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10 days Finland Itinerary

By Urvish Shah•2024-03-15
10 days Finland Itinerary

I wanted to share my 10-day Christmas itinerary through Finland.
A quick overview: the itinerary is divided into two parts—6 days in the north and 4 days in the south.
We chose to spend Christmas Eve in Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi and New Year’s Eve in Helsinki. However, you can easily plan it the other way around.

Day 1: Rovaniemi

Just a quick tip: we flew to Helsinki the day before and took the overnight train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi.
Upon arrival, we headed straight to Santa Claus Village and spent the entire day exploring. Keep in mind, this was on December 23rd, so it was during the polar night and very cold.

We wandered around the village, met Santa, and took a picture with him (note: the photo costs €50 if you want a copy).
Exploring the entire area takes a couple of hours, and we also had lunch there.
In total, we spent about 6 hours at the village.

After that, we headed to Levi, where we stayed for the next 4 nights. Levi is a ski resort town and a great base for all winter activities in Finland.

Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi

Day 2: Levi

  • Morning: Reindeer safari at a nearby farm.
    The farm was beautiful, but the safari was short and slow—I preferred the husky safari we did the next day. Still, it’s a must-do.

  • Afternoon: Ice karting in Levi.
    A very unique experience—only two rinks exist in Finland!
    Tip: Avoid staying outside for more than 3 hours in winter—it gets brutally cold.

  • Evening: Aurora hunting (unsuccessful due to clouds).

Reindeer Safari

Day 3: Levi

  • Morning: Husky safari at a farm with reindeer and arctic foxes.
    The safari was exhilarating—riding over frozen lakes and snowy forests felt like Narnia.

  • Afternoon: Snowmobile safari through snow-filled forests and lakes.
    Highly recommended!

  • Evening: Traditional Sami sauna experience.
    Dip in a frozen lake, then warm up in the sauna—it’s said to boost your metabolism.

    Husky safari

Day 4: Levi

  • Morning: Snow biking through the forest on e-bikes.
    The best activity of the trip! We fell a lot but had the most fun.

  • Afternoon: Snowshoe hiking in the forest.
    We saw wild reindeer and arctic foxes.
    If you like skiing, try cross-country skiing through the forest instead of downhill skiing.

    Snow biking

Day 5: Rovaniemi

We returned to Rovaniemi to catch the overnight train to Helsinki.
On the way, we stopped at the Ice Hotel—a hotel made entirely of ice with a new theme each winter (this year: Norse gods). Worth the stop.

Then we continued to Rovaniemi and boarded the night train to Helsinki.

Ice Hotel

Day 6: Porvoo

We visited Porvoo, a charming town about an hour from Helsinki.
The old town looked especially beautiful in winter.
After exploring and having lunch, we returned to Helsinki.

Surprise discovery: The restaurants in Helsinki are amazing!
Every night, we took a sauna at our accommodation and searched for great food.

Porvoo

Day 7: Turku

Turku is a historic city, around 2 hours from Helsinki.
Once the capital of Finland, it’s rich in culture and history.

We visited:

  • Turku Castle
  • Turku Cathedral
  • The old town

A perfect day trip from Helsinki.

Turku

Day 8: Suomenlinna Fortress

Located off the coast of Helsinki, Suomenlinna is a massive sea fortress.
You take a short ferry to get there, and exploring it takes a full day.

Tip: It’s windy and freezing—visit museums on the island to warm up in between.

Suomenlinna

Day 9: Tallinn

Tallinn, Estonia — one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe.
It’s just a 2-hour ferry ride from Helsinki and an absolute must-do.

We explored:

  • The old town
  • The Christmas market
  • City walls
  • Fotografiska Museum

Since it was New Year’s Eve, we returned to Helsinki for the celebrations—amazing vibes!

Tallinn

Day 10: Helsinki

Our last day in Finland.
Our flight was in the evening, so we spent the day exploring Helsinki.

We visited:

  • Helsinki Cathedral
  • Uspenski Cathedral

While Helsinki is a large metropolis, I didn’t find many standout attractions.
After lunch, we checked out and headed to the airport.

Helsinki

Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of the trip in northern Finland—the winter activities were truly magical.
I think the south would be better to visit in summer.

That’s the end of my itinerary—hope this helps with your planning!