Complete Lapland Finland Itinerary: Best Winter Destinations and Experiences
From cotton candy skies, to reindeer sleigh rides and late nights spent chasing the northern lights, winter in Finnish Lapland is nothing short of pure magic.
In this blog post we have outlined the full details of our Finland Travel Itinerary. While we love to hop between destinations to soak up as much as possible, this trip would still be just as enjoyable if you choose just one or two of these locations (outlined below) as the home base for your trip.
Looking for information on what to pack for your trip to Finland? You can find that here!
TRAVEL ITINERARY BY DAY - THE QUICK VERSION
Day 1: Fly into Ivalo Airport (IVL) and pick up your rental car from the airport. Stay at Aurora Village in a glass igloo cabin.
Day 2: Reindeer feeding and “Panorama Sauna & Jacuzzi” experience at Aurora Village. Stay at Aurora Village.
Day 3: Reindeer sleigh ride at Aurora Village. Drive to Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort and check in for your stay in one of Kakslauttanen’s glass igloos. Go for an evening husky safari at the resort.
Day 4: Drive from Saariselkä to Köngäs, check into the Northern Lights Ranch and enjoy diner at the hotel. Roast marshmallows by the fire, feed the reindeer on site, or go iceskating at the resorts heart shaped ice-rink
Day 5: Ice skating at Northern Lights Ranch. Drive to Levi Foxfires and check in for your stay at their private boutique guesthouse. Drive up the hill and watch sunset in the Levi Ski Resort area. End the day aurora chasing with a guided tour from Arctic Frontiers.
Day 6: Check into this glass roof airbnb. Spend the morning going for a guided snowshoeing tour in Levi. End your day at Levi Foxfire’s Traditional Finnish Sauna Experience.
Day 7: Drive from Kitilä to Ivalo Airport (IVL) and fly home :(
WHERE TO FLY INTO LAPLAND, FINLAND
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) - Ivalo Airport (IVL)
When flying to Finnish Lapland, the flight path we chose to take was Helsinki Airport - Ivalo Airport. But here are several alternative airport options to consider if you wish to modify your trip:
Rovaniemi Airport (RVN): The main international airport for the area and the closest for travelers looking to visit Lapland’s Santa Claus Village
Kittilä Airport (KTT): Offers convenient access to some of the most popular and well-known ski resorts, such as the renowned Levi
Kemi-Tornio Airport (KEM): Serves as the best gateway for travelers and tourists who are looking to explore Southern Lapland
LAPLAND TRAVEL ITINERARY BY DAY - THE LONG VERSION
Day 1:
Arrive in Lapland - Ivalo Airport (IVL)
We landed in Ivalo around 9:00 PM, which made our "first day" exceptionally short; in our opinion, this was for the best after nearly 24 hours of travel.
Check into Aurora Village - Ivalo, Finland
There are many wonderful accommodations in Lapland, but we chose to start our trip by checking in for a 2-night stay at Aurora Village. The property is located just 17 minutes away from the Ivalo Airport, making it a great location to begin your trip to Lapland.
Aurora Village is known for its beautiful, glass roof cabins that offer views of the night sky — and, if you’re lucky, the northern lights. The resort also provides many on-site activities and excursions such as:
snowmobiling
ice fishing
northern lights tours
nightly snowshoeing hikes
reindeer sleigh rides
and so so much more!
You can see the full list of winter activities available for booking at Aurora Village here.
Day 2: Ivalo, Finland
Breakfast and Dinner at Loimu (Aurora Village)
During the fall and winter seasons, both breakfast and dinner are included in your nightly room rate at Aurora Village. Breakfast was served buffet-style and dinner was a three course meal that changed daily.
Lunch is also served at the restaurant; however, it is not included with the price of your stay.
Reindeer Feeding at Aurora Village
The hotel provides a 15-minute reindeer feeding experience for ~5 euros. During this experience you can take photos and feed the reindeer. You can reserve your experience here.
Panorama Sauna and Jacuzzi at Aurora Village
A relaxing sauna experience after a longggg travel day? YES, PLEASE.
There are two sauna experiences offered at Aurora Village:
1. Panorama Sauna with Jacuzzi
2. Wood Barrel Sauna and Ice Bath
We booked the panoramic sauna which features a glass roof with views of the surrounding forest, and an outdoor hot tub. This experience costs ~50 euros per adult and 25 euros per child for a 1.5-hour reservation.
Alternatively, the hotel also offers a traditional wood-heated sauna. This sauna is self-heated, meaning you’ll be responsible for starting a fire to heat it. Located by the river, this sauna also comes with an option to cold plunge in the river… if you are brave enough! This experience is ~40 euros per adult and 20 euros per child for a 1.5-hour time slot.
You can reserve your experience here or at the front desk during your stay.
Day 3:
Breakfast at Loimu (Aurora Village)
We ate breakfast at the hotel one last time before checking out.
Reindeer Sleigh Ride at Aurora Village
A reindeer sleigh ride is likely on your bucket list for a trip to Finland, and thankfully they’re available in many locations in Lapland.
We booked our reindeer sleigh ride at Aurora Village. You can reserve your tour here.
Drive from Ivalo to Saariselkä, Finland
After checking out of our hotel, we began our journey from Ivalo to Saariselkä. If you drive directly to Saariselkä, it should take you roughly 45 minutes to get there. However, it was an exceptionally beautiful drive, so you may want to leave a little extra time in your schedule.
We pulled over several times to take videos and photos of reindeer grazing along the road, the beautiful snow-covered trees, and the magical, cotton candy-colored skies!
Kakslautten Arctic Resort - Saariselkä, Finland
The glass igloos at Kakslautten Arctic Resort are definitely a bucketlist stay! The property is fairly large and they offer many different types of accommodations such as log chalets, glass igloos, and even actual snow igloos.
Fun fact: This resort has an alarm system that will sound at night if the auroras are visible. That way you won’t miss your potential shot at spotting the northern lights because you are sleeping!!
Breakfast and Dinner at Kakslautten Arctic Resort
Breakfast and dinner are included with your stay — but truthfully, this was the one downside to this hotel. We felt that the resort’s food options were a step down from our experience at the Aurora Village hotel, and not what we would have expected for the steep price to stay here.
Husky Sleigh Ride at Kakslautten Arctic Resort
The Husky Sleigh Ride was a very fun, hands on experience that we highly recommend!
The sled holds up to two people at a time with one person steering/braking while the other stays bundled up in the sled. During this excursion you will be responsible for controlling the dogs and keeping them at a safe distance from other sleds, but no prior experience is needed and the guides teach you all that you need to know before you begin your ride.
Day 4:
Drive from Saariselkä to Köngäs
After breakfast, we checked out of the Kakslautten and began our three hour drive to Köngäs. We were lucky enough to have clear skies on this day and therefore this was a STUNNINGLY scenic drive through Lapland.
Aurora Chasing with Arctic Frontiers
Northern Lights Ranch - Köngäs, Finland
The Northern Lights Ranch was definitely one of our favorite places to stay. The resort has very unique sky view cabins with large glass windows and a heated glass roof, which makes it perfect for seeing the Northern Lights. It felt like we were sleeping inside a snow globe!
The hotel has a complimentary, heart-shaped iceskating rink and a spot to feed reindeer on the property. But if you are looking for more, there are many other activities that you can book here.
Tip: To make this stay a little more affordable we stayed at this resort during the weekdays and booked our accommodations a couple months in advance.
Breakfast and Dinner at Northern Lights Ranch
Breakfast is served buffet-style and is amazinggg. Although not included with the room rate, it was well worth the price.
Dinner is a 3-course meal with a menu that changes daily. The rate for dinner was not included with our room rate and was on the pricey side, but we enjoyed it.
If you are looking for a more casual dinner, we suggest heading into the Levi Ski village area where you’ll find a variety of different restaurants to choose from.
Day 5:
Levi Foxfires - Kittilä, Finland
We checked out of Northern Lights Ranch and headed to our next stay — LevI Foxfires, Private Boutique Guesthouse.
Levi Foxfires - Kittilä, Finland
Listed as a “Private Boutique Guesthouse,” we found Levi Foxfires to be very similar to a bed and breakfast type of stay. The owners, Paul and Aggie reside in one side of the home, with the guesthouses located on the opposite side of the home. They were so accommodating and thoughtful, attending to every little detail to ensure our stay was magical. We would highly suggest staying here!
Note: This hotel usually requires a minimum stay of three nights. However, during our trip dates, the hotel was fully booked with the exception of one available day. Therefore, we reached out to inquire about reserving this one available night and the owners kindly made an exception for a one-night stay.
Location: Levi Ski Resort
Sightseeing
Most of our day was spent driving around the Levi Fell (a little ski “mountain”). We drove up towards the top of the ski resort and took about billion photos and videos. We absolutely recommend driving up here for sunset on a clear day!!
Lunch at Kotia Pizza
A great option for a quick lunch, located at the base of the Levi Ski Resort.
Campfire Barista
This little booth is very popular and was visited by Gordon Ramsey. Location can vary depending on the time of year. Check their instagram for details on location- @campfirebarista.
Dinner at Northern Lights Ranch
For dinner we made reservations at the Northern Lights Ranch restaurant again. We were under the impression our aurora chasing experience was scheduled to pick guests from this location. However, we later discovered that the company offers pick-ups from several different locations around the Levi area. Ooops!
Aurora Chasing with Arctic Frontiers
We booked an aurora chasing and photography guided experience through Arctic Frontier and it was one of the highlights of our trip! Our guide was super friendly, knowledgeable, and was able to take us to the most optimal spots for seeing the auroras. The tour also provided us with a tripod, camera, SD card and direct instructions on how to capure the northern lights on camera! We highly recommend booking an aurora chasing tour during your stay. You can book your excursion here.
Day 6
Breakfast at Levi Foxfires
Breakfast is freshly prepared every morning by the hosts and is delicious! We woke up to a full spread of meats, cheeses, fresh juices, breads, and pastries that were homemade. Paul and Aggie do everything possible to make you feel welcome and at home.
After Breakfast we unfortunately had to check out of Levi Fox Fires and head to a nearby airbnb.
Glass Roof Airbnb in Kittilä
This airbnb is in a great location (about a 10 minute drive outside of town) and offers guests a small sauna, hot tub, glass roof above the bed, full kitchen, washer, and wifi. You can book your stay here.
Snowshoeing Levi Fell
Guided Snowshoeing Tour
We would highly recommend snowshoeing in the Levi area. You can book your experience here.
Arctic Spa Experience at Levi Foxfires
AHHHHHH!! If you love cozy vibes, twinkle lights, and candles in the midst of winter… you just might love this. We found this experience to be remarkable to say the least.
When you arrive, you are greeted with a candlelit pathway that leads you to the sauna, kota, and hot tub at Foxfires. The sauna and kota are decorated in twinkle lights that provide the most beautiful ambience to the experience. You do not have to be a guest at the hotel to book the sauna, but for guests staying at the hotel, the sauna is 50% off. You can book your experience here.
Interested in seeing more? Watch snippets from our time at the Arctic Spa here.
Ravintola Renna Restaurant
During our time in Levi, it was very challenging to get into restaurants without a reservation. This was one of the few places where we were able to eat at without a long wait. Overall, the food was good but we recommend making reservations at various restaurants prior to your stay.
Day 7:
Kittilä to Ivalo
On our final day in Lapland, we woke up early and drove three hours back to the Ivalo Airport (IVL) for our return flight to California.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Weather
Finland is located in the Arctic, so it is known for being extremely cold. During our trip, in mid-December we experienced temperatures ranging from -29 °C to 0 °C. It was freezing! A few of the days, it was so cold that our eyelashes froze within seconds of stepping outside. We would highly recommend looking up the average temperatures for the month that you are visiting and pack lots of layers!
Daylight
Daylight hours in Finland are limited during the peak winter season. In mid-December, we experienced daylight hours from approximately 10AM to 3PM. At this time of the year, the sun does not rise above the horizon in Lapland. However, the sun does rest just below the horizon providing beautiful daylight hours and sunset skies when the weather is cloud free.
Best Time To See The Northern Lights
The greatest chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis is said to be from September to beginning of April. However, there is no way to guarantee that you will spot them on your trip.
Transportation: Rental Car
We rented our car through the Ivalo Airport website. The Ivalo Airport is very small so we highly recommend that you book your car in advance - since the number of rental cars will likely be limited. You can book your car here.
We have frequently been asked, “But how safe is the driving?” and while we don’t feel comfortable making a generalized recommendation to everyone, we will share that we did not find the driving to be difficult for ourselves. In fact, most of the time there were very few cars on the road while we were traveling from destination to destination, which seemed to make things even easier for us. That being said, please do your own research — road conditions can vary throughout the year and icier conditions can make winter driving more difficult. So, please be safe <3
Other transportation options: If you are unsure of driving yourself, we did see many individuals traveling via tour bus. This seemed to be a very popular way of exploring Lapland.
