Finland — Life Is Our Honeymoon

Finland was never on my radar until we moved to Europe because it has always seemed too distant in my mind to make visiting a reality. But more airlines adding flights to Finland, it’s easier than ever, and I hope to convince you that a trip to Finnish Lapland is worth a visit!

Lapland is Finland’s northernmost region, with its capitol in Rovaniemi. To get there, we took a flight from Spain to Helsinki, and then from Helsinki to Ivalo. No matter where you are coming from, it is likely you’ll fly a similar route as well. We arrived at night, which we prefer to do when we can to maximize our time. We didn’t see much on the way to our Airbnb, but the next morning we woke up to a true winter wonderland!

Explore Ivalo

We spent much of the day enjoying our surroundings and exploring Ivalo. It is a very small town and one whose primary industry in tourism. The town is fairly walkable, and there was a grocery store just down the street from our rental. We chose not to rent a car, so we were limited to what we could walk to, but that wasn’t a problem. We chose to cook for ourselves because we were spending a lot of money on activities. Most of the restaurants in Ivalo are inside hotels. If you don’t want to stay in Ivalo, there are plenty of hotels in the surrounding area- often in the middle of nowhere so that the Northern Lights can be more easily viewed.

Go Hunting for Northern Lights by Snowmobile

That night we did our first tour! We booked in advanced with Ivalo Trek, which is located in downtown Ivalo. They have a number of tours available, but we chose the 3-hour Aurora Borealis Hunting by Snowmobile tour. Conveniently, their office was located directly across the street from our Airbnb! Dressing appropriately for these tours is essential (especially at night), so here are some tips on what to wear:

Top:

Base layer: tight to the skin, synthetic and/or wool.
Long sleeve shirt (that you can put a sweatshirt over)
Warm sweatshirt or fleece
Waterproof/windproof coat
Insulated hat and gloves/mittens
Neck gaiter (neck & face covering)
Bottom:

Base layer: tight to the skin, synthetic and/or wool.
Midweight pant (such as sweatpants)
Waterproof/windproof pants
Thermal socks: synthetic and/or wool
Waterproof, insulated boots

We walked over to Ivalo Trek in our million layers and our guide Kaisu immediately made us feel welcome and excited for our tour. It just so happened that we were the only people on the tour that night! The company provides full body snowmobile suits, boots, gloves, hats, face coverings and helmets for the tour, so if you’re not prepared, they have what you need. Even so, we still put the snowmobile suits over our snow pants, and I’m glad we did. It definitely feels like you’re over-doing the layering, but I promise, it’s necessary!

We shared a snowmobile, but there is an option to pay extra to have your own as well. We drove through the town for just a minute and then drove onto the river, which is a snowmobile thoroughfare in Ivalo. The temperature drop after getting into the open air of the river was significant (thankful for those layers!). We drove on the river for a while, and then entered rural forest trails that felt like some sort of dreamland. I was so thankful to have our tour guide ahead of us, because snowmobiling these trails at night without knowing them would have been near impossible. She went a speed that made us comfortable and always warned us when more difficult parts were ahead. I wish I could have taken some GoPro shots during our ride, but it was so bumpy! I was holding on so tight that if I had let go, I’m sure I would have fallen off. Kaisu told us when we were at our halfway point and we switched drivers.

We drove for quite a while and eventually reached a clearing (I think she said we were approximately 20km away). There wasn’t much light pollution, so we had a sky full of stars. Kaisu had hot tea and cookies for us, which was a wonderful treat. She told us that she and her husband own the company and conduct all the tours. We chatted and star-gazed, waiting for the Northern Lights to make their appearance. Unfortunately, the Northern Lights are very finicky. Even though the clouds came and went and we were in the open wilderness, we only saw a glimpse of them that evening. Nevertheless, it was exciting, and we still had a few nights in Finland to hunt for them.

Eventually it was time to head back, which was perfect timing because I was getting quite cold! Temperatures had dropped a bit, so our tour guide took a shortcut back into town. Even though we didn’t the lights that night, the tour was phenomenal, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Lapland!

Visit a Reindeer Farm

The next day, we went even further north up to Inari! We actually booked a tour for this day, but it ended up being a disappoint, so I won’t share the name with you. Our tour guide picked us up in Ivalo and drove us to Inari for our first stop- a reindeer farm! While we were there we saw the reindeer being fed and watched their behavior for a while. They are like the cows of Lapland!

Did you know that there are more reindeer than people in Lapland?! Although the reindeer typically roam freely, there are no wild reindeer- they are all semi-domesticated and owned by someone. Lapland has a history of reindeer husbandry that spans thousands of years and plays a fundamental role it the indigenous Sámi culture of the north.

Learn about Finland’s Past & Present at Siida

Next we visited the Siida- Sámi Museum & Nature Center, which is the place to learn about Sámi culture in Finland, as well as Finland’s natural environment. The first room of the main exhibition displays several Finnish artifacts and a timeline from 10,000 years BCE until now, explaining in depth the movement of people into and across Finland through the centuries. The timeline notes other significant world events along this timeline for reference. Across from this room was a small, temporary exhibition of Finland nature photography.

The next room was the museum’s main exhibition, and it is a stunning portrayal of Finland’s annual cycles- natural and cultural. As you walk around the outer display, the walls take you through the seasons of Finland. As the seasons change around the room, the light changes dramatically, reflecting the longer and shorter days of the year. The progression also depicts how the region’s various flora and fauna thrive from season to season. The inner area follows a similar pattern, but instead details Sámi life throughout the year. Each cultural section corresponds with a season from the outer sphere. It is an incredibly well thought out exhibit that focuses on the coexistance of nature and culture, an important relationship to recognize in order to understand Finland’s past and present.

Before leaving, we viewed a video of the Northern Lights, but it was purely an aesthetic film. There is also an open-air museum, which unfortunately we did not visit. The Siida Museum website is filled with helpful information and even online exhibitions, so it’s definitely worth a look!

After leaving the museum we stopped at Inari Silver, which sells traditional silver and gold pieces created by the goldsmith there. The goldsmith’s wife runs the counter, and he is teaching his son-in-law to take over his business one day. We enjoyed chatting with them, and I purchased a silver solar bear charm for my charm bracelet (the bear is a sacred figure in the Sámi culture). We were supposed to (but did not) visit the nearby Sajos Cultural Center, which offers further education on the Sámi culture in Lapland, so if you are planning a trip yourself, you may want to check this out, too!

Gaze at the Northern Lights (with a bit of luck!)

That evening, the lights finally came out for us! Our Airbnb was located next to the river, so we stayed inside and I got up every five minutes to look out the window. Once we saw something, we threw on our winter gear and ran outside! The lights are so hit or miss- some are bright for a few minutes and then disappear the next, while others are dull and linger. You really have to be patient and just sit, waiting for them to appear. Using an app is also recommended! There are a number of Aurora forecast apps available so you can view your probability of seeing them based on your location, cloud coverage, and how strong the Aurora is that night.

Our photos were taken with the ‘night mode’ on an iPhone 11. You will not be able to capture them on an iPhone without this feature (though I haven’t looked into apps). We didn’t have space in our luggage this trip, but if you can, the most ideal way to capture the lights is with a digital camera mounted on a tripod, adjusting your camera settings accordingly (learn more here). Again, patience is key! One more thing- the Northern Lights usually come out much better in photos than they seem to the naked eye, so even if they appear dull in person, the photos will likely turn out much better!

Travel South to Rovaniemi

The next morning, we left for the next leg of our trip- Rovaniemi! Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland, but is more commonly known as the home of Santa Claus! We were able to purchase bus tickets in advance from the Matkhuolto bus website, which made the experience so easy. The bus was pretty comfortable and we took a break halfway through the four-hour drive. I’m not going to lie- this bus ride was one of my favorite parts of our trip! The rural scenery was absolutely breathtaking, and honestly, I could have stayed on that bus all day. We also got to see the area surrounding Ivalo and compare it to where we stayed. I was happy we chose to stay further from the crowds, but there are a lot of resort-style accommodations with more accessible activity options, so it really depends on what you are looking for.

Rovaniemi was such a fun city to explore! It is quite small, but very charming. Our absolute favorite restaurant was Kauppayhtiö (Pure Burger). The burgers were exceptional, and we paired them with a delicious dark winter lager from the local Lapland Brewery called “Tuisku,” which in Finnish means, “snow that is lifted up from the ground by the wind.” We wandered into the nearby Arctic Design Shop afterward and found some unique, locally made souvenirs! Our Airbnb was very central and just a short walk away. The best feature of our apartment was the built-in sauna! This was a wonderful way to end the day and to use after walking around in the cold.

Go Dog Sledding through the Finnish Wilderness

We make it a point to have new experiences on our trips, so on our final full day in Finland we went dog-sledding with Bearhill Husky Tours! It is important to do your research before booking a dogsled tour. There are many companies out there that put profit before the well-being of their dogs, so be sure that the company you’re booking with speaks about ethics and animal treatment on their website. I cannot speak more highly of Bearhill Husky! They treat their dogs like family and it was one of the most professional tours we’ve ever experienced.

We chose the Call of the Wild Morning Husky Safari so we would have time to do more activities later in the day. The tour company has a number of pickup points in and around Rovaniemi, and one of them was conveniently down the street from our Airbnb. After picking up a number of other groups, we enjoyed a scenic drive into the Finnish wilderness. Getting off the bus, we were immediately greeted by our tour guide and her husky! We entered the main cabin for introductions and prepare for our outdoor adventure. Though we arrived dressed for winter, they had even more heavy-duty gear. Like with the snowmobile tour, we wore their gear over our own, and I am so glad we did.

We then went outside and learned a bit about the lives of the dogs and how to operate the dogsled. Their positions in the team are matched with their personality and experience, and we could definitely see this come out once we started the run! Our team was made up Sun, Kosher, Buster, Taco, and Joyel. We took a few minutes to meet the dogs, and then we were off! The second the rope is untied from the pole, the dogs start running. They know the path well and only stopped when we stepped on the brake or to poop (and some didn’t even stop for this!). The number one thing we were told was to always hold on, because the moment you let the brake up, they start running, and they will run off without you!

The trail was absolutely breathtaking. We rode through birch tree woods and across windy frozen lakes- an untouched, snow-covered landscape. Our tour guides followed our group on snowmobiles along the entire course, so they were always there to help with tangled leashes or any other problem that arose. For the most part though, we did everything on our own, and switched places halfway though. (Check out the video at the end for more footage!)

Though our adventure lasted a long time, arriving back at the lodge was disappointing because I never wanted it to end! We did, however, get to spend more quality time with our dogs and they were, of course, immediately given treats upon arrival. I really enjoyed this time with them because since they were tired from the run, we were able to give them lots of pets and give them appreciation for their hard work.

After our dog-bonding time was over, our the main tour guide led us into a small hut to warm up. There are few things like the feeling of relaxing in a warm shelter after hours in the cold! She served us cookies and tea in traditional Sámi mugs. We chatted for a while about our experiences and asked her questions about the dogs and sledding.

Visit the Home of Santa Claus

Conveniently, one of Bearhill Husky’s dropoff locations is Santa Claus Village, so we were able to go straight there from our tour. Though this amusement park is purely a tourist destination, its draw is in its location within the Arctic Circle and of course, its claim as the home of Santa Claus himself. The Village felt like half amusement park, half resort. It has a number of accommodations and restaurants, in addition to activity services, so if you are traveling with children, staying here could be a good option for you. We were starving after the dogsled tour, so we ate at the first restaurant we found. The grounds are moderately large, so be sure to pick up a free map.

The highlight for us was the Main Post Office, which displays letters sent to Santa Claus from all over the world. They receive around 500,000 letters per year from over 200 countries, and have opened and read about 20,000,000 wishes! The post office offers a number of postcards and gifts to send, and anything sent from this post office will receive a unique Arctic Circle postmark! There are two mailboxes- one for now and to send at Christmas. So if you plan ahead, you can get your holiday cards done early! (You do not need to purchase something from the post office to send it there). This is such a special way to share your experience with friends and family. Needless to say, we sent a lot of postcards!

Discover Finland’s Nature & Culture at Arktikum

Back in Rovaniemi, we visited the Arktikum, a cultural museum and science center. The museum has a number of visually appealing and informative exhibits on natural Finland, ranging from global warming to the Northern Lights. Our favorite part of the museum featured exhibits on Finland through the ages, exploring our Finland has developed as a country and through its cultures, specifically the Sámi people. The Arktikum is definitely worth a visit, and I would set aside a couple of hours for it if you can.