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Travel Matters | by Stephen & Andie
  • Itineraries

7 Day Finland Itinerary: Top Things To Do In Lapland

March 15, 2021 6
huskies mushing through snow from the perspective of the sled they are pulling

If you’re looking for the perfect 7 day Finland itinerary you’ve come to the right place. Lapland has been at the top of our destination bucket list for a long time. Actually, we have one bucket just for Finland, and another bucket for everywhere else we want to visit.

Ironically, we’re totally NOT cold weather people, let alone arctic, let alone subarctic! But there’s no way that’ll keep us from our biggest dream… seeing the Northern Lights in Lapland from our bed in a glass igloo!

Yeah, in case you didn’t know, that’s a thing. And for us it’s kinda perfect, given our whole aversion to freezing our asses off. Needless to say, we started our research on what to do in Lapland in early 2020, and though we haven’t made the trip yet (for obvious reasons) we put together a dream itinerary for ourselves. 

Day 1

Traditional Finnish Sauna And Ice Swimming

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A post shared by Visit Lapland (@visitlapland)

Even before we learned of epic glass igloos, we’d always known about Finland’s national culture: sauna. Plus its traditional follow up: Ice Swimming. Yikes! It’s engrained in the culture here, which is why it’s the first thing to do in our perfect 7 day Finland itinerary. We hear the combination is relaxing, invigorating, and does wonders for your well-being. So we feel like this is the perfect way to shake off the travel day and jump right into the culture while relaxing at the same time. 

Dinner In An Ice Restaurant

What better way to follow up your relaxing sauna than with a delicious meal? In an ice restaurant, no less! Imagine sitting on ice benches at an ice table, eating a delicious hot meal. Go ahead, imagine. Crazy, right? Gotta do it.

Drinks In An Ice Bar

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A post shared by Arctic SnowHotel&Glass Igloos (@arcticsnowhotelglassigloos)

Grab a nightcap, perhaps the infamous Finnish peppermint vodka in an ice glass, in an  ice bar ! Depending, you might find yourself an ice restaurant and bar all-in-one, but we like the idea of a post-meal stroll from one establishment to the next to burn off (or freeze off) some calories before having a nightcap. Plus, who wouldn’t rather experience two different ice establishments? Yes please!

Chasing The Northern Lights From Your Bed

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A post shared by Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort (@kakslauttanen_arctic_resort)

After this full day of unique firsts, we can’t imagine anything better than to not only kick back in bed, but kicking back in a bed in a glass igloo. The big juicy cherry on top being the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights while kicking back in bed. We’re not sure we can think of anything more romantic, and if this was the ONLY thing on our 7 day Finland itinerary, we might be perfectly happy with that.

Day 2

Breakfast In Bed and Exploring Villages 

We feel like the first morning of waking up in a glass igloo should be accompanied with breakfast in bed. You had your first glass-ceiling nighttime views on a full belly, so why not take in all the daytime views over a meal before heading out for your day of exploring. 

Generally speaking, we’ve got our eye on Saariselka as the area we’d like to stay in. It’s known for its ski slopes and igloo villages. We understand there’s an East and West village, both great for walking around and exploring. We’ll be doing both, so let’s hit the West village today. 

Snack Break In A Finnish Kota

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A post shared by All About Lapland (@allaboutlapland)

A “Kota” is a hut. And we think this sounds like a super charming way to take a load off from a day of hoofing around in the cold. But we understand there are cafe/Kotas where you can enjoy traditional Lapland bites and a hot berry juice called Glogi. Yes, please!

Day 3

Checking Out Kakslauttanen’s East Village 

Another day of exploring on foot, and this time we’re heading to the East village. Assuming you’re there during the snow season, there are some amazing snow carvings and ice sculptures throughout the village that we (and you) must see. Maybe throw a few snowballs, fake-ice skate on the snow, and let yourself go. But safely away from the carvings and sculptures, ok?

Day 4

Keep A Free Day In Your Itinerary For Flexibility

Hot tip: We always think it’s a good idea to keep some unplanned free time in your itinerary for the unexpected. No matter how much advance planning you do, you’ll always discover something that you didn’t know about once you’re at your destination, and having that wiggle room in your schedule will allow you to not miss out on the opportunity. Additionally, travel delays, weather, and any number of things can mess up your plans. This free day helps you readjust your agenda to accommodate the unexpected. 

Day 5

Visit Santa’s Home And Meet Santa!

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A post shared by Visit Rovaniemi (@visitrovaniemi)

Ok, yeah. We’re a little old for this one, but apparently this is where the REAL Santa lives, and I’m going, you’re going, we’re all going! There is an idyllic red chalet, deep in the heart of the forest, at the end of a lovely wooden walking bridge across a narrow river. This in itself sounds beautiful, right? But if you arrange it in advance, you can also have Santa there to meet you.

Day 6

Visiting A Reindeer Farm

a reindeer lays relaxing in the snow; 7 Day Lapland Itinerary

photo courtesy of Saariselkä Reindeer Farm

There is an indigenous Sami family that owns a reindeer farm just about a 10 minute drive outside of the center of Saariselka, where you get to be up close with these gorgeous creatures, hand feed them, have a sleigh ride if you like, and you’ll get to learn about the Sami culture while you’re there.

Day 7 

No 7 Day Finland Itinerary Is Complete Without Dog Sledding

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A post shared by Aurora Village (@auroravillage_ivalo)

This one is close to our hearts because we’re dog people through and through. It doesn’t come without a bit of hesitation, though, as with any animal related activities like this, there is a concern that they’re being treated ethically. We urge you to do your due diligence in advance to educate yourself before going. To the positive, we’re also aware that in places like this, these animals have been safely bred for centuries to do such things are very well taken care of, and they actually love their “jobs.” All of those considerations completed, this has always looked amazing to us and like a bonding experience we would love to have with these pups. Have a look for yourself!

Bonus Bits: Know Before You Go

Must-try Foods In Lapland

Just a few bites for you here. The list of Finnish foods is actually quite extensive, but at the risk of going down a foodie rabbit hole, we’re keeping to this cherry-picked handful that look yummy to us.

  • Karjalanpiirakka or Karelian hand-sized pies have a crust that is traditionally made with rye flour and they’re filled with potatoes, rice or carrots. Try with an egg or butter spread on top!
  • Grillimakkara. These big, fat sausages made for grilling are eaten with mustard (Stephen’s nemesis) and washed down with beer. 
  • Korvapuusti translates into “slapped ears” in English, but they’re essentially cinnamon buns. Nuff said!
  • Ruisleipa, a.k.a. “Bread with hole” is a Finnish staple. Rye bread made from sourdough, and while there are many varieties, this particular one is the most popular. 

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A post shared by Cafe Tarina – Tapiola (@cafetarinatapiola)

Local Customs

Attitudes in Finland are generally liberal, codes of behavior are fairly relaxed, and therefore there’s not much of a chance that a foreigner can commit any gaffe so serious that it would offend his or her host. 

Identity

Like most cultures, Finns have a strong sense of national identity, and would be very pleased if a foreigner had at least some knowledge of any well known Finns in pop culture or sports.  

Conversing

Finns tend to listen more than they talk, they choose their words carefully, consider their word a bond, and expect the same of others. While they may be notoriously silent around foreigners (on public transportation, for example), they’re also quite friendly and have no reservations with helping a visitor looking for directions. 

Technology

Oh yes, they’re all about the cellys there nowadays. So much so that it’s a bit comical at times hearing all of the loud ringtones popping off as people eagerly scramble to answer and communicate. Pro tip: cell phone use is prohibited in hospitals and airplanes.

Gender

There’s a very great deal of equality between the sexes in Finland. There is a relatively high number of women in advanced positions in politics, academics, business, and society. Chauvinistic or patronizing attitudes towards women is considered unacceptable, although like many cultures, it does exist.

Greetings

When meeting, people shake hands (briefly and firmly) and make eye contact. Extra special respect is shown with a deep bow, but in most cases, a nod of the head is enough.

Eating

Finnish cuisine has European, Russian, and Scandanavian elements, and table manners are European. Breakfasts can be quite substantial, lunches take place between 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., dinner in homes is usually between 5:00 – 6:00 p.m., while dinner in restaurants is usually from 6:00 p.m. onwards.

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A post shared by Lapland Foodie (@eatinlapland)

Coffee

We love this. Finns drink coffee anywhere and everywhere. More coffee is consumed per person in Finland than anywhere else in the world. Whoa. Respect! 

The Best Time To See Northern Lights

Also, with so much emphasis on the Northern Lights, it’s worth mentioning that the Fall Equinox is the best time for Northern Lights. This is a bit early in the season for snow, which doesn’t come until October or later. So depending what’s important to you, certain activities that we’ve mentioned might not be available during the time you choose to visit. Regardless, Lapland has plenty of unique activities to offer during every season. We hope this 7 day Finland itinerary has given you some new ideas to check out if you’re considering a visit to Lapland. 

We know that planning a trip can be daunting at times, and if you’re looking for a little help with that, we’ve got a great post that we think will be helpful right here.

And if you’re looking for more itineraries, we’ve got you covered:

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Today we explore the Amazon jungle by night. Our flashlights reveal plenty of creepy crawlies, including unusual insects, cute frogs, a variety of spiders – including a bizarre one that looked like a robot, and Andie got her wish when we saw not one, but two tarantulas! Stephen was relieved to not run into any snakes, but later that night he was jolted awake by an an uninvited “guest” in our bed!

Only 2% of the #Amazon Jungle is in Ecuador, and part of that is in the #Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, which is where we visited during our Ecuador trip. It was our first visit to the world's largest rainforest, and we already can't wait to go back and see more!

This is the sixth video in our first-ever international series! Quito, Ecuador was the first international trip we took together back in 2011. Eleven years later, it’s where we filmed our first international series and first drone footage for our channel! 

We spent two weeks in Ecuador this time, including Quito, day-trips to Mindo and Cotopaxi National Park, the Amazon, and one of our top-3 bucket list destinations: the Galápagos Islands! 

If you’ve missed our previous Ecuador videos, you can catch up on the series here:
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📍LOCATION: Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Ecuador, South America

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:28 Lagoon Swimming
01:00 Caiman Search
01:38 Baby Snake
02:30 Claustrophobia
02:43 Night 2
03:58 Venus & Sunset
04:18 Nightwalk in the Jungle
04:54 Big Creepy Spider(s)!
04:29 Nocturnal Bird & Frogs
05:57 Tarantula!
06:27 Another Tarantula!
07:03 IT WAS IN OUR BED!

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Follow Our Mission to See ALL 50 STATES! 🇺🇸 🚐

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Oregon’s got #mood for days! Oregon is state no Oregon’s got #mood for days!

Oregon is state no. 22 in our mission to see ALL 50 STATES (plus DC & Puerto Rico)! Our first sleep and first morning of #vanlife was in Astoria, then we headed to Cannon Beach and were bowled over by the foggy views of majestic Haystack Rock. 

👉 LINK IN BIO 👈 to see more of the beautiful Oregon coast in our latest vlog, “First Night In Our Van!”

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#traveloregon #cannonbeach #oregoncoast #cannonbeachoregon #oregon #haystackrock #travelmatters #all50states #vanlife
We fell in love with Oregon! Swipe 👉 to see why We fell in love with Oregon! Swipe 👉 to see why!

After buying our Sprinter in Portland we headed for the Oregon coast to spend our first night in her in Astoria. The next day we explored town and also made our way to Cannon Beach. Both were nothing short of stunning! Our drives through the state just got more and more beautiful and we couldn’t stop thinking how grateful and excited we are to be new #vanlifers. 

This is going to be an amazing year!

📷 Our first coffee on our first morning after our first night sleeping in our campervan. 📍Astoria.

📷 Isn’t she lovely? 😍 That’s Haystack Rock behind Andie. You might recognize it from movies like Point Break and GOONIES! 📍Cannon Beach.

📷 Having too much fun watching a pile of giant sea lions sleeping peacefully. 📍Astoria

📷 Loving our lives! 📍 Cannon Beach

👉 Link in bio 👈 to see all of this and more in our latest vlog “First Night In Our Van!”

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#oregon #oregoncoast #astoria #cannonbeach #haystackrock #lewisandclarkrvpark #vanlife #sprintervan #sprintervanlife #all50states
Hello #vanlife! 🚐 We’re so excited to finally Hello #vanlife! 🚐 We’re so excited to finally share this news with you – we bought a camper van! *Join us at 12:15pm EST today (Monday)* for a live chat during the Premiere of our new vlog, where we spill the tea.

After months of behind the scenes planning and hunting, we settled on this beauty at the end of October: a 170” wheelbase, high top Sprinter, located in Portland, OR. In this video we fly to the Pacific Northwest to make the purchase and begin our two and a half week, cross-country journey from Portland back to North Carolina. But not before grabbing a rainy day lunch at one of Portland’s food cart havens – Cartlandia. Some hot grits from Grits Gone Wild warm us up to send us on our first outing in our new home on wheels.

We couldn’t be more excited, and this trip already kicks off our mission to see all 50 states (plus DC and Puerto Rico!). You’ll be seeing this cross-country trip, plus another month-long run in her over the holidays –  all in our upcoming vlogs!

Now — any guesses what we named her? 
Hint: any fans of the movie Role Models? 😜

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#sprinter #sprintervan #sprinter2500 #campervan #vantravel  #vanlifers #roadtrip #roadtrippers #travelmatters #travelvloggers #UStravel #USAtravel #youtubers #DIY #Ace #kissmyvanthia #vanlifeusa
$150 train ticket from New York to… New York? $150 train ticket from New York to… New York? 

We REALLY loved our first time doing some train travel in the U.S. together! We rode the Hudson River Rail aboard the 20th Century Limited – the last two remaining, fully restored, 1940s train cars from what was “The Most Famous Train In the World” in its day. 

Our journey took us from Penn Station in Manhattan up to Albany and back. 

Sit back and enjoy the views! 👉 Link in bio 👈 to see the vlog!

📷 1: on the platform in Albany

📷 2: Penn Station, NYC

🎥 3: enjoying the VIP lounge at Penn Station pre-boarding

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California sunsets just hit different. 🌅 We we California sunsets just hit different. 🌅

We were Angelenos for literal decades and we still can’t believe how many iconic places in California we took for granted and never visited! Morro Bay is just one of them, and we’re SO STOKED that a recent cross-country road trip (big announcement on that front soon!) took us right past the area. Naturally, we looked at each other, said “Morro Bay?,” and turned the 🚐 around to head back just in time for a gorgeous sunset. 

Now we’re even more determined to hit all the spots that we took for granted and we’ll always find excuses to make our way back through Cali! Yosemite, Redwoods, Death Valley – we’re talking to you! 

What other spots do we need to hit? Shout ‘em out in the comments!

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#morrobay #sunset #centralcoast #SLO  #SanLuisObispo #california #southerncalifornia #daytrip #roadtrip #californialandmarks
We saw ALL THE MANATEES today! This was our second We saw ALL THE MANATEES today!
This was our second attempt at @bluespringstatepark within a couple weeks. We saw zero manatees the first time, and committed to returning after spending some time in Southern Florida. Turns out, we happened upon some manatees in the marina @evergladesnps, but the water was so murky we could only see parts of them… if they surfaced. 

Today was the day we got to return to Blue Spring. The weather was much cooler this time (great conditions for spotting manatees in the springs), and when we pulled up to the entrance, the sign read “MANATEE COUNT *288*” For context, there was no count on the sign for our previous visit, so… YAY! 

Can’t say exactly what OUR manatee count was, but we easily saw dozens in a short amount of time – from adorable little babies to giants! The water was crystal clear. It was so serene – watching them graciously glide through, only occasionally making a splash. Hearing that beautiful sound when they surfaced for air. Today was an AWESOME day, and we’re so thankful that we had the flexibility to come back and spend some quality time with these beautiful, unique creatures. 🥰

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#manatees #bluespringstatepark #centralflorida #orlando #florida #therealflorida #wildlife #statepark #bluespring #bluesprings #manateestatepark #bluespringmanatees #travelmatters #travelvloggers
Is this seat taken? Nothing says “classic New J Is this seat taken? 
Nothing says “classic New Jersey” like Asbury Park! We visited the boardwalk for the first time this summer as part of our DIY food tour of New Jersey. 

A killer coffee roastery? ✅
Cereal pancakes? ✅
Disco fries? ✅
$27 milkshake??? ✅

LINK IN BIO to see all that, plus a unique Jersey twist on “the slushee” in our latest vlog, now live on YouTube! 

This is state #20 in our mission to visit all 50 states (plus DC & Puerto Rico) - join our adventures! 

PLACES VISITED IN THIS VLOG:
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@roastd.coffee
@thetopsdiner
@coneywaffleasburypark

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#newjersey #asburypark #newjerseyfood #foodtour #jerseycity #fortlee #jerseyshore #travelvlog #travelmatters
As you set your goals for 2023, don’t be afraid As you set your goals for 2023, don’t be afraid to be the orange fish. If an idea or dream scares you or feels too different, it’s probably the one you should go for!

We spotted these guys while snorkeling in the Galápagos Islands. See the full vlogs on our YouTube channel. LINK IN BIO!

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#fish #schooloffish #galapagos #galapagosislands #ecuador #travelmatters #travelvloggers #wildlife #conservation #underwatervideo #snorkeling🐠 
#newyeargoals #lifegoals
We saw so much cool wildlife in the Galapagos! See We saw so much cool wildlife in the Galapagos! See the full vlogs on our YouTube channel. LINK IN BIO!

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#galapagos #galapagosislands #ecuador #travelmatters #travelvloggers #wildlife #conservation #sealion #bluefootedbooby #tortoise #frigate #iguana #crab #fish
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