Things to do in Lapland
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Sallivaara Reindeer Roundup Site
The Sallivaara Reindeer Roundup Site, 70km southwest of Inari, was built in 1933 (although some huts date back to the 1890s) and used by Sámi reindeer herders twice yearly until 1964. Roundups were an important social event for the people of northern Lapland, usually lasting several weeks and involving hundreds of people and animals. The Sallivaara reindeer corrals and cabins were reconstructed in 1997, and it's now possible to stay overnight in one of the Sallivaara huts.
Many people come here in spring and summer for the excellent bird-watching on nearby wetlands. To reach the site, park at Repojoki parking area then follow the marked trail, 6km one way. Reindeer round…
reviewed
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Siida
One of Finland’s finest museums, Siida should not be missed. It’s a comprehensive overview of the Sámi and their environment that’s actually two museums skilfully interwoven. The main exhibition hall consists of a wonderful nature exhibition around the edge, detailing northern Lapland’s ecology by season, with some wonderful photos and information panels. In the centre of the room is detailed information on the Sámi, from their former seminomadic existence to modern times. In an adjacent hall is a timeline framing Sámi prehistory and history, alongside other world events, and two other halls have excellent temporary exhibitions of Sámi crafts and traditions.
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Zoo
The small town of Ranua is famous for its excellent zoo, which focuses almost entirely on Finnish animals, although there are also polar bears and musk oxen from further north. A boardwalk takes you on a 2.5km circuit past all the creatures, which include minks and stoats, impressive owls and eagles, wild reindeer, elk, a big bear paddock (they hibernate from November to March), lynx and wolverines. Apart from the animals, there’s plenty to do for kids, with horse rides, a minikart circuit, pettable domestic animals and little assault courses. Ice-cream stops dot the route, and there’s a cafe and lunch restaurant.
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Kamisak
Kamisak, run by Eija and Reijo Järvinen, is about 5km south of Ivalo and open year-round. There's a good little café, plenty of knowledgeable chat about all things canine, and you can take an informal tour of the husky enclosures and meet the dogs; a boardwalk points out some of the area's typical berries and plants. In winter, from around November to April, they run safaris weekly.
These range from a half-day trip with a two-person sled and full-day safaris (30km) to three- and five-day safaris, where participants get their own sleds and are taught how to drive and care for their own team of five to eight dogs.
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Trekking
Almost all Trekking trails start from Njurgulahti, including a 4km marked nature trail suitable for families with children. The majority of the trekking routes are within the relatively small area between the rivers Lemmenjoki and Vaskojoki. An 18km loop between Kultala and Ravadasjärvi huts takes you to some of the most interesting gold-panning areas.
As you can do this in two days, many trekkers head over Ladnjoaivi Fell to Vaskojoki hut and back, which extends the trek to four to five days. For any serious trekking, you will need the 1:100,000 Lemmenjoki map, available at the Lemmenjoki Nature Centre.
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Tiikun Tii Pii
The most interesting eating option by far, this is a Lapp hut 2.5km from the centre which is bookable for two to 15 people. You get a drink on arrival and watch the traditional dishes being prepared (nettle soup, smoked reindeer steak or salmon, Lapp cheese), before enjoying them in the cosy interior. Drinks with the meal are included in the price (you can also bring your own), and there's plenty of entertainment, such as storytelling the Sámi way (yoiks). It's a lot of fun. You must book ahead; there are normally two timeslots per night (18:00 and 21:00).
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Arktikum
With its beautifully designed glass tunnel stretching out to the Ounasjoki, Arktikum is one of Finland’s best museums and well worth the admission fee if you are interested in the north. There are two main exhibitions; one side deals with Lapland, with some information on Sámi culture, including both traditional and modern music, and a variety of costumes. There’s a display of canoes, dwellings and fishing materials, as well as a room devoted to the history of Rovaniemi itself. A scale model shows the destruction wrought by the German retreat in 1944.
reviewed
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Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church
The Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church of Pielpajärvi is accessible from Inari by a marked walking track (7.5km one way) from the parking area at SIIDA. If you have a vehicle there's another car park 2.5km beyond here, up Sarviniementie, from where it's a 4.3km walk to the church. In winter, you'll need snowshoes and a keen attitude to do this.
The church area has been an important marketplace for the Sámi over the centuries, with the first church erected here in 1646. The present church was built in 1760, and restored in the 1970s. It's always open.
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Lake & Snow
There are daily cruises run by Lake & Snow on Inarijärvi from mid-June (as soon as the ice melts) to late August. Departures are at 14:00 daily, with an additional departure in July at 18:00. Boats leave from the wharf at the Siida car park. The destination is Ukko Island (Sámi: Äjjih), sacred to the Sámi. During the brief (20-minute) stop, most people climb to the top of the island, but there are also cave formations at the island's northern end.
The same company also organises fishing trips and snowmobile safaris.
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Gaissa
The upstairs restaurant of the Hotel Santa Claus is split into two attractive areas. Elegant Gaissa has a short menu aimed at visitors and served from a semi-open kitchen. Service is willing but error-strewn; the dishes are petite and reindeer-heavy but feature some great creations, such as spot-on reindeer rillettes and slow-roasted lamb that falls off the bone. Adjoining it is ZoomUp, a bar with salads, pastas, steaks, ribs (€13 to €19) and snacks like potato wedges, in a more casual atmosphere aimed at pulling a local crowd.
reviewed
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Pankkil
A welcome Ivalo arrival, this former bank building has been lovingly converted into a stylish restaurant, with plenty of natural light and wooden slat screens dividing the tables. The mistranslated menu gives few clues, but dishes such as ‘Master of Cheese’s Bovine’ don’t disappoint, and several reindeer dishes, including liver, are on offer. Out the back are excellent apartments (2-/4-/6-person apartments €80/100/160) that are exceedingly modern, spacious and comfortable; some have their own sauna.
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Nili
Evoking a Lapland atmosphere with reindeer skins, Sámi music and cosy wooden cladding, this main-street restaurant has no problem pulling in the tourist crowd. Reindeer features heavily on the menu, but whitefish, char and salmon argue a fishy case too. The dishes are well presented and the service good, but the quality isn’t quite there to make it a classic, and the portions aren’t quite big enough for it to be a local favourite. Nevertheless, a sound option.
reviewed
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Santapark
This Christmas-theme amusement park is built inside a cavern in the mountain and features an army of elves baking gingerbread, a magic sleigh ride, a Christmas carousel, an ice-bar, a theatre, a restaurant and, of course, Santa Claus himself. The most intriguing section is the gallery of ice sculpture, though it costs an extra €10 per person. It’s great fun for kids in winter but lacks a bit of atmosphere in the summer season.
reviewed
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Kaamasen Kievari
Kaamasen Kievari is a legendary roadhouse a few kilometres north of the Sevettijärvi turn-off and 5km south of the Karigasniemi crossing. It has a cafe, petrol station and hard-drinking bar with pool table, as well as an excellent restaurant serving local dishes such as salmon, whitefish and a top reindeer steak with herb potatoes. They also have rooms and cabins (HI-affiliated), but Jokitörmä, 1km to the south, is better.
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Cruise
In summer, a couple of local boat services Cruise the Lemmenjoki valley, from Njurgulahti village to the Kultahamina wilderness hut at Kultasatama (Gold Harbour). A 20km marked trail also follows the course of the river, so you can take the boat one way, then hike back. You can also get on or off the boat at other jetties along the route. There are at least two departures a day from mid-June to mid-September.
reviewed
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Inari Church
The church on the main street was built in 1952 with American financing. It’s an attractive A-framed structure with a warm wooden feeling inside. The rather beautiful altar painting by Väinö Saikko depicts a Sámi family, complete with tethered reindeer, meeting Christ in the Lapland wildernesses. Inari Sámi and Fell Sámi are spoken in this church; services are usually on Sunday at 2pm.
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Monte Rosa
Attached to the City Hotel, this goes for the romance vote with a low candlelit interior and chummy booth seating. Most of the dishes are Finnish, with a pinch of oregano or sprinkling of pine nuts as a nod to Italy, and very tasty they are too. The house salad comes with a slab of salmon and sliced smoked reindeer, while main courses are aromatic and generously sized. They also do fajitas and pizzas.
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Handicrafts
Sámi handicrafts made from reindeer skin and horn, or Arctic birch, are popular souvenirs; trekkers may want to buy a kuksa (carved birch cup).
The traditional Sámi costume, which is very colourful, and handmade Sámi hats, mittens and shoes are also top sellers.
The widest selection of souvenirs (and decent prices) can be found in shops at Napapiiri.
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Santa Claus Village
Built right on top of the Arctic Circle marker is the ‘official’ Santa Claus Village. There’s a mixture of humdrum souvenir stands and classier shops, and it’s just about the best spot to buy Sámi handicrafts. Tour groups have great fun crossing the line painted on the asphalt in order to be awarded their Arctic Circle certificates (€4.20).
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Levi Ski Resort
Levi ski resort has 44 downhill slopes and 26 lifts (two gondola lifts and several free children’s lifts). Many of the slopes are lit, and stay open until 8pm. The vertical drop is approximately 325m, and the longest run is 2.5km. There are two half-pipes and a superpipe for snowboarders, a snow park and several ski runs for children.
reviewed
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Irish Times
A convivial Irish bar with a distinctly Finnish flavour, this is a fine choice for an animated night of pubbing. It has an excellent heated terrace at the back, and regular live music and karaoke, while the downstairs bar has pool tables. There’s a snug, friendly feel about the whole set-up. There’s a cover charge at weekends, when it’s at its best.
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Kauppayhtiö
Rovaniemi’s most personable cafe, this is an oddball collection of retro curios with a coffee and gasoline theme and colourful plastic tables. All the knick-knacks are purportedly for sale here, but it’s the espresso machine, outdoor seating, salads, sundaes and bohemian Lapland crowd that keep the place ticking. The coffee is bottomless.
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Rovaniemi Church
Completed in 1950, this church replaced the one destroyed during WWII. The impressively large fresco behind the altar depicts a Christ figure emerging from Lappish scenery. A work of Lennart Segerstråle, it has two sides, one populated by the faithful, the other by brawling drunkards and ravening wolves.
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ZoomIt Café
This large light, modern café is an excellent place to have a drink, breakfast or snack. Right in the heart of town, its terrace is the spot to be on a sunny afternoon. Service is good, and at lunchtimes on weekdays there are tasty stir fries, panini and wraps available. There's a minimum age of 20 after 20:00.
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Xiang Long
This main-street Chinese is family-run and a level above your typical Finnish example of the genre. Friendly service, tasty steamed prawn dim sum, a salad bar and several reindeer dishes, including one served on a sizzling platter, are the highlights, and the lunch buffet (€8.40, Monday to Friday) is great value.
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