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Travel guide
Finnish Lapland
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: December to March for snow and the northern lights, August to September for the autumn colours
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Welcome
Finnish Lapland, in a few days
Finnish Lapland covers about a third of the country with some 180,000 people, more reindeer than residents, and northern lights on around 200 nights a year in the far north. Between Rovaniemi, Levi, Ylläs and Inari, the days go to dog sledding, saunas by frozen lakes, snowmobiles and snowshoe walks in deep silence.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Northern lights at Saariselkä free · an eveningAt 68° north, Saariselkä lies under the auroral oval; locally, displays are seen on about three clear nights in four between September and March.
- Afternoon · Urho Kekkonen National Park free · 2 to 3 hFinland's second-largest national park, 2,550 km² of rounded fells, pine forest and the Suomujoki valley, running from Saariselkä to the Russian border.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lapland Hotels Sirkantähti€140 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Siida, Inari · 2 to 3 hThe national museum of Finland's Sámi on Lake Inari, renovated in 2022, covering reindeer herding, joik singing, the three Sámi groups and language rights.
- Afternoon · Levi ski resort · a full dayFinland's largest ski resort, on a 531-metre fell above Kittilä, with 43 slopes and a World Cup slalom race each November.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lapland Hotels Riekonlinna€150 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park free · half a dayA 100 km chain of fells from Ylläs to Enontekiö, Finland's most visited national park, with 350 km of trails to spread the crowds.
- Afternoon · Kilpisjärvi and Mount Saana free · half a dayFinland's north-westernmost village, near the Norwegian border in the country's only true mountains, below Saana, a 1,029-metre whale-shaped fell sacred to the Sámi.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Scandic Rovaniemi City€140 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi free · 2 to 3 hBuilt in 1985, 8 km north of Rovaniemi, with a white line marking the Arctic Circle that nearly every visitor photographs.
- Afternoon · Sampo icebreaker, Kemi · half a dayA 75-metre icebreaker from 1961, now a cruise ship that forces its way through the Gulf of Bothnia ice from mid-December to early April.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lapland Hotels Sky Ounasvaara€150 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Salmon and lake fish: perch, whitefish and vendace, smoked, fried or cured.
- Karjalanpiirakka: Karelian pasties, a thin rye crust around rice porridge, eaten with egg butter.
- Lohikeitto: a creamy salmon soup with potatoes and dill.
- Rye bread and forest berries: bilberries, lingonberries and cloudberries, picked in late summer.
- Coffee and korvapuusti: Finns drink more coffee per head than anyone, with a cardamom and cinnamon bun alongside.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Budget ahead: eating out and drinking cost a lot, and most wine and all spirits are sold only in the state Alko shops.
- Mosquitoes are thick in Lapland in summer, above all in July: bring a strong repellent.
- Sauna has its customs: shower first, sit on a towel or paper seat, and expect nudity in single-sex saunas.
- Winter means deep cold and short days: dress in layers and plan time outdoors around the light.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Finnish
| English | Finnish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hei |
| Thank you | Kiitos |
| Please | Ole hyvä |
| Yes | Kyllä |
| No | Ei |
| Excuse me | Anteeksi |
| Goodbye | Näkemiin |
| Do you speak English? | Puhutko englantia? |
| I don't understand | En ymmärrä |
| How much is it? | Paljonko se maksaa? |
| Where are the toilets? | Missä on vessa? |
| The bill, please | Lasku, kiitos |
| Help! | Apua! |
| Cheers! | Kippis! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €175 a day, mid-range
Best seasonDecember to March for snow and the northern lights, August to September for the autumn colours
PlugC/F · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingIncluded in the bill, nothing more expected
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo vaccinations required. Make sure tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date. Ticks carry encephalitis in some coastal areas and on the Åland Islands, so check yourself after summer walks.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/lapland
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.