Top Rovaniemi Food & Drink

The Finnish salmon soup (lohikeitto, in Finnish) is the perfect soup. It is like a diamond of Finnish cuisine. The salmon soup is deliciously creamy and easy to prepare. At the end of the program, we will bake traditional Christmas cinnamon rolls.

In this trip our guide will take you to the most likely spots in the Rovaniemi area to see the Auroras or the Northern Lights. Before the trip, our professional guide will scan conditions to make the ultimate decision on the highest probable area to spot the elusive Auroras. Luck is an unfortunate factor with this unpredictable natural phenomenon, but with our professional experiences we provide you with the highest possibility to hunt for them. Expect a campfire to be started from our guide, where sausages will be grilled and hot berry juices to drink to make the Lappish experience search for the Auroras as delightful as possible. This trip might be the closest distance between you and the Auroras in the Rovaniemi area! Keep in mind that the Northern Lights is an unpredictable natural phenomenon in which nobody can 100% guarantee. However, our professional experiences and forecasting allow the chances for sightings to be higher. 

Get the quintessential Finnish experience on this evening trip to a cozy cabin in the woods with door-to-door transport from your Rovaniemi accommodations. Over the course of the evening, try ice swimming, decompress in a traditional wood-burning sauna, and relax by the fire with warm drinks and freshly-prepared dinner. Keep your eyes peeled: If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

Fancy snowmobiles and want to drive longer into the wild? Then this whole day tour into the off-beaten tracks of Lapland is for you! Your guide will lead you deeper into nature with a light lunch break over open fire during the half-way point. Expect beautiful sceneries with multiple breaks for great photography moments. Get ready for your whole day winter adventure discovering Lapland by snowmobile! Note: This tour requires minimum age of 15.

No one’s going to believe that you saw the elusive Ms. Aurora Borealis so why not prove them wrong by going on this trip with our paparazzi! Let our photographer capture special moments of you, and with luck, of you with Ms. Aurora! Our experienced guide will take you out of the light pollution from the city and choose the best location for highest possibility of sighting the northern lights based on current conditions. Expect to hear the stories and myths behind the Aurora Borealis phenomenon over a campfire with a light BBQ snack. Hot drinks will also be provided. Photos will be provided afterwards with no additional cost.  Northern Lights is an unpredictable natural phenomenon, our professional will higher the chances of seeing it. 

This journey begins at a local reindeer farm right on the outskirts of the city of Rovaniemi, but deep enough to be entrenched in the forest. Meet many reindeers including the cute little ones and have many opportunities for fantastic pictures. Experience the old-school way to travel by sled in the Arctic Circle and imagine what it must feel like for Santa to be pulled by reindeers. A safe trail will be followed which has been built and maintained by the reindeer herders themselves. You as the riding guests will be laid down in the sleigh and covered by warm blankets. Enjoy the Arctic Lapland’s beautiful scenery by reindeer sledding. Afterwards, be welcomed to the farmer’s house for snacks and warm drinks understanding why most Northern men have full facial hair just like good ol’ Mr. Santa Claus!

This is an one in a lifetime chance to look inside family owned Lappish meat smokery! It is a family owned meet smokery, with great traditions and stories to tell. We, promise, that this will be activity with a local taste!

I will take you to thoughtfully selected different restaurants ,from appetizer to desserts up to 3 different locals to have a lappish food coma. You will try out the most lappish style restaurants,with reindeer meat. There is also option for vegetarian and vegan guests. Then we will try some Lappish desert with local berry made cocktails.

Have you ever been to an arctic or winter animals only zoo? Ranua Wildlife Park is a perfect place for seeing Arctic animals, and also an inevitable choice for the family travel. In this trip, we will drive you 80kms away from Rovaniemi. See over 50 species of arctic animals including the rare polar bears among many other top predators like the lynx, wolves, wolverines, snow owls, and eagles along the 2,5km walking trail at Ranua zoo.  Then have a nice buffet style lunch at the Wild Arctic Restaurant, where you may try some of traditional Finnish-style meal.  Afterwards, shop at Finland’s famous chocolate and sweets brand, Fazer, at their store for the best and possibly cheapest deal. 

Feel the spirit of one of the Arctic's VIP animals, the huskies. Fill your heart full of fuzzy goodness knowing that is a highlights eco-friendly visit at a quaint husky kennel. Meet the lovable huskies with huge personalities at their private and beautiful forest and riverside property.  *Husky kennel is about 20km away from the City located in a private forest, not near Santa Claus Village.  

During our two hour workshop, we will be sampling a fraction of our scent library and exploring the link between scent, memory, candles and how they relate to Rovaniemi. After learning the basics of candle making, we will guide you step by step while you create your own scented soy candle that you get to take home as a special souvenir and a reminder of your magical Lappish holiday burn after burn.

SANTA CLAUS AFTERNOON PARTY, DAILY Do you want to have fun :) In the luxury of private fireplace room, Santa Claus greets the guests, gives the presents. Everybody (good) gets the santahat. Snow bathes given by Santa Claus to the face of guests! When snow melts, guests wipe it off with towels.So, not so bad.. but fun. Christmas songs by someone who can sing? Dining, Lapland original food and drinks will be served. Sausages and pancakes grilled in the fireplace. And you can participate! Presentation about Lapland and Rovaniemi, others according to your wishes. Party will last 2-3 h. Gueast have private sauna and public jacuzzi, pool and children's slide is available. Wheelchair access available.

You will visit traditional Lappish house where local master show you how to paint Northern Lights. You can bring your own painting to home after.

Visit a historical and cultural landmark - the reindeer, at an authentic local farm. Feed the adorable reindeer and experience the hospitality of the north as the farms introduce their local traditions and lifestyles with a nice warm drink to swallow all that Finnish information. 

Korouoma is millions of years old fracture valley in the bedrock. At the center of the valley, it forms a magnificent gorge that drops over 100 meters below its surrounding terrain. It is the main place for ice climbing in the winter but offers much beauty throughout all seasons. During the summer and fall seasons one may encounter abundant wild animals and floral life with stunning views of the Finnish landscapes. Be on the lookout for natural delicious berries and mushrooms!  The changing altitudes may be a little demanding where fitness level is categorized as easy-moderate. The whole hiking trail (30km) Korouma offers is classified as demanding but this day trip will go on the easier nationally acclaimed ~5km hiking trail. If you are capable of walking up and down, then you can go on this easier hike. During lunch time your guide will demonstrate how to start a fire the Lappish way for your BBQ. Charge your cameras and be ready for Korouma Canyon’s nature.  On the way back to Rovaniemi, we will stop in another protected forest area,  where we will have a chance to admire the stunning falls Auttiköngäs.

Experience the majestic Lappish nature lover’s life by entering into the wilderness, about 25 minutes driving away from the city, and begin a nice hike with your guide to get a grasp of Lapland’s unique landscape. If you stay quiet and peaceful you might spot some local residents such as moose, reindeer, foxes, hares, and various birds.  Your guide will show you how to fish as an angler upon reaching the riverside destination. While you settle in at your fishing spot and refresh yourself with the peace and tranquillity of your surroundings, know that your guide will be nearby starting an open fire at a Laavu to prepare a delicious smoked salmon BBQ lunch. 

Share picturesque memories of these famous local residents, gain a real experience of the husky and reindeer farms on the outskirts of Rovaniemi where the husky mushers and reindeer herders introduce you to both their care-taking and the animals' lives. 

Visit an important cultural landmark at a local reindeer farm on the outskirts of Rovaniemi and gain an insight through real stories from the authentic reindeer herders about their generational work and lifestyle. Learn about the necessity of the reindeers for Lapland’s economy and nature. Feel good that you will be taking part of responsible and sustainable eco-tourism in this program. Then feel even better when you get in touch deeper with Lapland’s nature to experience fishing as an angler. Your guide will show and teach you proper use of the fishing equipment including techniques to maximize your chances of fishing. While you try your luck fishing your guide will start an open fire and prepare some delicious smoked salmon whether you catch a fish for lunch or not.  

This program focuses on photography with our professional guide to capture magic moments of you with the celebrity, Ms. Aurora. There can be no guarantees of seeing Aurora because she likes to play hide-and-seek, but your professional guide will use his/her in-depth knowledge and experience to calculate the factors for the best possibility of when and where you might find her.  You can expect a fire started by your experienced guide, but delicious hot food may be delayed because your guide’s main job for this trip is to be a paparazzi. Please feel welcome to bring your own professional camera as your guide will be happy to help adjust your camera settings and to share his/her photography skills. DLSR cameras are best for photography and the company may have a tripod available upon request.

Experience driving over a frozen lake or river with heavy snowmobiles to then drilling your own ice fishing hole at a necessary quiet place. Our guide will provide all the necessary fishing equipment and gears, instruct you on how to properly drill an ice hole to setting the fishing hook with a couple of techniques. After that, it is upon yourselves with some patience and luck. Upon the return from ice fishing expect hot drinks to warm up your body and soul. Note: Children under 140cm are travelling in the sledge pulled by the guide’s snowmobile. Children over 140cm could seat in the back of the snowmobile as passenger with full adult payment.

Experience the traditional way of trekking on snow into Wild Lapland. Get a great workout while you adventurously “float walk” on top of deep snow, allowing you to reach places that would otherwise be unreachable. Get a feel of winter Lapland as we trek into the winter forest, river, and valley. Upon reaching our break destination, we will start an open fire to barbecue some sausages and rejuvenate with some hot berry juice. Note:  For children too small to wear snowshoes,  sleds (toboggans) will be provided.

Drive your own team of huskies into the wilderness of Lapland. Before your husky adventure, your guide will provide driving and safety instructions. Two humans will share one sled. There will be a few stops along your husky drive perfect for picture-taking moments, and for switching drivers. After husky sledding, hot drinks and cookies will be provided while you listen to more interesting stories about the husky and musher’s lifestyle. 

Retain the husky sledding experience of Lapland with your musher with this longer 5km husky ride. After driving out of the city to a quaint traditional husky kennel, located in their private forest, will be the adorable and friendly huskies waiting to receive you. Say hello and take as many pictures as you want with the photogenic dogs. Be prepared to meet huskies with attitudes including the possibility of small puppies and teenagers who want to play. After greeting the dogs, the husky farmer (musher) will drive the sled while you sit and enjoy the husky sled ride experiencing the combination of nature, human, and animals. Cookies and hot drinks will be awaiting when you return from the ride. Hear more stories from your musher inside a warm hut. 

Start your day right by opening your body and senses by snowshoeing through arctic Lapland. Admire the beautiful landscape and feel like you can conquer anywhere in the snow with those shoes on. Next stop your eyes will turn into hearts with the lovable huskies! Take pictures with the photogenic ones and experience the 2km husky sled ride. Afterwards, give your stomach some loving attention by gorging yourself with a traditional Finnish style buffet at Santa Claus Village. Get full and match your belly with the legend himself afterwards. Make sure to stop by Santa’s Post Office which provides a one-of-a-kind special Christmas delivery service and official Christmas stamp. The last stop on this trip journey is to the Arctic Snow Hotel. You’re entitled to visit the entire hotel areas including rooms (Keep it family friendly please!), the ice bar, ice restaurant, and ice chapel – all created by snow and ice! Note:  For children too small to wear snowshoes, sleds (toboggans) will be provided.