Last updated on July 10th, 2024 at 04:05 pm
Have you ever dreamed of visiting Santa Claus’s village in the Arctic Circle? Want to experience a magical winter wonderland? If so, you are ready for a bucket list trip with this Finland winter itinerary!
I can promise you that this trip will be your once-in-a-lifetime bucket list experience. You’ll meet Santa Claus in his very own Santa Village, enjoy his reindeer sleigh ride, take a thrilling Arctic husky ride, see northern lights, celebrate Christmas in Finnish Lapland, and much more.
In this blog post, I’ll share our kid-friendly Finland winter itinerary. But first, let’s talk about the best time to visit Santa’s Village in Finnish Lapland.
Best Months to Visit the Finnish Lapland
Although Santa’s Village is open all year long, I think the festive spirit comes to life during the holiday season, so visiting Finland during the winter months is our recommendation. You cannot go wrong with either November, December, January, or February. However, December might be pricer than the other months.
Traveling in peak winter also means you have to pack accordingly for the weather. More on packing below.
BONUS: Visiting Finland between October and March will give you a higher chance of seeing the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland!
How Many Days to Spend in Winter in Finland
I’d say anywhere from 5-7 days to properly explore and enjoy the beautiful Finnish Lapland.
7-Day Finland Winter Itinerary
Here is a condensed 7-day Finland winter itinerary, followed by a detailed daily breakdown of activities.
- Day 0: Land in Helsinki
- Day 1: Explore Helsinki
- Day 2: Travel to Rovaniemi, the central city on the Arctic Circle. Pick up your rental car here.
- Day 3: Explore Santa Claus Village
- Day 4: Explore more of Santa Claus Village, get adventurous in Snow Mobile Park, or enjoy the indoor Santa Park
- Day 5: Stay in a one-of-a-kind Igloo Hotel or Snow Hotel (more below).
- Day 6: Feeling adventurous, then go for an Arctic Icebreaker Adventure during the day or enjoy a drive to remote parts of Lapland to view the Northern Lights at night.
- Day 7: Return to Helsinki to take your international flight back.
If you have extra days, I’d suggest taking a short ferry from Helsinki over to Tallinn, Estonia. Even if just for a day trip.
TIP: Do not miss a sauna experience in Finland. After all, Finnish people invented the sauna.
You will find saunas in places you’d have never imagined, including their public libraries and the Ferris Wheel in Helsinki. So, let’s get to it.
DAY 1: Helsinki
Once you land in Helsinki, head to the downtown area. Especially during Christmas, they have beautiful Christmas markets & light decorations. I suggest taking one of the free city tours if you don’t mind walking in the cold.
Weirdly, we reached Helsinki on the 27th of December, and the city was already taking down the Christmas decorations, including the markets.
Below are some things to do in Helsinki in a day.
- Take a free walking tour of Helsinki
- See the Helsinki Cathedral
- Walk around the Senate Square
- See the City Hall
- Market Square at the Harbor
- Check out the Helsinki public library (which has a ton of free activities, including cooking class, 3D painting, you name it)
- Explore the high-end Finnish brands in the Esplanadi shopping district
Accommodation in Helsinki
We stayed at Hotel Klaus K in downtown Helsinki, which was very conveniently located within walking distance of all the attractions above. It even had a restaurant, so we didn’t have to hunt for food after arriving late in the evening.
Other great options to stay in downtown are:
DAY 2: Travel to Rovaniemi
Based on your travel plans, you could use the morning of day 2 to explore more of Helsinki before heading out to Rovaniemi in the evening. There are a few ways you can travel to Rovaniemi, including flying or taking the train.
By Plane
We chose this option because it was the most convenient and fastest route, given we were traveling with a kid. We flew Norwegian Airlines, but Finnair flies to Rovaniemi as well. The flight time was about 1.15 hours, and I highly recommend this option since it’s not expensive compared to trains.
By Train
There are direct trains between Helsinki and Rovaniemi, which will take you anywhere from 8 to 11 hours. From a price point of view, the trains and flights were comparable, so it is a preference for the type of journey that you want to take.
TIP: If you want to enjoy the train ride through a winter wonderland, then be sure to take the morning train. During winter, it gets dark in Finland by 2 pm, so there’s no point in taking the overnight sleeper train for the scenic views of Lapland.
Transportation within Rovaniemi
We prefer renting a car since it gives us flexibility with a kid. You would be amazed by the quality of Finnish roads and infrastructure above the Arctic Circle in the coldest of the months. Still, obviously, that also means you should be carefully driving in snowy & icy conditions.
But if you don’t want to drive, then a taxi or public transportation like shuttle buses can take you from the airport to Santa’s Village. Here is a timetable for public transit in Rovaniemi.
Another way to get transportation would be to book tours and excursions from Rovaniemi.
Accommodation in Rovaniemi
There are plenty of great hotels in Rovaniemi, including the Santa Claus Village Hotel. We stayed in a holiday home in Rovaniemi for two days. I loved that most Finnish houses have heated flooring, including their bathroom, a major plus during negative temperatures. And, of course, you will find a sauna in most accommodations.
TIP: Don’t book your igloo or ice hotel stays on the days you’re going to explore Santa Village. Since those hotels are costly, you’d want to enjoy your entire day experiencing what the hotel/resort has to offer. More details on the igloo hotels are below under Day 5.
Where to Eat in Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi, even though it’s above the Arctic Circle, this city is far ahead in terms of civilization. There is a big mall and plenty of restaurants to choose from. Believe it or not, we even found an Indian restaurant here. If you eat meat, then you should try Reindeer meat, which is a local delicacy. A must-try is a local drink called Glögi, which is a Finnish version of mulled wine. A great warm drink to fight the extreme temperatures.
Some restaurants to consider:
- Nili (best place to try local cuisine)
- Kotahavi restaurant (located within Santa Claus Village)
- Snowman World (located within Santa Claus Village)
- Curry Masala (Indian & Nepalese cuisine)
DAY 3: Head to Santa Claus Village
Santa Claus Village is a 10-minute ride from the airport. However, the most important thing to know about Santa Claus Village is that it is enormous, almost like a theme park. Given the limited daylight in winter, you might need more than one day to explore everything here.
TIP: Santa Claus Village is FREE to enter and explore! You only pay for things like Snowman World, meeting Santa, or the rides.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of things to do in Santa Clause Village.
Explore the Santa Village
As I said, it’s absolutely free to walk around the village and soak in the fantastic town they have set up. There is a thermometer that will tell you the freezing temperatures you’ll have to endure. You cannot miss the blue line that lights up overhead, which is a depiction of the Arctic Circle.
Here’s a map of Santa Village, which will come in handy.
Snowman World
Snowman World is not just a snow restaurant inside the Santa Claus Village; it is way more than that. There are ice sculptures, ice slides, ice tubing, ice maze, and a ton of other fun things for the kids & adults alike. Even more, there is an ice bar with an ice disco for the entire family starting at 5 pm.
TIP: Make a reservation in advance if you are interested in dining here!
When you purchase the dining ticket for Snowman World, you automatically get the entrance tickets for everything else, which are valid for the entire day. If you don’t want to dine, then you can just purchase a ticket for other fun activities inside.
Meet Santa Claus
Meeting Santa Claus is an experience for the books, so expect long lines to meet & greet Mr. Claus. You are not allowed to take photos when you meet Santa because the staff takes professional photos, which you can purchase later.
In my opinion, it was costly at 50 euros per photo, but you only do things like this once in your lifetime.
A Reindeer Sleigh Ride
You just cannot miss riding a real sleigh on your Finnish Lapland holiday. There are Reindeer rides in Santa Village that end at 5 pm. We highly recommend putting your name down for the ride in Santa Claus Village early in the day to avoid missing it.
Some Arctic resorts also offer these rides, so ask your resort once you book your accommodation.
DAY 4: Back at Santa Claus Village or Santa World or Snowmobile Park
Unless you finish exploring on the first day, which I am sure you won’t, especially if you are traveling with kids, you are going to want to come back the next day. This time, you can do the following things in Santa Claus Village.
Take the Husky Ride
Another one of those activities that you should book in advance because this is a trendy ride and can get full quickly.
Mail a Postcard from Santa’s Post Office
There is no higher thrill than mailing yourself a postcard from the Arctic Circle. We wrote a letter to our son and sent it home. This letter is going to make its way to his memory box.
Visit Santa Park
Santa Park is not in the same vicinity as Santa Village, but it is just a few minutes drive from there. If you have kids or just love elves, then consider visiting Santa Park, which is an indoor park. Unlike Santa’s Village, this park is not free. Tickets start from 39 euros per adult.
There are a lot of activities that the kids will love, but the best part was the elves’ show in the central theater area.
TIP: If you don’t have kids, skip this one.
Snowmobile Park
Across from Santa Village is this adventure park where you can go snowmobiling if you are looking for a thrill. We skipped it and did all of the above instead on our second day in Rovaniemi.
DAY 5: Ice Breaker Cruise Experience
For the adventurous souls, go on an Arctic Ice Breaker Cruise. The cruise is typically 3-4 hours long, and you will experience breaking the polar ice with your vessel along with a chance to take a polar jump, i.e., swim in the Arctic Ocean.
Just remember that you will end up spending the entire day doing this activity. We skipped it since we had little kids.
DAY 5 (Alternative): See the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland
I love taking tours, but by now, I have enough experience chasing Northern lights, and I’m pretty confident we can do it ourselves. We’ve already written a detailed blog on how to see northern lights on your own. Driving to remote parts of Lapland for clear skies will also give you great results as long as the KP index is high that night.
If you are not comfortable driving yourself, then take a Northern Lights tour, which will take you up north in remote parts of Lapland. If your Arctic resort is already remote, then you probably have a great chance of seeing the auroras from your hotel like we did.
DAY 6: Glass Igloo or Ice Hotel/Resort Staycation
People probably spend half of their trip’s budget on one of these popular resorts, but you’ll still find most of the popular igloo/glass hotels totally sold out for months.
TIP: Book your stay as far in advance as possible!
Most arctic resorts offer plenty of activities, so I suggest spending a full day there and staying two nights. We stayed in a glass-top cabin three hours away from Rovaniemi in the ski resort town of Ruka. We ended up there because, by mid-November, most igloo hotels around Rovaniemi were sold out for a stay at the end of December.
There are plenty of igloo or ice hotels in Lapland. I’ve listed some of the best ones below.
- Arctic Snow Hotel & Glass Igloos
- Kakslauttanen Arctic Igloo Resort
- Igloo Hotel – Pandomes Aurora
- Apukka Resort Glass Igloos
- Nova Galaxy Village
- Magical Pond Nature Igloos (We stayed here; photos below)
We spent our day exploring the gorgeous property and soaking in the beauty. They also had tons of snow activities such as snowshoeing, snow hiking, snow biking, cross-country skiing, etc. They also had a campfire area, which came very handy once it got dark and was a perfect way to ring in the New Year.
In Ruka, some lovely places to eat are Riipinen Wild Game, Rukatonttu, Ruka Peak, and Ruka Pizzeria (delicious gourmet pizza!)
DAY 7: Return Home
The winter wonderland trip comes to an end here. There are many international flights to other European countries from Rovaniemi, but most flights out of the continent typically depart from Helsinki. Head back to Helsinki by plane or train in time for your flight.
Packing for Winter in Finland
Packing for Finland reminded me of my winter trip to Canada since the sub-zero temperatures are very comparable in both these countries. We wrote an in-depth post on packing for winter that includes several options of winter gear for all genders, but at a minimum, you should be prepared to pack the following:
- Thermals (top & bottom)
- Sweater/Sweatshirt
- Parka/Heavy duty Winter Jacket
- Snow Pants/Pants with fleece lining
- Warm hat (to cover your head and ears)
- Scarf/Neck Gaiter
- Extra warm gloves
- Hand Warmers and Foot Warmers
- Snow Boots
- Wool/Warm socks
Finland Winter Itinerary
This trip to Finland was one of my dreams come true, and I hope with this blog it can be yours, too! And if visiting Finland in winter wasn’t on your bucket list, then I sure do hope that it will be now.
Happy & Safe Travels!
