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Region of Finland
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Finnish Lapland (Finnish and Sámi: Lappi, Swedish (and Norwegian): Lappland) is the Arctic far north in Finland, strictly defined as the province of the same name, but in practice starting near the Arctic Circle. Most Finnish ski resorts are here, as well as the biggest national parks. Lots of wilderness, much of it quite accessible also for those who are not seasoned hikers.
By train
Most of Lapland is reachable only by bus or car, but even when there is no train service to your destination, using the train for the first leg often makes sense.
By bus
There are coach connections from Helsinki to Rovaniemi (15 hours), which is the hub of most connections. Northern Norway (Troms and Finnmark) has daily connections at least in summer.
By car
There are good roads to Lapland, but instead of using a day on driving, you might want to get your car on an overnight train and wake up fresh in the morning to enjoy the landscape while driving only…
By bicycle
Four EuroVelo cycling routes reach the region (mostly under development as of 2023):
By bus
Long distance coaches or minibuses cover most of even the smallest places, often with sparse schedules (typically one or a few services a day along the main roads).
By train
The long-distance trains are usable on two routes: from Oulu to Kemi and farther north-east to Tervola, Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi, or northwards via Tornio, Ylitornio and Pello all the way up to Kolari.
By taxi
Taxis are not necessarily connected to any call centres. Ask locally for phone numbers of individual taxi businesses.
By car
), but traffic even on main roads is sparse and distances are great. Minor roads are sometimes truly minor, even the longest ones.
Hitchhiking
Hichhiking is possible and in fact quite popular. Also the locals commonly use Facebook groups for intervillage commuting.
By snowmobile
In winter there are some 20,000 km of snowmobile routes and tracks in Finland maintained by municipalities or the forestry administration (Metsähallitus), mostly in Lapland but stretching down to…
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Entrance to Lapland for most. The province capital, the main transport hub, a university town, and the only city of any size. At the Arctic Circle with workshops of Santa Claus, where most people go to meet him.
administrative centre of Enontekiö; gateway to some northern national parks and wilderness areas
village with the Sámi parliament and the Sámi museum Siida, by Lake Inari with its labyrinthine archipelagos
a bleak paper industry town best known for Arctic icebreaker cruises for tourists and the world's largest snow castle
a paper industry town, a terminus of a night train
alpine village at the border of Finland, Sweden and Norway, near the tallest fells of Finland
wildlife park having the only polar bears in Finland
a town that together with its Swedish half Haparanda is a prime example of cross-border cooperation
Midnight Sun Film Festival
the salmon river Teno, border crossing to Norway
rocky islets, juniper and meadows in an archipelago still affected by the glacial rebound, with bird life and former fishing bases
an impressive canyon with a 64-km hiking trail
this is where the Finland's highest fells are
river valley with riverboats, gold digging grounds, some fells and vast surrounding wilderness
true wilderness with quite easy terrain, partly above the treeline, with few marked trails and few services
Oulanka National Park is a large national park in Northern Finland, near the border with Russia. It is one of the most popular national parks in Finland, despite its relatively remote location.
fell range on the border between Forest-Lapland and Fell-Lapland, protected as one of the first national parks in Finland, good communications and services
small but nice national park around the fell Riisitunturi
national park by Saariselkä and all its services, with vast backcountry, including the home of Joulupukki, Santa Claus himself
quite large ski resort and a nature lover's destination by the popular Pyhä-Luosto National Park
The biggest winter sports resort in Finland, popular especially among young people
ski and safari resort, home to the only open amethyst mine in Europe
famous holiday resort in southern Inari. Popular mostly for the older set; a gateway to one of the largest national parks in Europe
a small but popular ski resort
two ski resorts by the Ylläs fell
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