Jokkmokk (Dálvaddis)

The village of Jokkmokk (Dálvaddis in Samish), just north of the Arctic Circle, started as a Sami market and mission, and is now a centre of revitalised Sami culture. At the Sami winter fair you can shop seriously for handicrafts (Sámi duodji) worked in the traditional bold blue, red and yellow.

There’s a museum here with excellent information on the mountainous interior, should you be thinking of plunging further north, and a restaurant which does a nice line in reindeer sandwiches.

Jokkmokk is a good place to come and see the midnight sun, but don’t let your enthusiasm outdo your eyesight: the sun is always dangerous to look at. Summer visitors who are particularly brave pretend to enjoy a bracing dip in the river; the more sensible stick to dangling trout lines in Jokkmokk’s central lake. Jokkmokk is relatively isolated, and you should book accommodation well in advance if arriving at winter fair time.