Exploring Scandinavia

Finnish Lapland offers much more than Northern Lights and Santa Claud. Magical Finnish Lapland covers nearly a third of Finland, stretching from the fell highlands of the far north to the unique archipelago on the Bothnian Bay.

Visiting Finnish Lapland may seem like a challenging trip, but fortunately, the Arctic in Europe is incredibly accessible compared to other places in the world. While nature lovers and Christmas fans will feel right at home, gastronomes, extreme sports enthusiasts, and cultural heritage devotees alike are sure to find that Lapland and its far-reaching fells and snow-covered slopes are short of end-of-the-rainbow magical.

With five airports, two railway lines, and an extensive road network, Lapland’s tiny villages and small towns – and of course, the awe-inspiring wilderness – are easily accessible. Distances are long, but virtually no traffic and natural sights along the way turn your Lappish journeys into Arctic adventures.

Throughout the summer, you will likely need to transfer through Helsinki. The Finnish Arctic is unbelievably beautiful, with lakes spread out across the land and small peaks rising out of the forests.

There is something about Lapland that gives it an almost surreal quality. Perhaps it is the locals, who live for their family-run businesses, who welcome tourists and tell them all about the Lappish culture and traditions, as well as the Sámi people, with Europe’s only surviving indigenous culture. Maybe it is the symbiosis of people and nature, their cloudberry picking, salmon fishing, and reindeer herding – all of which you can participate in and experience for real.

The eight seasons of northern nature offer their stunning phenomena for visitors to marvel at. The Northern Lights, midnight sun, and autumn colors are accompanied by the polar night, the snow-covered spring, and the world’s cleanest air (a researched fact). Eight national parks offer natural therapy under the Lapland sky, an experience found nowhere else.

Past the Arctic Circle, seasons morph into a different beast, with long, drawn-out winters that encroach well into what would typically be spring, and summers that burst into life with never-ending days before fall quickly sneaks in.

Don’t forget the kicks: the peaks and slopes that make for some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the world, or the reindeer safaris, husky rides, and snowmobiles racing across the vast snow-covered fields. Unless, of course, you are a lover of all things edible. Finnish Lapland offers the most exquisite, unusual delicacies, such as Lappish game, red king crab from the Arctic Sea, and, naturally, sautéed or air-dried reindeer.

In magical Finnish Lapland, you can stay in a cottage, a hotel, or even a traditional “kammi” hut, unless a snow igloo is your cup of hot chocolate. There’s no shortage of things to do in Lapland, but doing nothing might be just what you’re looking for: even the 200,000 reindeer agree that enjoying the silence in peace is the best way to spend time.

More information on Visit Finland.

Magical Finnish Lapland, compiled by Tor Kjolberg.

Feature image (top)  © Markus Kiili / Visit Lapland.