An Essential Guide to Finland's Serene Lapland

Discover the area’s beauty for yourself on Culture Trip’s epic five-day adventure in Finnish Lapland. Led by our Local Insider, you’ll discover the best of the region with a small group of culturally curious travellers.

There are draws and setbacks to visiting Lapland in both the summer and winter. Close to 24 hours of daylight in the summer can mean it’s difficult to sleep, but Lapland in summer has spectacular views and chances for hiking and cycling. The winter is, of course, incredibly cold with potentially dangerous ice and only a few hours of daylight. But it also comes with the Northern Lights, winter sports, dog sledding, and reindeer sleigh rides among other things. The time of year you choose to visit will depend upon your own preferences over the things you want to do and the weather extremes you can handle.

This is a big hit for tourists throughout the year, regardless of their age. The Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, just outside the Arctic Circle, is the capital of the Lapland province and the official hometown of Santa and his reindeer. You can visit Santa and get a photo with him in his hut, while the village (and the city in which it is based) has shops, hotels, restaurants and winter activities.

Santa isn’t the only important part of the local culture. There is a lot of history and mythology to explore as well. The native Sami people, who are spread across all parts of Lapland, traditionally herd reindeer, sell handmade crafts, and share their stories and folklore with visitors.

Lapland is a heaven for sports lovers, particularly those who love winter sports, with many available throughout the year. In the summer there is canoeing, hiking and cycling through a serene landscape. In the winter, when the ground and lakes are frozen, there is dog sledging, skiing and snowboarding. It is an ideal spot for professionals, enthusiasts or even those who want to try something new.

The Sami, and all Finnish people, are particularly proud of their wildlife and go to great lengths to protect them with some of the best ecological policies in the world. This means you can see a fascinating range of wildlife during your time in Lapland, and perhaps even a few rare or endangered species, so long as you are careful to avoid the dangerous animals.

Lapland Safaris offers opportunities to spot these animals in the wild by dog sled, snowmobile, boat, fatbike or on snowshoes. Or to see all of the Arctic wildlife at once you can visit Ranua Wildlife Park, the northernmost zoo in the world. In 2016, the zoo welcomed a polar bear cub, the second ever to be born in Finland. The zoo also holds Arctic foxes, brown bears, owls, wolves, moose, beavers, wolverines, and many other Arctic animals from all parts of Lapland.