Lapland is one of the most popular New Year destinations and is ideal for a family holiday. To make the trip truly unforgettable, it is best to prepare in advance and know what you can do in this remarkable region.
Send a postcard from Santa Claus’s post office
Eight kilometers from Lapland’s best-known city, Rovaniemi, a real Santa Claus Village has been operating since 1985. Many consider the village a tourist trap, but it is impossible to imagine a trip to Lapland without visiting this place. Santa Claus’s helpers — Christmas elves — keep everything running here. The main attraction is, of course, Santa Claus’s residence, as well as the post office, which receives letters from all over the world. The village also has a puppet theater, a huge number of souvenir shops, and restaurants where you can try Finnish New Year dishes such as fish casseroles, gingerbread, prune pastries, and mulled wine. There is something for adults too: visitors can take part in a ceremony marking the crossing of the Arctic Circle and receive an official certificate.
Have fun at SantaPark
Not far from Santa Claus Village, on Syväsenvaara Hill, there is also a Christmas-themed amusement park. You can get there by sleigh or even on foot. Here, young visitors can take a magical reindeer sleigh ride through the different seasons, ride a Christmas carousel, see Mrs. Claus’s kitchen, and meet Santa Claus himself. There are also plenty of elves, who can ride with guests in a sleigh and help them bake their own New Year gingerbread.
Go on a husky, reindeer or snowmobile safari
If you have ever dreamed of traveling through magical snow-covered landscapes in a real sleigh pulled by reindeer or blue-eyed huskies, Lapland gives you the chance. Sleigh rides are offered in almost every settlement in the region, and such excursions often include a break for lunch or hot drinks, so there is no need to worry about getting too cold. If snowmobile racing interests you more, Kemijärvi is the best place to go: enthusiasts call the town the European capital of snowmobile sports. There are numerous convenient trails here, some of which begin right in the town center.
Feed the reindeer
If you want not only to ride in a reindeer sleigh but also to learn more about the animals, the best option is to visit a reindeer farm. Here you can learn about the life and breeding of reindeer, feed them, and ride in a real working sleigh rather than a tourist one. If you wish, you can even learn how to drive it yourself. One of the farms is located very close to SantaPark, making it convenient to combine visits to the two attractions.
Explore the Arktikum Museum
Built in a specially constructed glass tunnel on a riverbank, this museum in Rovaniemi is considered one of the best in Finland. Traditional and interactive exhibitions at the Arctic regional center tell visitors about the customs of the peoples living above the Arctic Circle, while the Polarium theater offers the chance to admire the Northern Lights.
Take a sauna in a gondola
The sauna is one of the most important aspects of Finnish culture, and to make your impressions of the trip complete, a visit to one should definitely be included in your itinerary. Lapland has a huge number of places where you can take a sauna, but perhaps the most exotic can be found at the Ylläs resort. Here you can relax in the warmth during a 20-minute ride in a specially equipped gondola to the top of the slope, where a fireplace, Jacuzzi, and showers await guests.
Go skiing
At the Ylläs ski resort, you can not only enjoy a sauna but, of course, go skiing or snowboarding. It is a very popular destination located near the villages of Äkäslompolo and Ylläsjärvi. Although Lapland cannot boast Alpine scenery, it has excellent slopes and plenty of opportunities both for sports and for relaxing after a day of skiing. Between runs, you can visit restaurants and shops, swim in an ice hole, or go horseback riding.
Stay in an ice castle
If as a child you dreamed of building a real snow fortress that you could actually live in, Lapland can make that dream come true. The most luxurious snow village is located 200 kilometers above the Arctic Circle and is called Lainio. It has everything needed to make a trip unforgettable: an ice hotel, an ice bar and restaurant, and numerous sculptures, with the entire frozen spectacle shimmering and glowing under colorful lighting.
But if this experience is beyond your budget, there is no need to despair: similar attractions are created in other places during winter. For example, near the market square in Kemi, a snow castle is also built with an ice restaurant and the Mammoth Hotel. The temperature in its rooms does not rise above -5°C, and guests are provided with Arctic sleeping bags.
Visit the Sámi museum
In a village beside Lake Inari, which the Sámi consider sacred, you can visit the impressive Siida Museum, dedicated to the history, life, traditions, and art of the Sámi people, as well as the geology, flora, and fauna of the Arctic regions. Inari is generally considered a cultural and handicraft center of the Sámi, so if you are interested in learning more about this Lapland people or buying interesting handmade gifts, it is definitely worth stopping here. Not far from the village is an excellent open-air museum featuring traditional Sámi buildings. However, it is only open in summer. In winter, if you are lucky, you may be able to attend the annual reindeer sleigh races.
Take a cruise on an Arctic icebreaker
Eight kilometers south of Kemi, the Arctic icebreaker Sampo is moored. For 30 years it sailed through cold waters, and now it carries tourists along the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. During the four-hour trip, visitors can tour the icebreaker, swim in icy water wearing special survival suits, have lunch, and relax in the cabins. It is worth keeping in mind that only people over 12 years old and taller than 145 cm are allowed to swim. The cruise is very popular, so places need to be booked in advance.
