct?) is on the Finnish side of the border.

### By plane

The nearest airports are in Kittilä to the southeast, Hetta to the northeast, and in Pajala southwest across the border to Sweden. Rovaniemi airport is farther away but with much better connections, especially off season. There are coach connections at least from Rovaniemi and Kittilä airports.

### By train

The nearest railway stations are in Kolari and Rovaniemi.
There is a direct coach connection to Muonio from the night train, which arrives 11:05 in Rovaniemi.
The night train to Kolari has a bus connection to Muonio, but it only runs during the school year. Call taxi$^{[deadlink]}$ with a reduced fare (€22) is also available.

### By bus

There are a few daily coach connections from Rovaniemi, Oulu and Kemi. The ticket costs €50–70/adult from Oulu and around €45/adult from Rovaniemi. The trip takes about 3½ hours from Rovaniemi. At summer a daily direct connection from Tromsø is available.
Train taxi$^{[deadlink]}$ service is available between Kolari and Muonio and costs €22. Call taxi$^{[deadlink]}$ exists also from Levi to Pallas and Äkäslompolo with a reduced fare (Pallas €117, Äkäslompolo €130).

### By car

If driving from Germany or Central Europe in general, the shortest alternative is to drive through Sweden along road E4 all the way to Luleå and then through Pajala to the Finnish border and on to Muonio.
Unless you like driving long distances or visit destination en route, a good alternative would be to take a ferry from Germany to Helsinki, then to board an overnight train from Helsinki and drive just from Kolari, Rovaniemi or Oulu (no unloading of cars in Kemi).
If you arrive from Sweden, turning away from Swedish national road 99 to road 404 in Muodoslompolo will take you to the border crossing.

## Get around

The main roads are highway 21 (E8; Torniontie south of the centre, Kilpisjärventie north of it) and road 79 (Rovaniementie).
There is no local public transportation in Muonio. You may use local taxi or the long distance coaches. Check Matkahuolto for time tables. Taxi Tapio Hietalahti (☏ +358 400-399-113, e-mail: muoniokt@hotmail.com) operates a shared taxi on the route Muonio-Olos-Jeris-Pallas-Kittilä airport. The shared taxi must be invoked at least 24 hours before the trip.

## See

* The midnight sun is visible from May 25th until July 19th in the Muonio village. The polar night starts at December 10th and lasts for 24 days. During the winter the northern lights can be seen most nights if the sky is clear.
* 67.952823.66971 Muonio church, Kirkkotie 4. A wooden church built in 1817, which survived the Lapland War. The service is held every Sunday at 11:00.
* 67.946723.66542 Muonio local history museum, Lahenrannantie 51, ☏ +358 40-489-5110. June-August: Tu–Sa 11:00–17:00. Local history museum in 19th century buildings, which were brought here from other villages around. Open only during the summer. Keimiöniemi fishing huts
* 67.926224.04643 Keimiöniemi fishing huts (Keimiönniemen kalakentät), Keimiöniementie. Lake Jerisjärvi is famous for its fish, and Keimiöniemi has served as a fishermen's base at least since the 1500s. The oldest existing huts were built in the 1700s and they are still private property. The site is on the list of nationally significant built cultural environments. Free.
* 68.02223.5174 Ylimuonio village. The northernmost agricultural village in the Tornionjoki-Muonionjoki river valley. Luckily the village stayed almost untouched in the Lapland War and is therefore a rare example of pre-war village architecture in Finnish Lapland. On the list of nationally significant built cultural environments. Free.
* 68.046124.06395 Pallastunturi visitor centre, Pallastunturintie 557 (32 km from the centre), ☏ +358 20-639-7930, pallastunturi@metsa.fi. 09:00–16:00/17:00. The Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park is the most visited national park in Finland. During the peak season there are daily bus connections from Muonio and Kolari villages to the Hotel Pallas and the visitor centre. Check Matkahuolto for details. Free.
* 68.07524.05366 Taivaskero fell. The highest peak of the Pallastunturi fell massif rises up to 807 m a.s.l. The Olympic Torch for the 1952 Summer Olympics was lighted here. There is a hiking trail from Hotel Pallas and the Pallastunturi visitor centre. Free.
* 67.871523.95317 Särkitunturi fell. Considered one of the most scenic places in Finland. There is a parking lot by the road and a hiking trail to the top. Climbing the fell takes about an hour and you probably want to stay up there more than just one hour. At the top there is a maintained campfire site and a number of small ponds suitable for swimming. Free.
* 67.616423.79158 Pakasaivo lake, Pakasaivontie (80 km from the Muonio centre, 25 km from Äkäslompolo village). Also known as Hell of Lapland. In the Sami mythology saivo is a lake that acts as a portal to another world and is therefore a holy place. Scientifically Pakasaivo is a meromictic lake; under the relatively thin surface layer the water becomes acidic and lacks oxygen. The exact depth of the lake is unknown but it is at least 60 meters deep. The nearly circular northern end is actually a huge giant's kettle. There is a parking lot with campfire site a few hundred metres from the lake, but the nearest bus stop is 13 km away. The road to the lake is not maintained in winter. Free. Seitapahta
* 67.598123.83619 Kirkkopahta sieidi and Valkeajoki hut, Pakasaivontie (3 km from Pakasaivo lake). Kirkkopahta is a big stone in the forest. Acted as a sieidi it is a holy place for the Sami people. The Valkeajoki hut was used by timbers and is renovated into a museum. The hut has free entry and there is no staff present. Making a fire to the stove is forbidden. By the way, the spring behind the hut is radioactive. Free.
* 67.697824.143510 Äkäsaivo lake and Seitapahta sieidi, Aakenuksentie. Another holy saivo lake. From the road 9403 (Aakenuksentie) there is a 3-km circular trail to the site. If you use your imagination a bit you can see a human face in the huge Seitapahta stone. By the lake there is a shelter and a campfire site. Free.
* 67.740424.089611 Äkäsmylly and Äkäslinkka rapids, Äkäslompolontie 1380, info@akasmylly.fi. An old mill by the rapids. The mill was used by locals until 1960s. The café is open during the summer season. A 3.5-km trail takes you to a human-faced sieidi stone by the lake. If you are heading to the trail, using wellies might be a good idea.

## Do

Most visitors come here to enjoy the nature, some come for downhill skiing or fishing.
The ski resorts of Olos and Pallas are quite peaceful; if you are looking for nightlife, the Ylläs/Äkäs resorts (or Levi) may be better alternatives.
* 67.932123.81361 Ski Resort Olos, Oloshotellintie 25 (6 km south-east from the centre), ☏ +358 40-730-2494, ski@olos.fi.
* 68.046324.06132 Pallas Ski Resort, Pallastunturintie 550 (in the national park; drive 10 km to the south-east from the centre, then 20 km north-east and north), ☏ +358 16 323-355. The ski resort is adjacent to services for visitors to the national park.

## Buy

* 67.955523.67821 K-Market Muoniontori, Lahenrannantie 7, ☏ +358 16 533-200. M-F 08:00-21:00, Sa 08:00-20:00, Su 11:00-19:00. Groceries. Mail service.
* 67.956723.67792 S-Market Muonio, Puthaanrannantie 4, ☏ +358 44-788-4990. M-Sa 08:00-22:00, Su 10:00-21:00. Groceries. Gasoline.
* 67.955823.68333 Alko Muonio, Lahenrannantie 1. M-F 09:00-21:00, Sa 09:00-18:00, Su closed. Alcoholic beverages.

## Eat

* 67.954923.68261 Rolls Muonio, Torniontie 6, ☏ +358 44-705-6500. M–F 11:00–18:00, Sa 12:00–18:00. A fast-food restaurant with SEO filling station. €10–15.

## Drink

There isn't real nightlife in the skiing resorts at Olos and Pallas – for such after ski, go to the Ylläs/Äkäs resorts.
* 67.95723.67931 Swiss Café Konditoria, Puthaanrannantie 5 (in the centre), ☏ +358 40-354-8333. daily 10:00–17:00. Swiss café with souvenir shop. (updated Oct 2024)

## Sleep

* 68.046524.06241 Lapland Hotel Pallas, Pallastunturintie 560 (by the Pallastunturi fell, 30 km from Muonio centre), ☏ +358 16 323-355, pallas@laplandhotels.com. The oldest fell resort in Finland and perhaps one of the most peculiar ones as the hotel is located at the treeline! The original building was destroyed completely by Germans during the Lapland War but the resort was rebuilt after the war. Restaurant. Downhill skiing pistes, off-piste skiing, entrance to the national park. (updated Oct 2024)
* 67.93223.81422 Lapland Hotel Olos, Oloshotellintie 25 (by the Olostunturi slopes, 6 km east of Muonio centre), ☏ +358 16 536-111, olos@laplandhotels.com. Skiing resort which is closed during the summer. Three restaurants. Gym.
* 67.95223.92493 Toras-Sieppi, Torassiepintie 212 (by the namesake lake, 20 km east of Muonio, 1.5 km north of Pallaksentie), ☏ +358 40-170-1925, sales@harriniva.fi. Cabin village and caravan park at a 19th-century reindeer farm. Aurora domes. Husky, reindeer and horse activities. Restaurant.
* 67.944924.04254 Hotel Jeris, Jerisjärventie 91 (by the namesake lake, 20 km east of Muonio, 10 south of Pallastunturi), ☏ +358 400-177-600, sales@harriniva.fi. December-April. Aurora domes. Various saunas. Restaurant. Pub.
* 67.933523.65725 Hotel Harriniva, Harrinivantie 35 (by the namesake rapids of Muonionjoki, 500 m south of the Muonio border brossing), ☏ +358 400-155-100, sales@harriniva.fi. Hotel. Camping. Restaurant. Pub.
* 67.953823.67426 Lomamaja Pekonen, Lahenrannantie 10 (in the centre, above the Jerisjoki beach), ☏ +358 40-550-8436, info@lomamajapekonen.fi. Apartments, huts (summer only, 2–6 persons) and caravan places. 2-persons in a cabin €50–115; caravan €28 + electricity €6.
* 68.15723.28727 River Caravan, Muoniontie 1733 (in Sonkamuotka, on E8, just across the border to Enontekiö), ☏ +358 40-707-9843, info@lapinlomamokit.fi. June 1st-September 30th. Camping and caravan by Muonionjoki. area fee €27.
* 67.954723.68298 Motel SEO Muonio, Torniontie 6 (in the centre along E8), ☏ +358 44-705-6500, muonio@seomaki.fi. A motel accommodation in connection with SEO's maintenance services.