Local Itinerary to Finnish Lapland - 7 days Saariselkä & Rovaniemi
Written by: Sini Hietaharju, Master of Tourism Research & Slow Traveller
> Hidden Gem Itinerary to Finnish Lapland - 7 days like a local
This itinerary takes you to Local favorites; world's longest toboggan run, the favorite skiing centre among the Finns and hidden nature with secret Northern lights spots.
As a Finn who has lived in Lapland for many years, I want to give you the best tips to make the most out of your time in my home country, Finland in winter.
This one week in Lapland, Finland itinerary is for you if you have northern lights, husky safaris and amazing glass igloos and Finnish sauna on your travel bucketlist.
Let’s get to planning your best holiday in winter in Lapland!
7-Day Lapland Finland Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Finland and Getting to Lapland
1 week in Finland - Wherever you live, first you got to arrive in Finland.
There are multiple options to get to Lapland, but the main ones are:
How to arrive in Lapland
flying to Helsinki and continuing by train to Lapland from there, or more time saving option, flying directly to Lapland either to Kittilä, Ivalo or the arctic capital, Rovaniemi.
To explore the best options to travel to Finland and getting around, I suggest reading this:
If you arrive in Helsinki, I recommend checking the frozen harbour, enjoying warm cinnamon bun with coffee in one of the many cozy cafés in Helsinki and perharps going to sauna at your hotel.
(Pro tip for getting rid of travel weariness is going to sauna or book a massage when arriving.)
You can have a nice meal in many places in the centre: in Finland it is common to have lunch buffet and you can find multiple options in Helsinki.
If you did not fly to Lapland, I recommend taking a night train with a sleeping cabin. The journey is long, yet with the sleeping cabin you get a comfy bed in train and you can arrive fresh to Lapland.
You can book the train directly from the Finnish railway company VR’s website: https://www.vr.fi/en
Day 2: Arctic Circle and Capital of Lapland
- Rovaniemi is known as the capital of Arctic and it is actually located at the Arcitc circle. Santa Claus lives 16kms away from Rovaniemi centre and there are multiple activities to explore in Rovaniemi.
Activities in Rovaniemi: Museum, landscaping on top of ski slope, Lappish cuisine and Finnish sauna with ice swimming
As a city Rovaniemi is small but in Lapland it is big. Before we get to the bucketlist activities in Lapland, in Rovaniemi I recommend visiting Arktikum museum and eating typical Lappish cuisine in restaurant Nili.
To have a view from the top, I recommend getting up to Ounasvaara. There is also a ski slope if you are into skiing. You can also stay in a nice hotel at the top, called Sky Ounasvaara.
If you want to do it like a Finn, a must-do in Rovaniemi in winter is this WNTR sauna and ice swimming. It is a public sauna and ice swimming place 5kms from the centre of Rovaniemi.
If you can’t make it to WNTR sauna, don’t worry, because most of the hotels have a sauna.
Day 3: Reindeer farm and Santa claus village
As mentioned, Santa Claus lives in Rovaniemi and just 16kms from the centre of Rovaniemi you can visit Santa Claus village.
Activities: Santa Claus Village, Reindeer Sleigh Ride, Outdoor fireplace and Dinner/Board games in city
- In my honest opinion, Santa Claus village is really touristy, and unless you really want to see the Santa Claus, I recommend just popping by at the place for a hot chocolate and then continuing for next activity.
Nice things to do in Santa Claus village are:
· Cross the Arctic Circle which goes directly through Santa Claus Village
· Send cards from Santa Claus’s Main Post Office
· See Santas Reindeer
They do offer Reindeer rides also in Santa Claus village, but it is really touristy place, so I rather recommend continuing to next place for Reindeer farm and a little reindeer sled ride.
You can do this for example in Rovaniemi in Konttaniemi Reindeer Farm
In the evening you can go for a cozy dinner in Rovaniemi, play board games in one of the pubs in centre or enjoy a hot drink by a public fireplace.
In Finland there are many public fire places where you can sit, enjoy the nature and barbeque marshmallow. You can easily find all public fireplaces by searching “Laavu” in google maps which means lean-to public fire place in Finnish.
This would be your last day in Rovaniemi as I highly recommend also discovering more northern parts of Lapland.
- You might feel that Rovaniemi at the Arctic Circle is north, yet for Finns it’s just the beginning and southern point of the real Lappish magic.
Lapland is huge, so in 7 days you can’t realistically see all of it. Instead of just randomly choosing you activities for the next 4 days
I want to give you three options that you can choose from based on your interests:
By clicking the options, you can continue your chosen itinerary.
Or just read on and discover all three options and make an informed decision afterwards.
Day 4: Arriving in Saariselkä, snow mobile and longest toboggan run in Lapland
Why Saariselkä? Saariselkä is a winter wonderland in the North, providing great cross-country skiing and northern lights spotting opportunities with authentic Finnish vibes.
This is a destination Finnish person would choose to go for their cross-country skiing holiday.
Saariselkä is 257kms from Rovaniemi so you will need some time to get there.
To make it easiest, book your private transfer from Rovaniemi to Saariselkä here.
On the same day I recommend heading to longest toboggan run in Lapland. It is a lot of fun for kids of all ages (read: also kids aged 40+).
Snow mobiling is also a must experience in Lapland, so I recommend booking a tour where you get 2 in 1: this snow mobiling and tobogganing experience.
Day 5: Northern lights tour
No matter where you go in Lapland in winter, I am sure you want auroras in your itinerary. Choose one of these top 3 tours for northern lights hunting:
Day 6: Cross-country skiing or E-fat biking to Kiilopää viewpoint
Kiilopää is a great viewpoint in Saariselkä surrounded by skiing tracks and E-fatbiking routes. Discover your options here:
E-fatbiking tours in Saariselkä
https://www.laplandsafaris.com/activitypage?id=749210
Cross-country skiing in Saariselkä
https://www.laplandsafaris.com/en/?season=2119&location=1876&activityCategory=1886
Day 7: Traveling back to Rovaniemi
Especially if you did not book private transfer back to Rovaniemi airport
you need some time to travel back to Rovaniemi.
At last day you can still shop for souvenirs, enjoy warm coffee with cinnamon bun and write post cards while reflecting on your trip.
Cost breakdown of Lapland trip – 7 day Lapland itinerary
Please note all of these are rough estimates based on average costs per activities, accommodation and food and transportation.
So please do not use this as an absolute truth, but to give you some kind of overview of the costs.
Best way to know the actual prices, which vary per high season and low season as well is to check the exact accommodation, activities and other big costs like flights you are planning to book.
Estimated total costs for the 7 day Lapland trip based on 3 itinerary options provided above
Days 1-3 in Rovaniemi estimated costs
Expense
Cost Estimate (EUR)
Flight to Rovaniemi
700
Accommodation (3 nights)
300
Arktikum Museum Entry
15
Lappish Cuisine Dinner
60
Ski Slope Access
40
WNTR Sauna & Ice Swimming
25
Reindeer Sleigh Ride
80
Santa Claus Village Hot Chocolate
5
Public Fireplace/Board Games
10
Total Estimated Cost (€)
1235
Saariselkä 4 day itinerary costs breakdown
Expense
Cost Estimate (EUR)
Accommodation - Hotel (4 nights)
1050
Transportation - Private Transfer (Rovaniemi to Saariselkä)
200
Transportation - Bus (Rovaniemi to Saariselkä)
35
Activity - Tobogganing
40
Activity - Snowmobiling
150
Activity - Northern Lights Tour
120
Activity - Cross-country Skiing
50
Meals (7 days)
350
Total Estimated Cost (€)
1995
Conclusion for 1 week in Lapland Itinerary
A winter week in Lapland is a magical experience, offering everything from husky safaris to chasing the Northern Lights. Lapland provides a unique blend of adventure, after ski and tranquility.
For those interested in a lively après-ski scene, Levi is ideal, while Pyhä-Luosto offers serene, natural beauty.
Saariselkä is perfect for authentic Finnish vibes and outdoor activities. Though Lapland can be pricey, smart planning and budgeting can make it accessible.
Before your trip, check out our guide on how to dress and pack for winter in Lapland, and don't miss out our tips on how to spot the Northern Lights in Finland.
For more inspiration, explore the 35 best things to do in Lapland in winter and our guide on How to photograph Northern lights.
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WRITTEN BY
Hey there, I'm the Author
I'm Sini, an enthusiast in slow traveling, yoga retreats, travel as self growth journey and rubbing dogs.
This is your go-to slow travel corner of the internet.
I'm here to share my best travel tips, digital nomad thoughts and photographs from the journeys.
I happen to be kind of a professional in this as well, as I have my Master's degree within Tourism Research and both my master's and bachelor's thesis are about yoga travel. I'm also RYT-500 certified Yoga Teacher.
I want to share the best knowledge of hidden gem retreat and mindful destinations, as well as some deeper, honest thoughts what digital nomad lifestyle actually is.
You can read more about me here.
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