We spend a week in the Winter Wonderland of Finland – Starting in Lapland, we visit the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, meet THE Father Christmas, experience a husky ride, and take an Ice Breaker Cruise in the Baltic Sea, walking on the ice and swimming in the freezing cold waters too. Then we drive further north into Lapland, deep in the Arctic Circle to stay in a glass igloo and log cabin trying to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights in the sky, following a reindeer ride.
Finally we finish in Helsinki, Finlands Capital and take a day trip to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia just across the water via Ferry.
*VIDEO SPONSOR – CONTACT DIRECT FOR 10% DISCOUNT*
๐ This entire trip was sponsored and organised by JEE Travels. If you would like to plan or discuss your own bespoke version of what we got up to in this video, please contact them here: https://www.jeetravels.com/suitcasemonkey quoting coupon code SMFINLAND to receive a 10% discount off their Winter Wonderland packages. Packages typically start from around โฌ3,000 pp which can include domestic flights, meals, accommodation, private transfers and activities. JEE Travels can bespoke your trip so please contact them and enquire about the alterations you might be interested in. The 10% discount applies until the end of 2024.
Downloadable PDF With all links below: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_DwOCn7G3UQUY8ylAevWKf8on71TRP_c/view?usp=share_link
Tips Finland video: https://youtu.be/U3tGZVjA29U
HOTELS VISITED & ALTERNATIVES
๐* Rovaniemi Hotel we stayed, very central, close to tour operators, shops, restaurants: https://www.booking.com/hotel/fi/city.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=FinVlog
๐* Great looking Rovaniemi alternative hotel, just outside the town centre: https://www.booking.com/hotel/fi/lapland-sky-ounasvaara.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=FinVlog
๐* Glass Igloo and Log Cabin we stayed (Chalet, 4 adults was our room): https://www.booking.com/hotel/fi/hotelli-kakslauttanen.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=FinVlog
๐* Luxury glass igloo alternative in Levi Town (2 hours drive north from Rovaniemi or domestic flight to Kittilรค Airport): https://www.booking.com/hotel/fi/golden-crown-levin-iglut.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=FinVlog
๐* Excellent Very Central Helsinki Hotel we stayed at (not shown in video): https://www.booking.com/hotel/fi/haven.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=FinVlog
๐* Great Hotel in Helsinki Airport if need to stay for early morning domestic flight (we stayed here but not shown in video): https://www.booking.com/hotel/fi/hilton-helsinki-vantaa-airport.en.html?aid=1864334&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=FinVlog
ACTIVITIES & TOURS (Others would need to be arranged through JEE Travels)
๐* Santa Claus Village Reindeer & Husky ride (I can’t confirm this is the same Husky ride as there are a couple in this area but it gets good reviews): https://www.getyourguide.com/rovaniemi-l2653/rovaniemi-reindeer-huskies-and-santa-claus-experience-t301148/?partner_id=WMA142S&utm_medium=online_publisher&placement=content-top&cmp=FinVlog
๐* Ice Breaker Cruise: https://www.getyourguide.com/rovaniemi-l2653/axelsvik-icebreaker-cruise-with-shuttle-from-kemirovaniemi-t209241/?partner_id=WMA142S&utm_medium=online_publisher&placement=content-top&cmp=FinVlog
๐* Rovaniemi BBQ Northern Lights Tour: https://www.getyourguide.com/rovaniemi-l2653/rovaniemi-lapland-northern-lights-tour-by-bus-with-bbq-meal-t178721/?partner_id=WMA142S&utm_medium=online_publisher&placement=content-top&cmp=FinVlog
๐* Tallinn, Estonia day trip from Helsinki: https://www.viator.com/en-GB/tours/Helsinki/From-Helsinki-to-Tallinn-self-guided-tour-return-Cruise-tickets/d803-219774P3?pid=P00054239&mcid=42383&medium=link&campaign=FinVlog
Visited in December
Mostly shot on iPhone 14 Pro with some iPhone 13
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#finland #lapland
00:00 Finland in Winter
1:20 Arriving into Lapland
2:04 Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi
3:47 Husky Ride
4:18 Meeting Santa Claus
5:34 Rovaniemi & Discount
6:20 Ice Breaker Cruise
8:31 Hunting Northern Lights
9:59 Winter Wonderland
11:00 Glass Igloo
12:03 Reindeer Ride
13:16 Log Cabin
14:52 Helsinki
15:52 Tallinn, Estonia Day Trip
๐* Denotes affiliate link that supports this channel at no extra cost to you.
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23 Comments
I've made a downloadable PDF with helpful links to EVERYTHING we did in this trip – hotels, activities and clothing – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_DwOCn7G3UQUY8ylAevWKf8on71TRP_c/view?usp=share_link
I've also made a Finland Travel Tips video https://youtu.be/U3tGZVjA29U which will be useful for anyone thinking of visiting this beautiful country.
Hey guys, I'm sure I watched a video of yours where you went through what you wear when in the cold like in Finland. I'm am having trouble finding trousers to wear for just walking around and site seeing. Everything I have found is designed for skiing. Any help would be fantastic.
We did the Polar Explorer Icebreaker Cruise today, after seeing and hearing about it through your video. The experience was surreal , definitely once in a lifetime ๐ Thanks for showing us the world !๐
My dream is to live in Finland especially in Winter times.. ๐
Thank you
I Will love a โtipsโ video. ๐ Thank you ! ๐
I like riding on raindeer lile on donkey
๐บ๐ธ ๐ซ๐ฎ
โค๏ธ ๐ ๐
Wow so cool! This is definitely on my list of travels. Itโs definitely something for couples.
Great info and looking for more countries ๐๐๐๐
I really enjoyed watching this video.. thank you so much, i hope one day my dream will come true! Merry Christmas!!
Sรฃo tantos lugares lindo๐
Incrivel
โค
Super video. Thank you
In the costal jagers (my unit in the military) We also do ice swimming, they didn't give us any fancy wetsuit tho. It was the longest 10 minutes of my life haha. But thank you for showing Finland in such a good light!
Please do a vid on your travel tips–especially what to pack to withstand the cold. We're going just before Christmas '23 for a week. Oops see you included the travel vid link below. Thanks!
What shoes you wore for your Finland trip
What shoes you wore?
My sister lived in Finland for a few years. I was sadly too young to visit but I'm hoping to finally go in the next few years with my children. I'm so excited! I really enjoyed this video, thank you!
I wanted to create a wonderful Christmas for my sons when they were 5 and 7. We went to Lapland for Christmas 1998 and I loved it! I said I would love to visit in the summer at some stage, not knowing that 12 years later I would actually be living in Finland.
โคโคโคโคโค ilove Finland
Can you tell me what the duration of the reindeer sleigh ride was?