Helsinki, Tallinn & Rovaniemi – 7 Days of Finland and Lapland

After breakfast you walk or take a short tram ride to the West Terminal for the morning sailing. Around 10:30 AM the fast ferry crosses the Gulf of Finland to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, in roughly two hours, and on a clear day the open deck gives you views of the frozen archipelago on the way out.

Tallinn's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe, still ringed by its 13th-century wall and 20 surviving defence towers. Town Hall Square has the 600-year-old Gothic town hall and the Raeapteek pharmacy, trading since 1422. Up on Toompea Hill are the onion domes of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Kohtuotsa platform looking over red-tiled roofs to the harbour. On a cold day, the cellar restaurants around Vene and Viru streets are the place for lunch.

At a glance: Time needed: ~5 hrs in Tallinn · Travel: ~2 hrs by ferry each way · Pace: Moderate

Schedule

• Morning (around 10:30 AM): Board the fast ferry at Helsinki West Terminal for Tallinn, about 2 hrs.

• Noon: Town Hall Square and the Raeapteek pharmacy, about 45 min.

• Lunch: Cellar restaurants around Vene and Viru streets (own cost), about 1 hr.

• Afternoon: Walk up to Toompea Hill for Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Kohtuotsa viewing platform, then St. Olaf's Church, briefly the tallest building in the world in the 16th century. Allow 2–2.5 hrs.

• Evening: Return sailing to Helsinki, arriving around 9:00 PM, then back to the hotel.

Travel for the day

• Hotel → West Terminal by short walk or tram.

• Helsinki ↔ Tallinn ~2 hrs each way by fast ferry.

• Tallinn Old Town is explored on foot.

Tips & what to carry

• Carry your passports. Estonia is a separate Schengen state and identity checks are made at the terminal.

• The Old Town streets are steep cobblestones, often icy in February. Wear boots with real grip.

• Toompea Hill is a short but steep climb; take the stairs slowly if the steps are frozen.

• Lunch and dinner are at your own cost today.

Included today

• Tallinn Day Cruise Tour from Helsinki

• Daily Breakfast at the Hotel

Overnight: Helsinki

Breakfast, then check out and leave your bags with reception for the day. The hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus loops the city centre with commentary and lets you get off wherever you like. The Temppeliaukio Rock Church was blasted into solid granite in 1969 and is roofed with 22 km of coiled copper wire. Senate Square and the white Helsinki Cathedral make the city's best-known view, and the Sibelius Monument is 600 hollow steel pipes welded into a wave for Finland's national composer.

Warm up at Market Square and the Old Market Hall with hot salmon soup and coffee. Late afternoon, collect your luggage and transfer to Helsinki Central Station. Around 7:00 PM you board the Santa Claus Express, the overnight sleeper to Lapland, in your own cabin with beds made up. The train covers roughly 830 km while you sleep.

At a glance: Time needed: ~5 hrs sightseeing · Travel: ~12 hrs overnight train · Pace: Moderate

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast, check out, leave bags at reception.

• Late morning: Hop-on hop-off bus: Temppeliaukio Rock Church (about 30 min) and the Sibelius Monument (about 20 min).

• Noon: Senate Square and Helsinki Cathedral, about 45 min.

• Afternoon: Market Square and the Old Market Hall for salmon soup and coffee (own cost), about 1 hr.

• Evening (around 7:00 PM): Collect luggage, transfer to Helsinki Central Station and board the Santa Claus Express.

• Night: Dinner in the restaurant car (own cost). Overnight on board.

Travel for the day

• Hop-on hop-off bus around central Helsinki.

• Hotel → Helsinki Central Station by transfer.

• Helsinki → Rovaniemi ~830 km, about 12 hrs overnight on the sleeper train.

Tips & what to carry

• Pack a small overnight bag for the train. Cabin storage is limited and you will not want to open large cases in a narrow compartment.

• The Rock Church closes for services and concerts at times; check the day's hours before you hop off.

• Carry a refillable water bottle and any medicines in the overnight bag.

• Dinner on the train is not included; the restaurant car takes cards.

Included today

• Helsinki Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Pass

• Station Transfer in Helsinki x 1

• Overnight Santa Claus Express Train (Sleeper Cabin)

• Daily Breakfast at the Hotel

Overnight: On board the Santa Claus Express

The train pulls into Rovaniemi, capital of Finnish Lapland, at around 8:00 AM, with breakfast served on board before arrival. A private transfer takes you to your hotel. Rooms may not be ready this early, but luggage can be stored and you can freshen up. Check the fit of your thermal outer suit, boots, gloves and balaclava today; they are supplied on each tour, and it is better to sort sizes now than in the dark at -20°C.

The day is light on purpose, because the evening runs late. Rovaniemi's compact centre was rebuilt after 1944 to an Alvar Aalto plan in the shape of a reindeer's head, and the Lordi Square area is a 10-minute walk end to end. Around 8:00 PM you leave on the Guaranteed Northern Lights Tour with Photography, run by Polar Lapland. Guides track cloud cover and the auroral oval live and drive to wherever the sky is clearest, sometimes over 100 km. A professional photographer shoots you under the lights, and the photos are shared at no extra cost. If the aurora does not appear, the tour cost is refunded.

At a glance: Time needed: ~4–5 hrs aurora tour · Travel: Station transfer, long evening drive · Pace: Moderate (late night)

Schedule

• Morning (around 8:00 AM): Arrive Rovaniemi. Breakfast on board, then private transfer to the hotel. Store luggage if the room is not ready (check-in is 2:00 PM).

• Noon: Rest, then a short walk around the Lordi Square area, about 1 hr.

• Afternoon: Free. Try on your thermal gear and sleep a little before the night tour.

• Evening (around 8:00 PM): Depart on the Guaranteed Northern Lights Tour with Photography.

• Night: Back at the hotel late, usually between 11:30 PM and 1:00 AM.

Travel for the day

• Rovaniemi Railway Station → hotel by private transfer.

• Aurora tour drives can go over 100 km in search of clear skies.

Tips & what to carry

• Eat a proper early dinner (own cost) before the tour. You will be out in the cold for hours.

• Wear thermal innerwear, wool socks and a fleece under the supplied suit. Cotton stays damp and makes you cold.

• Phone batteries drain fast in the cold. Keep the phone and a power bank in an inside pocket.

• The money-back guarantee covers the tour cost if no aurora is seen; it does not change the rest of the itinerary.

Included today

• Station Transfer in Rovaniemi x 1

• Guaranteed Northern Lights Tour with Photography

• English Speaking Tour Coordinator

Overnight: Rovaniemi

Breakfast, then pick-up at around 9:30 AM for the Santa Claus Village, Husky and Reindeer Combo Safari. The village is 8 km north of town and sits right on the Arctic Circle, with the line painted across the ground and lit at night. You can meet Santa Claus in his office, which is free, though the official photos are charged separately. The Main Post Office will stamp a card with the Arctic Circle postmark or hold it for delivery at Christmas, and you receive an Arctic Circle crossing certificate.

At the kennel you get a briefing, then head out on a husky sled through the forest. Couples share a sled and take turns driving and riding. The reindeer sledge ride, guided by a Sami herder, is slower and quieter, and ends with hot berry juice by the fire and your reindeer driving licence. After a rest, the evening Northern Lights Hunt with Lappish Barbecue, run by Nordic Unique Travels, takes you to a wilderness camp with a campfire and grilled sausages while you watch the sky.

At a glance: Time needed: ~5–6 hrs safari, ~3–4 hrs evening hunt · Travel: Short drives with pick-up · Pace: Full

Schedule

• Morning (around 9:30 AM): Pick-up for Santa Claus Village: Santa's office, the Main Post Office and the Arctic Circle line, about 2 hrs.

• Noon: Husky safari: briefing, sled ride through the forest and time with the dogs, about 1.5–2 hrs.

• Afternoon: Reindeer sledge ride with a Sami herder, hot berry juice by the fire and your reindeer driving licence, about 1 hr. Back at the hotel by late afternoon.

• Evening (around 7:30 PM): Northern Lights Hunt with Lappish Barbecue at a wilderness camp: campfire, grilled sausages and hot berry juice.

• Night: Return to the hotel late.

Travel for the day

• Hotel → Santa Claus Village ~8 km, with pick-up and drop.

• Evening transfer to a wilderness camp away from town lights.

Tips & what to carry

• Santa's official photos and souvenir prints are paid separately; you may not take your own photos in his office.

• On the husky sled, keep your hands on the bar and follow the guide's braking instructions; the dogs are fast at the start.

• Two aurora evenings back to back is deliberate. The lights depend on weather, and a second night roughly doubles your chance of a clear sky.

• Lunch is at your own cost; Santa Claus Village has cafés and restaurants.

Included today

• Santa Claus Village, Husky & Reindeer Combo Safari

• Northern Lights Hunt with Lappish Barbecue

• Daily Breakfast at the Hotel

Overnight: Rovaniemi

After breakfast you check out, and around 10:00 AM you transfer to a frozen lake outside Rovaniemi for Daytime Arctic Ice Floating, a small-group activity run by Nordic Adventures Oy. You are sealed into a thermal survival suit that keeps you dry and warm, step into a hole cut through the lake ice and simply float on your back. The suit holds in your body heat, so you never feel the water directly, and most people find it weightless and very quiet. Guides are in the water with you and take photographs, and no swimming is needed.

Warm up by the fire with hot drinks, then transfer late afternoon to your glass-roofed igloo and check in before dark. The igloos are heated, and the thermal glass dome over the bed is treated to stay clear of snow and frost, so you can watch the sky lying down. The property calls if the aurora appears in the night. Nothing is planned for the evening.

At a glance: Time needed: ~2–3 hrs ice floating · Travel: ~35 min transfers · Pace: Easy

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast and check out.

• Late morning (around 10:00 AM): Transfer to the frozen lake for Arctic Ice Floating, about 2–3 hrs including suiting up and warming by the fire.

• Afternoon: Free time in town or a rest.

• Late afternoon: Transfer to the glass igloo and check in before dark (check-in is 2:00 PM).

• Night: Stay in and watch the sky. The aurora wake-up alert will call you if the lights appear.

Travel for the day

• Hotel → ice floating lake, about 35 min.

• Transfer to the glass igloo late afternoon.

Tips & what to carry

• Wear thermal layers under the survival suit and remove jewellery and glasses before you go in.

• Ice floating is usually not open to pregnant travellers or people with heart conditions; tell your consultant in advance if this applies.

• Lay out a warm layer, socks and your phone within reach before you sleep, so you can step outside fast if the alert comes.

• Dinner is at your own cost; ask the igloo property about its restaurant timings when you check in.

Included today

• Daytime Arctic Ice Floating Experience

• Igloo Stay in Lapland Region [1 Night]

• Daily Breakfast at the Hotel

Overnight: Glass igloo, Rovaniemi

Wake up under the glass and take your time over breakfast; the low winter light at this hour is worth sitting with. Then check out and transfer to Rovaniemi Airport (RVN), about 10 km from the centre and roughly 15 minutes away. If your flight time allows, stop in town for last purchases. Lappish knives, birch wood, cloudberry preserve and reindeer leather are the things genuinely made here.

You connect via Helsinki for your onward flight home, carrying the Arctic Circle certificate, the reindeer licence and, with luck, a set of photos under the aurora. Reach the airport two hours before a domestic connection and three hours before an international departure, because winter mornings can bring de-icing delays.

At a glance: Time needed: ~1 hr optional shopping · Travel: ~15 min airport transfer · Pace: Easy

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast at the igloo property. Check-out is 11:00 AM; late check-out is charged and not guaranteed.

• Optional: Last shopping stop in Rovaniemi town for Lappish crafts, about 1 hr, if flight times allow.

• Noon: Transfer to Rovaniemi Airport (RVN), about 15 min. Fly via Helsinki for your connection home.

Travel for the day

• Igloo → Rovaniemi Airport ~10 km, about 15 min by transfer.

Tips & what to carry

• Claim your VAT refund before security if you have shopped. The desk is landside and cannot be used once you are through.

• Knives must go in checked luggage, never in the cabin bag.

• Keep the thermal gear you bought for the trip in your hand luggage for the cold walk to the aircraft.

Included today

• Airport Transfer in Rovaniemi x 1

• Daily Breakfast at the Hotel