Siida Sámi Museum, Inari
Siida
Finland's national museum of the Sámi people and North Lapland's nature centre; after a 2022 renovation, immersive exhibitions present the history of the reindeer herding people and their four seasons
Siida lies in the village of Inari on the shore of Lake Inari, about 330 km north of Rovaniemi. It is Finland's national museum of the Sámi people and was built jointly with the North Lapland nature centre of Metsähallitus. It opened in 1998, was expanded in 2022, and was nominated for the European Museum of the Year award.
The main exhibition, “This Land Is Our Children,” is organised around the four seasons and the traditional Sámi way of life: reindeer herding, fishing and hunting, Sámi clothing (gákti), handicrafts (duodji), joik singing and the revival of the Sámi language. More than 2,000 Sámi artefacts returned from the Finnish National Museum in 2021 are also on display here. The nature section presents the Arctic tundra, bird migration and climate change.
From early June to mid-September, the outdoor museum area is open, with more than 40 19th-century Sámi log cabins, raised storehouses and traps. Admission for adults is about €15.
Inari itself is also a centre of Sámi culture. You can visit the Sámi Parliament building, Sajos, and in summer boats sail on Lake Inari to the sacred Ukonkivi rock. In winter the frozen lake is an excellent place to watch the Northern Lights, and the nearby Wilderness Hotel Inari offers glass igloos.
Getting there: a long-distance bus from Rovaniemi takes about 4.5 hours, and from Ivalo Airport about 40 minutes. Siida is usually arranged together with the Saariselkä glass igloos and a Northern Cape route.
Opening hours
Jun–Sep daily 9:00–18:00; Oct–May Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00, closed Mondays
Nearby sights
- Juutuanjoki River Trail
- Sámi Cultural Centre Sajos
- Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church
- Otsamo Fell
- Inari Reindeer Farm
- Ukonkivi (Ukko Island)
- Karhunpesäkivi
- Lake Inari