“No matter where you are in Finland, you’ll never be far from a sauna.”
Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos
One of the most unique experiences that Lapland offers is a winter stay at both the Arctic SnowHotel room made completely of snow and ice, and the Glass igloo with an incredible sky view. Located just about 30 minutes outside of Rovaniemi, you can find what I consider the highlight of the whole trip – an entire hotel made of snow and ice open for tourists during the day, as well as overnight guests. If that wasn’t enough, the resort also offers a stay at their Glass Igloos where, with some luck, you can spot the Northern lights!
Night in the room made of snow and ice
This activity is not for the faint of heart and can be uncomfortable at times. However, I think it’s completely worth it. Not everyone can say they survived a night in Lapland in the arctic conditions. So if you like the adventure as much as I do, you should definitely consider spending a night at the Arctic SnowHotel. The hotel runs only from December 15th to March 31st and is rebuilt from the ground each year. Staff members together with the various artists build the hotel using ice blocks and artificial snow. During the day, the hotel is open for excursions and tours while after 8pm it closes it’s gates to tourists and becomes a regular hotel for courageous overnight guests. The temperature inside of the hotel is consistently kept at -5°C (23°F) and that’s also a reason why it is only a seasonal thing. Winters in northern part of Finland are very cold while with it’s subarctic climate it can offer a mild and warm summers.
After short briefing about how to not freeze during the night, we received sleeping bags with extra layer of protection inside. The hotel consists of locker room where the sleeping bags and extra pillows are stored as well as lockers for your stuff, toilet and the hotel rooms. Provided are also bunk beds in case you decide the cold is too much for you and you want to spend the rest of the night in the heated area. I would recommend wearing comfortable and relatively light clothes. At first, I assumed I will be cold so I dressed extra warm only to wake up multiple times sweating under all the layers. What did it for me were sweat pants, merino wool socks and knitted sweater or a cardigan with thermal top underneath. A hat and a scarf are a must, but I wouldn’t wear shoes or jacket. I guess it depends on what you prefer. I like to sleep in a colder room and being hot I couldn’t sleep properly. The most I was able to get were three consecutive hours of sleep without waking up. Only use the toilet when completely necessary as you are going to lose all the heat from the sleeping bag when you leave. Do not expect comfort and luxury. Afterall, this is an experience and a challenge, not a spa retreat.
You can opt to be woken up in case of the Northern lights appearing during the night and the staff will also wake you up with warm juice in the morning at the requested hour. It is possible to put your phone inside the sleeping bag, but do not keep it outside as it may freeze or malfunction. After the whole experience, you’ll receive a diploma for a successful overnight stay in the arctic conditions as a souvenir to take home. Congratulations, you made it!
Glass Igloo
Another must do at Arctic SnowHotel are their glass igloos. This is a unique concept which fits perfectly to snowy wonderland of Finnish Lapland and makes for an unforgettable stay. On a clear night, it is possible to watch the sky full of stars and even Aurora Borealis – the Northern lights may appear. Contrary to room made of snow and ice, this is more of a picturesque spot where the focus is on appearance. The glass igloo photos are definitely my favorite of the trip.
There is a wifi in each igloo and heated windows to avoid frost and snow cover. Igloo has it’s own bathroom with shower and 25 minutes of hot water (50 minutes for a family igloo). This should reset 2 hours after each use when the boiler warms up the water. The one feature I wasn’t expecting was the controller for an automatic bed angle adjustment. It might not seem like much but after spending the night in the room made of snow and ice it felt like pure luxury. I recommend choosing a stay with breakfast included. Besides wide variety of food options, a warm drink in the morning goes a long way. Dinner can also be a great choice, especially their sautéed reindeer with Lappish potatoes at the Kota restaurant.
Multiple activities can be arranged and booked via hotel website whether you stay at the snow hotel or the glass igloo. The most interesting one is the snow sauna. This is an actual sauna made of snow and ice. It works as a regular sauna, but the walls are slowly melting away and after 50 to 100 uses it has to be destroyed and rebuilt. Jacuzzi and traditional Finnish sauna are also included in the experience. Alternating between hot and cold can be very refreshing and enjoyable. This is especially soothing after the night spent in the snow hotel room.
Santa Claus Village
It’s not a coincidence that most people visit Rovaniemi when going to Lapland. In fact, it is the most touristy place in Finnish Lapland. This is mainly because it is considered a home of Santa Claus. In the Santa Claus Village you can find both the Santa’s home and the home of Mrs. Claus. There, you can take pictures with Santa and have them printed out. You can visit Santa and take a picture with him for free but afterwards if you want to purchase the photo you have to pay. This activity is mainly targeted towards kids and younger audience and is not worth the price unless it is your childhood dream. The village gives a bit too much of an artificial vibe and is focused completely on tourists, but that is to be expected. Spending more than a day in the village is a waste of time which can be used in better ways. One advantage of visiting Santa Claus Village are the various companies providing outdoor activities. There you can book different trips and packages ranging from snowmobile ride and husky safari to the Northern lights hunt. For even better deals and especially when the tickets are no longer available online, you can visit info point where they usually hold the very last tickets and can also compare and recommend several other options which can be very helpful.
Snowmobile ride
One of the coolest outside attractions in winter definitely has to be a snowmobile ride. The obvious option with office directly in the Santa Claus Village would be Wild Nordic. They provide snowmobile rides of various time lengths and for every group from beginners to experienced drivers. Normally, if you go as a couple as we did, you share one snowmobile and have an option to change half way through. The whole outfit is included in the price and you will get instructions on how to operate a snowmobile before you start. It is very likely that you’ll go as a group and unless you are experienced snowmobile driver, you are going to follow your guide who is in the front. It is a very easy and seamless ride so you have plenty of time to enjoy the forest covered by snow. Keep in mind that snowmobile, very much same as a car, is a vehicle that operates on the snowmobile roads and you can end up in a collision with other drivers if not careful. Drivers license B1 for cars is needed in order to operate a snowmobile.
Husky safari
Another fun experience situated near the Santa Claus Village is a husky safari by Bearhill Husky. If you are a dog lover you are going to absolutely love it. The huskies are actually a day workers and they love to run. It’s in their nature. Also, no huskies are kept on site during the night. They all have their homes and are coming to work every day with their owners who ride the husky sleighs. You can see that for these people it is their way of life to take care of their furry friends, and huskies love it as well. Some of them even enter sprinting competitions during off-season. When we went for a husky ride we had a pleasure of meeting a musher (the husky sled driver) who owns over 30 dogs himself. I would recommend to avoid husky park located directly in the Santa village as it is likely less ethical and huskies are not so free. Avoiding the most touristy spots would be in your best interest if you aim for the authentic experiences.
Reindeer farm & ride
Purchased as a package deal from the Arctic SnowHotel, a visit to reindeer farm and the reindeer ride was probably the most informative out of all tours. There are over 200 000 reindeer in Lapland which is more than people. Each reindeer has it’s owner and a special mark on one ear to recognize who it belongs to. Reindeer are half wild animals, meaning even though they are grown and fed on a farm, they are free to roam around and spend half of the time in the forest where they breed. They are mainly kept for meat. Each reindeer drops it’s antlers multiple times during it’s lifespan and it always grows back. Therefore, it is very normal to see a reindeer with only one antler. I highly recommend this tour as it gives you a great inside look into Lappish reindeer culture. Also, the reindeer are kept freely on the farm where you can feed and pet them.
The Northern lights hunt
For our last tour we went hunting the Northern lights. This was a very last minute decision because we did not get to see the Aurora during the first two nights of our stay. The experience takes 4 to 5 hours and you are not guaranteed to see it. We went anyway, because the chances are higher during the period from December to March and we were told there is some kind of a ten year cycle happening with increased chances. First, you drive out of the city in a van with a group of people and you constantly stop on open spaces near the road and fields to check for the clear skies. The hunt is actually about finding the best spot with visibly clear sky before midnight and then just waiting for the lights to appear. You have to beat the lights in order to see them. Also, we only saw a very weak light without significant coloration, but the camera is much more sensitive to colors and can catch it better than a human eye. Whether you see it or not, it is a great experience. Just make sure there is at least some chance for clear skies and Aurora appearance to not waste your money on a 4 hour long field trip during the arctic night with sub zero temperatures.
To summarize, I highly recommend visiting Lapland in winter months. The whole place feels like a fairytale while everything is cowered in snow. You can choose to go to any part of the Lapland, but if you only have a few days, staying near the Rovaniemi area is your best bet. In the city center, you can find more budget friendly hotel options, but for a better chances of seeing the Northern lights and experiencing something more unique like a hotel made of snow or a glass igloo, you should head a bit further. Finland can be expensive so going just for an extended weekend can be a great choice. Lapland can get as low as -30°C (-22°F) so stay warm and don’t forget your layers!