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Christmas in the Arctic Circle 2017

Christmas in the Arctic Circle 2017

18 days in Finland Lapland Helsinki
Publish on 31st January 2019
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Our family escape to visit Santa Claus and have a white Christmas! It was an amazing trip and we have booked to go back 2018!
Activities
Map
Day
1
 
2pm  
FiRent Car Rental, Rovaniemi Airport
Picked up rental car
Picked up rental car
2:30pm  
Drive to Rovaniemi
3pm  
Kotimaailma Apartments
Day
2
 
9am  
Santa Claus Village
Santa Claus Village is an amusement park in Rovaniemi in the Lapland
Santa Claus Village is an amusement park in Rovaniemi in the Lapland region of Finland. Went to see Santa Played in the snow! Sent postcard to Mom from Santa's Office. Went to gift shop. Had lunch.
Day
3
 
8:40am  
Bearhill Husky
Picked up at city hotel. Did "Call of the Wild" morning trip. This
Picked up at city hotel. Did "Call of the Wild" morning trip. This is the best company to do this with. You can book online. The staff were great. We got to take turns driving! They provided all the warm equipment you would need. Overalls, hats, gloves, boots etc...
7pm  
* freeze out
Day
4
 
9am  
SantaPark
@ Arctic World Did the .. 1. Elf school (got a certificate & Santa
@ Arctic World Did the .. 1. Elf school (got a certificate & Santa cert!) 2. Santa sleigh ride 3. Post office 4. Elf show 5. Christmas crafts (for kids!) 6. Angry birds play area 7. Ice sculptures 8. crossed underground Arctic circle (tickets valid for 2 days)
2:30pm  
Sampokeskus
When super marketing and walked the random shops.
When super marketing and walked the random shops.
Day
5
 
9am  
* drive to the zoo
Can be a bit icy, but there are signs everywhere to warn
Can be a bit icy, but there are signs everywhere to warn you.
11am  
Ranua Zoo
Ranua Wildlife Park (Finnish: Ranuan eläinpuisto, better known as Ranua Zoo) is
Ranua Wildlife Park (Finnish: Ranuan eläinpuisto, better known as Ranua Zoo) is a zoo that opened in 1983 in the municipality of Ranua, Lapland, Finland. It is the northernmost zoo in the world. The zoo's animals consist of approximately 50 wild animal species and 200 individuals, including top predators such as lynx, brown bears and wolves but also European moose and deers. The zoo has Finland's only polar bears in artificial snow. The Ranua Wildlife Park is an accredited member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). Kids really loved the Polar Bear & the owls! Kids got pulled around in sleighes.
Day
6
 
9am  
Snowman World
Okay place with slides for bigger kids. An ice skating ring, nice cafe,
Okay place with slides for bigger kids. An ice skating ring, nice cafe, ice bar & ice rooms and restaurant.
8pm  
Northern Lights Photography
We went with the Beyond Arctic company. Great for lone rangers who get
We went with the Beyond Arctic company. Great for lone rangers who get their other half to babysit (yeah!). Really good company, highly recommended!!
Day
7
 
12pm  
& drive to .. Akaslompolo
2:30pm  
Äkäslompolo
From Rovaniemi, we drove to Äkäslompolo. It is about a 2 hour
From Rovaniemi, we drove to Äkäslompolo. It is about a 2 hour drive. It is a small town but one of our top favs!
4pm  
Ylläs Lodge 67 ° N
Nice lodge but, would be better having a cottage or a chalet
Nice lodge but, would be better having a cottage or a chalet for a family. Note: Book early! Places here get booked out a year in advance. You can fly here from Helsinki - nearest airport is Kittila.
Day
8
 
1:30pm  
Reindeer Farm Visit
We did this with Lapland Safaris West Oy. Great company, friendly staff! We
We did this with Lapland Safaris West Oy. Great company, friendly staff! We met at their office 5 mins walk from our lodge. Short bus ride took us to the Reindeer farm. A nice little reindeer ride through the forests for about 1/2 hour. It was so peaceful and quiet that the kids fell asleep for most of it!
Day
9
 
9am  
Äkäslompolo SportShop
Only sport shop in town.
Only sport shop in town.
12pm  
Levi Ski Resort
Kids area here - made snowman, went sledging down the slopes. Slightly busier
Kids area here - made snowman, went sledging down the slopes. Slightly busier here so we would ski in Yllas instead.
Day
10
 
10:40am  
Snowmobiles!
Lapland Safaris. Jill watched the kids whilst Nick went racing!
Lapland Safaris. Jill watched the kids whilst Nick went racing!
Day
11
 
10:30am  
Rovaniemi
Drove back to Rovaniemi from Akaslompolo.
Drove back to Rovaniemi from Akaslompolo.
6pm  
Santa Claus Express
All aboard at the Rovaniemi Train Station. It's the Santa Claus Overnight Train
All aboard at the Rovaniemi Train Station. It's the Santa Claus Overnight Train to Helsinki. Got the 2-double sleeper cabin with ensuite. It was the best! Kids loved it, highly recommended. Costly, but is a must do!! Note: You can only book tickets for this train 60 days prior to train departure.
Day
12
 
12pm  
Aallonkoti Hotel Apartments
We checked out of Aallonkoti at 12pm. What a great apart hotel
We checked out of Aallonkoti at 12pm. What a great apart hotel for families. Highly recommended. I rate them 10/10! Near the railway station and shopping malls. Finnair Bus to Helsink airport is close by too about 5 mins away!
12:30pm  
Hakaniemi Market Hall
Small market hall. Quite a few stalls shut because of the festive
Small market hall. Quite a few stalls shut because of the festive season.
Day
13
 
10am  
Old Market Hall
Great place for food! Worth paying a visit to!
Great place for food! Worth paying a visit to!
Day
14
 
10am  
SEA LIFE Helsinki
Quite a small place and fine to give a miss. The kids
Quite a small place and fine to give a miss. The kids enjoyed it though. Took us an hour to go through. We wanted to go to Linnanmaki Amusement Park but it was shut.
2pm  
Stockmann Helsingin Keskusta
Great shopping mall! Spent a good 1.5 hours here. Toy section was
Great shopping mall! Spent a good 1.5 hours here. Toy section was brilliant, so was everything else!
Day
15
 
9:30am  
Museum of Natural History
Finnish Museum of Natural History Great couple of hours here with the kids.
Finnish Museum of Natural History Great couple of hours here with the kids. Cole and Sadie had a great time! It's not big but fun enough! Kids are Free! Closed on New Year's Eve and New Years Day. 14 Euros per adult.
5:30pm  
Hard Rock Cafe Helsinki
Nice little place. Food is the same standard as other Hard Rock's
Nice little place. Food is the same standard as other Hard Rock's in the world. You can book online in advance. I would recommend doing so as it gets booked up.
Day
16
 
9:30am  
Helsinki
The rest of the time in Helsinki we just went out as
The rest of the time in Helsinki we just went out as and when we wanted to. We could have done the Zoo but didn't. You could also take a ferry to Estonia, Tallinn. We heard lots about Suomenlinna island which is meant to be beautiful but we didn't get to it this time. Maybe in 2018 :)