10 Things to do in Finnish Lapland in Winter

Lapland is a truly breathtaking part of the world. While Lapland covers four countries, here we are focusing on Finnish Lapland. Located in the North of Finland, this region is the epitome of a winter wonderland. While summertime brings midnight sun and endless forests and lakes for hiking and exploring, winter is really when the area comes into its own. 

Here are 10 magical things to do in Finnish Lapland during the winter. 

Search for the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights (or aurora borealis) is a stunning natural phenomenon occurring most often near the Earth’s magnetic poles. There is no way I could begin to describe how these occur but this article does a great job.

While there is advice you can follow to try to improve your chances of seeing them, you are completely at the mercy of nature. 

The best time of year to see them is between November and early April and between 7pm and 2am. It is best to try to head North and try to get away from any light pollution. The Northern Lights app is a good resource to check weather conditions (a clear night with no clouds is what you’re aiming for). 

I visited in February and spent a long time (with many others) on a frozen lake having been told that the chance of a sighting was high. We eventually gave up only to see them through the sky light of our cabin just as everyone was going to bed. The following two hours watching those colours dance was amazing. 

Experience Husky Sledding 

This is an absolute must do! When you get to the husky kennels you’re greeted by so many excitable dogs. As soon as they get strapped in you can tell how eager they are to run, and boy do they run. 

With two people to a sled, you both have the opportunity to mush your team of dogs or enjoy the view from the seat. Of course you have a guide and other teams with you but I can only imagine how exhilarating this would be with nothing in front of you but nature. 

Have a reindeer sleigh ride

A reindeer sleigh ride is a wonderful, cultural experience. Visiting a reindeer farm gives you the chance to meet the indigenous Sami people and hear about their way of life and how they live alongside the reindeer. 

The sleigh ride itself is a lovely relaxing way to get off the beaten track and into the wilderness. 

Once you are back at the farm there is the chance to meet and feed the reindeer. They are semi-domesticated but please remember that these are big animals and all animals can be unpredictable so be respectful. 

Here’s a fun story for you. When we were sitting in our sleighs ready to go, the reindeer behind started sniffing and nudging around my head. For some reason it reared up on its hind legs and I felt the weight of its front legs on my shoulders and back. I cannot explain to you how painful that was. I was bruised for days. 0/10 – would not recommend. 

Ski or snowboard 

There are many popular ski resorts in Lapland including Levi, Ylläs, Pyhä, and Saariselkä.

I stayed in Levi and the slopes here are relatively quiet, the runs are wide and well looked after and there are plenty of English speaking instructors. The runs are all flood lit so you can ski all day even when there are only a few hours of sunlight. As well as the slopes there are roughly 230km of cross country skiing tracks. 

I paid for a few hours of skiing lessons but honestly I was so terrible. That’s no reflection on the instructor at all but it’s not for me. However the slopes are stunning and I would be very happy to enjoy an après-ski while enjoying the view. 

Levi is also home to the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup every year and includes fun traditions like visits from Santa and the reindeer prize. The winner of this prize gets to name a reindeer and will be able to follow their life at a reindeer farm. 

Take a snowmobile tour

Snowmobiling is a popular hobby and still one of the best ways for locals to get around in the winter. Getting out on a snowmobile is an exhilarating way to explore the wilderness. 

To ride a snowmobile solo, you need to be at least 18 years old with a valid driving licence, at least 15 years old to ride with supervision and under 15s can enjoy mini snowmobiles or ride as passengers (provided they meet the tour company’s criteria).  

Snowmobiling tours aren’t limited to the day time either. Many tour companies offer night time rides, giving you another opportunity to spot the Northern Lights while riding through the forests. 

Try snowshoeing

If you want to get into the wild in a more relaxing way, why not try snowshoeing? Snowshoeing is exactly what it sounds like. Strap into a pair of snow shoes and get out into the glorious Finnish outdoors. You can explore at your own pace and in a less intense way. 

You will, of course, be led by a professional guide who will teach you more about your surroundings as you go. There is a strong chance that you could spot wildlife tracks from wolves, lynx, moose, wolverines, reindeer and hares. 

Click here for more tips for visiting Lapland

Go ice fishing

If you want to try your hand at a traditional Arctic winter activity, then try ice fishing! Rovaniemi’s frozen lakes offer a magical setting for this authentic experience. It is best done between late December and early March when the ice is thick enough to fish safely. 

Visit Santa Clause’s village

Santa Clause’s village is located in the capital of Lapland, Rovaniemi. The Christmas magic is alive 365 days a year here and you can meet Santa on any one of those days. 

Some of the experiences include meeting Santa in his office or at Christmas House, see the Main Post Office, meeting Mrs Clause at Christmas Cottage, meeting the reindeer and other pets, enrolling in the Elf’s Hat Academy or enjoy a private experience at the reindeer and husky farm. 

The Arctic circle actually cuts through Santa’s Village, so it is a popular place to step (or hop or jump or cartwheel) over the physical line. You can also visit the Roosevelt Cottage, which is the first building in the arctic circle. This was built in 1950 to commemorate the visit of Eleanor Roosevelt.

If this wasn’t enough to keep everyone in the family happy, there are also opportunities to take part in a Northern Lights Safari, mountain bike and hike (depending on the time of year), horseback riding, snowmobiling, waterfalls and nature trails. 

There are also several options to sample local food and handicrafts in the shops, restaurants and cafes. 

Visit the SnowVillage

Lapland Hotels SnowVillage is a truly unique hotel in Lainio, Kittilä. 

The SnowVillage is rebuilt from scratch every year with a different theme in mind. The site is roughly two hectares in size and uses 20 million kilos of snow and 300,000 kilos of natural ice. The theme is normally announced in the Autumn and building begins around November/December time lasting roughly six weeks. The average temperature inside is -5° (which is actually warmer than the outside temperature). 

When I visited the theme was Game of Thrones, which you can imagine was pretty epic. This year, to celebrate their 25th anniversary, the theme is Pure Celebration. This will include a fairground, a Rio Carnival area and much more. 

If you’re feeling particularly brave, you can spend the night in the luxury ice suite. Keep in mind that this doesn’t come cheap! For a price of 4500 euros you can have private access to the SnowVillage, a guided tour, sleeping bags and clothes for the ice suite, access to a sauna and hot tub, a three course dinner and breakfast. 

Food and drink options include the ice bar, Ice Restaurant, Krouvi (a cafe with log burners and no ice!) and the Glass Restaurant. While I didn’t eat there, I would recommend getting a hot chocolate in the ice bar or a frozen glass of the local Laplandia bilburry vodka. Bilburry is a fruit similar to blueberries, only found in the northern forests and this is the only vodka in the world made from bilberries and artesian Finnish water. 

Stay in a glass igloo

If you’re going to search for the Northern Lights, what better way to do it than spending the night in a glass igloo. While I haven’t done this myself, it’s something I would really love to do in the future. 

One of the most popular resorts I’ve come across is the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort. They offer cosy and romantic two person igloos or the newer Kelo-glass igloos. These combine an all glass igloo with a cosy log cabin suitable for up to six people. 

You can also book an igloo through Inghams (this is the tour company that I used).

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Have you had any of these experiences in Lapland?