Stop 1 · Finland
Rovaniemi
The Arctic Circle runs right through the northern edge of town — there is a painted line at the visitor centre, though it drifts a few metres a year.
Towns north of the Arctic Circle
Every stop lies above 66.5° north, where the sun stays up for weeks in summer and never rises at all in midwinter.
The five stops
Stop 2 · Russia
Murmansk
Around 270,000 people — the biggest city above the Arctic Circle in the world. The world's first nuclear icebreaker is moored here as a museum.
Stop 3 · Norway
Tromsø
The midnight sun runs from 18 May to 26 July, and the polar night from late November. It has more pubs per head than anywhere else in the country.
Stop 4 · Russia
Norilsk
About 175,000 people live here, making it the second-largest Arctic city. Its smelters have long made it one of the most polluted places on earth.
Stop 5 · United States
Utqiaġvik
Known as Barrow until 2016. Around 4,900 people live at the top of the continent, 515 km north of the Arctic Circle.
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