14 best things to do in Lapland, Finland for winter

Nestled in the northernmost part of Finland, Lapland is the most beautiful and pristine white wilderness to explore in winter. Whether you are here to meet Santa or to spend a night in an igloo, you will find some of the best things to do in this winter wonderland. We spent 7 days in this spectacular part of the world for winter.

To embrace the winter season at its best, I would say take that jacket, grab those boots, and head outside to explore the beautiful parts of the world, and one of them is Lapland. This is one of our favorite seasons to travel and in the last two years, we have explored Alaska and Finland in winter. So happy!

Here are the 14 top things to do in Finland for winter

1. Watching Northern Light dancing in the sky

Watching Aurora Borealis (aka Northern Light)  dancing in the sky is one of the best things you can do in Lapland. This phenomenon appears between September and March. You will find plenty of places where you can enjoy this in Lapland.

However, the best view would be a place with less light pollution, a night with no moonlight or clouds, and solar flares with high KP Index forecast.

If you are visiting for the 1st time, I would suggest booking a tour to enjoy the sight. However, do read the reviews before booking any tours. Also, don’t book it in way advance as it is weather dependent.

We got to see this beautiful phenomenon from our Glass Igloo in Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort.

2. Taking a dip in a frozen sea

We booked a day trip to Båtskärsnäs, Sweden from Roviemiami to take a dip in frozen waters. We booked this tour with Polar IceBreaker. It is such a surreal experience to see an Icebreaker ship sailing through a frozen sea, especially during sunrise. 

We felt very cold standing outside on the deck of the ship but the views of the frozen Baltic Sea were the reason we could take it. Our favorite part was taking dip in a frozen waters – It was such an amazing moment! 

3. Visiting Santa Claus Village

Meeting Santa Claus in Lapland is like a winter dream. It’s one of the things you should definitely check off your list in Lapland. We met Santa Claus in his official residence in Santa Claus village where we chatted and took a memorable picture with him.

There are a lot of Christmas-y things you can do in the village. Definitely add this place to your bucket list.

4. Crossing the Arctic Circle

Rovaniemi city lies on the Arctic Circle which means you have an opportunity to photograph yourself crossing the imaginary line.

You can do that in the Santa clause village just outside the Santa clause office. We had fun clicking photos here. 

5. Meeting with Reindeer

A  trip to Lapland is incomplete if you don’t meet a herd of Reindeers. We would suggest to visit a family owned farm to meet them and if you like you can even ride sleigh with them.

6. Say hello to Huskies

Cuddling and riding with the adorable Huskies are things not to be missed when you visit Lapland. We met the huskies at Husky Park Arctic Circle and did a short ride with them. 

7. Spending a night in an Ice hotel

Spending a night in an Ice hotel was something adventurous we did on our trip to Finland. We booked a room at Arctic snow hotel & Igloos in Rovaniemi. We stayed in an ice room with a temperature of  -5 Celsius, ate in a restaurant made of ice, and did a snow sauna in the room made of ice. It was one of the best experiences we had in Finland.

If you don’t wanna do overnight stay but just curious to checkout the hotel, you can do a day trip tour here.

8. The Lappish Sauna Experience

A Finland Winter Trip is incomplete without the Finnish Sauna Experience. We chose the ‘Snow Sauna’ Experience which essentially is a sauna experience inside an ‘snow room’. This was such a relaxing part of our trip and we would definitely recommend to include this activity in your travel plan. 

Another one which I would recommend is a sauna with an Ice pool bath – absolutely a crazy experience!

9. Trying the Traditional Lappish Cuisine

If you love trying local cuisines like us, we would definitely recommend trying Lappish cuisine when in Finland.  In Rovaniemi, we came across this restaurant Nili and totally loved the ambiance and the food. Another unique experience we had was eating in an Ice Restaurant at Arctic snow hotel & Igloos.

10. Stay in a Glass Igloo or an Aurora Cabin

There are plenty of unique stays in Lapland specially for witnessing the Northern lights & enjoying the winter wonderland. One of the reasons we visited Finland in winter was to experience the magic of staying in a Glass Igloo and watching the northern lights above! And for this reason, we chose Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort. This is one of the most popular hotels in Lapland and they have many different kinds of stay options to choose and we opted for the most famous one – Glass Igloo. 

And other night, we spent in the Aurora Cabins in the Northern Lights Village in Saariselka. We totally loved our heated cabin surrounded by snow-filled trees.

11. Snow-mobiling

Riding a snowmobile in the middle of snow-filled tall trees is such a thrilling experience. There are many tours which you can choose from in Finland and enjoy the ride in the wilderness.

We chose the Snowmobile at night as we wanted to see Northern Lights. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see any northern lights but we did enjoy the thrill riding the snowmobile at night.

12. Toboggan Run in Saariselka

If you are looking for something fun, checkout the Longest toboggan run in Finland at Saariselka Ski Resort.

13. Snow Shoeing

Snowshoeing is another amazing activity to enjoy in Lapland for winter. Basically, you need equipment to hike or walk on snowy trails. You will find many trails near the Resorts or if you are road tripping we would suggest visiting Pyhä-Luosto national park. 

There are many tours available, which you can find in Saariselkä area in case you don’t have car.

14. Ice Climbing

Never thought you can do Ice climbing in Finland. If you are not an expert in ice climbing, would definitely suggest going on Ice climbing tours. We didn’t try this when we visited, but this is something we definitely would if we visited next time.

Hope this blog inspired you to take a trip to Lapland in Finland this winter. It is a dream destination to visit in winter. We really enjoyed our time here. You can check out our complete guide on how to visit Lapland, Finland in Winter to plan your trip. Pin it or Bookmark this post for future reference. Also, let us know in the comments if have any questions. Happy to answer! or if you find our blog useful. Happy to know!

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