10 Best Tours and Activities in Lapland (Finland) in Winter

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

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

To know Finland, it must be done 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 several trips to Finland Lapland 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.

Tour to see the Northern Lights in Lapland (Finland)

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

Seeing hazy waves emerge in the starry sky that lights up with a green color is the dream of many people and an indelible memory.

It doesn't matter what city you go to, because if you travel to Lapland From the end of August to the beginning of April you have a chance to see them.

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 with frequent snowfall, it may happen 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 every night of their stay in the country at excursions known as safaris to hunt northern lightss.

Visit Santa Claus's house in Finland

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

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

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

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

Santa Claus in Kuusamo (Finland)

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

En Rovaniemi They have been making these visits for more years and it has become an overly touristy place 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 Papai Noel about 5 minutes, while in Kuusamo Depending on what you hire, you can spend up to two and a half hours with the character.

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

After living both experiences, it undoubtedly seems to me that the visit made in Kuusamo It is much more intense and special for the little ones… and also for the older ones.

Bathe in a traditional Finnish sauna (Lapland Finland)

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

Almost one sauna per person!!!

It is a true passion in a country where in every hotel you go to you will find a sauna, whether in small cabins in the forest or in resorts of all styles.

Butwhat types of saunas are there?, when you visit Finland you realize that there are many variants.

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

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

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

In summary, the experience that is lived today in the trips to Finland consists of several steps to bathe in a sauna:

Pre-shower, then you go into the sauna, and when you consider that you are very hot (it is a very personal sensation) you leave the sauna I am good you bathe in a frozen lake or you roll in the snow.

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

Obviously you can skip bathing in a frozen lake and just take a cold shower, but it is worth it if you don't have heart problems to live the full authentic experience.

Floating on a frozen lake (Ice Floating) in Lapland Finland

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

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

You can sign up for excursions in which you wear a thermal suit that allows you to jump into the river, and in this way let yourself go with the flow while enjoying the scenery.

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

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

And although we were not that lucky, in this experience you can get to see the northern lights between the starry sky while you let yourself be carried away by the river.

Without a doubt something magical, we will try our luck again on our own visit.

Sail on an Icebreaker boat and float on the frozen sea (Lapland Finland)

If we made a list of unique experiences in the world, definitely sail on an icebreaker ship I would be in it.

There are very few tourist icebreakers in the world; one is the Sampo that leaves from the Finnish city of Kemi, experience that we have enjoyed, and there is another in the Bothnian sea, in the Swedish town of Båtskärsnäs.

Besides seeing how the ship sails breaking the ice of the frozen sea, the excursion includes a visit to the different rooms of the ship, including the engine room where they explain how the ship works, as well as a meal on board.

A key moment is Experience of ice floating that will allow you float on the waters of the frozen seaYes, with thermal suits.

It is undoubtedly an experience that is very worthwhile.

Sleep in an ice hotel in Kemi Snowcastle (Lapland Finland)

Every year in the city of Kemi When winter comes, a building is built ice castle which includes several stays and attractions.

Known as snowcastle, the interior decoration includes a different theme each year when it comes to sculpting the ice, so that you can see different sculptures covering its ice walls, which is 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 it without the need to sit down to eat in its restaurant or stay overnight at the hotel, and like almost all castles, it has its own chapel and defense towers.

When spring arrives, in mid-April, the thaw makes this ice castle melt until the following year when it will be raised again for its opening in December

Snowmobile tour in Lapland Finland

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

En Finland There is a phrase that is sacred, “joka miehen oikeus”, which is the right of every man to walk freely in nature anywhere you want.

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

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

In all cities you can do snowmobile excursions, but it is true that in more touristy cities like Rovaniemi The excursions are a little more limited.

To be honest, where we have enjoyed the most snowmobile It has been in the forests around the Ruka ski resort, near the Russian border where you hardly come across tourists.

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

Almost all of these excursions always include lunch at a typical finnish cabin where they formerly took refuge Samis.

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

Important!!! It is necessary have an approved driving license to be able to drive them.

In short, yes visits Finland in winter, snowmobile It is an almost more common means of transportation than the car.

Dog or reindeer sled ride in Lapland Finland

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

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

Before the advent of motor vehicles, these sleds were the only means of transportation 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 where we visited Kuusamo and Ruka with Catai both excursions were included, husky and reindeer sleighs.

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

La visit of a husky farm It is usually in high demand by the little ones, since you can see the puppies from 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 carry the sleigh yourself, but you simply go as a passenger.

While in others, like the excursion we took in Hand, you carry the sleigh yourself, which makes the experience more intense.

Snowshoeing through a national park in Ruka (Lapland Finland)

Obviously the most common excursion is the snow rackets, since simply with some snowshoes you can start walking.

But Hand you can do it by crossing a parque natural, which gives it a very special charm.

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

In nature 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 to fill your lungs with clean air walking with snowshoes along the beautiful trails of Snowy landscape.

Sleep in a Glass Villa or a traditional cabin (Lapland Finland)

And of course a tourist trip includes accommodation, and in Finland There are some that are simply impressive that make up an experience in themselves, and we are going to highlight two that are truly magical.

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

But little by little in some places in Finland they are trying to return to that type of construction that is being built in the forests in areas where there are no large cities.

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

On the other hand, in addition to his aforementioned ice Hotel, in the grounds of Kemi Snowcastle, you can stay in very comfortable villas whose walls are made of glass, and from where you can also see northern lights while you are lying comfortably in your room.

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