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Planning a Trip to Finnish Lapland
A Lapland winter trip has been my dream trip for so many years, and I finally pulled the trigger and booked a trip this past winter. I spent years saving hotels, cities, excursions, sunset views & more to plan my perfect trip, and I could not have loved Lapland more. It lived up to the hype in every possible way,
I felt like I was traveling through a snowglobe sleeping in glass igloos, gazing endlessly at the Northern Lights, husky sledding through the Arctic, each experience was dreamier than the last. I spent TONS of time researching my trip, so I’ve packed this guide with everything to help you plan your perfect Lapland adventure.
Lapland is huge & there are 4 main areas you can visit. This guide covers which you should visit depending on what type of trip you want, how to get to each, where to stay, what to do/see & how long you need in each area. Happy travels!
In This Guide
- Finnish Lapland Map
- Best Areas to Stay in Lapland
- Getting to Lapland
- Getting Around Lapland
- How Long to Spend in Lapland
- Best Things to Do in Lapland
- When to Visit Lapland
- Lapland 10 Day Itinerary
- Guides to Lapland’s 4 Main Cities/Areas
Planning a Finland adventure? See my full Finland Travel Guide here to help plan your trip!
Disclaimer: This article contains some links where I earn commission through booking. There is no extra cost to you, and I only recommend things I’ve used and love or places I’ve stayed and enjoyed!
Lapland Finland Map
This map pins the 4 main cities/areas of Lapland & my favorite stays, restaurants & places to see in each. Lapland is way bigger than I expected, and I like to think of it based off the 4 main cities/areas you can fly to
- Levi
- Rovaniemi
- Ruka
- Saariselkä
Where to Visit in Lapland
If you have time I think it’s worth visiting all 4 areas of Lapland, but if you’re shorter on time or don’t want to drive/fly between them and need to pick one or a few stops I’ve broken down my favorite parts of each below! Links to each travel guide include best stays, top activities, restaurants & more.
Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi is the most popular area of Lapland and the most easily accessible. Rovaniemi is the official home of Santa, and it’s biggest attraction is Santa Claus Village, making it a good family choice. Truthfully, this was my least favorite area of Lapland, and if I were going back I’d go to the other three areas before Rovaniemi, but there are some highlights!
- most accessible (more flights) also reachable by overnight train from Helsinki
- Santa’s home! (great for kids)
- tons of excursions – any Lapland activity you want to do can be found here from GetYourGuide and Viator
- more accommodation options for your budget
- you don’t necessarily need a car (although I still recommend it) but there are enough excursions you can get around without one
- more crowds, feels a little more city-ish than what I was looking for in Lapland
- wasn’t as pretty as the more remote areas
Levi
If you’re going to pick one spot to visit in Lapland I think Levi would be my top recommendation. It has tons of excursion options, a wide range of accommodations, has a lot but still feels authentic/remote + is the cutest ski town!
- many excursion options (similar to Rovaniemi) to do all the typical Lapland activities from GetYourGuide and Viator
- cute ski town with tons of restaurants and bars, but still feels like you’re in nature
- lots of amazing hotels!
- you could get by without having a car if you stay in Levi town (although I still recommend it)
- best ski resort in Lapland
Ruka
Ruka & the nearby area were stunning. The national parks around Ruka were some of my favorite parts of my Lapland trip. If you’re a hiking enthusiast, this area of Lapland is for you!
- access to the stunning national parks (Riisitunturi & Oulanka)
- Ruka is a cute little ski town with access to one of Lapland’s best ski resorts
- Levi overall was the cuter of the ski towns IMO
- Ruka has less excursions (husky sledding, reindeer farms, snowmobiling, etc) the highlights really are the national parks and the ski resort
Saariselkä
Saariselkä is Lapland’s most remote, northern area and is home to some of its most pristine, picturesque scenery, stunning hotels & a small, postcard-like ski resort. It’s perfect for couples looking for a quiet romantic getaway, or anyone wanting the most remote, magical Lapland experience.
- Lapland’s most remote and picturesque region
- home to some of the prettiest bucket list stays (igloos, glass treehouses, etc.)
- a small, but super picturesque resort
- remote, but still home to guided tours and activity options!
Getting to Lapland
Most likely you’ll need to fly into Lapland, there are 4 airports (one near each of the major areas described above.) All of these airports have regular flights from Helsinki, or you may be lucky if you’re flying from somewhere else in Europe that flies directly to one of these Lapland airports.
Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi Airport (RVN) is a 12 minute drive from downtown Rovaniemi and easily accessible to all accommodations in this area. This is the largest of the Lapland airports, and can be the easiest to get flights to. It’s also easy to rent a car from here.
It is also possible to take a train from Helsinki → Rovaniemi. The overnight “Santa Claus Express” leaves Helsinki at 11PM and arrives in Rovaniemi at 11AM. This can be a cheaper option if flights are expensive, but I found flying to be cheap and went that route!
Levi
Kittilä International Airport (KTT) is a 20 minute drive from Levi. I flew into Kittilä, and it was super convenient — you can rent a car from here, or grab (a very expensive) taxi to the small ski town.
Ruka
Kuusamo Airport (KAO) is 25 minutes from Ruka and the most convenient option for exploring Ruka & its nearby national parks. I rented a car in Levi and was able to return it in Ruka, allowing me to explore multiple areas of Lapland!
Saariselkä
Ivalo Airport (IVL) is your gateway to Lapland’s most northern, remote region. It’s a 20 minute drive from Saariselkä and you can rent a car here (necessary in this area!)
Getting Around Lapland
In my opinion you really should have a car to explore Lapland! This gives you a level of freedom to explore, and some of my favorite views were along the side of the road or places only accessible by car!
Rovaniemi & Levi
If you’re really anti driving base yourself in Rovaniemi or Levi, you can get taxis to your hotel, and there are so many guided tours you can book from these areas, allowing you to explore without a car! You’ll still need to plan for staying near restaurants or having food at your accommodation if you can’t drive.
Taxis are available, but it’s not super fast and it’s very expensive.
Ruka & Saariselkä
I would not opt to visit either of these areas without a car. There’s not as many guided activities and these regions are generally more remote. To enjoy the highlights of these two areas you’ll really need to be able to get around with your own rental car.
Tips for Driving in Lapland in Winter
- Book your rental in advance! Especially if you want an automatic
- The roads are very well maintained, even in winter
- Cars must have winter tires (if you’re renting this will be taken care of)
- Assume it’s going to take longer than Google Maps says (you’ll likely be going much slower than the speed limit) things took about 30% longer to get to than it said online for me
- Headlights must always be on (any time of day in any season)
- Watch for traffic cams (they’re all indicated with signs) You’ll really only see these in Rovaniemi in Lapland
- Beware of animals (reindeer, elk, etc) on remote roads!
How Long to Spend in Lapland
7-12 Days
I’m all for short, quick trips, especially city breaks, but Lapland is somewhere that deserves a bit more time in my opinion, especially because it’s a bit difficult to get to (especially coming from the US.)
This is really up to you, but I’d recommend 2-3 days for each city/area you plan to visit. It also depends on which activities you’re planning to partake in and how long they take. I spent 2 days of my trip snowboarding, so I had to leave time for husky sledding, reindeer farms, spa days, exploring the national parks, etc!
There’s lots of different ways you can design your itinerary based on what you want to see/where you want to stay! See my full 5, 7, 10 Day Lapland Itineraries here.
My Itinerary:
- Day 1: Helsinki
- Day 2: Fly to Levi (Kittilä International Airport) & explore Levi
- Day 3: Levi Ski/snowboard
- Day 4: Levi Husky sledding & reindeer tour
- Day 5: Levi → Rovaniemi – Levi Foxfires Arctic spa & tour of Arctic Snowhotel Rovaniemi
- Day 6: Rovaniemi (Ranua) Explore Santa Claus Village & Glass igloo stay in Ranua!
- Day 7: Rovaniemi (Ranua) → Ruka explore Riisitunturi national park
- Day 8: Ruka explore Oulanka national park
- Day 9: Ruka Ski/snowboard
- Day 10: Fly home from Ruka (Kuusamo Airport)
To have made it to Saariselkä (still on my list!) I would have had to have had
- to have 2 more days OR
- shorten my Ruka trip by doing days 7 & 8 and add 1 day OR
- add 1 more day and skip Helsinki!
Best Things to Do in Lapland
No matter which area of Lapland you visit, these are the bucket list experiences you won’t want to miss! More details in each location travel guide for these activities!
- Husky Sledding — one of the most exhilarating things you can do in Lapland. You’ll get to ride as a passenger and drive the sled yourself. It sounds terrifying for about 30 seconds and then it’s absolutely incredible. Book a combined husky + reindeer tour to do both in one day!
- Visit a Reindeer Farm — learning about the deep relationship between the native Sámi people and their reindeer is a genuinely special experience. Feed the reindeer, hear their history, and glide through the snowy forest on a sleigh ride.
- Chase the Northern Lights — to see the aurora you need two things: active solar activity and a clear sky. Download the Hello Aurora and Aurora apps before you go — they’ll give you real-time probability and cloud cover info. Staying somewhere outside of town (or with glass igloo/treehouse accommodation) gives you the best chance of seeing them without leaving your bed!
- Ski Lapland — lift tickets in Finland are incredibly affordable compared to the US (around 58 euro for a day pass) and the mountain scenery is unlike any ski resort you’ve ever visited. Levi is the best overall ski resort, but Ruka and Saariselkä both have their own magic. Read my full Guide to Skiing in Lapland here.
- Visit the Arctic Snowhotel — this hotel near Rovaniemi is built entirely from snow and ice and rebuilt every winter with a new theme. You can tour for a small fee (17 euro), visit the rooms, and have a drink at the ice bar. There’s also a nightly ice restaurant dinner — book ahead!
- Stay in a Glass Igloo or Glass Treehouse — the bucket list Lapland stay. Wake up to snow-covered forest, fall asleep under the Northern Lights without leaving your bed. Arctic Fox Igloos in Ranua and Hotels Aurora Collection in Saariselkä are two of the most stunning options in all of Lapland.
- Visit an Arctic Spa — Levi Foxfires Arctic Spa is a private outdoor hot tub and sauna experience in the most stunning snow-covered setting imaginable. You rent the entire spa for 2.5 hours — book a sunset slot for the best atmosphere. 375 euro for the block, splittable with up to 6 people.
- Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi — free to enter, with paid activities inside including meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus, reindeer sleigh rides, a husky farm, and a kids snowmobiling track. A must if you’re travelling with kids, and still a fun stop for adults!
- National Parks, Ruka – Riisitunturi & Oulanka National Parks are absolutely jaw-dropping in the winter and so worth adding to your Lapland bucket list for some light winter hikes with postcard-views.
When to Visit Lapland
My top recommendation for visiting Lapland is winter — I’m sure Lapland in the summer is fine, but this really is a winter trip IMO. Lapland is a bucket list winter trip & winter in Finland really is a fairytale. I went last week of Feb/first week of March and it couldn’t have been more perfect! In terms of which month you should choose:
December
December features short days, tons of Christmas spirit (Rovaniemi is Santa’s home!) There will be snow in Lapland by December and Northern Lights are active.
January & February
Also filled with short days, freezing temps, lots of snow, cotton candy colors of partial daylight & lots of opportunities to see Northern Lights. This is generally considered peak season!
March
In March days start to lengthen, but there’s still plenty of snow on the ground, particularly in early March. Milder temps are good for skiing and outdoor activities, plus it’s a great month for Northern Lights. As March progresses depending on the year snow may start to melt off the trees, so some of the quintessential Lapland views may start to dissipate by mid-end of month.
Ready to Start Planning Your Lapland Trip?
Check out my guides for where to stay, top things to do, best restaurants and more for each area of Lapland!
