Not many people would consider sub-zero temperatures, or five hours of daylight each day fun, but for those of you ready to venture to Rovaniemi, Finland, read up on these tips to help make your trip an unforgettable experience!
1. See the Aurora Borealis
The Aurora Borealis, or northern lights, are one of the most visited “attractions” in Rovaniemi, Finland and should be at the top of your “must-see” list while you’re visiting.
Pictured above is me and my friend JeanMarie, on our Aurora hunt and tour! We booked our tour with local guides through Tripadvisor.com, and loved every minute of it. It included transportation to the location, professional photos in front of the Aurora, and a small fire with sausages, juice, and cookies for us to eat!
Seeing the Northern Lights felt surreal, and the tour experience was a lot of fun. I would recommend checking out the local tourism center on booking a tour for your trip!
2. Visit Santa Claus Holiday Village
Rovaniemi, Finland, is the official hometown of Santa Claus. That being said, no trip there is complete without a visit to Santa Claus Village.
It is a small attraction mostly catered to families with children. You can write a letter to Santa Claus, interact with Reindeer, and dine at one of the many themed restaurants they have on site.
They also have snowmen twice the size as me scattered around the property, and snow everywhere… like EVERYWHERE.
I can recommend eating at the Three Elves. I orderer multiple themed drinks from their bar, as well as their reindeer burger for a meal, and was very impressed.
3. Visit the Artikum
The Artikum is a museum and science center in Rovaniemi, Finland. It has a lot of interactive exhibits that teach you about Finnish traditions, as well as about the environment and climate change.
It is a great place to spend the day before or after a long night of Aurora hunting, or a great place to escape the cold for a bit on your trip. The museum is small and only takes a few hours to read through all of the exhibits. It also includes a small gift shop, and coffee
It is important to focus on the tradition and cultures of other countries when we visit them, to make sure we take away something real from our visits, and not just the fairytale memories of our excursions. Travel is about having fun, but also about learning and cherishing other places the way we cherish our own homes! For this reason Ii would highly recommend taking the time to visit the Artikum.
4. Go Skiing
For beginner, or intermediate skiers, spending the day at Ounasvaara ski mountain would be a great way to spend a day. The mountain is a short drive from the downtown Rovaniemi area, and has multiple level slopes for skiers to utilize. I spent 3 hours there and thoroughly enjoyed my time on the mountainside.
It was my first time hitting the slopes in about 4 years, so it was the perfect combination of easy and intermediate trails to keep me occupied.
More advanced skiers may want to take this opportunity to look into some of the cross country skiing tours offered all around Rovaniemi in the winter. Their tours stray away from ski resorts like Ounasvaara, and offer routes through the less wandered mountainsides. There are also beginner and intermediate tours offered in these sorts of tours, although they run at more expensive prices than a day pass to the ski resort.
For more travel advice, check out my Travel Tips & Tricks page!
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