First time in Rovaniemi, Lapland? Here’s what to expect
Is seeing the Northern Lights on your bucket list? Well, if so, you’re not alone. A poll has shown that a Northern Lights sighting is in fact at the top of most UK travellers’ bucket lists. And where better to embark on this travel adventure than in Finland (Greenland? Too hard to get to!).
I too have always dreamt about seeing the Northern Lights and, after many years, I finally booked a trip to Lapland to try my luck with spotting this natural phenomenon.
A little bit of geography — where is Lapland and is it the same as Finland?
Lapland is Finland’s northernmost region and Rovaniemi is the capital city of that region. Rovaniemi is nowadays best known as Santa Claus’ hometown and a place to see the Northern Lights.
How to get there
Getting to Rovaniemi from the UK has never been easier. There are multiple direct flights from London (Gatwick or Stansted) every day, as well as Manchester at least once a week with EasyJet. The flight is about 3 hours 20 minutes direct and once you’re there your options to get around the city are taxis and buses, unless, of course, you’re renting a car.
I have to be honest, taxis here are expensive. A 15-minute journey from the airport to our hotel (Apukka Resort) cost about 32€. We could’ve taken bus number 8 which would have taken half an hour and cost 8.80€ each but the bus comes every 45 minutes and, after our 3 am start to the day, we were ready to drop our bags off and enjoy the snow.
What to pack
Depending on the time of year you’re travelling to Rovaniemi, the temperature varies dramatically (who would’ve known that the temperature could go up to 30°C in the summer?)
We went in mid-November and the temperature was already well below zero degrees. In fact, the temperature stayed at around -10 to -15°C for the majority of our trip. As such, we packed a lot of heattech (Uniqlo is your friend) - long sleeve heattech tops, cashmere jumpers, thermal leggings, woolly socks, hats, scarfs and gloves, the whole shebang. Pack your snow boots because your Adidas sneakers will not stand a chance in the snow!
Having said that, don’t worry if you do not have a full-on ski outfit. Some resorts, like Apukka, have snowsuits to rent (free for guests) so best to check with your accommodation ahead of your trip as you might be able to save some money and space in your suitcase.
Where to stay
There are many unique resorts and accommodation options out here in the wilderness. For our first time we wanted something that was easy to get to and had onsite activities. After shopping around online we went with Apukka Resort, not to be confused with Apukka Rovaniemi City Apartments.
This beautiful resort is located on the edge of Rovaniemi. As mentioned, it’s 15 minutes away from the airport by car and once you’re there, you don’t really need to leave.
Unlike its city apartments counterparty, the resort is not open all year round and is closed for the summer. Right now, it is open until 7th April 2024, and then reopening again from 1st September 2024 until 6th April 2025.
To say our stay at Apukka was magical would be an understatement. At Apukka, you’ll be staying in glass igloos. Depending on your budget and preference, you’ll find yourself with a panoramic or even a 360º sky view of the resort and its surroundings.
We divided our time between the Aurora Cabin Kings and the Kammi Glass Igloo Suites. The Aurora Cabin Kings are the newest editions to the resort. With a king-sized bed, a convertible sofa-bed, a mini fridge, a kettle and an electric fireplace, this is the perfect room for couples or even a small family. This King Cabin is bigger compared to the standard and Queen Aurora cabins, with the added living space.
The Kammi Glass Igloo Suites, however, take everything up a level with their spacious living area, a fully equipped kitchenette and two convertible sofa beds. On top of all that, the bedroom is on the top floor, accessible by a spiral staircase. Talk about dream accommodation!
As mentioned, the resort has everything you need for a good time in Lapland, which I shall get onto in a minute. But as an overview, you can find two restaurants, a café, an outdoor cinema, multiple teepees and 6 to 10 activities available depending on the time of year of your visit all with an abundance of nature at your doorstep.
What to do
At Apukka, and you may find this to be true for a few other Finnish resorts in the area, different activities will be offered in different seasons. Since our visit was in early winter, we missed out on Santa Claus Tours or Nature Tours, nor did we manage to get a spot for the Early Winter Husky Tour, as this is highly popular and is often booked out very quickly. However, we did manage to book three different experiences which I will share with you below.
Reindeer sleigh ride
It is almost impossible to leave Lapland without experiencing a reindeer sleigh ride.
Following a short scenic walk from the resort and into the forest, we were met with 5 reindeer. The sleigh ride was slow and steady, contrary to my (perhaps, ignorant) impression of it being fast and furious (think Santa’s sleigh ride in most Christmas movies). After about 1-2 km, we arrived at a teepee, where we gathered around a fire and sipped on hot juice whilst our guide shared some interesting facts about reindeer with us. Let’s just say that working reindeer are better protected by the law in Finland than most lawyers in the UK.
We also had a chance to feed the reindeer and get some photos with them before the end of the tour. All in all, it was such a wholesome activity and if you would like to book one too, the Early Winter Reindeer Sleigh Ride costs 119€ per adult and is available daily from 10 am to midday.
Finnish sauna and Arctic swim
Another unique activity on our bucket list was to try a Finnish sauna and swim in a frozen lake.
You’ll find 3 individual saunas and natural pools on Lake Olkkajärvi at Appuka. This is arguably the most well-known wellness practice in Finland.
The temperature of the pool was 0-4°C while the outside temperature was -15°C. The experience was strangely addictive, even though I regretted going into the lake from the very moment I dipped my toes in every single time. However, I suppose the extreme heat in the sauna made the cold plunge an attractive alternative and vice versa.
Of course, this is not an activity suitable for everyone and you should always consult your doctor before partaking in case of any health concerns.
If you are on the fence about deciding whether to book the experience, perhaps these amazing benefits of saunas and cold plunging could persuade you to take a leap out of your comfort zone (and into the cold water!)
Prices for the lakeside sauna and arctic bath start from 179€ and are available daily from November to April. If you don’t fancy jumping into the frozen lake, you can also book a one-and-a-half-hour sauna experience for two for 79€.
Aurora hunting with snow train
Let’s be honest, you’ve most likely booked this trip because you want to witness the magnificent Northern Lights. And so did we, and lucky for us, Apukka is one of the best locations in the city to catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis.
These tours start pretty late in the evening (at 8:30 pm) as they are designed to maximise the chances of this nature phenomenon sighting. The location of the sighting may differ for each group and depending on the day as the guides will assess which open landscape has the least light pollution and offer the best opportunities for a successful hunt.
The tour comes in many formats, including by snowmobile, snow trains, huskies rides, reindeer sleigh rides, horse sleigh rides, and minibuses. We opted for the snow train and would love to try the snowmobile next time.
I am sad to report that we weren’t lucky enough to see even the reflection of the aurora and as if this wasn’t enough, we received a notification for the aurora’s visibility at Apukka Resort as soon as we landed back in London!
The prices of the tours start from 89€ depending on your choice of transport. It is also worth noting that the chances of seeing the aurora is, although greater following a professional guide, not 100% guaranteed.
Visit Ranua Wildlife Park
If you would like to leave the resort for a day and you’re a fan of wildlife, I would recommend booking a wildlife tour to Ranua Wildlife Park for the day. I booked mine with GetYourGuide as they have a huge selection of activities to choose from. I ultimately went with this tour.
The full-day tour meant that we had to make an early start to get to Santa Claus Village from our resort to get picked up since that was the furthest pickup point available. The taxi ride in the morning cost us 26€ which was not ideal, especially given that we ended up going back north, past our resort on the way to Ranua.
Tip: If you are staying outside and north of their pickup radius, my advice is to phone up/email the tour operator and ask if you could get picked up on the way so you can 1) have a lie-in, 2) not waste your money on a taxi.
Our tour lasted about 6 hours and included a quick stop for both the husky ride and the reindeer sleigh, as well as lunch at Ranua Wildlife Park. The lunch was set up in the canteen and was not too remarkable. The Park, however, was worth visiting.
With about 50 different arctic animal species residing there, Ranua Wildlife Park is a natural sanctuary for these animals. One of the loveliest things about the park is that they sometimes receive and treat wounded animals which are no longer able to survive in the wild. Having said that, I would recommend coming here in the warmer seasons as we did not manage to see any polar bears and several other arctic animals due to their hibernation cycle.
The tour also included a lookout point but sadly due to traffic and the lack of daylight by the time we reached Rovaniemi, we couldn't make it.
We paid 382.28€ for two for this tour, which was on the pricier side, and whilst I did enjoy it, I think this tour would’ve been more worth it had we done it in the Summer.
Santa Claus Village
To be completely honest, we didn’t spend much time in Santa Claus Village at all, as we arrived an hour before our reservation at Restaurant Gallis and everything was closed by then.
While planning for the trip, I realised that most activities, including the ice skating, the Ice Restaurant and Ice Bar were closed as our trip was too early in the season.
Despite it coming across as more of a family attraction, there are still many experiences catered to adults, including ice fishing, guided snowshoe trip or skiing trip. You can find more information here.
Where to eat
Restaurant Aitta
Guests of Apukka will be familiar with this restaurant, as this is where breakfast is served daily and is located right across the reception.
The restaurant is big yet cosy, with a fireplace and a large dining area. We came here for dinner on the first night and were pleasantly surprised by how good the food was.
If you struggle to decide or want to leave it up to the chef, I'd recommend going for the set menu. It came with two starters: king crab soup with prawn remoulade and dill flavoured oil and fried scallops with Northern Lights curry and grandma’s cucumber, one main: traditional sauteed reindeer with Lappish mashed potatoes and pickled cucumbers and lingonberry jam and a dessert, which was the chocolate cake with orange, rosemary ice cream. We also ordered the overcooked Lappish baby lamb with root celery, mushrooms, sour cream and smoked rosemary sauce as an additional main.
I loved the starters, the king crab soup was the perfect dish to warm up my stomach with and the scallops were absolutely delicious, although on the saltier side. The food was overall very hearty and flavourful. It was our first time trying reindeer meat and my first impression of it was that it tasted like minced beef. It paired really well with the lappish mashed potatoes and I can see why this is such a good winter dish.
The bill came to 117€ and although the service was a little slow, considering the restaurant was not full, I’d say it’s a great option if you’re looking for a taste of authentic Lappish cuisine.
Restaurant Gallis
For a more elevated dining experience in Lapland, this is the restaurant for you.
Restaurant Gallis is located inside Glass Resort, in Santa Claus Village. It is intimate, dimly lit, with high ceiling windows looking out to the village.
The menu is straightforward with vegetarian options available. Since we wanted to try something unique to the area, we opted for the Lappish potatoes with dried reindeer meat and grilled lobster tail to start, with pikeperch and willow grouse as our main dishes. Despite it being a game meat, I didn’t find the grouse gamey at all and I loved its chewy texture (comparable to liver).
For dessert, I got the bilberry pie, which I was told the berries were grown locally and my boyfriend opted for Cherry, a dark chocolate Cremeux with milk ice cream and cherry sauce - his idea of heaven.
The meal was definitely on the pricier side, with our bill totalling 145€ excluding service charge and drinks. However, the overall experience made it totally worthwhile.
There you have it - my honest first-timer guide to Rovaniemi. Have you visited Lapland yet and what’s your impression of it? Let me know in the comments below.
Feel free to send me a DM if you have any questions!
