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rashport

travel blog for budget travelers

rashport

Finland Lapland Ivalo Winter Wonderland Travel Blog Budget Traveler Backpacker
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FINLAND

 Places Visited 

 Useful Information 

  • Europe generally and Scandinavia specifically are typical summer destinations to enjoy the mild weather and outdoor activities, however, visiting Finland in winter was a magnificent experience to relish the winter wonderland, it felt like Disney's Frozen turned into reality

  • Book your trip to Lapland, Finland, as early as possible. Hotel supply is very limited. I booked mine in October for January, still found difficulties finding room availability in certain hotels

  • Time your visit to Finland according to the activities you’d like to do:
    - May to August: for summer outdoor activities such as hiking, canoeing, biking
    - February to March & September-October: for Northern Lights
    - January to March: for winter wonderland experience in Lapland

  • Best time to visit Lapland for winter activities is February or March:
    - enjoy winter sceneries & outdoor activities
    - higher possibility of clear skies
    - higher chance of northern lights sighting
    - longer daytime hours

  • Avoid visiting Lapland in December:
    - peak time for family and children who flock to Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi for Christmas holidays
    - prices hike for hotels, flights and activities
    - short days (almost totally dark) limiting the outdoor activities
    - as of winter 2018-2019, snow came very late, some winter activities had to be postponed until January

  • Are you on a very tight budget?
    Visit Lapland in winter and walk around without purchasing any tour. Nature and views are gorgeous and for free. Forests are a walking-distance away from any city/town/village

  • Winter clothes:
    - thermal top and bottom layers (North Face recommended)
    - any winter sweater
    - winter coat stuffed with feather (mine from Hollister was excellent)
    - gloves
    - any pants (wear two layers if too cold)
    - wool socks
    - snow boots (Decathlon has reasonable price boots)

 Helsinki 

Activities, tours and attractions

  • Taking the train from Helsinki-Vataa International Airport to the city?
    Don’t get confused by the station names. They’re spelled in both Finnish and Swedish. Some stations names are totally different in the two languages which could be confusing. For example, Oulunkylä station in Finnish, spelled Åggelby in Swedish!

  • There are numerous art museums in Helsinki. Read about the collections and exhibitions online in advance to make up your mind. The most popular ones are:
    - Ateneum
    - Helsinki Art Museum (HAM)
    - Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma
    - Design Museum Helsinki

  • In winter, experience skating in the open-air rink in the city center, called Helsinki Ice Park. At a certain hour, skating is for free and you only have to rent the skating shoes. Small lockers are available. Alternatively, sip your coffee or grab a sandwich at Jääpuisto, and watch families and friends skate

  • Dip in the freezing water of the Balkan Sea in winter at Allas Sea Pool. Water temperature is nearly zero. A lifeguard walks toward the freezing pool as soon as any guest goes for a dip for safety purposes. It is claimed that swimming in freezing water has health benefits:
    - reduces stress
    - boosts immunity system
    - enhances blood circulation

  • Planning to go to Allas Sea Pool in winter?
    - take your flip flops, the ground is cold and partially covered in snow and/or ice
    - take your towel, or rent one from reception
    - there are saunas for men, women and mixed
    - entry ticket is valid all day long (you can exit and come back in the same day)
    - discounts for different groups (e.g. students) available at the entrance
    - swimming pool temperature is 27° year-round

Restaurants and cafes

  • Have a burger at Naughty BRGR. The restaurant is very pleasant with a plenty of seatings and modern decoration. Prices are expensive, I paid around €18 for a burger + French fries + soda. WiFi connection is excellent. Waiters are very kind. There’s a shelf with all types of tasty sauces such as Tabasco, chili sauce and BBQ sauce

Accommodation

The Yard Concept Hostel has a central location, good breakfast, clean rooms and bathrooms, abundant showers, coffee & tea always available, nice decor, friendly staff, excellent WiFi connection, dorms relatively small. If arriving after 8 pm, contact the hotel as reception is closed after 8. They’ll send you the door combinations for the building and the hostel

 Rovaniemi 

Activities, tours and attractions

  • Activity prices offered by tour operators are identical online or onsite, however, they vary from one operator to another

  • Don’t overpack or purchase extra clothes for winter in Lapland. Although it’s cold, tour operators provide full gear for any activity you sign up for

  • Seeing the northern lights is a matter of luck with many variables so don't get disappointed if you don't spot them. Alternatively, enjoy “the daylight aurora” (see the photo gallery below) to condole yourself and remember that being in Lapland in winter is a bliss. Generally speaking, Ivalo has a better chance to see the northern lights than Rovaniemi

  • Don’t forget to take your driving license with you to be able to sign up for the snowmobile tour. Expect to pay €90-110 for a 2-hour snowmobile tour. No need to buy the insurance against damaging the snowmobile or hitting a tree or property, you'll be driving in a forest and on a lake (uninhabited areas). Kids (below certain age and height) are not allowed to drive the snowmobile. They will be seated in a sleigh pulled by the tour guide's snowmobile

  • Ice fishing is a fun activity but combine it with another one, it’s too short and simple to do it alone

  • Make sure that you visit an authentic reindeer farm, not the one in Santa Claus Village. Reindeer farm visit includes a reindeer pulling a traditional sled, this activity is barely 1-minute. If you want a long real-experience reindeer sled, then sign up for a reindeer safari for 1 or 2 hours. You can visit the reindeer farm and pay for the entry fee only if you have a car. Book a tour with transportation if you don’t have a car, taxis are ridiculously expensive. Reindeer farm with a tour operator costs around €85

  • Santa Claus Village is a top attraction in Rovaniemi. Santa’s post office is located here and receives thousands of letters from children worldwide. Below is a summary of what I thought about it:
    - mainly for kids and families
    - small-scale Lapland's top activities such as huskies, reindeer and snowmobile
    - variety of restaurants and cafes
    - numerous souvenir shops (most of souvenirs are for Santa and Christmas than Finland or Lapland)
    - Taking a photo with Santa Claus is free but getting a digital or print copy is very expensive

Transportation

  • Buses at Rovaniemi Airport drop passengers at Santa Claus Village or at hotels if located in the town

  • Bus station is close to the town. Rovaniemi has a good bus network to most of the Finnish cities. Buses are large, comfortable and have excellent WiFi

Accommodation

  • Hostel Cafe Koti is clean, spacious rooms/dorms, kind staff, equipped kitchen, central location in Rovaniemi, free sauna for guests with separate timing for men and women, sauna can be booked for private sessions

 Ivalo 

Activities, tours and attractions

  • There are few husky safari operators in Ivalo. Don’t rush… search and compare, the only differences would be the duration of the tour and the location/scenery

  • Guesthouse Husky is probably the most popular husky safari tour operator in Ivalo (not necessarily the best though). No husky safaris available on Sundays in Guesthouse Husky as it's a rest day for dogs

  • I recommend the 1-hour husky safari tour, 1 hour is sufficient to enjoy the experience. There’s no point to sign up for the 4-hour or long husky safaris as it’s the same experience as the 1-hour one, driving the sledge also becomes tiring after a while, husky safari costs between €100-120

  • Wild Spirit Park is run by a lady who cares a lot about her park and animals. She does the guided tours and explains everything to visitors in details. She also takes the visitors to a campfire where she has a catalogue about her animals and their lives. Entry fee is €10 as of January 2019. I highly recommend visiting in winter when animals such as the arctic fox and racoon dog, have their winter fur. There are no shops or cafes in the park. Check opening hours before arrival as it varies. Don’t walk from Ivalo village to the park. I did it and it took me 1.15 hours. Almost half of the distance had no pedestrian sidewalk and I was literally walking in the street -luckily- there were few cars. The park organizes husky safari tours and would probably be cheaper than other popular tour operators in Ivalo. Book in advance

  • Do not book a northern light safari tour. It is nonrefundable. Accommodation staff and guesthouses, especially the ones run by families, inform the guests if northern lights happen. Install specialized apps in northern lights that calculate the visibility, brightness and location of the northern lights

Restaurants and cafes

  • Eat at Anjan Pizza: big portion, pizza comes with a green salad, excellent WiFi

Accommodation

  • If you are staying at Hotel Ivalo, kicksled and sleighs are free for hotel guests

  • Hotel Ivalo: probably, this is one of the most famous hotels in Ivalo. The room is good and clean. Bathrooms are clean but some may find them old and outdated. The hotel has a nice sauna and a pool. Breakfast is excellent with a variety of choices. Housekeeping isn’t available on Sundays. Reception staff are very helpful. They help guests book their transportation or call parks/attractions to check on opening hours and availability. There’s a play area for kids. WiFi connection is excellent all over the building.

Feel free to leave a question/comment below in English, Arabic or Spanish (hablo un poco de español). I will reply as soon as possible OR leave a comment on my Instagram page 

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