Sep 24, 2006

Amanda Kendle on Finnish Lapland

Autumn officially began just a few days ago, but Finnish Lapland had their first snowfall last week. Being so close to the Arctic Circle, it's not surprising. Luckily, temperatures where I live in Helsinki have been a balmy 17 degrees Celsius, but the wind whipping off the Baltic Sea and the rapidly changing leaves tell me that winter is closing in on the capital.

In the spirit of snow, winter activities, and the Arctic Circle, I am featuring an article on the site this week about winter activities in Finnish Lapland. Suite101's seasoned Eastern Europe/Russia Travel guide, Amanda Kendle, wrote this article after telling me about her amazing experiences in Rovaniemi, Finland, during Christmas.

I hear that fall, winter, and spring are the best times to visit Finnish Lapland. A friend told me a story about getting eaten alive during the summer by the largest mosquitoes he had ever seen, even with bug repellant. A colleague called me from Finnish Lapland two days ago to tell me that she was expecting to see Lapland's celebrated autumn colors, but it snowed instead, so they spent the day playing outside. November and December bring Christmas festivities to Lapland, but daylight never comes. Daytime more like dusk, from what I've been told. Spring brings longer days and there is always lots of snow, perfect for winter activities.

Getting to Finnish Lapland. is not as difficult as you might think. There are plenty of commercial and charter flight options from the UK to Rovaniemi and Ivalo, and direct flights from Helsinki. Or, take the overnight train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi with an option to put your car on board.