Must-see attractions in Lapland

  • Snow Chapel at LumiLinna Snow Castle in Kemi, Finland.

    Lumilinna

    Lapland

    Few things conjure fairy-tale romance like a snow castle. First built in 1996 as a Unicef project, this is a Lapland winter highlight and a favoured…

  • Arktikum

    Rovaniemi

    With its beautifully designed glass tunnel stretching out to the Ounasjoki, this is one of Finland’s finest museums. One half deals with Lapland, with…

  • Pilke Tiedekeskus

    Rovaniemi

    Downstairs in the Metsähallitus (Finnish Forest and Park Service) building next to the Arktikum, this is a highly entertaining exhibition on Finnish…

  • Kevo Strict Nature Reserve during autumn.

    Kevo Strict Nature Reserve

    Northern Lapland

    Some of Finland's most breathtaking scenery is within the 712-sq-km Kevo Strict Nature Reserve along the splendid 40km gorge of the Kevojoki (off-limits…

  • The Auttikongas Forest in the municipality of Rovaniemi in Finland.

    Auttiköngäs

    Lapland

    The highlight of this protected old-growth forest, 80km southeast of Rovaniemi off Rd 81, is the 16m-high Auttiköngäs waterfall. It's reached by a 3.5km…

  • Samiland

    Lapland

    Attached to the Levi Panorama hotel at the top of the main ski lift, this museum is a Unesco project. The illuminating exhibition gives plenty of good…

  • Arctic Snow Hotel reindeer at Rovaniemi's Arctic SnowHotel is in Lapland, Finland. Deepa Lakshmin/Lonely Planet.

    Konttaniemen Porotila

    Rovaniemi

    Meet reindeer (including adorable calves in season) and find out about their life cycle at this reindeer farm 7km northwest of Rovaniemi. Tours complete…

  • Kultamuseo

    Saariselkä

    In 1868 the remote area of Tankavaara on the Ivalojoki, 32km south of Saariselkä, experienced a gold rush, with a community of up to 500 panners seeking…

  • Ranua Zoo

    Lapland

    Ranua's excellent zoo focuses almost entirely on Finnish animals, although there are also polar bears and musk oxen. A boardwalk runs past all the…

  • Sallivaara

    Northern Lapland

    Accessed off the Inari–Kittilä road, 70km southwest of Inari, this reindeer round-up site was used by Sámi reindeer herders twice yearly until 1964. Round…

  • Devil's Churns

    Lapland

    Also known as the Devil's Cauldrons, these 14 glacial potholes were created some 10,000 years ago by melt water from frozen glaciers and polished smooth…

  • Tankavaara Nature Centre

    Saariselkä

    Next door to Tankavaara's gold-panning museum, Kultamuseo, this nature centre has advice on activities and trekking in Urho Kekkonen National Park. Good…

  • Vanha Kirkko

    Northern Lapland

    One of the few buildings in Lapland to survive the Nazis' scorched-earth retreat in WWII is this, the region’s oldest church, dating from 1689. It stands…

  • Lampivaara

    Lapland

    Situated 3km south of Luosto up on the hillside, this amethyst mine focuses on small-scale production for jewellery, using low-impact mining methods…

  • Pyhä-Luosto National Park

    Lapland

    This park's core is the line of fells stretching 35km from Pyhä to beyond Luosto. It preserves old-growth forest with endangered plant species, the…

  • Kopara

    Lapland

    Between Pyhä and Luosto (15km northwest of Pyhä and 8km southeast of Luosto), this farm is a good place to meet reindeer. You can go on a short walk that…

  • Santa's Seaside Office

    Lapland

    Kemi's newest attraction, opened in 2017, is Santa's Seaside Office – a collection of cute red-painted timber buildings overlooking the waterfront, which…

  • Aurora House

    Northern Lapland

    If you miss witnessing the aurora borealis, this 45-minute simulation in a purpose-built riverside tepee is the next best thing. Lean back on a reclining…

  • Fell Lapland Visitor Centre

    Lapland

    This nature centre at the eastern end of town provides information about Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park and the Enontekiö region. There’s an…

  • Perämeri National Park

    Lapland

    Off the Kemi–Tornio coast, Perämeri National Park is an archipelago of small islands that’s an important conservation area for seals and a richly…

  • Tornionlaakson Maakuntamuseo

    Lapland

    Tornio's local historical museum was founded in 1914 and has an interesting, recently renovated collection of old artefacts and costumes. Its Encounters…

  • Rovaniemen Kirkko

    Rovaniemi

    Completed in 1950, this church replaced the one destroyed during WWII. The impressively large fresco behind the altar depicts a Christ figure emerging…

  • Jalokivigalleria

    Lapland

    More than 3000 beautiful, rare stones and jewellery from 60 countries are displayed at the Gemstone Gallery, set in an old seaside customs house. Stones…

  • Yllästunturi Visitor Centre

    Lapland

    At the foot of the fell’s western slopes, 2.5km from Äkäslompolo, this nature centre has a good downstairs exhibition on the local environment and way of…

  • Puustelli

    Lapland

    On the western side of town (take the path past the campground and keep going), this noble old building displays many of the wooden sculptures from past…

  • Alariesto Galleria

    Northern Lapland

    Above the tourist office, this gallery displays paintings by famous local artist Andreas Alariesto (1900–89), who depicted traditional Sámi life in an…

  • Kaapin Jouni

    Northern Lapland

    This historic farm on the other side of the river from Njurgulahti was once the home of the ‘reindeer king’ Jouni Aikio. You can visit by organising boat…

  • Kolttien Perinnetalo

    Northern Lapland

    Kolttien Perinnetalo is a delightful little museum with photos, crafts and memorabilia of the poignant Skolt history. The Skolt traditionally used a…

  • Luontokeskus Naava

    Lapland

    By the roundabout in Pyhä, this modern nature centre has a good exhibition on the geology and ecosystem of the area, information on Pyhä-Luosto National…

  • Aineen Taidemuseo

    Lapland

    Finnish art from the 19th and 20th centuries from the private collection of Veli Aine, a local business tycoon, is displayed at the attractive modern…

  • Rovaniemen Taidemuseo

    Rovaniemi

    A wide collection of contemporary Finnish art rotates in the clean white exhibition space of this gallery in an old brick truck depot. Performances by the…

  • Tornion Kirkko

    Lapland

    Completed in 1686, this charming wooden church, visited by King Charles XI of Sweden in 1694, is topped by a shingle roof.

  • Kylätalo Giisá

    Northern Lapland

    The village hall, Kylätalo Giisá, has a handicraft shop and cafe.

  • Santa Claus Village

    Rovaniemi

    The ‘official’ Santa Claus Village is built atop the Arctic Circle marker, denoted by a line painted on the pavement (Arctic Circle certificates cost €4…

  • Santapark

    Rovaniemi

    Built inside a cavern in the mountain, this Christmas-themed amusement park features an army of elves baking gingerbread, a magic sleigh ride, a carousel,…

  • Santa Claus Post Office

    Rovaniemi

    Situated within the Santa Claus Village, this post office receives over half a million letters each year from children worldwide. You can browse a…

  • Santa's Grotto

    Rovaniemi

    Santa sees visitors year-round in this impressive grotto, with a huge clock mechanism (it slows the earth’s rotation so that Santa can visit the whole…