5 Days in Finland
If you’re looking for real-life Narnia, go to Finland! Think endless snow, trees slouched by the weight of it, peaceful beauty and incredible experiences!
We spent 5 days in Rovaniemi, Finland during mid-January 2024 to chase the Northern Lights. Not only did we see the Northern Lights, but we also went cold plunging, dog sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, stayed in an Igloo and went to Santa Claus Village. Our itinerary covers everything and I would recommend it all! Keep in mind, it is an expensive holiday but a once in a life time experience.
DAY 1
DAY: Travel
Rovaniemi is a 4 hour flight from London Gatwick so most of our first day consisted of travelling. We arrived in Rovaniemi at 4pm and it was already pitch black and all you could see was snow.
We hired a car from the airport with Europcar. Hiring a car in Rovaniemi is a must! You can get public transport to the main attractions and there are taxis but because everything is somewhat isolated, we found hiring a car the best solution. It gives you a lot more flexibility and freedom and you get to see some of the most beautiful sites just from driving along the roads.
If you’re concerned about driving in the snow, don’t be. By law, all the cars must have snow tires and we found the roads were really well maintained. We opted for an automatic car which was €10 more expensive per day but removed the stress of doing hill starts in the snow. Also, if you’re driving on the other side of the road to what your used to, always remember that the middle lane has to be on your left!
NIGHT: Airbnb
From the airport, we drove 15 minutes to Rovaniemi which was were we were staying for the first 2 nights. We decided to relax and cook dinner at our Airbnb so we picked up some food and settled in for the night. There are lots of grocery stores in town and we found they were expensive but cheaper than going out for dinner. K-Markets had the most stock.
ACCOMMODATION: We stayed in a simple apartment on the river. The Airbnb had everything we needed with a kitchen and it was in the perfect location, only a view minutes walk to all the shops and restaurants.
I’d recommend staying in town for the first 2 nights and then moving to an Igloo. The Igloos are expensive and it’s best to stay in them when you have more time to enjoy them.
Cost: €128 per night
DAY 2
DAY: Arctos Lapland
We booked the ‘day experience’ at Arctos Lapland, a private Finnish spa located on the beautiful lake Norväjärvi. Just 15 minutes from Rovaniemi, the property offers authentic Finnish saunas, cold plunges and a hot tub. You can book the 2 person or 3-6 people cabins and enjoy 4 hours of luxury and relaxation surrounded by snow. They offer day and night experiences in Winter, Summer and Autumn.
The property is run by a wonderful couple who will guide you through the whole experience, particularly the cold plunge. It’s recommended that you spend 5-10 minutes in the sauna which is 90 degrees, acclimatise to the outside temperature and then take on the cold plunge. We repeated this 3 times before relaxing in the hot tub and we really felt the benefits of hot and cold therapy.
Our hosts had thought of everything! They provided water, marshmallows to roast on the fire inside the cabin, foot baths, robes, beanies to wear outside so ours were warm for after, walk-talkies to radio when we were going for the cold plunge so they could be come and support and they constantly kept fires stoked for the cabin and hot tubs.
To top it all off, they also supply a delicious lunch. They usually cook it in front of you in a traditional Finnish cabin but it was -38 degrees the day we went so they brought it to us in the cabin.
This entire experience was 100/10! It was amazing to start the holiday relaxed and experience a traditional Finnish spa in the most beautiful setting.
Cost: €449
DAY 3
MORNING: Dog Sledding
On the third day we changed accommodation (details below) and our package included dog sledding. Whether you go dog sledding through Nova Galaxy Village or another company, I would highly recommend it. It’s a really fun experience and it’s interesting to learn about the dogs and how much they actually love running. Not to mention, the setting is truly beautiful.
AFTERNOON: Santa Clauses Village
Another must is Santa Claus Village. We did think it was a tourist trap but it was cool to visit and a great card to play for the kids one day. They offer heaps of activities from the village but we just walked around which is free to do so. We did send some postcards from Santa Claus’ post office which was fun and resonably priced. It cost €8 for 2 postcards and stamps.
NIGHT: Northern Lights Tour
There are plenty of Northern Light tours available and it can be hard to know what to pick. After lots of research we booked a small group tour with Aurora Hunting who has a 95% success rate when seeing the lights. He’s also a photographer and the tour includes professional pictures. We found that some of the other tours drive you to an area where you sit and wait, while Alex will drive and drive until you find them. The Northern Lights are very unpredictable so being able to drive around increases your chance of seeing them.
We were lucky enough to start seeing the lights at 8:30pm and continued seeing them until 1am at the Swedish border.
Cost: €250 each. If you don’t see the auroras, you only pay 50%
ACCOMMODATION: Nova Galaxy Village
On the third day we changed accommodation and checked in at Nova Galaxy Village, located 15km from Rovaniemi on the Ounas River. The village is brand new opening, in November 2023 and has 10 Scandinavian style Aurora huts, each with their own sauna. The village also has a restaurant where they cook right in front of you over the fire and provide complimentary breakfast.
From the village, they also offer husky and snowmobiling tours for guests only. We purchased the ‘artic adventure package’ which included both tours, a 2.5km husky sled ride and a 2 hour snowmobiling adventure. After both activities you get complimentary hot drinks and food.
They also have thermal clothing and footwear that you can borrow at any time.
This accommodation was out of this world and a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is a bit expensive but you’ll only do it once and it’s the perfect place to do it!
Cost: From €327 a night
DAY 4
MORNING: Nova Galaxy Village
We spent the morning enjoying our incredible accommodation and the beauty of Finland. The accommodation offers complimentary snow shoes so we spent the morning exploring the property and walking through knee deep snow.
We then enjoyed our private sauna which had been heated for us while we were snow shoeing (The saunas take 2-3 hours to heat up by fire so you have to let reception know when you want it heated). The Finnish also shower in their saunas so we enjoyed traditional showers after our morning adventure.
AFTERNOON: Snowmobiling
The snowmobiling was part of our Nova Galaxy Village package and whether you do it through them or another company, it is also a must! We were provided with thermal clothing and then headed out for a 1.5 hour adventure. We rode along the frozen lake and then up into the mountains, through the beautiful trees to a breathtaking look out. When we came back, we were supplied with hot dogs and tea by the fire to warm us up.
DAY 5
MORNING: Nova Galaxy Village
On our final day, we spent the morning enjoy the village one more time before check out at 11am. After the complimentary breakfast, we visited their reindeer which are fed at 9am and then had a final sauna and Finnish shower.
We both left Nova Galaxy Village saying it was the best accommodation we ever stayed at. The location and scenery were truly out of this world, the facilities were amazing and the staff were very helpful.
AFTERNOON: Travel
Sadly we spent the afternoon of our fifth day travelling home. Rovaniemi, Finland was one of the most breathtaking places we’ve been and we had once-in-a-life-time, out of this world experiences!!
