Road trips in Lapland are almost unheard of compared to popular ones like on the Highway 1 in California, South Island of New Zealand or Icefields Parkway in Alberta. My experience has been absolutely perfect to the point where I thought: “why is no one else doing it?” Other than the five other cars we saw on the Lappish roads, I have only seen hordes of Chinese tourists on large tour buses – and that’s it!
Which Season is Best?
For a road trip, I recommend to do it outside of the winter period, which runs from November to April unless you have experience driving with icy road conditions. Instead, do it in autumn because of the ‘ruska‘ scene which is truly therapeutic. To top it off, autumn is the best season to see the northern lights in comparison to winter because of the increase in geomagnetic activities during autumn and spring equinox. Alternatively, doing it in summer will bring you the midnight sun for plenty of outdoor activities but the downside is that there will not be an opportunity to see the northern lights. This itinerary is autumn-focused and authentically from my own experience.
Northern lights caught right above us in Saariselka @ Northern Lights Village
The Route
The road trip started in Rovaniemi going clockwise, clocking in 678km on google maps without any detours. Eventually, we finished the trip with 823km clocked and that includes detours and side trips along the way.
Flights
Finnair and Norwegian are your safest bet because they have plenty of flights if you are connecting from other countries via Helsinki. So if you miss one, they should be able to put you on the next flight to Rovaniemi. For such flights within Finland, I recommend to book 3-6 months out to capture some good deals, at least from my own experience.
Car Rental
We went with Europcar for a 9-day rental with the smallest automatic car available at EUR245, and ended up with hybrid Toyota Yaris, which was a very fuel-efficient car for a couple and luggages! It was a relatively new car with about 17,000 km on the mileage meter. Cost of gasoline ranges from EUR 1.56 – 1.61 per litre for grade 95. We ended up spending a total of EUR 67.43 for 823km mileage clocked. An impressive fuel consumption of almost 20km/litre!
Day 1: Rovaniemi
Fly or take the train into Rovaniemi. Collect the car at the airport and this will be the start and end point of your road trip. Drive up north to Levi and enjoy the ‘ruska’ sights along the way. Be mindful of reindeer crossing because they are often seen crossing, albeit slowly, the roads in Lapland.
Spend the next 2 nights at Levi Iglut (recommended) or other accommodations in Levi.
Premium Igloo at Levin Iglut, with a clear view of the valley
Day 2: Levi
You can consider going on a day hike and/or horse-riding if the weather permits. There are a few supermarket outlets nearby in the main town of Levi if you are looking to get some groceries. During September, the sky becomes completely dark after 11pm and this is your best chance to go aurora hunting. If you are staying at Levin Iglut, you have the luxury of turning off your igloo’s lights and simply lay back, and enjoy the beautiful lights just above your heads! It is located on high ground and has an unobstructed view of the valley.
The northern lights danced across the skies, and we watched it from the comfort of our temperature controlled igloo
Try their 3-course dinner at Restaurant Aurora Sky for a great feel of Finnish cuisine
Day 3 and 4: Inari
Continue up north towards Inari. You can choose to go by route 955 which is a semi-dirt road or you can choose to head backwards to Kittila and instead, take the highway E75. Although a slightly bumpy ride, we passed by some beautiful farmhouses and residences, which were located quite a fair distance from each other, making it a pretty scenic drive. Choose to stay near a lake to get double auroras; both on the water and the actual one in the sky. Lake Menesjärvi is a good choice and it is close to Lemmenjoki National Park. Visit Ravadas Falls via a river boat trip and finish it with a hike to a nearby cabin. The boat trip was a good scenic experience, at some point it felt like a scene from National Geographic. Feel free to pick the berries in Lapland, namely blueberries and lingonberry. Lingonberry is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere from Eurasia to North America. Located further inside the national park, there is a reindeer farm run by a Sami family. It is a great way to explore learn more about the Sami history and culture.
Ravadas Falls
Free berries for all!
In Inari city centre, check out Sajos which is a Sami cultural and administrative centre, Siida the Sami Museum and Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church if you have time for a hike.
Spend 2 nights at Hotel Korpikartano (recommended) or other accommodations in Inari.
Lake Menesjärvi right next to Hotel Korpikartano
Enjoy in the comfortable home-like lounge of Hotel Korpikartano
Day 5 and 6: Saariselka
Drive down south via the E75 and head to Saariselka. It is a resort village that springs into life when winter comes, another good place to learn about the Sami culture due to it being located far north in Lapland. There is a good husky safari called Extreme Huskies and you should definitely check it out if you are looking for some fun with the dogs. Check out the gold mining town at Tankavaara and watching the northern lights by the lake at Nellim (very close to the old Russian border).
Husky sledding (autumn version) with Extreme Huskies
Spend 2 nights at Northern Lights Village or other accommodations in Saariselka. I highly recommend Northern Lights Village because of their expertise in the winter experience such as husky sledding and northern lights hunting. The famous Kakslauttanen igloos and resort are located nearby too.
On a clear night in Saariseka, the lights were dancing for a good 2-3 hours!
Day 7 and 8: Rovaniemi
Continue south back to Rovaniemi, it is about a 2-3 hrs scenic drive. I recommend to spend about a minimum of 2 full days here, with your time divided between Rovaniemi city centre and Santa Claus village. There are plenty to do in Santa Claus village, be sure to visit both the Husky and Reindeer park. If you are looking for activities, Bearhill Husky is a good place to check out their kernel tour in autumn and Beyond Artic runs photography tours (not just northern lights). Don’t leave without meeting Santa Claus and crossing the Artic Circle line!
Santa can be found inside this building!
Husky Park at Santa Claus Village
Take a walk and feed Santa Claus’s reindeer!
Join the kernel tour with Bearhill Husky, you get plenty of chances to play with the dogs
In the city centre, check out Artikum, Korundi and Pilke for the history and artsy aspects of Rovaniemi and Lapland. There are also nice restaurants in the city centre, check out Pure Burger, Pure Pizza and Torikeidas (kebab) as recommended by my Finnish friend.
Spend 2 nights at Santa’s Igloo Artic Circle or other accommodations in Santa Claus Village or Rovaniemi. Airbnbs are plentiful in Rovaniemi.
Santa Igloos’s Artic Circle
Northern Lights experience outside Santa’s Igloo Artic Circle
Road trip in Lapland is not just a wonderful experience, it is a magical one. Feel free to share your ideas or alternatives to the itinerary!
Great post and gorgeous photos. I have presented two long post series about our road trips far beyond the Arctic Circle.
Happy and safe travels.
Hi Sartenada! Great to see people visit the Lapland more! Awesome experience which is rare to many.