The 10 best excursions and activities to do in Lapland in Finland

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Traditional wooden cabin in Lapland Finland

Whenever we visit a country we like to know its culture, customs and the ways of life of its inhabitants.

There are countries that are discovered through walking through their cities and buildings and others like Finland, in its great attractions are in nature and how man has adapted to it.

To know Finland, you have to do it through excursions and activities in which you can experience the daily life of a country that lives much of the year under a layer of snow.

In our already several trips to Lapland of Finland in winter we have been able to experience some of the activities that the country offers and that is why we want to show you which ones you cannot miss.

1. See Northern Lights

Without a doubt, the experience par excellence is to see the famous Aurora borealis or as they call them there, Northern Lights (northern Lights)

Seeing how nebulous waves arise in the starry sky that lights up with a green color, is the dream of many people and an unforgettable memory.

It doesn't matter which city you go to, since yes you travel to Lapland From the end of August to the beginning of April you have the chance to see them.

Northern Lights in Kuusamo in Lapland Finland

And I say possibilities because there are many people who have traveled to the area several times and have not been able to see them.

When traveling in winter and being an area of ​​frequent snowfall, you may have the circumstance that the day you take an excursion to see them, it is snowing or cloudy and you cannot see them.

That is why there are people who when they travel to Lapland decide to sign up for excursions known as all nights of their stay in the country safari to hunt northern lights.

We have precisely written this article with our experience looking for northern lights in Rovaniemi to explain all the information you need to know if you want to see them.

2. Visit the Santa Claus house in Finland

Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi

One of the emblems of the country and factor that makes decide for travel to Finland especially to families with children, it is the possibility to visit the santa claus house.

The city of Rovaniemi is where all visitors usually go to see Santa Claus.

You find it in a large complex focused on tourism, where you can meet him and also visit the post office where the letters of the children they send each year are stored and stored.

We leave the article where we tell you what to see in the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi.

Santa Claus in Kuusamo

But on our recent trip withCatai to the city of Kuusamo, we have discovered that there are more houses in where to see Santa Claus apart from Rovaniemi's.

Santa Claus in Kuusamo

In Rovaniemi they have been doing these visits for more years and it has become a place too touristy in high season.

However, in Kuusamo, near the border with Russia, the experience is different and much more personal and individual.

In Rovaniemi you have an audience with Santa Claus about 5 minutes while in Kuusamo It depends on what you hire you can spend up to two and a half hours with it.

Activities are prepared in addition to the characteristic audience, which way you can have dinner with Santa Claus, as we did, sing Christmas songs, make cookies or visit their animals and elves They help you.

After living both experiences, it certainly seems to me that the visit is made in Kuusamo It is much more intense and special for children and also for the elderly.

3. Traditional Finnish Sauna

Ice sauna in Ruka in Lapland Finland

Finland is a country in which there are more saunas than cars, specifically, 3 saunas for every 4 people.

Almost one sauna per person !!!

It is a real passion in a country where in all the hotels you go to you find a sauna, either in small cabins in the woods or in resorts of all styles.

Within the world of saunas, when you visit Finland you realize that there are many variants.

On our recent trip we wanted to live the experience and met some curious variant.

The most characteristic is the smoke sauna, which is what is considered the traditional.

River bath in Kuusamo in Lapland Finland

But today they are even being done ice saunas, in which the sensation of heat is much less than in a traditional one.

In a summarized way, the experience that is lived today in trips to Finland consists of several steps:

Prior shower, then you get into the sauna and when you consider it is very hot (it is a very personal sensation) you go out and either bathe in an icy lake or batter in the snow.

After this you go back to the sauna or bathe in a jacuzzi.

Obviously you can not bathe in an icy lake and just take a cold shower, but it is worth it if you have no heart problems to live the authentic experience in full.

4. Ice Floating in Kuusamo

Ice Floating in Ruka in Lapland Finland

Most of Finland's territory is forests and lakes, so water abounds in the country.

That is why it is not surprising that one of the most special experiences is to enjoy its rivers, but the activities have gone a step further.

You can sign up for excursions where you wear a thermal suit that allows you to dive into the river, and in this waylet yourself go with the flow While you enjoy the scenery.

It is undoubtedly a unique experience that can not be done almost anywhere in the world.

But also if you are very lucky, you can get to live it in a very special way since this excursion is also done at night.

And although we didn't have that luck, in this experience you can reach see the northern lights Between the starry sky while you let yourself go by the river.

Certainly something magical, we will try our luck again in our own visit.

5. Icebreaker Sampo in Kemi

Sampo icebreaker cruise in Kemi in Lapland Finland

If we made a list of unique experiences in the worldno doubt this icebreaker I would be in it.

There are only two icebreaker cruises tourist in the world, one is in Russia and the other is this and leaves from the city of Kemi.

But there is a difference between the two, only on this cruise you can spend 4 hours on the boat, from which you will visit all of its stays.

The visit includes a walk through the engine room where they explain how the boat works, a swim in the sea with thermal suits, similar to ice floating from Kuusamo, and food on board.

It is certainly an experience that is very worthwhile, so much that we have written an article telling how is the experience of the cruise on the icebreaker Sampo.

6. Snowcastle in Kemi

Ice hotel at Kemi Snowcastle in Lapland Norway

Every year in the city of Kemi when winter comes aice castleIt includes several rooms and attractions.

Known as Snowcastle, the interior decoration includes a different theme every year when sculpting the ice, so you can see differentsculptures covering its ice walls, which are already an incentive in itself to visit it.

But Kemi snowcastle It doesn't end here.

In addition, it is a ice Hotel with several rooms where you can live the experience of sleep below zero, and like many hotels, it also has its own restaurant and ice bar.

At Snowcastle You also find slides for the little ones, since you can visit without the need to sit down to eat in their restaurant or to sleep in the hotel.

And like almost all castles, it has its own chapel and defense towers.

When spring arrives, in mid-April, the thaw causes this ice castle to melt until the following year when it will rise again facing its opening in the month of December

7. Snowmobile

Snowmobile in Ruka

Personally this is the activity I enjoy most every time I visit a Nordic country.

In Finland there is a phrase that is sacred, «Joka miehen oikeus», which is the right of every man to walk freely in nature wherever you want.

This reflects the freedom with which Finns relate to their surroundings and the snowmobile It is a clear example of this.

Few sensations give more freedom than going through the frozen forests and lakes at your leisure in a snowmobile.

In all cities they can be done snowmobile excursions, but it is true that in more tourist cities like Rovaniemi the excursions are a bit more limited.

To be honest, where else have we enjoyed the snowmobile it has been in the forests around the Ruka ski resort, near the Russian border where you almost do not cross tourists.

National park in Ruka in Lapland Finland

The snowmobile tours, they are usually linked to other activities.

Almost all of these excursions always include lunch in a typical cabin where formerly sheltered samis.

In Rovaniemi we went on snowmobiles to see northern lights, in Kemi and Kuusamo we went ice fishing and in Ruka we went to a village where we rode reindeer.

Important!!! It is necessary to have an approved driver's license to drive them.

In short, if you visit Finland in winter, the snowmobile is a more common means of transport more common than the car.

8. Dog sleds and reindeer

Huskies in Ruka

And if we talk about means of transport, the most traditional are the sleds pulled by huskies or reindeer.

The image of a sled carried by these beautiful and hyperactive dogs through the huge snowy landscapes is very characteristic.

Before motor vehicles arrived, these sleds were the only means of transport that could be used when winter came, and this has created a huge culture around it.

The most common and those that usually include all tours and travel agencies are the huskie sledss.

For example, on the recent trip we visited Kuusamo and Ruka with Catai both excursions were included, huskies and reindeer sledges.

Reindeer sleigh in Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi

These excursions also usually include a small lunch and the possibility of spending time with the animals.

The visit of a huskies farm It is usually very demanded by the little ones, since you can see the puppies of the new litters.

Of course, there is usually a lot of difference in these excursions depending on where you hire them.

In some more tourist cities such as Rovaniemi it is not possible to take the sled yourself, but simply as a passenger.

While in others, like the excursion we did in Ruka, you take the sled yourself, which makes the experience more intense.

9. Snowshoes through a national park in Ruka

Snowshoes in Ruka

Obviously the most common excursion are the snow rackets, since you can simply walk with rackets.

But in Ruka you can do it crossing a natural Park, which gives it a very special charm.

When you walk through a natural park of these characteristics, there are many sensations that you perceive as the silence of the forest or the sound of the river.

In the natural parks of Finland the air is so pure that special and unique lichens grow on its trees.

These characteristic lichens are very sensitive and only grow in environments where there is no pollution and the air is completely pure.

A brutal experience filling your lungs with clean air walking with snowshoes along the beautiful trails of Snowy landscape.

10. Sleep in a Crystal Villa or in a traditional cabin

Crystal Villa at Kemi Snowcastle in Lapland Finland

And as a tourist trip does not include accommodation, and in Finland there are some simply impressive that make up an experience in themselves.

And we are going to highlight two that really are magical.

First, the traditional cabins They are built with solid wood logs, which, as the materials have evolved, were discontinued due to their high cost.

But little by little in some places in Finland we try to return to this type of construction.

These accommodations are being built in forests in areas where there are no major cities.

For example, in the vicinity of ski resorts such as Ruka in Kuusamo, so it is very common to see football players or other celebrities visiting these destinations with their families.

On the other hand, in addition to its aforementioned ice Hotel, in the enclosure ofKemi snowcastle, you can stay in very comfortable villas whose walls are made of glass.

There you can see northern lightswhile lying comfortably in your room.

The Crystal Villas They are probably the most special hotel we have ever been to.

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Video: Road Trip & Things to do in Lapland, Finland (March 2024).