Where are you planning to travel during your winter vacation? Maybe it's worth visiting Finland, Lapland? Last winter tourist season was very successful in Finnish Lapland. It is expected that even more foreign tourists will come to northern Finland in winter 2023/24. The busiest time will be the Christmas holidays. But March is the best month for such a trip, in our opinion.
What attracts tourists to Finland?
- Santa Claus Village is the most famous attraction in the city of Rovaniemi.
- Many tourists would like to see the Northern Lights during a trip to Finland.
- There are many ski resorts in Finland.
- Tourists often book walks through the tundra on motor sleighs, reindeer or dogs during their winter holidays in Finland.
Christmas is the most popular season for foreign tourists in Lapland. Tourists from different countries have come to the northernmost region of Finland in the winter in the past years.
Most of the tourists from European countries came in December. Quite a lot of tourists from Germany, France, Spain, Italy visit Lapland (Rovaniemi) during the Christmas holidays. Tourists from China and Japan loved to visit Lapland throughout the winter. Most Russian tourists came to Lapland in January in previous years (before the pandemic). Finland can be an interesting travel destination for US tourists as well.
Lapland is also a popular destination for Finns too. In winter, the Finns go skiing, and in summer they go hiking.
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What to do in Lapland in winter.
Tourists often head to Lapland in December to visit Santa Claus Village. Santa Claus Village is located near the city of Rovaniemi. There is also Ounasvaara ski center near Rovaniemi.
There are some good popular ski resorts in Finnish Lapland. Levi, Ruka, Ylläs ski centers are the most popular of them. The ski season in northern Finland can start in October and may last until May.
Winter activities and sports. Tourists usually take dog sledding, reindeer sledding, snowmobiling trips in Lapland in winter. You can also just go cross-country skiing.
The Pursuit of the Aurora Borealis. The Northern Lights are a very beautiful natural phenomenon. Few of the inhabitants of the earth saw it. The aurora doesn't happen every day (in winter) and you need luck to see it.
There are quite a few comfortable hotels in Lapland. We would recommend choosing a hotel that has a sauna. It is quite pleasant to warm up in the sauna after a frosty day.
Some tourists prefer unusual places to stay overnight - an igloo with a glass roof. You will be able to see the stars and the northern lights above you at night.
The two airports are quite popular in Lapland. These are the airports of Rovaniemi and Kittila.
How to prepare for your trip to Finnish Lapland?
- Just buy your plane tickets to Rovaniemi or Kittila Airport.
- Book a place to stay (hotel, cottage) in Rovaniemi or near your chosen ski center.
- You can buy interesting activities later, or you can choose in advance.
- It can get very cold in northern Finland in winter. Take warm clothes and shoes with you on your trip. (The lowest temperature ever recorded at the Rovaniemi airport is −38.1 °C (−37 °F), recorded on 28 January 1999.)
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It is also recommended to visit in Finland
If you are traveling to Finland, I would recommend that you visit the city of Helsinki as well. It is a relatively small, quiet city when compared to the largest metropolitan areas in the world, such as New York or Paris or Moscow.
There are many places that you will enjoy visiting. You can take a short ferry ride to Stockholm or Tallinn from Helsinki as well.
The best time to travel to Helsinki is summer. But in the summer, I would recommend that you also visit the Finnish Lake District (Savonlinna, Mikkeli, Imatra). These are great places for a relaxing summer vacation.
Useful links for travelers:
- Here you can find flights to Finland.
- Here you will find services for finding accommodation.