Rebecca Engel
Lapland is the kind of place people put on a list years before they go. It’s the far north of Finland, a huge stretch of snowy forest and rounded fells above the Arctic Circle, where winter lasts about half the year and the sky turns green on a clear night.
The good news is that it’s easier to reach than it sounds, with winter flights into Rovaniemi, Kittilä and Ivalo. These are the bucket list things to do in Lapland Finland in winter, from the famous ones like husky sleds and glass igloos to a few that surprise people, like floating in a frozen sea. They run roughly south to north, so it’s easy to see which ones sit close together.
1. Chase The Northern Lights Across Finnish Lapland
This is the reason most people come. The northern lights season in Finland runs from late August into April, and the Finnish Meteorological Institute says they show up on about three nights out of four in northern Lapland. Clouds are what decide whether you actually see them.
The farther north you go, the better your odds. Inari and Utsjoki sit right under the auroral zone, but you can catch a good show near Rovaniemi too once you get away from the town lights.
The best hours are the ones either side of midnight. Many hotels will knock on your door or send an alert when the sky lights up, and guided aurora tours drive out to wherever the forecast looks clearest that night.
2. Cross The Arctic Circle At Santa Claus Village
Santa Claus Village sits about five miles north of Rovaniemi, and only a couple of miles from the airport. The Arctic Circle runs straight through the middle of it, marked with a line across the main square, so you can step over it and officially be in the Arctic.
Entry is free, and so is meeting Santa, who is here every single day of the year. The official photos are what cost money.
Don’t skip Santa Claus’ Main Post Office while you’re there. Anything you send from it gets a special Arctic Circle postmark, and cards dropped in the red mailbox are held and sent out just before Christmas.
3. Spend A Night At The Arctic SnowHotel In Rovaniemi
About 16 miles outside Rovaniemi, the Arctic SnowHotel gets built out of snow and ice from scratch every winter. It’s open from December 15 to March 31, and each season has a new theme carved into the walls.
The rooms stay between 23 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit. You sleep on a frozen bed covered in reindeer skins, inside a sleeping bag made for Arctic conditions, and it’s much warmer than it sounds.
One night is plenty for most people. If you’d rather not sleep on ice at all, the ice restaurant and ice bar are open to day visitors, and the same site has heated glass igloos for the rest of your stay.
4. Snowmobile Across The Frozen Kemijoki River
Rovaniemi sits right where two big rivers meet, and in winter the Kemijoki freezes solid enough to ride on. Snowmobile safaris head up the frozen river and then turn off into the forest on narrow, twisting tracks.
Many trips stop at a wilderness hut halfway for hot drinks and something to eat. No experience is needed, but you’ll need a valid driver’s license if you want to drive rather than ride behind someone.
Tour companies hand out thermal overalls, boots, helmets and mittens before you set off. Book an evening trip if you can, since it doubles as a northern lights hunt.
5. Meet Arctic Animals At Ranua Wildlife Park
Ranua Wildlife Park is about 50 miles south of Rovaniemi and makes an easy day trip. It’s home to around 50 Arctic and northern species, including a polar bear, wolves, moose, musk oxen, arctic foxes and owls.
A boardwalk loop about a mile and a half long winds through the forest past each enclosure. Seeing these animals in real snow, in their own kind of weather, feels a lot more natural than a city zoo.
This one is especially good if you’re traveling with kids. Plenty of Rovaniemi tour companies run trips out with transport included, so you don’t need a car to get here.
6. Float In The Frozen Sea On The Sampo Icebreaker In Kemi
Kemi is a little over an hour south of Rovaniemi, on the coast where the sea freezes over each winter. The Sampo is a real icebreaker that has been taking visitors out for more than 35 years, and it can plow through ice up to four feet thick.
The cruise lasts about four hours. Partway through, you pull on a thermal survival suit, climb down onto the ice and float in the freezing water between the broken slabs. It’s one of the strangest and best things to do in Lapland Finland in winter.
The 2026 to 2027 season runs from December 18 to April 3. Walking on the ice isn’t always possible early in the season, and you need to be at least 4 feet 7 inches tall to float.
7. Drive Your Own Husky Team Through The Forest Near Levi
Levi, in western Lapland, is surrounded by husky farms, and on most rides you actually drive the sled yourself. Usually two people share a sled, with one standing on the runners and steering while the other rides up front.
The dogs howl and bark like crazy while they wait to go. The moment the brake comes off, they go quiet and just run, and all you hear is the sled on the snow.
Rides range from a short loop to a full day in the forest. Most farms let you meet the dogs afterward, and if there are puppies around, that part can be just as memorable.
8. Ski The Slopes At Levi
Levi is the biggest ski resort in Finland, with 43 slopes and 17 of them lit up after dark. That matters here, since midwinter days are only a few hours long.
The season opens in early October, on snow the resort saves from the previous winter, and runs well into spring. The village is small and walkable, and the airport at Kittilä is only about 12 miles away.
Levi also hosts a World Cup slalom race each November, where the winner takes home a live reindeer. Mikaela Shiffrin has won nine of them. Even if you don’t ski, the views from the top of the fell over the frozen forest are worth the ride up.
9. Snowshoe Up A Fell In Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park
Pallas-Yllästunturi is one of Finland’s oldest national parks, stretching north from the Ylläs ski area not far from Levi. In winter the trees on its rounded fells get so thick with frozen snow that they look like sculptures.
Snowshoes are the easiest way to get up there. The official trails are marked with snow poles or tall wooden posts topped with a blue reflector, though they aren’t packed down like ski runs.
Kukastunturi is a popular fell to summit, and there are routes out to campfire huts where you can warm up with a sausage over the fire. You can rent snowshoes in the Ylläs villages or go with a guide.
10. Sweat In The Smoke Sauna At Kiilopää, Then Jump In The Stream
You can’t really do Finland without a sauna, and the smoke sauna at the Kiilopää fell center near Saariselkä is one of the most famous in the country. It’s the oldest style of sauna there is, heated for hours without a chimney until the room is thick with warm, woody air.
It runs around 212 degrees Fahrenheit inside. When you can’t take any more, you walk outside and step down into the Kiilopuro stream, which sits right around 30 degrees in winter and is about four and a half feet deep after the steps.
It sounds awful and feels amazing. The smoke sauna is heated every day except Sunday in winter, and it sits right at the edge of Urho Kekkonen National Park.
11. Sleep Under The Sky In A Glass Igloo At Kakslauttanen
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, just outside Saariselkä, built the first glass igloos in Lapland back in 1999. Today it’s the largest glass igloo resort in the world, with more than 200 places to stay.
The igloos have heated glass roofs, so the snow slides off and you can lie in a warm bed watching the sky. If the northern lights show up, you don’t even have to get dressed.
They also have Kelo glass igloos, which are part log cabin and part glass igloo, with a lot more room. Either way, book as early as you can, because the winter dates fill up fast.
12. Ride A Reindeer Sleigh At A Sámi Reindeer Farm Near Inari
Reindeer herding is still a living way of life for Sámi families around Inari, and several of them welcome visitors to their farms. A sleigh ride here is slow and quiet, the opposite of a husky ride, as the reindeer walk you through the snowy forest.
Most visits include a chance to feed the reindeer and try throwing a lasso. Afterward you warm up with a hot drink by the fire inside a lavvu, the traditional Sámi tent.
The best part is often the conversation. Hearing a herder explain how the reindeer are looked after through the year tells you more about Lapland than any sight on this list.
13. Learn About Sámi Culture At Siida In Inari
The Sámi are the Indigenous people of the far north, and the small village of Inari is the center of Sámi life in Finland. Siida, the Sámi museum and nature center there, is the best place to understand their culture and the land it comes from.
Inside, the exhibits cover Sámi history, culture and reindeer herding, plus the nature of northern Lapland. Your ticket also covers an open air museum, where a half mile path passes more than 50 historic buildings.
In winter the museum is open Monday through Saturday from October 5 to the end of May. Pair it with a reindeer farm visit and you’ve got a full, easy day in Inari.
14. Eat Sautéed Reindeer And Squeaky Cheese In Rovaniemi
Lapland’s most famous dish is poronkäristys, thin slices of reindeer slowly sautéed in butter with onions until they’re falling apart. It comes with creamy mashed potatoes and tart lingonberries, and it’s exactly what you want after a day in the cold.
For dessert, look for leipäjuusto. It’s a mild, warm cheese that squeaks against your teeth, served with cloudberry jam, and cloudberries are the prized wild berry of the north.
Rovaniemi has the widest choice of restaurants in Lapland, from cozy log houses to modern Nordic kitchens. You’ll find reindeer on almost every menu, as soup, sausage and burgers too.
15. See The Blue Light Of The Polar Night In Utsjoki
Utsjoki is Finland’s northernmost municipality, about 290 miles north of Rovaniemi on the Norwegian border. From late November to the middle of January, the sun doesn’t rise here at all for about 52 days.
That doesn’t mean total darkness. For a few hours around midday the sky glows deep blue and soft pink over the snow, and it’s one of the most beautiful and unusual things you’ll ever see.
Utsjoki also has the best northern lights odds in the country. It’s a long way to go, so most people fly into Ivalo and drive about two hours north, but very few visitors make it this far.
Where To Stay In Lapland In The Winter
Lapland is big, and no one does all 15 of these on one trip. It works best to pick one or two bases and do the things to do in Lapland Finland in winter that sit close to them.
Rovaniemi is the easiest base and has the most flights. Santa Claus Village, the SnowHotel, snowmobiling on the Kemijoki and the best food scene are all close by, and Ranua and the Sampo icebreaker are day trips. You can also get here on the overnight sleeper train from Helsinki.
Levi, reached through Kittilä airport, is the base for skiing, husky rides and snowshoeing in Pallas-Yllästunturi. Saariselkä, reached through Ivalo airport, puts you next to Kakslauttanen and Kiilopää, about an hour from Inari’s reindeer farms and Siida, and within reach of Utsjoki.
When To Go
December is the most popular month, with Christmas at Santa Claus Village and the shortest days of the year. It’s also the busiest and most expensive time in Rovaniemi, and the SnowHotel and the Sampo only open in the middle of the month.
January and February are the coldest, when temperatures can drop well below zero Fahrenheit. They’re also quieter than December, and the snow is deep everywhere.
March is a favorite for a reason. The days are long and bright, the snow is still deep, the northern lights are still out at night, and it’s much easier to spend a whole day outside. Whenever you go, pack warm layers, but know that most tours hand out thermal overalls and boots.
Final Thoughts
Lapland earns its spot on the list. Where else can you cross the Arctic Circle in the morning, drive a team of huskies in the afternoon and watch the northern lights from a warm bed that night?
Pick a base, choose a few of these things to do in Lapland Finland in winter, and leave some nights free for the sky. That’s the part people talk about for years.
