66° 11′ N, 29° 06′ E
Overview
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through our link.
This is a free way to support us and allows us to continue creating even more inspiring travel guides. Thank you for supporting the love we put into Coordinotes!
What and where is Lapland
Even though the name suggests otherwise, Lapland is not a real country in itself. Lapland is a vast region, spread over the most northern part of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and even a small part of Russia. It is also a cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sami. The original Sami were fishermen and reindeer herders who lived a nomadic life. Today the Sami work in all kinds of sectors and, like other Scandinavians, they live in ordinary villages.
No time to read now?
Save this post on Pinterest!
Where should you go
We decided to go to Finnish Lapland because we found the most information about it and it is also slightly cheaper than, for example, Norwegian Lapland.
Finnish Lapland is located in northern Finland and there are many different places you can stay: Rovaniemi, Ivalo, Kittilä, Levi, Ruka (Kuusamo)…
So where should you go? That’ll probably depend on the flight schedules but also on what kind of activities you want to do. If you want to visit Santa and cross the Arctic Circle in Santa Claus Village, you have to stay close to Rovaniemi. There are also differences in crowds. In Ruka, for example, it is quieter than in Levi. We have therefore chosen Ruka, based on airline tickets, available accommodation, and tranquility.
Hotels in Lapland
Discover the best places to stay in Lapland and enjoy a magical trip!
How many days
Even though there are only a few hours of light a day during the winter period, there are plenty of things to do in Lapland. Further on in this post, we will discuss which activities you can do in Finnish Lapland. Depending on what things you want to do and your budget, you can decide how long you want to stay.
We stayed in Lapland for 5 days and did almost everything we wanted to do. One or 2 more days we certainly wouldn’t have minded, but it would have become more expensive. We therefore recommend going for 5 to 7 days.
How to get there
Brussels to Kuusamo
We searched for the cheapest flights using Trip.com. We flew from Brussels to Helsinki with Finnair and then from Helsinki to the small airport of Kuusamo.
Kuusamo airport to Ruka village
As soon as you step outside Kuusamo Airport, you will immediately see several taxis and buses. Depending on where your hotel is located, you can opt for a taxi or bus. We chose to take the bus to keep it as cheap as possible and because our stay was not very far from the center. You can just go up to a bus driver and ask if he drives to Ruka. You can pay for both bus and taxi by card.
Note: We couldn’t find a bus schedule or stop for the return trip anywhere. That’s why we decided to take a taxi back to the airport so that we wouldn’t miss our flight.
You can also rent a car but (depending on what you plan to do of course) we think it’s not necessary. Most of the time we were able to walk to the activities. We only had to take a taxi once to an activity and once to the airport. Sometimes you can also book a pick-up together with your activity.
Flight deals
Fly to Lapland at the best prices and enjoy a smooth journey!
Where to stay in Finnish Lapland
Hotel Rukatonttu
We stayed in one of the Aurora Huts of RukaTonttu. Not the cheapest accommodation but certainly unique and perfect for spotting the Northern Lights from your bed. This accommodation is located slightly outside the center. If you want to go to the center, you have to walk a bit uphill. Or if you already have ski equipment, you can take the ski lift (T-bar) to the village. The hotel is located near the ski slope, so you can ski almost to the hotel.
The Aurora Hut
The Aurora hut was the perfect accommodation to spot the Northern Lights. The hut itself was quite small and it floats on the water of the frozen lake, but you don’t feel much of it.
It has a chemical toilet and a very small kitchenette with limited cooking equipment. To take a shower you had to enter the hotel and use the showers at the sauna (which you could of course also use). Outside the hotel, there was another sauna, and a hole in the lake to take a (very) refreshing dip.
Everything was very clean and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The extensive and tasty breakfast buffet was included in the price.
Despite the hut being a little small, we did enjoy this very unique place to sleep.
Hotels in Ruka
Discover the best places to stay in Ruka and enjoy a comfortable stay
What does it cost
There are many tour companies that offer full Lapland travel packages. These prices vary from 1500 to 3000 euros and even more. We decided to organize this trip ourselves, so we could make it as cheap or expensive as we wanted. The total price of this trip depends entirely on how many and which activities you want to do, the accommodation where you want to stay, and the price of your flight tickets. For the other costs such as food and drinks, prices are generally comparable to the prices of Western Europe.
Here is a short cost breakdown of our trip (per person) (2022)
Flights return, luggage included (Brussels - Kuusamo)
535 euro
Bus from the Airport to Ruka
10 euro
Taxi Ruka to the airport
30 euro
Accommodation (4 nights inlcuded breakfast)
490 euro
Activities (Snowscooter, husky ride, reindeer sleigh ride, farm visit, ...)
365 euro
This makes a total of 1410 euro per person.
This does not include food, drinks and, if you want, ski passes and ski equipment.
Know that you will certainly find cheaper accommodations than the place we stayed.
What to pack for lapland
As you may know, it is cold in Lapland in winter, not to say very, very cold. So what should definitely not be missing in your suitcase for this winter trip? These are the three most important things to prepare yourself for the cold: layers, layers, and layers.
Besides the layers, there are a few other things you have to bring for this amazing trip to winter wonderland. You can find our complete Lapland Packing list in the link below.
Things to do in Lapland in winter
From snowmobile tours and husky sleigh rides to visiting a reindeer farm, cross-country skiing, or snowshoe walking, you never get bored in Lapland. Most of these activities can be done in any place in Lapland, no matter where you want to go, but not all of them. So make sure the activities you want to do, are offered at the place you want to go to. We tell you a bit more about the activities we did in Ruka.
If you decide to go to Ruka, like we did, you should definitely take a look at ruka.fi. Here you find literally all information about accommodations, restaurants, ski rentals, general information, and anything else you need to know. You can even book and payfor your activities directly on this website.