72-Hour Guide to Lapland (Part II)
Visiting Lapland has been a dream of mine since my teenage years. I have grown up since then but the dream hasn’t vanished. In the last few
Now that you read Part I, let me tell you about the rest of the trip.
Day 2
One thing you should know about me is that I am not into extreme sports or activities. Prone to accidents (often very silly ones as you will see later on), I am usually very cautious. But in the spirit of winter fun and to keep my husband company, I agreed to go on a beginner snowmobile ride. The ride takes about 40 minutes with a stopover in the middle of the forest.
Once we showed up at the Wild Nordic office, we received overalls, mittens, balaclava and helmet to put on. Our red beast was waiting for us outside. After short instructions from the guide on how it works, we hopped over and turned the engine on. It was by far my husband’s favourite activity as he got some adrenaline rush. At first, I found the ride too bumpy for my liking but soon the beauty of the surrounding forest and clean crisp air made me forget any inconveniences. Forty minutes passed very quickly and we did really well coming back in one piece and full of adrenalin!
Santa Claus village, as I mentioned before, has several cafes and restaurants. We wanted a quick bite and Reindeer Pizzeria Sirmakko looked perfect. I first felt
Now having met Santa Claus himself, it was time to visit his famous post office. It’s easy to find and offers a big variety of post cards, Christmas calendars and other souvenirs. Depending on your preference, you can mail a postcard via regular Santa mail to be delivered now or you can opt for Christmas time delivery. The office is really cosy and we spent some time there writing Christmas cards to ourselves and family as a reminder of a fabulous trip.
We finished the day at the Snowman World, a complex within the Santa Claus village that is created to showcase the wonders made of snow and ice. After getting an all-day pass for 25 euros, we entered a giant snow igloo.
The igloo is famous for its Ice Bar and Restaurant, where you can have
But the igloo is not the only attraction of the Snowman’s World. Once you step out of it, there is a big snow playground for everyone. The complex features an ice rink, which was melting when we visited due to warm weather, and a couple of slopes for
Day 3
The last full day in Rovaniemi we decided to do something different and head to the Ranua Zoo which is home to a number of different Arctic animals, like the arctic fox, wolve, lynx, polar bear, wolverine, moose, Ural owls and others. Located about an hour from Rovaniemi, the zoo is in the middle of the forest. It’s very serene and peaceful there. Greeted by friendly zoo staff, we got our tickets and followed the trail that introduces to different animals and birds.
Being the cat lover, I absolutely loved seeing lynx and Pallas’s cat. But also a couple of polar bears chilling on the snow and moody looking snowy owls.
The trip would have been amazing if I didn’t fall on ice and sprained my ankle so badly that I couldn’t walk without sharp pain for the rest of the trip. The only thing that softened the blow was lunch at the zoo’s restaurant: a hot salmon soup and mashed potatoes with meatballs.
The trip went by quickly and I enjoyed every bit of it. Lapland is a truly magical place with Christmas atmosphere all year around. If you decide to plan a visit, here are my few last suggestions on how to save money while having most fun.
- Flights: if you are
traveling from theUK , I suggest you get youbook your flights via Norwegian Air which is cheaper than Finnair and has direct flights to Rovaniemi. I am a big fan of Norwegian Air as it’s always cheaper than any other carriers for flights to Scandinavia. Our flights were £140 per person round trip.
- Accommodation: since Rovaniemi is a small town, there aren’t that many hotels and most of them are pricey. Also, staying at one of the hotels in Santa Claus Village would have costed us a fortune and we would be in the middle of nowhere with limited choices for dining. I found our private accommodation on Booking.com, which was much cheaper than a hotel. We rented a cosy and fully-equipped studio apartment right in the centre of Rovaniemi, which meant we were only minutes away from transport links, restaurants, shopping centres and local attractions.
- Local transport: if you stay in Rovaniemi like us, commute to
the Santa Claus Village is very easy and cheap. There are two buses that go fromtown center to the village, it takes about 10 minutes and cost only 3.5 euros each way. Just make sure to print out bus schedule before your trip and pick one up at the Tourist Center. - Winter activities: I suggest you do your research before you go in terms of costs and length of each activity. And this is why. For example, a 40-minute husky ride can cost anywhere from 120 to 150 euros depending on the provider. In other instance, I was able to find a reindeer ride (40-minutes) for 60 euros while prices for the same duration go as high as 130 euros. Also, I suggest, if you want to save money, just go for the shortest rides. They will cost the least but will give you a flavour of Lapland fun.
- Money: unlike other Scandinavian countries, Finland (which is in the EU) was surprisingly inexpensive. Local supermarkets are full of fresh and pre-made produce. So if you are staying in an apartment, you can easily cook your own meals and save a lot of money on eating out.
Hope these tips come handy! Please do get in touch if you want more information on costs, activities, etc.
Happy travels xx
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