Overview
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What and where is Lapland
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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
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How many days
Even though there’s only a few hours of light a day during the winter period, there’s 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 were here for 5 days and did almost everything we wanted to do. One or 2 more days we certainly wouldn’t have mind, but it would have become more expensive. We therefore recommend going for 5 to 7 days.
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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.
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Where to stay in Finnish Lapland
Hotel Rukatonttu
We stayed in one of the Aurora Huts of RukaTonttu. Not the most cheap 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 quit 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 equipment for cooking. 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 smalll, we did enjoy this very unique place to sleep.
Hotels in Ruka
Discover the best places to sleep through our partners. Book your stay and enjoy their great deals!
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 organise this trip ourselves, so we could make it as cheap or expensive as we want. 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.
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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.
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Things to do in Lapland
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 pay your activities directly on this website.
Most popular activities in lapland
If you're close to Rovaniemi.
Activities & Tours
Take once in a lifetime opportunities and do unique things in Lapland!
What we did in Lapland
Visit to a Husky Farm and 10 km Ride
We booked our Husky Sleigh Ride on the website of ruka.fi with Ruka Adventures.
They brought us to the husky farm of Arctic Runaway Husky.
We enjoyed an amazing 10 km sleigh ride through the beautiful Lappish landscape. After the dog sledding we could warm up in a tent with a bonfire and enjoy some local food. The dogs were so excited and lovely, and it was such a unique experience, but brace yourself for the cold.
Snowmobile safari
1,5 KM REINDEER SLEIGH RIDE
NORTHERN LIGHT SAFARI
We didn’t book one of the Northern Light Spotting trips, but we were able to see the northern lights, or aurora borealis, multiple times from our accommodation and when we took a walk outside ourselves.
Yet we think it would also be fun to chase the northern lights with one of the trips they offer. So we definitely have to go back.
Skiing/Snowboarding
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One Response
What made you think about such a topic. Its funny I am not the only one that feels that way about it. Keep it up!