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50 Things to Do in Lapland Finland: From Northern Lights to Reindeer

Sherianne Higgins·
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Top Things to Do in Lapland Finland in the Winter

If you are planning a trip to Lapland Finland and looking for the best things to do, see, and eat while visiting, you are in the right place. There is no doubt Lapland Finland is a Winter Wonderland. Think Northern lights, roaming reindeer, playful huskies, frozen forests with snow-covered trees, berry juice from kuksa cups, and Santa Claus! Sure, it’s cold, but worth the experience of stepping into the magical land of the Arctic Circle. Browse the list of must-see attractions, off-the-beaten-path experiences, outdoor activities, and museums to create your personal Lapland Finland bucket list. Then, plan the itinerary for your Lapland Finland trip with these top things to do, see, and eat. Enjoy your time out of the office!

READ Complete Finland Travel Guide, What You Need to Know

Dog sledding Lapland Finland Bucketlist things to do
Lapland Finland

Things to Do in and Around Lapland Finland Winter

Go dog sledding

Ride a snowmobile through the Fells

Have a chat with the REAL Santa Claus

Send your friends a postcard from Santa’s official post office

Get your passport stamped at the Arctic Circle

Search for the Northern Lights

Eat reindeer pizza

Go cross-country skiing

Spend the night in a glass igloo

Have a snowball fight

Visit a reindeer farm and feed the reindeer

Go on a reindeer-drawn sleigh ride

Shop for North Pole souvenirs

Go snow surfing

Build your own igloo and spend the night in it

Eat fresh salmon in a teepee

Make snow angels

Tube down an ice slide at Snowman’s World

Bake gingerbread cookies at Santa’s Park

Take a photo crossing the Arctic Circle

Go to Elf School

Have a cocktail in an ice bar

Take a picture with a giant snowman

Check out Joulukka, Santa’s secret forest

Learn about the Northern Lights at the Arktikum

Play with the Huskies at Husky Park

Have dinner in an Ice Castle

Snowshoe through a frozen forest

Have a Big Mac at the Northernmost McDonald’s

Ride a fat bike over a frozen river

Say hello to Arctic animals at Rauna Wildlife Park

Go sledding

Mine for Amethyst and keep what you find

Search for Northern Lights by snowmobile

Check out Lainio Snow Village Kingdom of Ice

Go ice fishing

Attend a snow sculpting workshop

Go ice karting

Snowshoe to a frozen waterfall

Learn about the Sami culture

Take the Icebreaker Cruise and walk on a sea of ice

Go ice floating

Relax in a Finish sauna

Drink cloudberry tea in a Kota

Go skiing

Take a Northern Lights photography tour

Climb an ice wall by ax

Ride a fat bike across a frozen lake

Get above the clouds on a Northern Lights flight

Go ice swimming

Check the Lapland Finland Tourism Board website for upcoming festivals, special events, and what’s happening during your stay.

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24 Responses

  1. Lapland looks like an Adventure Wonderland! So many great winter activities to take part in. Would love to do the Icebreaker Cruise. What a unique adventure 🙂

  2. Great list of things to see and do. It definitely looks like a winter wonderland. As a photographer I’d love to visit and take photographs here. Thanks for the inspiration!

    1. Batteries appear to not like cold weather so be sure to bring along extra and keep them in your pocket!

  3. I’m all about dog sledding and having a cocktail in an ice bar… but elf school? Um, more info please. This is much needed.

  4. My last trip to Finland I failed at my attempt to see the Northern Lights so must get back at some point. I wonder if the northernmost McDonalds serves Big Macs made of reindeer meat.

    1. Not sure but that made me giggle! Honestly my favorite meal was a burger with a thin slice of reindeer on it. We stayed in a glass igloo and I flipped through the guest book, only 2 people in the last several years noted they saw the Northern Lights. My theory is too much cloud cover in the arctic circle

  5. Love this straightforward list of all there is to do in Lapland! I learned when I was younger that Finland was the home of Santa Claus. But as an avid letter writer, I couldn’t think of an activity cooler than being able to send loved ones a postcard from Santa’s official post office. And have a passport stamp from the Artic Circle would be a serious badge of honor. The foodie in me was super drawn to eating reindeer pizza too! I’m very much into gamey meat so I think it would be perfect for me… except I don’t like being too cold!

    1. I did send postcards and that reindeer pizza was amazing! Also had something similar to reindeer roast served over mashed potatoes and a burger with a thin slice of reindeer (twice!). But the cold part was a bummer

  6. So many things to see and do in Lapland, It’s on my list and I have to experience a Christmas over there, getting a arctic circle stamp on my passport would be so cool 😀 Would love to do snow mobiles, ride a sleigh with reindeer, – I wanna do everything on this list 😀

  7. Such a wonderful set of activities. Snow excites me beyond words! And the possible activities there thrills me.
    Hopefully some day I will be there.

  8. YES YES YES to all of the above! Snow mobile, dog sledding, playing with the huskies, fat bike over a frozen river, what amazing adventure. If only I can learn to not freeze in that cold 😀

  9. I would love to visit the Lapland! The most exciting thing for me would be the Northern Lights. I’ve been chasing them in Alaska, but wasn’t very lucky. What time of the year do you think I should go to have the best chance of seeing them?

  10. I can see a few great things on your list that I wouldn’t mind doing. Ive ALWAYS wanted to go dog sledding, like always. and the glade igloo hotel is well you know….just slightly popular on social media

  11. Definitely a long list of winter wonderland activities! Did you meet Santa? 😉 Love all the snow based activities especially if you are properly dressed. I just came back from Iceland where temperatures were similar to what you must have experienced in Lapland and I was glad i bought toe warmers!

  12. I have always wanted to go to Lapland, stay in the igloos and see the santa claus workshop! what an awesome bucket list, i will have to add some of these!!

  13. I wouldn’t have guessed that there was so much to do in such a cold place! Obviously the snow sports, but I love the other ideas. Is there a difference between snow surfing and snowboarding?

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