Finland
During our very first trip to Lapland, as Midnight Sun Ambassadors, we visited the small but cool town of Ylläs. Then of course in the middle of summer with 24 hours of light and endless outdoor possibilities. We wrote a very extensive Summer Travel Guide for Ylläs.
On our previous trips to the Arctic we have worked with Safartica several times. Safartica is one of the largest and best-known tour operators in Lapland. They are located in Rovaniemi, Vaattunki, Ylläs, Levi and Saariselkä.
What could be more fun than staying in a hotel named after Santa Claus when you're staying in the man's hometown? We can assure you that it is definitely a special experience and extra fun because it is called Hotel Santa Claus.
When you think of Lapland and especially Rovaniemi, you immediately think of Santa Claus! Of course, Santa Claus is literally nowhere without his reindeer. Reindeer are not only important to Santa Claus but to the whole of Lapland. For centuries, humans and reindeer have lived closely together.
When it comes to animal tourism we are always a bit reserved and cautious. Using animals for tourist purposes is of course something different, but if it is done in a good and correct way it can only be recommended. That is why we always find out in advance how the animals are treated and taken care of before we engage with an animal activity.
Looking for an authentic Lapland winter adventure and a great day out in nature? Lapland Winter Park in Rovaniemi opened its doors for the first time in December 2024 and offers unforgettable experiences for all winter enthusiasts. Lapland Winter Park offers a wide range of activities that will immerse you in the magic of the Arctic.
Thinking about finally making that dream trip to Lapland this winter? Stop thinking and start doing! We are happy to help you and we have a really great travel tip for Rovaniemi!
Think of an amusement park but in Lapland. Where you can have unlimited fun in the snow all day long. That's Kotatieva Winter Leisure Park. They have something very special that you won't find anywhere else, so keep reading!
Of course we understand that you are not traveling to Rovaniemi for shopping, but in and between all the amazing activities in Lapland Summer or Winter, we all love to hang out at a shopping mall and check out what we can bring home from Lapland.
Did you know that there are three shopping malls in Rovaniemi city centre?
Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland and is of course known as the hometown of Santa Claus. Every year hundreds of thousands of people visit this city to see their Lapland dream trip come true. Very often activities like snowmobiling, huskies, ice karting and the Northern Lights are high on the agenda, but there is more.
Of course we have done all these incredibly cool activities in Rovaniemi as well, but with this blog we want to show you what else there is to see and do in Rovaniemi. We love nature and all the outdoor possibilities in Rovaniemi, but we also really enjoy visiting a museum every now and then.
Tourism and animals are certainly not always a successful combination. In Finland they have lived closely with nature and animals for centuries. People, reindeer, moose and huskies live together here and cannot live without each other. Using animals for tourist purposes is of course something different, but if it is done in a good and correct way it can only be recommended.
Sometimes you see places on social media that make you think at first, does this place really exist? Rovaniemi in Lapland seems to be a place that attracts special and bucket list places and accommodations.
Of course you immediately think of these igloo accommodations. But recently Aito Resort opened its doors in Rovaniemi. And they have unique, one of a kind, treehouse accommodations. And that's not all. Because Aito Resort is the first resort in Rovaniemi to offer a complete spa and wellness, including a swimming pool.
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Very occasionally there are places that, after you visit them once, they completely captivate you and you want to keep going back. In our case this applies to Finland and in particular to Lapland and Rovaniemi.
From our first visit to Rovaniemi, we were sold on the country, the people, the culture and especially the endless nature. In everything it is a destination that makes us ultimately happy. That happy feeling makes us go back for more travel experiences, memories and adventures.
Capital cities are often our first stop at a new destination. Things turned out a little differently for Finland. It wasn't until our 4th visit to Finland that we finally visited Helsinki.
Last autumn we took the overnight train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi in Lapland. So it was important for us to have a hotel with a convenient location. Good for exploring the city but also close to the train station.
Nova Galaxy Village is a new addition in Rovaniemi. The hotel belongs to the the same owners as Nova Skyland Hotel, but it is in a completely different location and also a totally different experience. Nova Galaxy opened its doors in November 2023 and ran its first season in the winter of 23-24.
Nova Galaxy Village is located almost 20 kilometers from Nova Skyland Hotel and Rovaniemi city center. Its location is truly amazing, in the middle of nowhere and right on the Ounasjoki River.
On our recent trip to Finnish Lapland we stayed in two unique hotels: Nova Skyland Hotel and Nova Galaxy Village, which are from the same owner.
Both unique but completely different accommodations in Rovaniemi. This blog is a review about our stay at Nova Skyland.
Sometimes dreams come true, and the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel is such a dream. The Arctic TreeHouse Hotel is one of those typical bucket list accommodations that is all over social media. If you search for unique accommodations in Lapland, this is often the first in the search results.
As avid Lapland and Finland travelers and enthusiasts, we have already experienced many beautiful accommodations. Yet the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel was secretly high on our list of things we wanted to discover. Last autumn the time had finally come.
As a tourist and traveler you are often dependent on tour operators for activities, tours and experiences. It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish the good and honest tour operators from the tourist traps.
The nature in Lapland is impressive and endless. You can of course enjoy yourself for days in the vast nature. But there are, especially in Lapland, so many unique experiences for which you simply need a tour operator. It is always nice to know that a tour operator is reliable and provides unique experiences.
The Traveltomtom Team almost calls Rovaniemi home as we have visited Lapland lots of times now, but we recently discovered something new.
Developments in travel are following each other up at a rapid pace. Everything has to be more sustainable and better for the environment. Train travel is often mentioned as a good and better alternative to flying.
On our most recent trip to Lapland we traveled to Rovaniemi and direct flights only start from the end of October. So the only way to get to Lapland outside of the winter season is via Helsinki. This can be done by taking a connection flights in Helsinki or by taking the overnight train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi.
It should of course come as no surprise that we at Traveltomtom are big fans of Rovaniemi, Lapland and Finland. Since our first visit in the Summer of 2022 we have been back twice to experience a different Lapland in Winter.
You might remember our stay in early 2024 at the most amazing accommodation of Rovaniemi, Apukka Resort Rovaniemi.
For us staying at Apukka Resort was a bucket list thing to do, so we never thought we would end up staying here ever again. Until we started making plans to experience Rovaniemi's and Lapland's famous Autumn season, known as Ruska.
As you probably already know, the Traveltomtom team is a huge fan of Finnish Lapland. Our first introduction to Lapland was the bucket list destination of Rovaniemi. But, we soon discovered that Lapland is more than just Rovaniemi. Just recently we traveled to Lapland again and after our trip to Rovaniemi we visited the leading ski resort in Finland, Levi!
In this blog we will take you with us on our trip exploring this iconic place to visit in Lapland and we will tell you everything you need to know before visiting Levi in winter. Here is your complete travel guide with all our Levi travel tips.
When we first traveled to Lapland I had never heard of this activity. But once I knew about the existence of the Sampo Icebreaker Cruise, it immediately went to the top of our wish list. Just keep reading and I’m sure once you finished this blog, you will want to do the Icebreaker Sampo Cruise experience as well.
Good food can leave you speechless. It’s exactly the experience we had when we walked out from Glowing Ember in Rovaniemi. We had no idea what to expect from dining at Glowing Ember, but it turned out to be the best culinary experience we have ever had.
Tourism and animals are certainly not always a successful combination. In Finland they have lived closely with nature and animals for centuries. People, reindeer, moose and huskies live together here and cannot live without each other.
Using animals for tourist purposes is of course something different, but if it is done in a good and correct way it can only be recommended. In that light I would like to tell you everything about my trip with Bearhill Husky. Read my review blog below about our experiences on our husky safari adventure.
Imagine a hotel, located on top of a hill, surrounded by the most amazing, beautiful and fresh nature you have ever seen and experienced. Sounds like a dream, right?
Well, think again. Because Lapland Hotels Sky Ounasvaara in Rovaniemi offers you this dreamy hotel location and so much more! We stayed in Lapland Hotels Sky Ounasvaara and this is our review blog.
When you talk about unique places to stay, Apukka Resort in Rovaniemi is certainly one of them. When you think of Lapland, you think of those dream accommodations in the middle of nature. Apukka Resort totally fits this image and is one of those dream resorts where every traveler loves to stay.
According to their website they are home of the finest and most comfortable Northern Lights accommodations in Rovaniemi. Let’s experience that ourselves I would say. Here is our review blog about our stay at Apukka Resort Rovaniemi.
Rovaniemi is one of the most magical places in the world. Main reason for this, Rovaniemi is the official home of Santa Claus. When you visit this place in Winter, with lots of snow and freezing temperatures, it actually feels like you’re visiting the North Pole.
We consider ourselves very, very lucky, because we got to visit Santa Claus in Rovaniemi twice already. After visiting Santa Claus Village two times now, one time in summer and one time in winter, it became one of my favorite places ever visited. And definitely the most magical place.
Welcome to the ultimate Lapland destination in Winter: Rovaniemi! It has been on top of our bucket list for at least 5 years to visit Lapland in winter. It’s a magical and dreamy destination that we simply wanted to discover ourselves. Little did we expect that we would actually visit Rovaniemi in Summer first. That Summer trip to Lapland however, made us fall in love with this place and was the decisive moment we started to make serious work of traveling to Rovaniemi in Winter.
Some things are on everyone’s travel bucket list. The Arctic SnowHotel and Glass Igloos are two of these examples. I think every traveler dreams about staying at places like these. And so did we! Dreaming about traveling to Lapland, the Snow Hotel and these Glass Igloos have always been on top of our wish list.
So, I simply can’t wait to tell you all about this amazing place in Lapland, just keep reading.
We stayed at this amazing place in June 2022 as part of our Midnight Sun Ambassador trip to Rovaniemi and Yllas. From the moment we stepped in to this hotel we fell in love with this place. HAAWE boutique hotel in Rovaniemi offers everything we normally search for when looking for accommodation. Privacy, memorable details and perfect design.
From the moment we decided to travel back to Rovaniemi in February 2023, we were determined to stay at HAAWE Boutique Apart Hotel Rovaniemi again.
One of the great things of travelling is that you get to meet like-minded people who often share the same stories and interests as you. It was in July 2022 that we were in Rovaniemi and Ylläs when we met Lorenzo, owner of Arctic Road Trips. Truly an enthusiastic and energetic guy, who went up the mountains every night to capture the midnight sun. And even though it was in the middle of Summer and we had crazy hot temperatures for Lapland standards, he just couldn’t stop talking about his biggest passion, Northern Lights.
In 2020 Ylläs was awarded with the Scandinavian Outdoor Award for Best Outdoor and Travel Destination. At Traveltomtom we love outdoor destinations and outdoor activities. So when we got the chance to visit Scandinavia's Best Outdoor Destination of 2020, we hopped on a plane to Finland.
This is your travel guide for visiting Ylläs in summer. With the best things to do, hotel recommendation, best restaurants and our travel tips.
Rovaniemi has been a dream and bucket list destination for us for so long, mainly because it is Santa’s Hometown and simply a magical travel destination for winter. However, little did we expect that we would actually visit Rovaniemi for the first time in the middle of summer.
Rovaniemi in Summer, no snow, no Northern Lights, will Santa even be there? Is there even anything to do in Rovaniemi in Summer? We visited Rovaniemi in July and are completely blown away by it as a travel destination to spend your summer holiday. In this travel blog you can read all about our adventures, places to visit and things to do in Rovaniemi and in the end we will give you some tips for places to stay and lovely restaurants to eat at.
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