Rovaniemi

Sightseeing Walking Tours

Depart from the meeting point in the early evening and relax during a 30-minute drive to the Arctic snow hotel. Before dinner, take a tour through the hotel and its Arctic curiosities, like the snow sauna. Learn about the structure's constructions, operations, and special features from your guide and have the chance to order a shot served in a glass made from ice from the ice bar. Prepare for a unique dinner in the ice restaurant. Built from snow and ice, the restaurant provides a special setting for an unforgettable dinner. Savor Lappish dishes around ice tables as your culinary experience commences with a rich mushroom soup served with fresh bread and finished off with a delicious lingonberry-caramel bavaroise served on a magnificent ice platter.  Dinner Menu Starter: Velvety forest mushroom soup, malt bread croutons and tar vinegar Crispy flatbread and ciabatta Main course options (please choose one): • Mouth-watering roast elk, carrot purée, black pepper sauce and season’s vegetables • Braised Arctic Ocean salmon, cauliflower purée, crayfish sauce and season’s vegetables • Chicken breast seasoned with pepper, grilled tomato, lemon-red wine sauce and season’s vegetables • Fried cold-smoked tofu, white bean pure, stewed kik peas and herbs served with cherry tomato sauce Dessert: SnowHotel’s soft lingonberry-caramel bavaroise and dried lingonberries with meringue

Head to an Arctic forest roughly 20 kilometers from the city center to experience the traditional firewood sauna in the forest. The experience of the sauna is such an important part of Finnish culture, that it can’t be compared to anything else. For centuries, it has been a place for physical and spiritual cleansing. Dipping into icy lakes and rolling in the snow are said to be good for your blood circulation, but most people do them simply for the incredible rush. Head to an amazing outdoor forest location to try your hand at winter swimming in the icy water. Raise your head to catch a glimpse of the magical Northern Lights. After the sauna experience, head to the frozen lake to hunt the Northern Lights while you enjoy hot drinks and a BBQ.

Meet your professional guide at your hotel lobby for the transfer to just outside of Rovaniemi in the Arctic forest. Embark on an unforgettable hiking and snowshoeing journey into the forest in the Arctic Circle, where you will pass through frozen rapids and follow amazing nature trails between waterfalls and woods. The short hike is is suitable for youngsters and families. There is a possibility of seeing some birds and wildlife. Also, a forest campfire BBQ will be provided with warm tea.

Be picked up at your accommodation and start the journey to Ranua Wildlife Park. The 1-hour drive will take you through Lapland, where you’ll be able to spot wildlife along the way. It’s not unusual to see reindeer or the gigantic moose along the road. As you head to your destination, your guide will answer any questions that you may have about Finland and Lapland to the best of their knowledge. At the park, follow the 2.5 km long wooden boardwalks through the forest and spot different arctic animals in one place. This is a rare opportunity to meet the local animals that reside in Lapland and other parts of the Arctic. As you walk around the park, your guide will share with you their knowledge of the animals and other aspects of life in Lapland. You’ll spot a variety of animals in the Ranua Wildlife Park. Keep an eye out for polar bears, predatory birds, owls, wild boars, musk oxen, otters, arctic foxes, wolves, wild reindeer, wolverines, and moose. When they’re not hibernating in the wintertime, you might even see brown bears. At the end of the tour, you will enjoy a tasty buffet lunch at the restaurant before returning to Rovaniemi.

Discover Korouoma, a 30km-long and 130m-deep canyon located south-east of Rovaniemi which offers breathtaking scenery all year round. In Winter, the waterfalls turn into fantastic ice formations that are well-known for ice-climbing.  First, get picked up by your guide from your accommodation in Rovaniemi and set off for the Korouoma Canyon nature reserve. Start the tour with a gentle hike through the park, admiring spectacular scenery including cliffs, rapids, and waterfalls. Keep your eyes for the array of rare species that call the area home. Snowshoes are optional but may be useful if you need more confidence when hiking down the canyon or just want to enjoy some deep snow walks. Then, have the chance to observe some of the most spectacular frozen waterfalls in Europe and enjoy the beauty of the snowy nature. Next, savor a typical Finnish lunch snack around an open-fire to keep you warm. Watch as your guide shows you their fire-making skills. At the end of the 6-hour excursion, return to Rovaniemi where you will be dropped off at your hotel by around 4 PM.

Spend an unforgettable half-day at Ranua Wildlife Park, the world's northernmost zoo, located in an Arctic forest a 1-hour drive from Rovaniemi. Benefit from the services of an English-speaking guide as you meet 50 different species of animals, including brown bear, lynx, fox, musk ox, and more. Established in 1983, the park's spacious enclosures are set in the middle of northern conifer forests, the natural habitat of most of the animals. See the only polar bears living in Finland, as well as other Arctic wildlife.  Then, enjoy a buffet lunch in Ranua after your visit to the zoo, and stop at a Fazer sweets factory, if time permits, on the road back to Rovaniemi.

Learn the art of ice fishing from a local guide and experience the Arctic magic. Enjoy a short 5-10 minute walk through an old forest before arriving at an open area full of ice and snow as far as the eye can see. During this tour, you will experience a cultural activity that locals take part in every day to catch food for themselves and their dogs. As soon as you catch a big fish, it will be cooked straight over the fire. If the fish are undersized, they will always be returned to the ice. Join this tour to gain insight into the difficulties people in the Arctic areas have faced throughout the ages to simply get food. Your guide will explain how the locals fish with nets under the ice that are up to a meter thick and you will also get to try to drill your own fishing hole.  

This ice fishing trip will take you to the best fishing spots in the region. The guides will drive you to the fishing place by minivan. At the frozen lake the guide will share the secrets of ice fishing and will help you to get started. You can find many species in the lakes around Rovaniemi: trout, rainbow trout, perch and whitefish. This is a traditional way of fishing in Finland.  During the program, enjoy some hot juice and BBQ sausages at a bonfire. Experience the peace of nature and a piece of mind that is difficult to find anywhere else in the world in Finnish ice-fishing waters.

Visit the only zoo in the Arctic, Ranua Zoo, and encounter animals native to the area. Get picked up from any hotel within 10km of Rovaniemi city center. See moose, polar bears, forest reindeer, wolves, Arctic foxes and more among the zoo's 200 animals. Have a chance to spot elusive owls and other birds that are difficult to track down in their natural environments. Enjoy a buffet lunch at a cozy restaurant and visit one of the biggest chocolate shops in Lapland. Get a ride back to your hotel in the Rovaniemi area at the end of your visit.

Explore into the fresh Arctic Nature with a snowshoe walk in Lapland. Learn about traditional ways of living, admire the surroundings, and enjoy a hot drink. Snowshoes allow you to enter the stunning silence and beauty of the snow-covered surroundings. Your guide will tell you stories and facts about flora and fauna of Arctic nature. You will also hear about the old way of living and learn about the traditional way of using ingredients found from nature. The slow pace allows you to notice little details and take great photos. During the trip your guide will serve one hot drink