11 of the best things to do in Lapland

The modern-day home of Santa Claus, a popular skiing destination and one of the best places to see the Northern Lights, Lapland is at the top of plenty of travellers’ wishlists for a reason.

Many who visit will stop by in the Finnish Lapland capital, Rovaniemi, take to the pistes in Levi or Yllas and save some time for classic activities like husky sledding or snowmobiling.

But this region, which extends through parts of Finland, Norway and Sweden, has a host of other wonders to explore, from vast hiking trails to cultural centres and unique accommodation options.

And although the winter wonders are well-documented here, the sometimes overlooked summer months provide amazing opportunities to see incredible scenery and enjoy outdoor activities, all while basking in the never-ending light of the midnight sun.

Whether you visit for Christmas or in the middle of summer, Lapland will provide an excellent variety of things to do. Below, we’ve collated a list of some of the best.

Read more: Best Lapland holidays

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This area of the Artic Circle is the best place in the world to see the Northern Lights, with towns and cities in all three countries providing a great chance of seeing the aurora if you stay for long enough.

In Norway, the city of Tromso and the more remote Lofoten Islands are the best place to go, while in Finland Saariselka is perhaps the most popular light-spotting destination (though they can be seen throughout, including in Levi, Inari and Rovaniemi).

The top bucket-list destination for seeing the Northern Lights would probably be Abisko, a small village in the north of Sweden. It is home to the Aurora Sky Station, sat at an impressive 900m above sea level, which is self-styled as the ‘best place in the world to see the Northern Lights’ due to low precipitation rates and its location within the so-called ‘aurora oval’.

This area, surrounded by snow-capped hills and placid lakes, sees the aurora so often that the tourist board website confidently states that anyone staying for four or more nights between September and April is “almost certain” to see the Lights.

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Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland – a city of around 60,000 people that is worth visiting for the excellent Arktikum Museum, which explores Lapland’s culture and history, and the plethora of classic Lapland-related activities such as Northern Lights excursions. One particular draw of Rovaniemi is the Santa Claus Village, the official home of the man himself.

If you’ve brought the kids along (and even if you haven’t), you’ll enjoy the magical setting of wooden, Alpine-style buildings adorned with twinkling lights and surrounded by deep snow. Kids can meet Santa Claus, visit his work stations and meet a range of Lappish wildlife, including reindeer and alpacas.

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Unsurprisingly for a territory covered in snow, Lapland is home to a handful of popular ski resorts. The main ones are found in Finland, and include Yllas, Levi and Saariselka (most of which are offered as destinations by UK-based ski tour operators such as Crystal Ski and Inghams).

Skiing here is on fells rather than mountains, and overall is more low-key – and far more quiet – than the rest of Europe, with fewer pistes and parties than the Alps or the Dolomites. However, the near-guarantee of a blanket of deep snow, the incredible scenery and a range of activities away from the slopes make Lapland a popular skiing destination. It caters to different abilities too, being a great place for learners, while the presence of floodlit slopes and World Cup runs means more advanced skiers should still be happy enough.

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Inari is a large, remote region that lies around 40 miles from Saariselka, in the north of Finland. While renowned for its magnificent natural beauty, the beautiful Lake inari and a high likelihood of witnessing the Northern Lights (the town lies further north than aforementioned Abisko), it is mainly known as the capital of the indigenous culture of the Sami people.

In the village, Sajos is the people’s cultural and administrative centre, housing the Sami Parliament and promoting and preserving Sami culture, history and tradition. Though primarily for use by Sami people, visitors can attend guided tours that give a respectful introduction to Sami culture.

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Husky sledding, reindeer sledding and visits to reindeer farms are all activities that can be done in the majority of Lappish destinations, and are often included in holiday packages if visiting at the right time (usually between November and March).

For reindeer visits and sledding, the obvious destination is Rovaniemi, home to plenty of Santa’s favourite animals and providing the perfect flat, snow-covered plains for an extended, fast-paced journey through the Lappish wilderness. For dog lovers, the town of Kiruna, around one hour south of Abisko, is the centre of husky sledding, where a vast frozen tundra and sections of pine forest provide the ideal terrain for a multi-day trip or a couple-of-hours excursion.

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Igloos, as well as other unique accommodation such as glass-ceilinged pods, are prevalent throughout Lapland, offering chances to see the Northern Lights and experience a once-in-a-lifetime overnight stay. But the most remarkable Lapland accommodation is Sweden’s Icehotel, located in Jukkasjarvi (around 20 minutes from husky sledding capital Kiruna).

Operating for just over three decades, this unique hotel is built anew every winter with ice blocks from the nearby Torne River, with each part providing captivating, fleeting beauty before melting in spring. The rooms, all individual and elaborately designed and carved by ice artists, provide a truly memorable stay in the Arctic wilderness.

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Snowshoeing and snowmobiling are another set of activities that are common in most popular Lappish destinations. Many places offer trips combined with Northern Lights tours for the ultimate evening snowmobile or snowshoe experience, but there are plenty of other ways to try out two of Lapland’s most sought-after activities.

Snowshoeing, essentially hiking using special boots to make walking in the snow easier, is popular around the fells and canyons of areas such as Inari and Kainuu, and in national parks like Urho Kekkonen and Salla. The same is true for snowmobiling – as any area of open plains, and many forest areas, are suitable, these excursions are popular from Rovaniemi and Inari to Pyha and Luosto.

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The Norwegian part of Lapland may be less thought of than its Finnish and Swedish counterparts, but this part of the country offers some of the most striking landscapes in all of Norway.

Tromso is the main city in the region, itself a popular Northern Lights spotting destination and a thriving destination that showcases Norwegian culture, history and tradition alongside dramatic fjord scenery and snow-capped mountains. The Lofoten Islands are the other oft-visited location, providing some of the most dramatic landscapes in Europe, with their rugged mountains, steep cliffs and serpentine fjords, as well as opportunities to see the aurora and the midnight sun while visiting the many charming fishing villages throughout the archipelago.

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There are a host of national parks in Lapland, but a few stand out for their raw natural beauty, extensive wilderness areas and opportunities for much-loved activities like hiking, ice fishing and snowmobiling.

Some 95 per cent of Sweden’s national park area is found in Swedish Lapland. The Abisko park is most renowned due to its Northern Lights activity, though Unesco-listed Laponia boasts high mountains, primeval forests, vast marshes, beautiful lakes and well-preserved river systems that showcase ongoing geological processes and the ancestral Sami way of life.

Lapland’s most-visited national parks are concentrated in Finland. Urho Kekkonen, Pyha-Luosto and Pallas-Yllastunturi are three of the most popular, replete with snowy hiking trails, dense areas of forest, towering fells and a palpable sense of remoteness.

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While the default choice for many coming to Lapland would be to visit for the snowy conditions, the warmer months hold many highlights that are hidden in the winter weather. The midnight sun is perhaps the most striking phenomenon during the summer, with parts of Lapland seeing 24 hours of sunlight from May to August.

Archipelagos like Lulea and Lofoten offer vast spaces for kayaking alongside otters and even whales, while beaches like that at Lake Livojarvi become the epicentre of Lappish leisure in summer.

There are hundreds of miles of hiking trails to explore too, with one of the most famed being the 270-mile Kungsleden trail that runs through the highlights of the Swedish wilderness, taking walkers across rivers, valleys, lakes and the highest peak in the country. In Finland, the Karhunkierros is a legendary 50-mile route through the Oulanka national park, while there are dozens of shorter hikes too, such as the popular five mile route up and down Saana fell.

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Known in Swedish as the Vildmarksvagen, the 230-mile Wilderness Road is one of Lapland’s longest and loneliest stretches. It runs between the towns of Stromsund and Vilhelmina, and is best driven between June and October, before the snow begins to cover the majority (and leave you even more at the mercy of the elements).

This route contains some of the most striking scenery in Lapland, from the peaks of the Marsfjallen mountains and waterfalls like Hallingsafallet, to sections of undisturbed birch forest and even Sweden’s longest canyon. The area is sparsely populated and home to few accommodation options or petrol stations, so be sure to plan ahead. And look out for Sweden’s largest bear population, who call this region their home.

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