In my previous article, I shared my experience in the capital city of Helsinki. It turns out that this day trip was just a quick stopover before I flew out to the North Pole. Yes, you read right! I’ve always wanted to visit Lapland and experience life above the Arctic Circle, so that’s exactly what I decided to do on my last European trip of year 2019 before the big move to Australia! In this blog post, I’ll be sharing all the details of my weekend getaway to Finland’s dreamy winter wonderland. Let’s face it, this wasn’t a cheap trip at all, but was worth every penny if you want my opinion. I personally chose to fly to Kittilä, one of the 3 main airports in Lapland - the other ones being Ivalo [further North] and Rovaniemi [further South]. The reason why I chose Kittilä is because most of my activities were going to take place not too far from this town. I didn’t want to go to Rovaniemi because it is the most touristic destination of the region, and its location is much further away from everything. Ivalo is a bit more secluded, but I ended up driving very close to there to stay in a glass igloo. More details below:

Kakslauttanen - Lapland, Finland — A weekend in winter wonderland

Where to stay?

Hotels are rare and expensive in Lapland. Your best bet remains Airbnb if you’re looking at saving a few €€. I rarely recommend precise listings, but this time I felt the need to share the place where I stayed the first night because my hosts were amazing and their house was so beautiful and cozy. They made me feel welcome, and were very generous.

Another fantastic experience when visiting Lapland is to sleep in a glass igloo, which I did. There are a few hotels that have glass igloos/huts - the most well-known are: Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Levin Iglut & The Northern Lights Ranch. I chose the first one and will give you all the details in a bit.

How to get around?

To travel around the region, you will definitely need a car. You can easily hire one directly at the airport. I don't think they have a high number of rental cars so it might be best to make your reservation ahead of time when booking your trip.

Note: during the winter season, driving conditions can be quite dangerous if you're not used to driving in the snow. It snows almost every day and even though their ploughing system is very efficient, chances are you'll experience blizzards, narrow roads, icing rain and low visibility.

What to do?

The purpose of visiting this region is to spend time outside. Be prepared for the cold if you’re visiting during the winter season, because it can get really cold! Bring appropriate clothing!

Reindeer & Fishing Excursion

Since I only had two days there, and realised that this time of year (Dec 10-24) doesn't experience much sunlight (less than 45 minutes per day) I needed to be smart about my activities and choose them wisely.

If you have never done dog sledding, I highly recommend you to do so. The company I would have booked with is called Rami's Huskies and they are very well rated. Since I had already experienced that back home in Canada, I opted for reindeer sledding instead! I found this company called Reindeer & Fishing, and bookend their "Reindeer ride - Ice fishing - Snowshoe" excursion. The total cost for a 6-hour adventure was €125 and we did exactly that!

Allow yourself some time to find the place, they are located in the middle of the woods about 5-7 km into a narrow street that doesn't get ploughed much often. I came face to face with a taxi driver and both cars couldn't pass; both we ended up being stuck in the snow and having to call towing 😂 the reindeer company was kind enough to come help us out and wait for us before starting the activities.

When we finally got there, the tour began with an introduction about the reindeers, their lifestyle, their temper and they taught us how to ride the sleigh. We then started the ride and it was so so peaceful, such a beautiful experience! We then went on to a frozen lake, drilled a hole in the ice and started fishing. I know it's a big surprise for everyone, but I didn't catch anything 🤷🏻‍♀️.

We finished the day with a 30-min snowshoe experience in the forest, then went back to the main hut to warm up by the fireplace and eat dinner.

Sleeping in a glass igloo

Right after my reindeer adventure, I drove all the way up to Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort which is located about 3 hours away from Kittilä. This fairy tale resort is definitely something I had never seen nor imaged before. I chose to sleep in a glass igloo, and the experience exceeded all my expectations. It comes with a very expensive price tag (€516 per igloo / night), but I really believe it is worth staying there. It’s something you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Also, it is inclusive of your meals, therefore you won’t have to pay for breakfast and dinner (the food was really good).

I highly recommend that you take the time to explore the village; it is super cute. There’s also free access to a traditional sauna. If you can afford staying there multiple nights (which wasn’t my case, I only stayed for 1 night), their caring staff will help you arrange any winter activity.

*I didn’t get the chance to see the Northern Lights 😢 due to cloudy skies, but loved my experience nonetheless.

Visiting the Snow Village

Last but not least, on my last morning I drove back to Kittilä to go visit the Snow Village before taking my flight back to Helsinki. It turns out I was one of the first few visitors because the village had just recently opened for the 2019-2020 season. The weather was so beautiful that I decided to stop along the way to snap a few photos in the woods with Lapland’s famous tykky trees.

An adult ticket to visit the Snow Village costs €18 per person. The duration of the visit depends on how long you want to spend there and if you’d like to have a drink at the ice bar, but I’d say anywhere between 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. The ice/snow sculptures are renewed each year, and I didn’t expect to be fascinated by them so much. Definitely worth a visit!

A weekend in Finnish Lapland