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.
A trip to Lapland can be an expensive thing to do, but we want to show that not everything costs top dollar and that it can also be very affordable. We visited Lapland on a budget and as a do-it-yourself (DIY) trip. In fact, most of our must do activities listed in this blog are free things to do. We also had two types of accommodation, to show that yes you can stay in fancy hotels, but there are also many affordable places to stay.
About Levi
Levi is a fell located in Finnish Lapland, about 2.5 hours north of Rovaniemi. Levi is the largest ski resort in Finland. The resort is located in the village of Sirkka. The airport of Kittilä and the Kolari railway station are the main transportation hubs for Levi.
Levi is one of the largest and nicest ski areas in Finland. The best thing about Levi is that you can combine a classic winter holiday with skiing and snowboarding with a real Lapland holiday. Imagine skiing down one day and doing things like husky safari, a snowmobile tour or seeing the Northern Lights the other day. That is what traveling to Levi is all about!
The northern location of Levi, north of the Arctic Circle, often guarantees generous snow cover and freezing temperatures in Winter.
Being as north as Levi, your chances of seeing the Northern Lights are very high.
The huge amount of snow in Levi also creates the well-known and magical so called marshmallow trees.
The great thing about visiting Levi is that it’s a small lovely town, basically with just two main streets. The town is located directly on the slopes of the ski resort. You can literally walk from the slopes to the bar or your hotel.
I truly loved the vibes in Levi. Very relaxed and laidback.
Direct flight connections
The easiest way of travelling to Levi is by flying to their closest airport Kittilä / Levi. The airport is located just 15 kilometers away from Levi center, making Levi one of the easiest winter and ski destinations for air travel.
There are daily flights from Helsinki to Kittilä. During the Winter season multiple airlines offer direct flights from across Europe from around December.
We flew first to Rovaniemi and from there we took the bus to Levi, which is also a very good alternative to get to Levi.
Levi Ski Resort
Levi is known as being the largest and number one ski resort in Finland. The peak of the Levi fell is at 531 meters. The Levi Ski Resort has a total of 43 ski slopes. 17 of these slopes are floodlit. All these slopes are accessible through 27 ski lifts.
There is a total of 38 kilometers groomed slopes, divided in 17 kilometers very well suited for beginners, 18 kilometers is for the more advanced skiers and 3 kilometers of black slopes. There is also some backcountry terrain available. The Alpine World Cup is held in Levi every year in November.
Zero Point & South Point
Zero Point can’t be missed from the center of Levi. It’s the big building at the foot of the Front Slopes. Zero Point rental provides all the equipment needed for all kinds of activities throughout the year. During Winter time it provides equipment for all winter sports and for different skill levels. They also offer maintenance services for your own gear in case you need it.
At Zero Point you can also find a shop and a restaurant. South Point also provides rentals for all kinds of Winter activities but is located right next to the South slopes.
Ski busses
The easiest and best way to get around all the different slopes in and around Levi is to use the ski busses. There are two routes to connect all places. These two routes connect at the Zero Point building at the foot of the Front Slopes. So here you can switch busses and explore other slopes.
Route R1 operates from Zero Point and goes towards the Northeast slopes. Route R2 also operates from Zero Point but goes towards the South slopes.
Winter activities
Winter in Levi is so much more than just skiing and snowboarding down from the endless slopes. It’s what makes Levi so special and stand out from many other places in Lapland and across Europe. Winter in Levi means you can have a proper classic Winter sport holiday and combine that with all these dreamy Lapland activities.
Elves Village
The Elves Village is a well-known and popular tourist destination in Levi. It’s based on stories and mythology, filled with fun activities and open all year round.
The experience is based on stories, fairy tales, culture, fantasy and mythology. Nature and cultural tourism are key here.
It's Lapland’s living fairytale, it can’t be missed!
You truly feel Lapland’s enchanting magic here. The great thing about this place is that you can walk around and see it all free of charge! So add this to your Levi itinerary.
Reindeer farm
A trip to Lapland isn’t complete without visiting a reindeer farm. Many of these reindeer farms charge you for visiting their place, even without any activities included.
At Sammuntupa Reindeer Farm they do things differently. This farm is completely free to visit to start with. I think that is a major plus to them. You can visit their farm, walk around freely and see the reindeer.
There is a café on site where you can get a nice hot drink and homemade cakes. They also sell reindeer food if you want to feed the reindeer.
Santa’s Cabin
Before travelling to Levi for the first time, the only thing I knew about Levi was Santa’s Cabin. It was very high on our wish and bucket list. So once we arrived in Levi, it had to happen.
Santa’s Cabin is one of the most photographed places in Lapland and Levi’s most iconic photo spot. The cabin once served as the setting of a Finnish Christmas movie.
Going up to Santa’s Cabin is absolutely a must do when in Levi. The views from up there are breathtaking. You can go up using the Gondola2000 lift. However, when we visited this lift was closed for 3 days due to strong winds.
The only way up was to take some snowshoes and walk up. It’s a steep climb up, but once up there, nothing is more rewarding than those views.
Northern Lights
It's probably the number one reason for most people to visit Lapland, to see the Northern Lights. Seeing the Northern Lights is never a guarantee as they are a natural phenomenal. They can’t be guaranteed nor predicted.
There are many tour operators offering Northern Lights tour, but as they can never be predicted, it’s always a risk to go with them.
Levi is located quite far north, which is actually really good for Aurora’s. The further north you go, the better your chances of seeing the magical lights.
When staying in Levi I can only recommend to keep an eye out on the multiple live aurora webcams you can find online. Once you see the lights on there, make your way to Lake Immeljärvi. The lake is located at just a 5-10 minute walk from the city center of Levi. Once you’re at the lake, face North and enjoy the Northern Lights.
We did exactly this when we saw Northern Lights visible at the live webcams. We tried our luck and walked to the lake. We had the most amazing night watching the Aurora’s at a frozen lake. Absolutely one of the best nights and the best things to do in Levi and it is completely free of charge.
Water World Levi
You really can’t miss Water World Levi when you walk around town. It has a prime location just meters away from Zero Point and the slopes. Water World Levi offers something for everyone. It is like an indoor water park. They offer water slides, swimming pools, saunas, water fun for kids and (outdoor) jacuzzies.
Basically the full range of spa and wellness facilities for a relaxing day or few hours. After a cold morning outdoors it was the perfect place for us to just relax and chill for a bit.
Ice Karting
I would say ice karting is one of the coolest and craziest things you can do in Levi. It’s definitely not just for the thrill seekers. It’s so much fun to go out on the ice and race against your family, friends or some random strangers.
Ice Karting Levi is located away from the city center, but not to worry, there is a free shuttle bus running from Levi Center to take you ice karting.
You’re provided with a complete winter racing outfit before you go to the track. You do two sessions of 15 minutes. In between these sessions you’re offered warm juice at the fire place.
We had our ice karting experience at dusk and it was truly fantastic. Trying to control the kart on the ice and racing against your opponents is crazy cool.
Electric Snowmobiling
It's all about experiencing and exploring the outdoors in Lapland. One of the best ways to do so is snowmobiling. Nowadays you can also do electric snowmobiling in Levi. Become part of nature with their silent safaris. Their eSled is silent and emission free! eSleds upset neither the animals nor the nature's delicate balance.
This tour takes about two hours. During the tour you make a few stops to enjoy the views around you. Your guide will tell you all about the surrounding Lappish nature. A complete winter outfit is included with this tour.
Funny to mention is that we were stopped by a police officer during this tour. Every driver had to take an alcohol test before we were allowed to continue. As you can see, Lapland is never boring.
We booked our electric snowmobiling tour with Safartica. They offer many other activities and experiences, so definitely check them out when visiting Lapland.
Where to stay
Break Sokos Hotel Levi
When visiting Levi you really want to stay right in the city center. It’s the place to be. We think the best place to stay in Levi is the Break Sokos Hotel Levi. It is located exactly in the center, at the intersection of the two main streets. I don’t think there is a better location.
The hotel is spread over three buildings. The hotel has its own a la carte restaurant and a café bar, the Coffee House. During our stay we had one of their suites on the top floor.
The views from our balcony included the town of Levi and the main slopes. Best thing about the room, our private sauna!
Loft Origo
Our second recommendation for places to stay is the Loft Origo in Levi. It’s located right next to the Visit Levi office, so perfect for all your questions regarding Levi.
Loft Origo are comfortable and self-catering apartments, located in the center of Levi at just 250 meters from the main ski slopes. Levi's restaurants, shops and spa are all within walking distance.
Our apartment was huge, spread over two floors. Our apartment could sleep up to 6 people, so perfect also for large families or groups. It had two bathrooms and even a sauna. For the two of us it was way to big, but we enjoyed it big time.
There is a supermarket at walking distance from Loft Origo, so you can make your stay as easy and affordable as you wish.
Where to eat
Even though Levi city center only consists of two streets, the range of restaurants is very extensive. Whether you want the traditional Lappish food, Italian kitchen, fast food or whatever you’re after, you can find it all in Levi.
We would like to highlight our number one favorite restaurant in Levi, which is not necessarily a classic Lappish restaurant. It’s Salteriet Levi and they managed to convince us with their ‘best schnitzels in town’ advertisement at the door. We just had to go in and find out.
I can now say, they have the best schnitzels in town for sure! We highly recommend visiting this place and try their schnitzels yourself.
Traveltomtom’s Levi travel tips
Have you ever seen a campfire barista? In the center of Levi? Well he is there, in Levi center daily from Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30am to 4,30pm. I had never heard of the Campfire Barista until I visited Levi. His business exploded when Gordon Ramsay visited him for a tv and Netflix show and called his coffees ‘exquisite’.
His legendary Forest Chai Syrup has to be tried. It is made with chai spices, arctic birch leaves and juniper berries. He makes the best coffees right in the center of Levi at his campfire.
Pay him a visit and try his drinks, you won’t regret it! I do think it’s the best latte I ever had and definitely the most special one!
After having visited Rovaniemi two times already, we were curious to what else Lapland has to offer. We ended up in Levi due to the great bus connections with Rovaniemi. It turned out to be a perfect choice. Levi is a very relaxed and laidback travel destination. It is a small town and yet offers it all. That makes it perfect if you ask me. You won’t easily get lost in the streets of Levi and everything is at walking distance.
If you go skiing or snowboarding the possibilities are endless. All their slopes are connected with their ski busses. It’s very easy to get around and everything is really well thought of.
Yes, Levi felt a bit touristy in the center, but at the same time also very quiet, relaxed and authentic. We really liked Levi and their vibes and can only recommend visiting this place.
This blog was written by travel writer and Traveltomtom team member Ashley. She was invited to experience the Winter Magic in Levi, on behalf of Traveltomtom, and wrote this blog about her experiences.
Enjoy your trip to Finnish Lapland!