The Lapland Girls Trip you'll talk about for a LIFETIME

You know those destinations that sit on your Bucket List for years, and you tell yourself “This is the kind of trip that I need to save for a honeymoon” or “I can’t really go here without kids - that would be weird.”

Well, let me tell you…

I decided I was no longer going to wait for “One Day” for the trip that has been shifting up my Bucket List for the past decade, so I crafted the most perfect, magical girls trip to Finnish Lapland for New Years Eve - the best part? I have been pinching myself ever since!

It’s no secret that Lapland - The Official Home of Santa Claus - is heavily marketed to families and couples as a cute and adorable getaway bursting with the most precious memories…. Now, don’t come at me, but I would argue that it probably works even BETTER as a girls trip!

The temperatures alone are a lot to deal with, and I imagine that when you’re travelling as a group of women, you don’t tend to have as much of a rising panic about how to keep toddlers fingers and toes warm and cosy in -40 degrees Celsius. (I honestly can’t imagine the prep that goes into that!)

Now that’s not to say that kids don’t belong in Lapland, they absolutely do! (And they look so freaking cute all bundled up in this teeny snow suits!) However, if waiting for a particular chapter in your life to experience this is stopping you from going, then trust me - GO NOW!

I did my research, (sooooo much research) to make this trip as magical and as perfect as it turned out to be. It was equal parts prep-work, the pure magic and beauty of Finland and the incredible activities. And I want more people to experience this destination, so take note Travel Addicts, here’s my highlights:

Accommodation

I scouted the internet for cabins, hotels, glass-roofed glamping pods and villas and came across Tupasvilla - the literal day that I found it (16 months before the trip) I booked it immediately and planned the trip around that as my base.

The accommodation was absolutely stunning and even though I had ridiculously high expectations, on arrival, Tupasvilla was even more above and beyond than I could have predicted. The open plan living area was surrounded my floor to ceiling windows that provided the most beautiful snowy backdrop everyday, we had our very own outdoor hot tub that provided the most stunning view of the Northern Lights dancing above us and we even had a private sauna in the property. It was immaculate, it was warm and it was the perfect base for our trip. The views were absolutely stunning and we even had people skiing down our street which was incredible to watch.

Our villa was in Saariselka, which is in the north part of Lapland, it’s about 150 miles away from Rovaniemi (which is where Santa Claus Village is) so it doesn’t tend to be the first place that people book. But I wanted the best of both worlds! We got the breathtaking magical experience of the smaller town vibe and clear Northern Light skies right on our doorstep, but I also made sure we were able to spend the day visiting the more commercialised and touristy area of Rovaniemi to get the Christmassy experience while we were there. It was a LOT busier in Rovaniemi and although had the magic of Santa, it didn’t have the same magical energy that oozed out of Saariselka.

Food and Drink

I’m a foodie to the core, and I was so excited to try new food while I was out there. What I didn’t anticipate though was how deliciously rich and indulgent our dining experiences would be. We dined like queens every single day!

Pirkon Pirtti

We were lucky enough to have this delicious local restaurant as our caterers for breakfast and dinner everyday at the villa. We got to be in the comfort of our own villa (which believe me, is a luxury I can’t begin to describe in those freezing cold temperatures) and would have the restaurant team and the chef come in and serve delicious food for us.

The quality of everything they made was absolutely delicious! And we got to try food that I have even tried before. Roast reindeer with lingonberry jam, Grouse served on a bed of creamy mashed potato, Arctic Char drizzled with pea puree, the most unbelievable creamy garlic soup (so good that we asked the chef to make it twice!)

Laanilan Kievari

We squeezed in an extra dinner to make sure that we could dine here - and I am so glad that we did. One of the best meals that I’ve ever had!

• Arctic Char Carppacio with citrus granita and parmesan (yum!)

• Traditional Roast Reindeer with Lingonberry jam (delicious!)

• Gingerbread ice cream with actual doughy chunks of gingerbread in them (wow!)

The wine they served there, the vibe of the restaurant, the incredible service, the open fireplace. It was a dining experience that is a must on your Lapland Bucket List.

Must Try Food in Finland

• Cloudberry jam

• Lingonberry

• Arctic Char

• Grouse

• Reindeer

  
  

Activities

Reindeer Ride

There are reindeer rides all over Lapland, but I booked the one in Santa Claus village (I highly recommend you book the one with priority entry. We got to skip right past the extremely long line!) It was a slow-paced, relaxing and chill ride, but the reindeers are majestic and the backdrop makes it magical. Just don’t expect a hair-raising adventure.

Snowmobile

Hands down the BEST New Year’s Day I’ve ever had! Honestly, it might even be the best day of my life! I actually cried happy tears as I just couldn’t believe how magical it was. Two hours of riding through a frozen forest and over snow-covered fields surrounded by candy-floss pink skies and a bright yellow full moon. It was an adrenaline ride with bucket loads of magic sprinkled on top! What more could a girl want??

Kotatieva Winter Park

You might think reading this that I’m some kind of cold-weather travel girl, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. I have only ever been to a snowy destination once, and that was purelu by accident because there was a freak snow storm in Spring! So, it’s safe to say that winter sports and activities have never been my jam because I’ve never been anywhere cold enough to do them.

If (like me) you want to do a mini taster of everything, this Winter Park is the perfect spot. You pay one price, you can spend all day there, and you get to try your hand at sledding, ice skating on a forest trail, ice hockey, snowshoe disc golf, cross country skiing. It’s so much fun! We fell over so many times and giggled while our hair and eyelashes froze!

Husky Ride

These huskies are not like the cuddly sofa dog I’m used to seeing - these dogs are ready to WORK. They’re wild animals, almost like wolves, and all they want to do is run. It was a fun activity, but can be overwhelming with the sheer number of dogs and all the barking. But once they get running, it feels like Narnia and it’s magical and calm. It’s important to note that although you will be in a group with a guide, you are responsible for controlling your own sled of huskies, which makes it even more fun.

Santa Claus Village

This was easily the most touristy thing that we did in Finland, it was extremely busy but it had that buzzy magic of Christmas even though it had already passed. I recommend that you go enjoy some salmon soup, explore the cabins and pop to the Post Office. We didn’t get a chance to meet Santa or Mrs Claus as the tickets for time slots went fast, so do those well in advance! It’s a must-do, but a long way to go from Saariselka, so I’d definitely pair it with Kotieva Winter Park to make the most of it.

Arctic Spa and Sauna

Turns out Laanilan Kieviari isn’t just a restaurant. During my ‘researching deep dive’, I also discovered that they have a private sauna cabin that you can hire out privately for your group. Outside the cabin, they have a small lake (which I imagine spends most of the year frozen) with a hole physically cut through the ice for a cold plunge experience, aka The Arctic Spa. I’ve got to be honest, this is veryyyyyy very extreme for me! The valley was -47 degrees Celsius when we got there!! The water was 2 degrees, and it quite literally took my breath away! Can’t actually believe that we all did it!! My hands literally went crunchy with the cold - it was wild. We ran into the sauna after to warm up and the adrenaline took quite a while to wear off. Loved it!

Top Tips:

• Carry hot chocolate sachets and a flask everywhere, you never know when you need a nice warm hot drink (most places will give you hot water)

• Hire your rental clothes. I ordered ours from Winterent and they were extremely warm and comfortable and the company even delivered them directly to our villa for our arrival

• Outdoor fire pits (kota) are scattered around everywhere, so always have some marshmallows and sticks ready to go for roasting

• Every indoor restaurant, accommodation and activity space is extremely warm inside (almost suffocating) make sure you take off your layers every time you go inside

• Transport: There’s no Ubers, and taxis are in high demand. I booked all of our journeys prior to our trip through Arctic Tours. Ville was our guide and he was extremely friendly, reliable and made our trip run seamlessly.

  
  

Itinerary:

I must have had about 25 revisions of this itinerary, eventually the one I landed on was the perfect balance of down-time (we even spent evenings watching Frozen, afternoons decorating gingerbread houses and mornings in the hot tub!) and we ALSO crammed in a bunch of once-in-a-lifetime activities that kept us busy and fuelled by adrenaline.

Day One

• Arrive in Ivalo Airport and travel to the villa

Day Two

• Kotatieva Winter Leisure Park

• Santa's Village in Rovaniemi

• Reindeer Ride Santas Village

Day Three

New Years Eve

• Husky Safari

• New Years Eve celebrations - Fireworks at Northern Lights Village

Day Four

• Snowmobile ride

• Arctic Spa at Laanilan Kievari

• Dinner at Laanilan Kievari

Day Five

• Transfer to Ivalo Airport

• Fly home

  
  

There are so many cool and unique experiences in Lapland, and usually quite a limited time to experience them. So your personal itinerary should be full of all the things you want to do!

That’s the best way to make it a trip you’ll dream about forever…

*And yes, it really is as magical as it looks in the pictures!