Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Taking a day trip to the rugged, icy landscape of the breathtaking Korouoma Canyon is one of the best ways to spend a winter day in Rovaniemi.
This deep canyon goes up to 130 meters (427 feet) at its deepest point, stretching 30 kilometers long with beautiful views all along its length.
For day trippers from Rovaniemi in winter, the main place of interest is Koronjää Trail, a 5-kilometer trail which is the natural reserve’s only option for trails in the winter.
Walking along the Koronjää Trail
This trail brings you to a panoramic viewpoint where you can see the frozen waterfalls from above!
After that, you’ll be following the trail to the bottom of the canyon, passing frozen-over icy rivers and wooden bridges along the way, then crossing back across the river to the fire area before heading back to your starting point.
In the summer, there’s also Piippukallion Pihaus Trail (5 kilometers in length) and the Korouoma Hiking Trail (20 km), but these options are strictly seasonal.
In a hurry? This post goes over all you need to know about visiting Korouoma Canyon in depth, but if you just want the quick information, here’s what you really need to know!
How to Get There from Rovaniemi: By rental car (1.5 hour drive) or by guided tour— there is no public transportation to Korouoma Canyon.
Hike Difficulty and Length: 5 km (3.1 miles) and easy-moderate difficulty, with some elevation gain (around 130m/420 feet). There are some icy patches often on the sloped portions of the hike.
Time for Hike: 1.5 hours each way to and from Rovaniemi and 2-3 hours for the hike itself, leaving ample time to enjoy the views.
The Frozen Waterfalls of Korouoma Canyon
Close up of the Brown River ice fall in Korouoma Canyon, outside of Rovaniemi
While the peaceful Korouoma Nature Reserve can be visited year-round, it’s an especially popular destination in winter when its waterfalls ice over and create frozen waterfalls stuck in time.
As many as 20 icefalls form each year, some as tall as 70 meters (230 feet)!
Along Koronjää Trail, there are three main waterfalls that tumble over the high cliffs of the canyon, freezing over in winter and becoming icefalls.
The three main icefalls you’ll encounter on your hike are named Charlie Brown, Mammoth, and Brown River.
Charlie Brown (Jaska Jokunen in Finnish) is so-named for its dark brown color, which comes from the mineral deposits that get caught up in the water source as it runs across the iron-rich landscape.
The placard of ‘Charlie Brown’ aka Jaska Jokunen icefall
The next, Mammoth Fall (Mammuttiputous) is a beautiful blue hue, as the water source for the icefall comes from a spring nearby and doesn’t have the same opportunity to pick up iron into the water before it freezes.
The final waterfall we encountered on the trail was Brown River (Ruskea Virta). Like Charlie Brown, the water source for the icefall contains lots of iron, giving it a reddish-brown hue that is reflected in its name.
Right next to the Brown River icefall, you’ll find an open fire area where you can enjoy hot drinks, sausages, and anything else you can throw on a grill, surrounded by breathtaking scenery!
My Experience Visiting Korouoma Canyon from Rovaniemi
People at the bottom of the canyon, as seen from above
I visited Korouoma Canyon in January 2024 as a day trip from Rovaniemi and it was one of my favorite experiences of my time in Finnish Lapland!
I had seen frozen waterfalls once before, when visiting Abisko National Park in Swedish Lapland, and I was excited to have the opportunity to see them again!
As Korouoma Canyon is quite far from Rovaniemi and there isn’t any public transportation directly to the reserve, I opted to take a tour led by a professional guide.
I absolutely loved the tour I took (this is the exact one here): it was such a lovely experience to walk through the beautiful Arctic nature, taking in the unforgettable views of the icefalls, and enjoying a warm snack around the fire at the lean-to.
Nothing better than wood-fired barbecue after a hike!
On my morning tour, we left Rovaniemi city center around 9:30 AM after everyone got set up with the necessary winter clothing at the office.
If you are worried about not having the appropriate clothing for the tour, you can borrow a thermal overall suit as well as snow boots with good traction from the office, free of charge.
Occasionally, if there is deep snow, you might be offered snowshoes, but this wasn’t necessary for when we traveled to Korouoma Canyon.
In fact, it was really icy when I visited, so I was glad to have snow spikes fitted on my boots, as there were downhill sections of the hike that were quite slippery.
So slippery, in fact, that often the group (and myself as well) elected to slide down the path on our butts down the icy path! It was actually rather fun.
Sliding down the icy path (on purpose)!
We arrived at Korouoma Nature Reserve (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Korouoma National Park) a little after 11, since we stopped 45 minutes into the drive for a coffee/pastry break and to use the restroom if needed.
The 5-kilometer hike took about 3 hours since we stopped several times at the icefalls to take pictures and admire the stunning snowy scenery of Korouoma Canyon… and enjoy a chocolate pick-me-up as we admired the frozen landscape.
Along the way, you might spot some different Arctic animal species, like wild hare, martin, river otter, reindeer, or a variety of birdlife.
We didn’t see any animals during our hike — after all, Arctic Finland is a huge area, and this is a rather high foot traffic area — but we did see footprints from a river otter and a reindeer, who had come to snack on lichen on a fallen tree.
Footprints from an animal in the nature reserve
After the hike and taking photos of all the different icefalls, we headed to the campfire spots, where we sat at an open wilderness hut and had sausages with Lappish bread and mustard and roasted marshmallows for dessert.
After our campfire snack, we had a steep uphill hike back up to the top of the canyon and the parking lot, so it was nice to have a rest right before it.
It wasn’t a particularly difficult hike, but it is definitely a heart-pumper, so you’ll want to be in decent shape for it!
If you want to book the same tour that I did, I definitely recommend it! You can book here:
Be aware that it can often be bitterly cold in Korouoma Canyon, and even colder (up to 5° C difference!) at the bottom of the canyon, where all the cold air congregates.
For example, on the day we did our Korouoma Canyon tour, it was about -1° C when we started the hike and it was about -6° C once we reached the lowest point of the canyon!
Be aware that the hike involves some uphill and downhill sections, since you are descending into the heart of a canyon and then ascending above it.
The deepest point of the canyon is 130 meters or about 430 feet deep; therefore, you’ll be doing about that much elevation gain/loss throughout the hike.
I didn’t find it particularly strenuous, and I’m in moderate shape… I don’t hike often, but I’m capable of doing it when I do.
The prettiest outhouse I ever saw, in Korouoma Canyon
However those with heart conditions, pregnant travelers, etc. might find it to be a bit strenuous. Keep your own personal health and capabilities in mind when deciding whether or not to visit Korouoma Canyon from Rovaniemi.
Also, be aware that it can get really icy, especially on steep portions of the trail. At times, our group elected to sit down and slide rather than walk and risk falling.
You’ll absolutely want to wear waterproof pants for the tour, so that this can be an option for you — you definitely don’t want to get wet during the hike!
Be sure to dress warmly: you’ll need mittens or gloves (as certain portions of the hike require you to hold onto an icy rope as you descend), thermal base layers (merino wool is ideal), waterproof pants, a hat that covers your ears, a parka or a thermal overall suit, snow boots, and wool socks.
A scarf, snow spikes for your boots, and hand or foot warming packets are optional but not necessary; it depends on your tolerance for cold weather.
Getting to Korouoma Canyon from Rovaniemi
Beautiful snow-covered trees in Korouoma in January
It’s definitely possible to visit Korouoma Canyon without a guided tour, but you would need to rent a car in Rovaniemi.
You can rent cars at the Rovaniemi airport, but you’ll want to book online in advance as there is limited supply, especially during the winter.
Travel Tip: I always use Discover Cars when renting a car — their interface is easy to use, their full coverage insurance is the best deal you can find, and they search over 500 rental companies (including small local ones) to find the best price for your rental, not limiting you to only the big international names.
If you’re going to drive in Rovaniemi, you need to be fully confident in your ability to handle hazardous winter road conditions.
Be honest with yourself about your driving abilities.There’s almost always snow and ice on the roads in the winter: this is the Arctic circle, after all.
View from the panoramic viewpoint in Korouoma
Plus, there aren’t accessible shoulders on the highway towards Korouoma as all the snowfall has been pushed to the sides of the road by the snow plows.
If you don’t feel comfortable renting a car and driving, the best option (and the one I did) is taking a guided tour with a small group.
The tour I took included transportation to and from Korouoma Canyon, which is located a 1.5-hour drive outside of Rovaniemi.
If you’re staying at one of the hotels outside the Rovaniemi City Center, such as in the Santa Claus Village or the Ounasvaara vicinity, pick-up and drop-off is included in the standard price.
For places outside the immediate Rovaniemi area, such as Apukka Resort, Arctic Snow Hotel, and Vaattunki Wilderness Resort, there is an additional transfer fee added.
For those in the city center, the tour company asks that you meet them at their office as their starting point, as the tour company no longer offers city center pickups in an effort to be more sustainable and use less fuel.
Ice Climbing in Korouoma Canyon
Watching ice climbers work their magic!
While many people visit Korouoma Canyon for its beautiful nature and unforgettable views, it’s also the ideal place in Finnish Lapland to try your hand at ice climbing!
Ice climbing should only be done by those with the skills and knowledge to do so safely, led by an outdoor guide who understands the area’s landscape and how to explore it safely.
You’ll be led by an expert climbing instructor, who will provide all necessary gear and equipment (besides the appropriate warm clothes, which you are responsible for) and the opportunity to climb the ice walls two times!
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Finnish Lapland is a region of untamed beauty, one that’s a bucket list wish for many people.
The magic of life above the Arctic Circle is hard to express, especially its pristine landscapes and dazzling Northern lights displays.
Getting here is a trek, but it’s worth the effort, and many travelers don’t want to end their trip to Finnish Lapland without some mementos from their time in Finland.
That leaves many travelers to Arctic Finland wondering: what even are some good Lapland souvenirs?
Whether you’re shopping for yourself to keep the memory of the Arctic alive or you’re bringing a slice of Lappish tradition back home to loved ones who couldn’t join you, this guide to Lapland souvenirs and gifts will be a good starting point.
Christmas souvenirs from Santa Claus Village
This guide goes beyond fridge magnets and postcards: it draws inspiration for meaningful gifts from Finland that go beyond the conventional.
This Lapland souvenir guide is focused on highlighting items that embody the sustainability, craftsmanship, and traditions of Lapland, including products that are eco-conscious, Nordic inspired, and influenced by the Sámi culture of the northernmost reaches of Europe.
You can find these gifts in downtown Rovaniemi, in many boutiques and shops in ski resort towns like Ruka and Levi, and even the Rovaniemi airport is a surprisingly great place to souvenir shop!
Sámi handicrafts
Duodji is the word for Sámi artisan crafts made in traditional ways by the indigenous Sámi people.
The crafts are regulated in Finland, so that only items marked SámiDuodji (fully handmade by Sámi artists) or Sámi Made (designed by a Sámi artist, but not necessarily traditionally made) are authentic.
Unfortunately a lot of cheap manufacturers have ripped off Sámi intellectual property designs and stripped them of their meaning, as some Sámi clothing has very special significance specific to a family, area of origin, etc.
If you want to buy Sámi designs and ensure you are appreciating the culture rather than appropriating it, look for items marked either Sámi Made or Sámi Duodji.
Sámi designs include embroidered ribbon work, reindeer-hide shoes, and more.
To get an idea of what Sámi crafts look like, you can check them out here, but buying these online will be a lot more expensive than buying them from a Sámi artist in Finland.
Reindeer-based snacks
One of the most quintessential ingredients in Finnish cuisine is reindeer… yes, really.
While you can’t exactly bring back a perfectly-cooked reindeer steak, you can likely bring home a little Lappish reindeer in a more, uh, travel-friendly format.
At the smallest of grocery stores and even at the airport, you can buy reindeer-based meat products, like reindeer pâté and reindeer jerky.
Depending on what country you are going to, these travel well and don’t need to be refrigerated for transit!
However, if you are traveling overseas on your way back from your Lapland adventure, you may not be able to bring meat products back through customs.
Keep this in mind if your country is particularly strict about these things!
Reindeer pelt rugs
The Sámi people, who both historically and in present-day make a living off of reindeer husbandry, don’t waste any part of the animal.
Their reindeer pelts are proof of this important ethos, which is about taking no more than you need from the land.
Reindeer have been domesticated by the Sámi people in Northern Finland (and Sweden and Norway and the Kola Peninsula too) for thousands of years.
Despite the rugged conditions of life in the Arctic, reindeer are easy to raise sustainably, living nomadically and naturally outdoors while being herded by their Sámi guardians.
While it may seem like an unusual choice of meat, reindeer is one of the most commonly eaten meats in Finland and particularly in Lapland because it’s incredibly sustainable.
Since reindeer is eaten so often, it’s not surprising that reindeer pelts are a natural byproduct of that — and you can buy a gorgeous reindeer pelt at all sorts of shops and also the airport!
For a reference on price, as of February 2024, a small area rug made from a single reindeer pelt typically costs between 150 and 200 euro.
Christmas ornaments
Since Rovaniemi is home to Santa Claus Village, it’s not surprising that a lot of Lapland souvenirs are focused on the Christmas season.
If you’re visiting after the Christmas holidays (as I did, since my last visit was in January and February), don’t worry — it’s always Christmas in Santa Claus Village.
All throughout SCV, downtown Rovaniemi, and other Finnish Lapland towns, you’ll find adorable Lappish-themed ornaments.
These are great to put on your tree this year and for many years to come, always evoking the memory of Lapland in winter!
Camping cups
One of the most popular souvenirs in Nordics are metal cups that are perfect for camping and backpacking.
These cups are extremely durable, making them easy to toss in a bag or clip on the outside of a backpack.
As a bonus, they’re not just functional, they’re often quite cute: Nordic design is top-notch!
Finnish wooden cups (Kuksa)
For a more Finland-specific souvenir, there is a unique kind of cup that is made from birch burl, called kuksa when they’re turned into cups.
Essentially, a burl (a large mass) on a birch tree is cut off, which doesn’t harm the tree at all.
This knot grows in a circular fashion, with lots of pulpy fibers.
Rather than carving the cup with a knife and disrupt the natural layers, fibers, and structure of the knot, the cup is hand-“carved”.
This takes a lot of work and can only be done by hand, so expect these cups to cost upwards of 50 euro per cup, and sometimes closer to 100 euro.
There are cheaper versions that sell for around 20 euro per cup which look similar but don’t have the same design process or durability.
These are a good compromise if you want the aesthetic, but just be aware that they are made of wood composite and aren’t traditional Finnish souvenirs but rather a product of the modern era.
If your budget allows and this is the kind of item you want to buy, I recommend buying an authentic kuksa from a birch burl to support this ongoing tradition.
Handicrafts are always an endangered custom in our modern time, which focuses on quantity and “value” over durability and tradition.
When possible, support an authentic craft!
Wool garments
Wool is the only way to get through a Finnish winter… trust me!
Honestly, I resisted wool for the longest time as I found it quite itchy, especially since I am neurodivergent, and sensory sensitivity is a large part of my disabilities.
But what I never learned was how to properly layer wool: the softest and finest knit possible on the bottom layer, and then you have a nice barrier for more thick-knit wools.
Technically, they’re a Norwegian brand, but the love for Kari Traa is pan-Nordic: you’ll find them in plenty of stores in Lapland like Intersport, often on sale in January and onwards!
But wool base layers aren’t the most exciting gift from Lapland, I’ll admit… even if they may be absurdly practical.
For a more traditional Lapland gift, you can get really cute, thick wool garments like socks, scarves, mittens (so much warmer than gloves!), and even thick wooly sweaters if the budget allows.
Finnish teas
The Finns love drinking coffee and tea… and let’s be real.
How else are you going to get through an Arctic winter, which can have as little as literally zero hours of daylight per day in some parts of Northern Finland?
While Finland loves its coffee, it imports virtually all of it, and while there are roasteries (with some especially lovely ones in Lahti), that’s not really a typically Finnish gift.
Instead, I’d suggest bringing home some of the unique Finnish teas, which focus on ingredients loved in Finland, like cloudberry, sea buckthorn, spruce, cranberry, and blueberry!
Antler candle holders
Another Northern Nordic design element that is quite popular is utilizing antlers in decor.
One affordable and portable example perfect for a souvenir from Lapland are things like these cute antler candle holders that are a perfect centerpiece for a table.
Using reindeer antlers in decor is part of the Sámi and Finnish dedication to respecting the life of the animal by finding a use for every part of it.
That said, some of these antlers are recovered from reindeer who have just shed their antlers on the ground, so it’s not necessarily an animal byproduct in the same way that reindeer pelts are.
Moomin souvenirs
The popular children’s cartoon, Moomin, is a major point of Finnish national pride.
In fact, there’s even an entire Moomin Museum in Tampere dedicated to this beloved animated figure!
You can buy all sorts of cute Moomin figurines, magnets, and other souvenirs — a perfect Lapland souvenir for kiddos, and one that is quintessentially Finnish.
Reindeer leather products
Another reindeer item?
Well, it may seem like overkill but this shows just how essential reindeer are to Finnish life, and how little waste happens with traditional artistry of the region.
While some reindeer skins are turned to pelts, others are turned into leather, dyed, and turned into wallets and other leather goods.
Nordic skincare
The Nordic region has great skincare brands, some of which you’re probably already familiar with from back home, like Ole Henriksen.
Look for unique brands that you can only find in Finland, like Lumene, which incorporate traditional, sustainable Finnish and Nordic skincare products that aren’t often found in other brands.
Some products in this vein would be their Nordic-C Arctic Berry Oil, a vegan serum made with cloudberries, cranberries, and lingonberries: packed with antioxidants and vitamin C!
Since Arctic conditions can be really hard on your skin (it’s especially dry here), Nordic skincare brands really deliver!
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
If you’re planning a trip to Sicily, you’re probably planning to visit its epic coastline, stunning beaches, charming beach towns, and countless historical spots.
But there’s one thing you simply can’t miss: visiting the iconic Mt. Etna, the tallest active volcano in all of Europe.
The towering, simmering Mt. Etna is located near the city of Catania and the charming commune of Taormina, making it a convenient spot to visit.
And when you realize that the Etna region is home to some of Italy’s best wines, that’s all the more reason to check one of these Etna wine tours on your trip.
Whether you’re staying in Catania or Taormina, you’ll be close to all the best spots in Sicily, surrounded by beautiful beaches all along the coast.
While there’s a lot of history in the area, let’s be honest: just the views of Mount Etna alone would be worth the trip!
But of course, Sicilian food is incredibly delicious, and made even more so by the local Mount Etna wine.
From rich and deep Nero d’Avola to the region’s signature Etna Rosso wine, made from a blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, the winemaking scene in the Etna wine region is fantastic.
And while Sicily’s better known for its red wines, don’t sleep on its white wines, primarily the Etna Biancos which are made from the local indigenous Carricante and Catarrato grape varieties.
The mineral-rich volcanic terroir of the Etna slopes has allowed for some pretty unique wines to emerge here, distinct from what you’d find in Tuscan Chianti region or Veneto’s Prosecco area.
Italy’s wines are as diverse as its landscapes and people, after all, and Sicily is an important part of that equation.
So what are you waiting for? Pack your bags, spend the day taking a Mt Etna wine tour, and give your palette the treatment it deserves!
We’ll go into the top 11 Etna wine tours below and details of what’s included in each, but if you don’t have time for that, here’s the quick run-down of my favorite picks!
Mt. Etna wine has a distinct terroir from its volcanic soils, which are mineral-rich as a result of past volcanic eruptions, as the soil has mingled with lava and ash.
Another distinctive factor that separates Mt. Etna wine from the rest is its relatively high altitude of cultivation, as it’s typically grown from 600-1,000 meters up — that’s 2,000 to 3,000 feet!
High altitudes = cooler weather and longer ripening times, creating more complexity and structure in the wines.
Plus, many Etna wineries preserve the indigenous grape varieties unique to the island, like Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, and Nero d’Avola.
You likely won’t taste these grapes outside of Sicily!
Etna wines come in several varieties: Etna Rosso (red wines), Etna Bianco (from Carricante and Catarratto white wine grapes), Etna Rosatao (a rosé made from Nerello Mascalese grapes), and Etna Passito (a lush dessert wine).
⌛ Tour Length: 7 hours | 🌟 Rating: 4.8/5 stars (20+ reviews) | 🍷 Book Now
Unique Features: -Full day trip with pick up and drop off from Catania -Sampling 7 different Mt Etna wines, local honey, and olive oil -Enjoying a large three-course meal at the second winery visit
You’ll get the ball rolling at your first stop, Zafferana Etnea, a commune of Catania known for its honey and olive oil.
And yes, you will be sampling the local products, don’t you worry!
Once you hit your first winery with your small group, you’ll learn about the harvesting and production process of Mt Etna wines.
This way, you have some context for the delicious local wines before your first taste test.
The fun (and drinks) continue over at the second winery, but that’s not all – there’s also a tasty, local Sicilian lunch to go along with the 3 different Etna DOC wines you’ll be tasting paired with your meal!
The antipasto, primo, and secondo should keep you nice and full for the final leg of the tour, where local experts will give you a guided walk through the Mt Etna vineyards.
The Mt Etna tour concludes in the early evening, giving you plenty of time to explore Catania before tucking in for the night!
⌛ Tour Length: 8 hours | 🌟 Rating: 4.3/5 stars (10+ reviews) | 🍷 Book Now
Unique Features: -Hiking the lava caves, craters & volcanic region of Mt. Etna -Wine tasting and light lunch after exploring Etna -Positive English language guides with in-depth knowledge of the Etna region
This Etna wine tour will take about 8 hours of your day, but there’s a good reason for that: this tour combines a trip to both the Mt Etna volcano and the Etna wineries around it!
First, your guide will show you around the general Mount Etna area before taking you to see a lava tube (created by running lava flow from previous eruptions that cooled over time) and its surrounding craters.
Needless to say, you want to make sure you’re appropriately dressed since there’s a lot of exploring and light trekking on this tour.
Hiking shoes, some layers (as it can get cold on Mt. Etna!), and some light snacks are a must!
After immersing yourself in the fascinating geology and volcanic landscape of Mt Etna, it’s time to enjoy the spoils of all that volcanic activity – a series of delicious wines!
If all that learning and tasting leaves you feeling a bit peckish, next up is a delicious light lunch before wrapping things up.
You’ll then be transported back to your hotel in Catania at the end of the tour.
⌛ Tour Length: 6 hours | 🌟 Rating: 4.8/5 stars (120+ reviews) | 🍷 Book Now
Unique Features: –An unforgettable drive through some of Sicily’s most charming coastal villages -Sampling wine and snacks at wineries and an open-air amphitheater -Enjoying some farm-to-table goods, such as pasta, produce, and limoncello
After picking you up, your guides will take you on a scenic drive through various villages in coastal Sicily – these beach towns are so charming.
Plus, the flora and architecture here along the coast really are unique, so you’ll probably be taking pictures throughout the entire drive!
Your first stop after the scenic drive is a visit to a family-run Mt Etna winery, where you can try some fine Etna rosé to start the wine tasting part of the tour!
After checking out the wine cellars, you’ll hit the ruins of a historic open amphitheater and indulge in some snacks and even more Etna wine samples!
You’d better save some room, though, since you’ll also be going to a farmhouse and trying out a typical Sicilian lunch that makes use of the pasta, produce, and typical products of the region.
After all, Sicily is famous for more than just its wine production!
The last step is trying out some limoncello before heading back to Taormina.
⌛ Tour Length: 7 hours | 🌟 Rating: 4.8/5 stars (50+ reviews) | 🍷 Book Now
Unique Features: -A memorable drive to Rifugio Sapienza with photo stops -A scenic uphill hike or cable car ride, followed by a lava tube visit -Sampling a wide variety of wines, still and sparkling, along with local snacks
This Etna wine tour might be the best way to experience just how scenic the Etna National Park really is.
The first order of business is to drive up to Rifugio Sapienza up on the slopes of Mt Etna, all while making stops at scenic vistas along the way – don’t worry, your camera will eat just as well as you will on this trip!
Your guide will explain the geology and history during each stop, so this is a great tour if you’re interested in the region’s history – both of the land and of the people.
Next up, you can either take a two-kilometer hike across various scenic hiking paths or take a cable car up the mountain for some scenic photo ops at the top of the mountain.
Whichever one you opt for, everyone unites at the next point: a lava cave – not something you get to see every day, and not something you likely associate with a wine tour!
After all that fun and excitement, it’s time to get to the wines… because this is just as much a wine tasting Etna experience as it is a hiking tour!
You’ll get to toast with some sparkling Sicilian wine, try four local kinds of still wine (with grapes grown on the slopes of Mount Etna), and have a bunch of Sicilian snacks to go along with them!
⌛ Tour Length: 1.5 hours | 🌟 Rating: 4.8/5 stars (20+ reviews) | 🍷 Book Now
Unique Features: -Quick Etna winery tour perfect for quick Sicily trips -Perfect for people who prefer more independent travel to guided tours -Trying Etna wines with local Sicilian food pairings
In case you’re looking for something short yet scenic, this 1.5-hour Etna wine tour has your name written all over it!
However, this is only a good tour option if you have rented a car in Sicily, since you’ll need to drive yourself to the tour’s meeting point – transportation is not included.
You’ll get into the action right away with some white wine tasting, followed by an underground winery tour led by an expert sommelier.
You get to learn which local products go well with which types of wine – pretty useful information for any aspiring wine aficionado!
After that, there’s even more wine to be had. Up to seven glasses for you to sample, to be specific, depending on which tour you opt for!
Applying what you learned at the start of the tour, you get to mix and match these wines with black Nebrodi pork, ricotta cannoli, and some other mouth-watering Sicilian delicacies!
⌛ Tour Length: 6.5 – 7 hours | 🌟 Rating: 4.9/5 stars (40+ reviews) | 🍷 Book Now
Unique Features: -Visiting 3 different wineries – more than most Etna wine tours on this list -Getting to try a total of 12 wines, enjoying as much as you’d like -Private tour with pickup in either Catania, Taormina, or Messina
This private tour covers three wineries, some of the most prestigious in the Etna area.
Between the three of them, you can sample a total of 12 wines – and they won’t hesitate to top you off on any of your favorites, either.
The first winery sets the tone with some delicious Etna white wine, as well as a guided tour of the winery premises and a rundown of the production process, including how the volcanic soil impacts the wine region.
The breathtaking views from the terrace don’t hurt, either!
Each of the following Etna wineries offers an even greater variety of drinks and food, so you’ll definitely be going home with your stomach full (and head a-buzzing).
Best of all, since this tour is private, you’ll have individualized attention and can ask as much as you want about the winemaking process!
⌛ Tour Length: 7 hours | 🌟 Rating: New! | 🍷 Book Now
Unique Features: -The chance to get a 3,000-meter-altitude view from the Etna summit -Option for shorter hike instead, plus all enjoy a guided tour of a lava flow cave -Sampling five wines with appetizers at one of Etna’s best wineries
This Etna group tour is perfect for wine geeks and geology nerds alone: this Etna wine tour not only educates you on the wine, but also the volcano’s history along the way.
Plus, the drive climbing up to the Sapienza Refuge is an adventure in itself: the landscape is awe-inspiring, to say the least.
There have been more recent lava flows in the area that have affected the volcanic terrain, and your guide will tell you all about it – and what that means for Etna wine in general!
After some exploring, your options include a shorter hike or alonger trek under the guidance of a local mountain guide – your choice (either is a good option, especially since you haven’t started the wine tasting yet!)
Fair warning, you’re missing out on quite a view if you don’t go with the latter!
I highly recommend that if it’s at all possible: you’ll reach the summit of the volcano, around 3,000 meters above sea level!
Either way, at Rifugio Sapienza (at 1,920 meters of altitude), you’ll be visiting a lava flow cave to conclude the sightseeing portion of the tour.
Finally, it’s time for the wine, but it sure is worth the wait – the appetizer platter that goes along with it is what really seals the deal.
You’ll try five delicious local Etna wines, made all the better by a sample of fritters, local cheese, Italian cold cuts, olive oil, and farm-made pâté.
⌛ Tour Length: 6 – 7 hours | 🌟 Rating: 4.7/5 stars (10+ reviews) | 🍷 Book Now
Unique Features: -A chance to go as high as 3,300 meters up Mount Etna to the summit -Exploring Silvestri Crateri and looking at lava-made souvenirs -Indulging in a hearty meal and several different kinds of wine
There’s a lot to see on the drive from Catania, but the best part is when you reach Zafferana Etnea and start tasting some local honey, jams, and liquors made from local produce.
Even further up the road is Rifugio Sapienza, one of the most scenic parts of all of the Etna region, near the Silvestri Crateri.
No reason to stop there though – for an even better view, you can take a cable car to go even higher to the summit for an additional €65 fee.
The tour is private, so as long as you and yours all agree, you really ought to make the trip up to the summit.
Either way, your trekking will be rewarded on the way down with a memorable winery visit at the end of the Etna tour.
Besides the obligatory local red and white wines, you’ll be served everything from veggies and olive oils to meat and cheese from the surrounding region.
⌛ Tour Length: 9 hours | 🌟 Rating: 5/5 stars (300+ reviews) | 🍷 Book Now
Unique Features: -Hiking in Mt. Etna, Monti Sartorius, and Alcantara River Park -Enjoying a large meal along with generous wine samples -Visiting the stunning, scenic Alcantara Gorge
This 9-hour Etna wine tour is worth every penny, as it covers virtually everything you could hope to experience along Sicily’s eastern coast.
Starting off from Taormina, you’ll set out on an amazing hike on Mt Etna, taking in the lava caves and moon-like volcanic landscapes that Mount Etna is known for.
Afterwards, you’ll check out two more scenic hiking areas, Monti Sartorius and Alcantara River Park.
You’ll definitely want to wear some trekking shoes for this combined hiking and Etna wine tour.
After all that hiking, you’ll have worked up quite the appetite. Luckily, there’s a three-course meal waiting for you, along with some of Sicily’s best wines.
Still, the best part is probably getting to see the Alcantara Gorge – pictures don’t do this place justice, so you’ll just have to see for yourself.
All that eating and trekking will knock the wind out of you, so rest easy on the way back in the air conditioned minivan.
You can relax, because your tour operator will drop you back off at your accommodation once you’re done.
⌛ Tour Length: 6 hours | 🌟 Rating: 5/5 stars (210+ reviews) | 🍷 Book Now
Unique Features: -Tasting up to 12 different Etna wines -Thorough tour of each of three distinct Etna wineries -Enjoying a variety of local food and Sicilian snacks throughout the day
One thorough winery tour may be enough for casual wine drinkers, but it won’t quite do it for the serious wine drinker who is looking to dive deep on their Etna wine tasting excursion.
Luckily, this private 6-hour wine tour covers a whopping three wineries near Mt Etna!
The drive there has some unique stops that other Mount Etna wine tours skip, which makes it a pretty unique Etna experience.
I mean, how many people can say they’ve seen a church made of volcanic rock… while on a wine tour, nonetheless?
Once you hit your first Etna winery, you’ll get to enjoy a guided tour of the estate and a variety of wine samples to get you started on the right foot.
Hard to resist a large plate of deliciousness and five different wines with a scenic balcony view!
There’s more where that came from, though, as the second winery will have you tasting another four wines!
Ending things on a high note, the final winery offers three particularly high-caliber Mt Etna wines and even more snacks.
No one could blame you if you couldn’t eat or drink anymore at that point, though!
⌛ Tour Length: 7 – 9 hours | 🌟 Rating: 5/5 stars (35+ reviews) | 🍷 Book Now
Unique Features: -Getting to explore the Silvestri Craters at 2,000 meters high -Tasting produce at a local farm alongside a wine tasting -Lunch at a scenic winery, complete with a wine tasting flight
If you’re a couple or small group looking to get pampered for a day, it doesn’t get better than this Etna wine tour!
Wherever you are in the general Catania region, your friendly guides will go above and beyond to pick you up.
If you’re not feeling confident about driving up the mountain yourself (or if you’ve opted not to rent a car in Italy), this tour is the perfect way to see the Silvestri Craters firsthand.
By the way, the 2,000-meter-high view is probably one of the most spectacular sights you’ll see in all of Sicily!
To get you salivating before the big wine tasting finale, your guides will take you to a farm to sample some local specialties first.
After all, Etna is first and foremost an agricultural region!
Once you’re at the winery, you also get to enjoy a full Sicilian lunch alongside some wine samples before heading back home from your Mount Etna wine tasting tour.
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
With rolling hills and vineyards as your everyday backdrop, renting a Tuscany villa with a private pool is one of the best ways to experience the bucolic landscapes of Italy’s most beautiful countryside.
And with fully-equipped kitchens, al fresco dining areas, and beautiful gardens, a home’s comforts meets nature’s beauty in these villas.
Of course, the crown jewel of many of these Tuscan villas are their private pools, a little secluded sanctuary to float clear blue skies or lounge at the water’s edge with a glass of Chianti in hand.
Renting a villa in Tuscany with a private pool is not just about luxury, though it can be if you want it to be — there are plenty of luxe jewels in this list, but also some budget sleeper hits that will surprise you with how affordable they are.
It’s also about embracing the experience of traveling with a group of loved ones, whether that’s the family you’re born into or the family you’ve chosen.
In between relaxing at your Tuscan pool villa, you can explore medieval towns, taste your way through the humbly decadent Tuscan cuisine, or merely indulge in the sweet art of doing nothing at all!
My Top 3 Picks For Tuscany Villas with Private Pools
These pool villas in Tuscany are pretty much impossible to reach with public transportation, and they are often in the countryside, not within walking distance of any amenities.
If you don’t want to feel isolated, you’ll definitely want to rent a car in Tuscany to make the most of your stay.
I recommend renting a car as soon as you fly into Florence (assuming you are starting your trip there), since you’ll get the best rates at the Florence airport.
I use Discover Cars to search for the best car rental prices in Italy, since they compare 500+ agencies (including smaller local ones, not just the big names) to find the best deal on your rental.
Best Villas in Tuscany with Private Pools for Large Groups
Overall Best For Big Groups: Villa Il Turchetto – Book Here
This massive Tuscany villa with private pool is the perfect choice for large groups — it can fit as many as 16 guests in its 8 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms (no bathroom hold-ups here!).
Even with a full house, you won’t be cramped at all. Villa Il Turchetto is a whopping 5,000 square feet, larger than life on the inside with high ceilings and exposed wood beams.
The bedrooms are a variety of sizes, from smaller rooms perfect for kiddos to larger master-style suites, but truly no one will feel shafted by the rooms — they’re all very comfortable.
Some of the bathrooms even have bathtubs, for those of us who love a good soak at the end of a day on vacation.
… and speaking of good soaks, the location in Saturnia means that you’re right next to one of Tuscany’s hidden gems, the thermal springs right in town.
When you’re this close, it’s a breeze to be there bright and early to be some of the first ones to enjoy the springs, which can get rather busy after the morning hours.
Back to this villa: with a living room with a fireplace, comfy armchairs, and a wall of built-in bookcases just begging you to curl up with a good novel, you absolutely will find yourself wishing you can move in.
The outdoor spaces here are massive too: plenty of comfortable cushioned chairs shaded by a thatched-style awning, giving you shade with hints of sun as you enjoy a Tuscan afternoon on the porch.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a trip to Tuscany without many a dinner al fresco.
Luckily, with a massive, well-equipped kitchen (I think I counted a whopping 8 burners to use on the massive, hood-range stove) and enough outdoor seating to fit the whole crew, you’re ready to host unforgettable dinners in the cool Tuscan night breeze.
As for the pool, you won’t make any sacrifices here: it’s huge, so every single one of 16 guests could be in the pool without feeling crowded.
It’s large enough to swim laps in, but it’s also just a wonderful place to relax in, admiring the Tuscan countryside all around you and the lovely rolling hills you can see out of every corner of your eye.
Best For Spa Lovers: Podere La Piscina – Acqua Termale e Relax – Book Here
This gorgeous villa is more like a typical Tuscan pool villa meets a full-on spa — complete with a sauna and a thermal pool and hot tub with natural spring water, it really does check all the ‘spa’ boxes!
Yes, Podere La Piscina literally has its own hot spring on the property — how’s that for a unique pool villa in Tuscany?
The spring has a constant temperature of 38°C or 100°F, so it’s perfect for visiting outside of the summer season if you want a heated pool.
If you’re looking for a colder pool for swimming laps and cooling off on hot Tuscan days, this may not be the right villa for you in the summer months!
Some of the bathrooms also feel very spa-like, including one where two people can take baths side by side using the thermal water!
Located in the countryside of Val d’Orcia in the charming village of San Casciano dei Bagni, this is one of the most scenic areas of Tuscany to stay in.
Think of that beautiful winding road lined with trees that you likely think of the image of Tuscany, and that’s the Val d’Orcia!
The town it’s near, San Casciano dei Bagni, is part of the association of most beautiful villages in Italy.
Best of all, it’s only a kilometer away, so you can reach it on foot or with a car — so this is a great mix of a private-feeling villa yet still not feeling cut off from the delight of Tuscan small towns.
This five-bedroom Tuscany villa with a private pool is very traditional, made of stone in the old-fashioned way (as a natural form of air conditioning) — but of course, it has regular A/C as well, because this villa will not let you miss any of your creature comforts.
Sleeping up to 10 guests, the bedrooms are great for a mix of families or a group of friends — 4 of the rooms have large double beds, but there’s one bedroom with two twin size beds.
There are many common spaces to enjoy with your group, like the large living room with three huge plush couches to gather around, all surrounding a fireplace.
This room is set in a high-ceilinged room complete with an exposed wooden ceiling with its original beams and a skylight — and a piano, in case any of you are musical!
All that plus a huge, well-equipped kitchen for making delicious meals with local ingredients and plenty of room to gather around the table, and you’ll see why this is the perfect Tuscany villa with private pool — nay, private hot springs — for larger groups!
Largest Pool Villa: Locanda in Tuscany – Book Here
This may be the largest Tuscany villa with a private pool on the list: the large house can sleep up to 24 guests in its 9 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, and a whopping 7,500 square foot floor plan!
Included in your stay is a daily breakfast at the nearby restaurant, which you can also visit for lunch or dinner if you don’t feel up to cooking for yourself.
That said, they do have a fully-equipped massive kitchen as well as outdoor BBQ facilities, so you can opt for self-catering or going out to as many meals as you like.
The outsized villa, of course, has an outsized private pool to match: stretching nearly as long as the house itself, it’s the perfect place to swim laps or take a dip during the hot afternoons in Tuscany.
There are also lots of loungers, as well as a shaded area for enjoying the afternoons outside without worrying about getting to much sun.
The pool area also has an epic sunset view, and the rolling hills of the Val d’Orcia of Tuscany is one of the entire region’s most scenic areas.
Let’s talk about the inside, now: the villa is freshly renovated, with an updated farmhouse-inspired aesthetic in all its bedrooms.
Some of the bedrooms even have their own fireplace or clawfoot bathtub in the room!
Nearly every square inch of this Tuscany villa with a pool is absolutely begging to be photographed, from its huge pool with floating chairs and rolling hill views to its fringed hammocks to its lovely minimalist décor to, of course, its lavender field!
Note, of course, lavender fields are not a year-round phenomenon — expect it to be at its peak from mid-June through mid-July — so you’ll want to book those dates in particular if the lavender field is a major selling point.
Located in the countryside of Marsiliana, this 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom villa is over 2,000 square feet and has plenty of room to accommodate up to 11 guests.
Rooms all have a very boutique hotel feel, with lovely high ceilings, a muted earth tone color palette livened up by thoughtful bursts of color, and bathrooms with rain showers!
The kitchen is massive and open, perfect for entertaining a large group while you cook, as well as outdoor BBQ facilities.
Plus, this villa has its own pizza oven — how amazing is that?
And of course, since you’re looking for a Tuscany villa with a pool, I’d be remiss to mention just how large this pool is: perfect for laps or simple afternoon swims, the entire group could be in the pool at one time and it wouldn’t feel cramped!
There are also plenty of comfortable chairs and hammocks around the poolside to curl up with a book in between swims.
The lovely Casa Terzerie has all the structure of the typical regal villas of Como, with more old-fashioned features like four-poster beds, high ceilings with exposed wooden beams, and typical Tuscan tiling.
It’s great for a medium-sized group, sleeping up to 10 guests in its 5 bedrooms, each with double beds.
It’s nearly 3,500 square feet, so there’s plenty of space to not crowd each other.
The swimming pool is huge and gorgeous, lined up perfectly with the setting sun for gorgeous sunset swims.
And while the house feels very secluded, it’s perfectly situated as there’s a delicious restaurant within walking distance, 400 meters away.
That said, you’d never have to go out for meals if you don’t want to, as there’s a huge and well-equipped kitchen as well as a gorgeous al fresco dining area perfect for big meals with friends.
Best for Dinner Parties: Villa Podere Del Grasso – Book Here
Located in Castel del Piano, this Tuscany villa with a pool is a secluded little getaway perfect for groups up to 12 — perfect for families or trips with a large group of friends.
This villa in Tuscany in absolutely massive: we’re talking six bedrooms, plus two sofa beds in the living room, so it’s easy to accommodate a large group of people.
With an enormous private pool to swim laps in or cool off in under the hot Tuscan sun, or a fireplace to gather around inside during the cooler months, this is a wonderful all-seasons villa in Tuscany for large groups.
The villa interior is gorgeous, with high ceilings complete with exposed wooden beams, completing the rustic Tuscan vibe.
A spacious kitchen with a center island to gather around is another huge perk of this villa, as it’s easy to self-cater if you want to host dinners cooking with local, seasonal ingredients — it’d be a shame to waste Italian summer produce!
A housekeeper is available in case you need any tidying while you’re staying in the villa (note that there’s an additional charge)
With a porch featuring hammock seats overlooking the hills, this Tuscany pool villa is the perfect place to take in the sunset and relax with a glass of local Chianti.
Travel insurance coverage helps you recoup your losses in case of emergency, accident, illness, or theft.
I rely on SafetyWing to cover me in case my travel plans change due to forces out of my control, or if something bad happens to me while I’m on the road. It offers great rates starting around $12/week with clear, easy-to-read coverage.
Best Outdoor Sunset Space: Villa Colletto – Book Here
If your favorite time of the day is sunset, this is the perfect Tuscany villa with a pool for you: Villa Colletto has one of the nicest sunset-facing terraces I’ve ever seen!
Complete with several comfortable wicker sofas and chairs with plush pillows, arranged in a circle around a table to place drinks and antipasti on, this is the perfect place to watch the sun sink into the small, rugged mountains of the Tuscan countryside.
And after the sun sets, there’s still plenty of outdoor beauty to enjoy, like the massive dining table that’ll fit the entire group with views over the surroundings villages, only tiny pinpricks of light in the dark.
The house has 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and comfortably sleeps 8 guests, though honestly, I do expect it could fit more if you asked.
The interior is absolutely gorgeous too, keeping in mind the historical feel of traditional Italian villas with some incredible design features, from ornate ceilings to chandeliers to exposed beams.
One of my favorites is a bathroom with murals painted on the wall of a Tuscan landscape, complete with an exposed wooden beam ceiling, a wrought-iron standalone bathtub, and sconce lighting.
It’s like taking a bath in another century!
The bedrooms too feel like they came out of a 19th century Lake Como villa, with exposed beam ceilings, delicate molding features, vintage furnishings, and many with en-suite bathrooms that continue the charm.
And of course, you looked up Tuscany pool villas so let’s talk about the pool: it’s simply huge, large enough to swim laps in or have a pool party in!
There’s also lots of loungers around the pool to take breaks for sunbathing or book-worming.
And the pool also is a great sunset spot to boot — you get epic views of the setting sun and its palette of brilliant sunset colors here, too.
There are both indoor and outdoor kitchens, and you can even hire a private chef who can cook Italian classics for you.
Perhaps even better for lovers of Tuscan wine, they have their own wine cellar and can arrange for private wine tastings!
The prices for the chef and wine tasting are rather reasonable too, starting at 35-45€ per person for meals and 25-35€ per person for wine tasting.
Who knew private luxury in your own Tuscan pool villa could be that inexpensive?
Once a fortress and a few scattered farmhouses, Chiarentana is now a gorgeous, modern place to stay with a variety of options, but we’ll focus on the villa here, since it has its own private pool.
Oh, and did I mention it’s also an olive oil farm? It doesn’t get any more Tuscan than that, does it?
The rooms are typical Italian understated villa beauty: simple but elegant furnishings that mix and match vintage with modern, so all your creature comforts are met while still having that traditional villa feel.
The kitchen is huge and spacious, high-ceilinged with lots of natural light and counter space, plus an in-kitchen dining table for entertaining and having family or group meals.
There’s also a huge living room with a fireplace and lots of seating, perfect for a night of chats, games, and drinks to match.
With four bedrooms (3 queen, one with two twin) and a living room with a sofa bed, as well as two bathrooms, there’s plenty of space at this Tuscan villa so you won’t feel crowded, even if you’re at max capacity.
It’s also rather close to the Florence airport, making transfers a breeze, as it’s located about halfway between Florence and Arrezzo, another charming Tuscan city.
The interior oozes Italian countryside charm, with rustic exposed stonework in the dining room, an outdoor area perfect for al fresco dinners with endless Chianti pours, and the typical rust-red and mustard-yellow hues of the Tuscan countryside in the shared areas.
On cool nights, there’s also a fireplace to enjoy and gather around in the lovely living room — but if it’s warm, don’t worry, this Tuscan villa is complete with A/C as well!
But of course, the real draw is the private pool: beautiful day or night, this infinity pool looks over the rolling hills of Tuscany.
And all lit up at night in beautiful turquoise and gold, there couldn’t be a better place to drink wine and chat with friends and family late into the early morning hours.
Plus, there’s a Jacuzzi as well to use!
And if you thought it didn’t get any better, the lovely couple who runs the villa, Gaetano and Francesca, will cook for you — even making you delicious home-cooked pizzas in their pizza oven!
This is the perfect villa to stay in if you don’t want to feel totally secluded out in the countryside far from all the restaurants and attractions of Tuscany, but you still want the privacy and spaciousness that a pool villa gives you.
With 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, this Tuscany pool villa comfortably fits up to 12 guests, making it great for groups of friends and families.
One of its best features is its infinity pool, which looks straight over the rolling landscape of the Tuscan countryside for some of the best views you can imagine.
Next to the pool, there are loungers with large umbrellas perfect for sunbathing with views of Tuscany spread out before you.
There’s also a large outdoor al fresco dining area, so you can eat lunch and dinner with the same sweeping views!
Inside, the kitchen is a modern marvel — you’ll find yourself wanting to cook in this one, with its gorgeous marble countertops and endless counter space, fully equipped to make mouthwatering meals.
There’s a wonderful little breakfast nook, multiple fireplaces, and tons of spacious seating areas to enjoy indoors.
The bedrooms are also very spacious and modern, with high ceilings with wooden beams and en-suite bathrooms with soaking tubs or walk-in showers — the ultimate in relaxation!
A 10-minute drive from the charming Tuscan town of Vinci, it’s conveniently located but still feels very private and secluded.
You can enjoy the large, spacious garden and its BBQ facilities as well as its above-ground pool, accessed via stairs that can be gated off.
This makes it an especially safe choice for families with young kids who may be worried about the safety of a Tuscany pool villa.
For an above ground pool, it’s rather large, and while you wouldn’t necessarily be able to swim laps in it, it’s definitely not a kiddie pool!
Kids will also love the treehouse-style play structure complete with a slide!
In terms of the interior, think old-fashioned Italian comforts: iron-wrought furniture, oil paintings and prints of famous Italian artists, and the typical Tuscan color palette of pale yellow, brick, and rust-red.
It’s not the most design-forward Tuscany pool villa, and fans of modernist design will definitely find it a little dated, but if you want old-fashioned charm, this is it!
Modern Beauty with Spa Features: Villa Le Terme – Book Here
This pool villa in Tuscany doesn’t quite feel like the others, as it has a really modern architecture compared to the others, which are more traditional in their design.
While it may not ooze with historic charm the way many of these Tuscany villas with private pools do, Villa Le Terme still is an excellent choice and may be better for those with more modernist design sensibilities.
It’s also great for large groups, with 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, and the ability to fit up to 13 people. One bedroom is on the ground floor and is wheelchair accessible.
This villa boasts not one but two pools: one outdoors with a gorgeous view, and one indoors, covered with a roof but surrounded by glass windows so you won’t feel like you’re missing a bit of the view!
Plus, there’s also an indoor dry sauna as well as a Turkish bath steam room to complete the “home spa” feel, as well as two tiled hammam-style relaxation loungers in the indoor pool area.
The outdoor pergola is very modern, with geometric, clean-lined outdoor furniture for lounging and relaxing beside the huge swimming pool.
Inside, the kitchen is compact but very functional, with plenty of counter space and all sorts of modern appliances that wouldn’t look out of place in a brand-new luxury apartment.
That same modern aesthetic continues throughout — from the loft-style feel of the living room-meets-dining area to spacious, minimalist bedrooms, this definitely feels like a 21st-century villa.
If you’re looking for the romantic, historic villa in Tuscany — this isn’t it. But if you want a large space and a private pool with a modern feel, this is a great choice!
Located outside the popular Tuscan destination of Cortona, this Tuscany pool villa is huge — over 3,000 square feet — with 6 bedrooms that can welcome up to 11 guests.
The two-story Villa Mezzavia has a massive private pool on site, with lots of sun loungers aside it for sunbathing in between swims.
The huge pool is well-shaded by trees for much of the day, so it’s perfect for swimming on hot days without worrying about the scorching sun!
The interior is spacious and traditional, with your typical Tuscan tile floor and brick-lined archways that given an open floor plan feel while still having separate ‘rooms’ in the main living area.
The kitchen is well-appointed though a little small, but you can definitely make do for cooking some nice meals in here to be enjoyed either in the dining room in the main house or al fresco.
The bedrooms continue the traditional Tuscan aesthetic, incorporating the same tile and brickwork in the rooms, whose edges are softened with vintage furnishings that make you feel like you’re staying in another century.
And some bedrooms even have a soaking tub in the room, whereas others have an en-suite bathroom with a step-in shower.
Small Town Bliss: Villa La Casa del Re – Book Here
Just outside the small town of Le Piazze, you can easily run into town for the things you need — a coffee, a bottle of wine, some food, all 10 minutes away on foot.
Yet still, Villa La Casa de Re is set away back far enough that you can feel the seclusion of having your very own Tuscany villa with a private pool.
Taking up 3 floors, this 6-bedroom villa can sleep up to 11 guests comfortably, though smaller groups can enjoy it as well.
Though given how many people it can fit, it can be a rather cheap price per person if you have a full house!
The interior is lovely, warm, and welcoming, with bright white walls that invite in the natural light and wooden exposed beams that give the whole room a lovely rustic feel.
The kitchen is spacious, perfect for making a meal with a group of friends, as well as having an outdoor BBQ area for delicious summertime meals.
The pool is not huge, but it’s large enough to enjoy with a smaller group, and there are plenty of sun beds and umbrellas for you to enjoy some sunbathing.
The bedrooms have the same high-ceilinged, minimalistic yet warm stylings as the rest of the house, simply furnished with beautiful wooden furnishings and uncluttered so they have a peaceful feel.
That said, the bathrooms feel a little dated, as the tile is bit old-school and the showers aren’t particularly nice or modern.
Best Villas in Tuscany with Private Pools for Smaller Groups
Best for Budget Travel: Le Rime di Campagna – Book Now
Just on the outskirts of the charming Tuscan city of Arrezzo, less than 3 miles from the city center, you’ll find this lovely Tuscan villa for quite an affordable price!
This budget-friendly villa in Tuscany with a private pool has everything you’d want — air conditioning, a well-stocked kitchen and BBQ facilities, a patio with views of the rolling hills, and an outdoor fireplace — all at a reasonable price that’s perfect for a smaller group.
With two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and the ability to fit up to four guests, this is a great choice for two couples traveling together or a family of 4 who wants a bit of privacy during their stay.
The design is subtle and homey, not over-the-top fancy, but that’s part of its charm — it makes your Tuscany pool villa feel a little more like a home away from home, at least for a time.
The pool is not incredibly large, but since it’s a private pool for just your group of four or fewer to use, that’s not such a bad thing…
Especially when there’s an outdoor dining area and a hammock area to enjoy just next to the pool!
If you want the Tuscany villa with a private pool experience without the huge price tag, this is the spot for you, so long as your group size is small enough to make it work!
Stone House Budget Beauty: Villa La Pergola – Book Here
In a typical stone home you’ll find all over the Tuscan countryside, surrounded by flowering trees and vines, the beautiful Villa La Pergola is a good option for smaller groups of 6 or less.
With 3 bedrooms — two double beds and one sofa bed — and 2 bathrooms, this is a spacious villa in Tuscany with a private pool despite the lower number of bedrooms compared to most, with a nearly 3,000 square foot floor plan.
The interior is quintessentially Tuscan: exposed stone walls that show off the masonry, juxtaposed against plenty of wood details and mustard yellow and rust red accents.
The bedrooms are that perfect blend of minimalistic yet not Spartan, with plenty of room to spread out in yet with enough personality and detail to feel individualized and homey, like you’re staying in the house of a family friend.
Admittedly, the circular swimming pool isn’t the largest, but it’s perfectly suitable for a dip to cool off on a hot Italian afternoon.
There’s also a great pergola — who would have guessed it from the name of the villa? — with a large dining table for meals under the Tuscan sun (or stars).
But best of all is the price, which can be downright affordable; sometimes the villa is available for under $250 per night, which is just over $40 per person per night if you have a full house!
Typical of villas in the region, Villa Ada Belriguardo is made of stone with a terra cotta roof, emblematic of the Tuscany region.
The pool is located a terrace or two below the villa and it is simply massive, overlooking a valley of Tuscany’s hilly region.
There is plenty of room for the whole group to enjoy the pool, or to swim some laps if you’re looking for exercise.
The pool is also beautifully lit up at night, perfect for night swims under the uncountable stars of the Tuscan sky.
This villa is on the smaller side in terms of how many guests it can fit: with only 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, it’s better suited for smaller groups of 6 or fewer.
That also makes it a fairly affordable place to stay on a budget, especially if you have a full house, though it isn’t the cheapest villa on the list.
The interior of the villa is beautiful in an old-fashioned way: think Tuscan tile floors, iron-wrought bed frames, and vintage wooden furnishings.
The bathrooms are a little small and dated, but the rest of the house feels spacious, recently renovated, and inviting, especially the kitchen and living areas.
Plus, there’s also a game room complete with a pool table!
In short, as long as you don’t need the most modern of design choices, this is the perfect choice for a smaller group looking for a Tuscany villa with a private pool.
Close to Florence: CountryHouse con Piscina – Book Here
Just on the outskirts of Florence near the outer suburb of Rifredi, you can have your own Tuscan villa with private pool while just being a short ride into town — less than 4 kilometers to its main sights, in fact.
In fact, it’s so close to the center of Florence that you can just walk to the tram, which is 5 minutes walk away, and that’ll sweep you right into town!
With a private indoor pool surrounded by beautiful brick and stone, complete with hydromassage jets, this is a lovely place to relax after a busy day sightseeing in Florence — and it’s lit up beautifully at night, giving it an almost hammam-style feel.
The indoor pool is a bit small, but it’s definitely suitable for relaxing in after a full day of sightseeing around the city.
Plus, the villa also has an outdoor fireplace, a BBQ area, and some garden areas to walk around, so you really will feel like you’re outside of the urban center, despite being so close to it!
Of course, being so close to Florence, you do make a sacrifice: namely, space, as the country house is a little on the small side.
The rooms can be a little narrow, as everything fits in a 600 square foot floor plan, but nevertheless this charming tiny house fits up to five guests comfortably in its 2 bedrooms (and a living room sofa bed).
But for the price and location, it’s a great offer — just don’t expect a massive villa or an outdoor pool, because that’s not what this villa is about!
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Many people plan a trip to Rovaniemi in winter with one main thing on their mind… spotting Finnish Lapland’s fickle but phenomenal Northern lights!
This guide will go over when and how you can see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi.
This includes tips for spotting them independently as well as my own personal experience seeing the Northern lights on a tour.
With the aurora on Northern lights tour in January 2024
This post also goes over all the ideal conditions for seeing the Northern lights so you have a baseline understanding of what to expect.
Plus, I’ll give you some recommendations for Northern lights hotels outside the Rovaniemi city center, and explain how to use aurora apps to have the best chance of spotting the Northern lights.
This post goes over all my tips for spotting the Northern lights while you’re visiting Rovaniemi, but if you’re in a hurry, I recommend booking this tour — I did the Northern lights tour with them and it was the only time I saw the Northern lights in Rovaniemi in nearly two weeks!
When Can You See the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi?
Northern lights display in January 2024
Note: I’m going to geek out a bit on science of the Arctic Circle for a bit — but if you just want a quick and easy answer, you can generally see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi from the end of August to the beginning of April.
While that is the general band of when you can see the aurora, my friend who lives part-time in Finland has let me know that the best months are generally September, October, and March, as this is when there is the least likelihood of clouds impeding your view.
Any time there are enough nighttime hours to have true darkness, you have a chance of seeing the Northern lights in Rovaniemi!
Keep in mind that Rovaniemi is juuuust below the Arctic Circle. In fact, Santa Claus Village, 8 kilometers north of the city center, actually runs right through it!
What does that mean? Well, the Arctic Circle is essentially the latitude line on the map above which the sun does not completely set, but rather hovers just above the horizon, on the longest day of the year (aka the summer solstice).
That means that if you visit any point north of the Arctic Circle on June 20th or 21st (depending on the year), you won’t experience a true night at all!
At some places further north, like Abisko and Tromso, you won’t experience a sunset for several weeks… or more than four months, in the case of Svalbard!
The inverse of that is that during the winter, the sun won’t rise, either…. meaning lots of hours to try to spot the aurora!
Fun fact: Abisko was the first place I ever saw the aurora, and I managed to capture this epic shot!
In Rovaniemi, this period of polar night is quite short — just two days — but in places further north in Finland, it can last up to two months!
So, as you can imagine, the length of days varies quite a bit in Rovaniemi; the sunrise and sunset hours change dramatically throughout the course of a year.
In general, you can see the aurora borealis starting about two hours after sunset and two hours before sunrise. Otherwise, it is a little too bright to properly see any aurora.
Tips for Spotting Rovaniemi’s Northern Lights
Dressed warm and ready to try to spot the lights!
While the Northern lights are theoretically visible at any point there is darkness in Rovaniemi, in actuality, there are several other factors to consider.
The main thing that you need to think about when trying to spot the Northern lights during your visit to Rovaniemi is cloud cover: it’s the biggest enemy to seeing the aurora.
This is because the aurora borealis occurs 100 to 300 kilometers above the ground.
If you have clouds just a few kilometers above the ground blocking the night sky, you simply won’t see the lights, even if the most magical display in the world is actually happening above the clouds!
So, you need a clear night to actually see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi. Unfortunately, this is somewhat harder than it sounds!
While Rovaniemi is inland and thus not quite as cloudy as coastal spots like Tromso, it can still get quite cloudy in the winter and that can impact your ability to see the aurora.
Seeing the Northern lights on a tour in Tromso… that actually crossed the border into Northern Finland in order to see the lights!
I’m writing this post during my January 2024 visit to Rovaniemi. As of today, I’ve been here for one week and it’s only been possible to see the aurora twice due to the cloud cover, despite quite a bit of solar activity.
Oh, yeah. The other thing you need besides a dark night and a cloudless sky is solar activity.
The aurora borealis is caused by solar activity, when solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) emit particles that make their way towards Earth.
They’re then pulled towards the Earth’s poles through electromagnetism, which is why you have a much better chance of seeing the Northern lights around the Arctic regions than anywhere else in the world.
When the solar particles interact with the atmosphere as they are pulled towards Earth, they create bursts of color: typically green, but other colors vary depending on what gas they’re interacting with and how high in the atmosphere the interaction is occuring.
Later in the post, I’ll explain aurora forecasting apps and let you know tips for using them that I learned from trial and error as well as expert tips from my Northern lights tour guide.
Seeing the Northern Lights Without a Tour
Personally, I only saw the Northern lights with a tour and thought it was worth it!
It is definitely not required to take a Northern lights tour in order to see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi.
… But it certainly helps, as you are a lot more mobile and your guides will work their hardest to find the aurora.
That said, taking Northern lights tours can get expensive: at at least 100 euros a pop, they can add up, especially if you take multiple excursions to try to see the lights.
Luckily, if the Northern lights are strong enough, you might be able to see them in Rovaniemi so long as you get away from some of the light pollution of the city center.
In the city center, I’d recommend the area around the Arktikum Museum if you are trying to spot the Northern lights.
Not only is the architecture of the museum really cool to capture in aurora photos as it provides a really cool tonal and visual contrast to the lights, but the museum area has a pretty clear view to the northern horizon, where you’ll see the majority of the lights’ activity.
Imagine this view at night with the aurora overhead!
It’s also on the edge of the city center bordering the river, so you won’t have a ton of light pollution in that direction.
That said, this isn’t the ideal spot to see the Northern lights because there is still a good deal of light pollution which will impact your eye’s ability to perceive the aurora (and your camera’s ability to capture it).
There are some other cool spots to try to see the lights in Rovaniemi but outside the city center, like Ounasvaara Hill (about an hour’s walk to the top from Rovaniemi city center or accessible by a 10-minute taxi).
A view of Ounasvaraa’s ski slopes
There’s also he observation tower at the top of Syväsenvaara Hill (which is tricky to reach, but it does have epic views).
I really love the observation tower at the top of Syväsenvaara Hill!
I walked there several times, as it was close to where I was staying at my friend’s house in Rovaniemi (and it’s right next to Arctic Treehouse Hotel).
At the top of the observation tower; the ladder is quite icy so I only recommend climbing if you are confident of your skill, not afraid of heights, and during the daytime!
However, it is a bit difficult to find the path leading up to the observation tower when everything is covered in snow.
There is a not insignificant risk that you could get lost or turned around while trying to find it, which is potentially extremely hazardous in winter temperatures. Do so at your own risk!
There are some other ideas for where to see the Northern lights around Rovaniemi here; keep in mind you will need to rent a car to get to the majority of these spots.
If it’s in the middle of winter and a lot of snow has accumulated, you should only rent a car if you are familiar with how to drive in the snow.
The road conditions can get quite hazardous for the inexperienced (seriously, my friend who lives in Rovaniemi tells me about tourist accidents all the time!).
Seeing the Northern Lights With a Tour
On a tour seeing the Northern lights in Finnish Lapland, an hour outside of Rovaniemi
The easiest way to (almost) ensure you see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi is by taking a Northern lights tour.
Depending on the tour you take, you’ll spend 4 to 8 hours chasing the Northern lights as far as reasonably necessary within the time limits of your tour to try to see the lights.
I took this exact tour and can recommend it highly: our guide, Genis, was really kind and helpful and we even stayed a little longer than planned because there was a ton of cloud cover and we had to go a little further than we planned.
Worth the wait, always!
However, once we got to our final spot at a frozen lake, we were able to see the lights and all was worth it!
Even better, on our way home the Northern lights went absolutely crazy to the point where we were even able to see it out the window.
Even though at this point we were running a half hour behind, our guide stopped quickly to let us out to admire the lights dancing overhead.
A beautiful, brief eruption of the aurora on the way home
This is the exact tour that I took and that I recommend to others visiting Rovaniemi.
It’s affordable but excellent, and its small group focus makes it a really enjoyable experience.
A small group is extra important if you want photos of you with the Northern lights overhead, because they can be fickle and fleeting.
Our group size on an aurora tour in Rovaniemi
The more of you there are on the tour, the less your guide can help you take photos in that (potentially) short time span!
On my tour, our group was 8, which was not too many and we were easily able to get as many photos with the Northern lights as we wanted.
Book the same Northern lights tour I did here!
Northern Lights Hotels Near Rovaniemi
The Arctic Treehouse Hotel is one of the best choices in Rovaniemi!
While not the cheapest option, another way to have a better chance of spotting the Northern lights in Rovaniemi is by staying at a Northern lights hotel.
Staying at one of the hotels outside the city center, especially that offers glass igloos, aurora cabins, or other similar accommodations that have settings out in nature with panoramic views, means that heading outside to try to see the aurora doesn’t take much effort at all!
Here are a few recommendations near Rovaniemi:
Photo Credit: Arctic Treehouse Hotel
Arctic Treehouse Hotel: Not far from Santa Claus Village or the Rovaniemi city center, this is a great compromise between being close to the city’s attractions yet out in nature. The treehouses are on a hill that offers a great, unobstructed northerly view. There’s a designated shelter point for warming up while you’re waiting for the aurora! You can also walk about 10 minutes uphill to the observation tower for another viewpoint.
Photo Credit: Apukka Resort
Apukka Resort: One of the best Northern lights hotels options in Finland, Apukka is about 30 minutes from the city center which makes it the perfect place to see the Northern lights away from the city’s light pollution. There’s a variety of room types including glass igloos with panoramic windows! It hosts activities like dog sledding (which I did with Apukka – it was great!) and reindeer sledding on-site as well.
Photo Credit: Santa’s Igloos
Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle: Close to Santa Claus Village, this igloo hotel isn’t particularly remote but it does offer an escape from the worst of the light pollution of the city while still being close to the amenities of Santa Claus Village like its souvenir shops and restaurants. There are also dog-sledding and reindeer tours you can do here but the tours at Apukka are much nicer.
Note: While these accommodations are an amazing experience, keep in mind that a lot of what you see are marketing materials where everything is portrayed in the best light possible.
Photos of the aurora borealis use long exposure to make the colors more vivid than you would see with your naked eye; don’t expect to see neon squiggles overhead, bright as Tokyo city lights!
More often, the aurora borealis looks like a faint-colored, fast-moving, odd-shaped cloud. It’s more likely that you’ll spot it because of its movement than because of its colors.
While you can see the Northern lights from out of a window in exceptional conditions (like the below photo I took from a car window!), more likely, you’ll have to go out for a walk to properly see and photograph the aurora.
A cellphone shot of the aurora borealis in the car — this intensity is quite rare!
The panoramic windows of a glass igloo can give you a good indicator of if the lights are out or not.
That said, don’t expect to have a rave-like show in your room.
This isn’t to dissuade you from staying in one; I just want to give you accurate expectations, especially as the price tag is so high!
Using Aurora Forecasting Apps
A faint but beautiful aurora
Whether you’re trying to see the Northern lights with a tour or independently, checking out an aurora forecasting app is a good way to have an idea of what the lights will be like.
The app will calculate a percentage chance of seeing the aurora and alert you if your percent chance is above their 30% chance threshold or if other people nearby using the app have checked in and reported sightings.
But the app is also useful for digging into the numbers and analyzing the data that’s given to you, including a few key factors.
Kp-index: This is perhaps the most poorly understood part of seeing the aurora, as many people simply think high number = you will definitely see the lights and think no further than that. The Kp-index solely measures the geomagnetic storm’s intensity and does not factor in cloud cover, wind direction (Bz), or other factors that may impact your ability to see the aurora. It also gives a reference for how far south the aurora may stretch, but that doesn’t necessarily correlate to a much more dramatic view at higher latitudes like Rovaniemi.
Solar winds: The higher the number, the stronger the chance of aurora activity. As a rule of thumb, numbers above 400 km per hour are good, and even better as it approaches 500.
Bz: The more negative this number is, the stronger the chance of aurora activity, because it means that solar particles are being pulled towards the earth and creating the Northern lights.
A shaky view of the Northern lights because I didn’t have time to set up my tripod when they were this active!
These apps won’t guarantee you seeing the Northern lights but they will help you understand the factors that go into the phenomenon of the aurora borealis.
This will hopefully give you more insight as to when is a good time to take a hike somewhere dark to see the lights or book a Northern lights tour.
In general, I would book a Northern lights tour based on forecasted clouds as opposed to anything else like Kp-index or geomagnetic storms.
Like I mentioned above, you can have the most spectacular aurora in the world… and see nothing if there’s low clouds overhead, blocking out your entire view.
Tip: Rather than booking direct with a company offering Northern lights tours in Rovaniemi, I book through GetYourGuide which gives you a free 24-hour cancellation option.
This way, you can book a tour and reschedule it with 24 hours or more notice if the forecast isn’t looking favorable.
Lately, I’ve noticed that GetYourGuide offers a 1-hour cancellation policy at a surcharge; this may be worth it if you want extreme flexibility.
Honestly, generally, 24 hours should be enough notice to decide whether or not the forecast is worth a Northern lights attempt, since tours do give you the option to branch out quite a bit and attempt to snag a hole in the cloud cover.
That said, it is an option I just wanted to make you aware of!
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
But no matter the season, any trip to the ‘capital’ of Finnish Lapland should include some time enjoying the lovely city center of Rovaniemi.
Arktikum is really two museums in one: both the Arctic Center and the Provincial Museum of Lapland operate out of the same (gorgeously designed) building, offering their own exhibits.
Interior of ArktikumMuseum selfie!
After my January 2024 visit to Arktikum, I was incredibly impressed by this small but impactful museum and thought I’d write a quick guide for those on the fence, who aren’t sure about if it’s worth visiting Arktikum.
The short answer: yes, absolutely, I think visiting Arktikum is worth it for basically every kind of traveler.
It has something for everyone. Those interested in culture, citizen scientists, families, design geeks: everyone will be pleased with some aspect of Arktikum, if not the entire thing!
Arktikum Hours and Admission Costs
Admission costs as of January 2024
Arktikum is open from 10 AM to 6 PM daily every day except Monday, making scheduling your visit here quite easy.
It’s also within walking distance of pretty much anywhere in the Rovaniemi city center, so visiting isn’t hard if you’re already in town.
Admission costs 18 euros for an adult, but you can buy a combined pass called the Rovaniemi Culture Pass for 25 euros.
Booking the pass also grants you admission to Pilke (a science center dedicated to Finnish forests, known for its efficient design and sustainable efforts) as well as the Korundi Culture House.
Interior of the neighboring Pilke, a sustainability-focused science center
Pilke costs 7 euros for an adult ticket and Korundi costs 11 euros per adult, offering a total savings of 11 euro if you do plan to visit all three sites.
In my opinion, booking the trio via the Culture Pass offers a good deal and encourages you to make the most out of your time in Rovaniemi by paying for everything upfront and then getting to space out your visits over the course of a week.
Pilke is literally right next to Arktikum as well, so it’s extremely easy to visit both of the museums together, which is what I chose to do (and save Korundi for another day).
Tip: I booked my Culture Pass online, but there was really no need to — you can just buy it at the first one of the three museums included you visit and save the 1.50 euro service fee for online bookings.
Highlights of Arktikum
One of the exhibits at Artikum
One of my highlights of visiting Arktikum was checking out the “Arctic in Change” exhibit, curated by the Arctic Science Center.
It focused on the challenges facing the Arctic’s climate and its residents — human and wildlife alike — due to global warming.
I liked how it was informative and approachable, with interactive elements that not only appealed to me as an adult but would also be excellent for kids.
Part of the Arctic in Change exhibit with a life-size polar bear replica
There’s also a permanent exhibit about the aurora borealis, which is endlessly fascinating to me.
Seeing the Northern lights is one of my favorite parts about visiting the Arctic — I’ve chased the lights all over the region, from Abisko to Tromso to Rovaniemi and beyond.
While I know a lot about the science of what causes the aurora borealis, I thought it laid it out in a really approachable, easy-to-understand way that would be great for curious adults and older kids alike.
Informational sign explaining the aurora borealisAurora borealis room where you can lay down and watch a visualization of the aurora
But remember, Arktikum isn’t just a science museum: it’s also co-run by the Provincial Museum of Lapland, so there’s also a big focus on the people as well as the nature and science of the region.
There were several culture-focused exhibits spread across two floors (on an off-hand note, I noticed that the left-hand side of the museum focused on science whereas the right-hand side of the museum focused on culture).
I especially liked the permanent cultural exhibit focused on the inhabitants of Lapland — of course, its human residents as well as its animal ones.
Interactive animal exhibit at ArktikumOne of the displays in the permanent exhibit
But my personal favorite highlight of the Arktikum Museum was seeing the temporary exhibit about Sámi design, “Duodjebálgát – Paths of Duodji” (note: duodji is the word for Sámi handicrafts).
It focused on the artistic works of two Sámi artists and sisters, Birit and Reetta Tornensis, and their link between their work and their heritage.
If you don’t already know, the Sámi are Lapland’s Indigenous people, a group that transcends national borders and spans northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and some of Russia.
Sámi culture was once pushed to the margins of society — like many Indigenous peoples around the world, they were violently oppressed, having their language and traditional dress banned, among other violations.
Now, there’s more cultural understanding towards Sámi people: there are language nests dedicated to preserving Sámi language and Sámi designs are highlighted, valued, and protected.
Two examples of traditional Sámi dress
At the exhibit, I learned about the origin and significance of Sámi textiles historically as well as what modernization means for Sámi artisans and craftspeople.
One thing I thought was quite cool was how Sámi designs are being protected from intellectual property theft with certifications being issued to indicate Sámi authentic artistry.
There are two levels:
items that are Sámi designed (Sámi Made) which have to have an idea originating from a Sámi designer but can be fully or partially machine-made
items that are Sámi crafted (Sámi Duodji) which means that they were hand-made by a Sámi artist in traditional methods.
This exhibit is only open until April 7, 2024, at which point it will be replaced by a new exhibit, so visit Arktikum soon if you can!
Gorgeous winter views at Arktikum
Another highlight is of course the gorgeous architecture and design of the museum!
It was dreamed up by Danish architect Claus Bonderup, who won an international architecture contest in order to design the museum in the 1980s.
It’s been a key piece of Rovaniemi’s architecture scene ever since and is one of the most unique buildings in the city.
FAQ About Visiting Arktikum
Is the museum family-friendly?
Giant amethyst from a nearby mine on display
I’m not a parent, but I think so! In my opinion, Finnish people are great at integrating children into all aspects of society, rather than solely creating kid-centric spaces.
There are aspects of the museum that will delight some of the youngest travelers — the aurora display, the interactive animal exhibits, etc. — as well as older kids who will understand more of the science and cultural aspects of what the museum is trying to teach.
What amenities are there at the museum?
A reasonably priced daily lunch buffet is available at the café
There’s a café with a daily lunch buffet (that my friend who lives part-time in Rovaniemi loves) for 15 euros.
I didn’t try it when I was there as I had already eaten lunch, but she said it’s really good and a great value.
There’s also a free-to-use coatroom area, a gift shop with great souvenir options, free lockers, and bathrooms as part of the museum.
Do you need a guide for the museum?
Audioguide at Arktikum
It’s not necessarily — the museum is very well curated and there’s no need for a guide to take you around the museum.
There are free audioguides provided for the museum in a variety of different languages if you want!
How long do you need at Arktikum?
Interior of the science section of the museum
This all depends on your museum speed!
I spent about an hour there, but I have ADHD, I read really quickly, and I was already familiar with several aspects of what the museum covers, since I’ve traveled a lot around the Arctic.
If you want to really soak up every exhibit, I’d estimate two or possibly even three hours including a lunch or coffee break.
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
From its dancing Northern lights to its endless list of enthralling winter activities, Rovaniemi is a true bucket list destination for many.
We’ll get into all the best things to do in Rovaniemi in winter in just a minute — first, we’ll talk a bit about where to stay.
Where to Stay in Rovaniemi
A favorite spot to stay: the Arctic Treehouse Hotel
Budget: Guesthouse Arctic Heart
If you’re on a tight budget while visiting Rovaniemi or you simply like to save on accommodations so you can splurge on activities or food, this is a great and highly-rated option.
There are private single and double rooms as well as 4-bed, single-gender dormitory rooms if you are a solo traveler who doesn’t mind staying in a hostel-type setup.
The amenities are minimal, but there are things such as a shared kitchen and laundry facilities. Some of the private rooms have electric kettles, etc. for preparing tea and coffee.
This mid-range option is not too expensive and has great ratings and a prime location in downtown Rovaniemi.
The rooms are spacious and comfortable with modern, unique decor elements that add some flair. Breakfast is included with your stay, and there’s an in-house restaurant that also serves room service.
Best of all, the hotel has not one but two saunas available for use! There is also a room option with your own private sauna (check out the junior suite with sauna).
Want to stay in a glass-roof igloo? Of course you do!
These climate-controlled igloos are located about 5 miles outside of central Rovaniemi in a beautiful winter wonderland.
The igloos are climate-controlled and well-heated, and include a private bathroom with a rain shower, bathrobe, and slippers.
Each igloo has its very own tablet which you can use to contact the front desk with any needs — and also get Northern lights alerts so you can wake up and see the lights dancing above! They even have a button you can press to defrost the glass for the perfect view.
The premium igloos for two even include a private sauna, and there are also family igloos for four with an alcove for two more people to sleep.
This property is located close to Santa Claus Village, about a 5 minute walk away, and shuttles are provided to Rovaniemi city center.
View of the Northern lights on a tour outside Rovaniemi
Due to Rovaniemi’s position just 4 miles south of the Arctic Circle, this is one of the best places for Northern lights tours in all of the Nordics!
While it is certainly possible to see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi, a dedicated Northern lights hunting tour outside the city will give you far better results.
These Northern lights tours are typically small group tours conducted in a minibus. Your seasoned Northern lights spotters will bring you away from the light pollution of Rovaniemi and into the Finnish wilderness.
There are several options for Northern lights tours in Rovaniemi: let’s go over a few of the most popular.
One option is a basic Northern lights tour which will last about 3 hours. This tour brings you to frozen lake about 15 miles away from Rovaniemi where you’ll camp out and wait for the aurora to appear while enjoying a campfire and BBQ dinner.
Considering the sky-high price of restaurants in Rovaniemi, this tour is a great deal! The tour includes a dinner of fire-roasted sausages, traditional Arctic fish soup, Lappish bread, and traditional blueberry tea.
In addition to dinner, the tour also includes cold weather clothing to borrow if needed, pick-up and drop-off at your hotel, and a guide to help you spot the aurora.
No matter which tour you pick, you have a fairly good chance of seeing the lights — but of course, being a natural phenomenon, there are no guarantees.
In fact, Tromso Northern lights tours often have to drive all the way to Norway to even see the lights (this was the case with the last Northern lights tour I took in Tromso!).
Visit Santa Claus Village.
This is one of the essential things to do in Rovaniemi in winter if you have kids. If you don‘t have kids and Santa Claus Village doesn‘t appeal to you, feel free to skip ahead to the next section: there’s still plenty to do in Rovaniemi!
Santa Claus Village is one of Rovaniemi’s biggest draws. While older kids and adults may find it a bit cheesy and Disney-esque, the kids are sure to have a blast in this festively decorated atmosphere!
You can visit Santa Village and Santa‘s Post Office either independently or on a guided tour.
If you want to get to Santa Claus Village independently, you can either drive if you’ve rented a car (take Highway 4 north towards Ivalo, about 8 miles away), hire a taxi (approximately $30 USD each way), or take the local bus #8 from Rovaniemi train station.
There is no entrance fee to Santa Claus Village, although you will want to budget for food and Lapland souvenirs on your visit.
If you’d prefer a guided experience that also includes a visit to the Arctic Circle (complete with a certificate), a Christmas buffet lunch, and getting to meet some reindeer, you can book a tour.
Another fun way to visit Santa Claus Village is to take a trip that includes both Santa’s Village and a snowmobile ride to the nearby reindeer farm!
Your kiddos can meet Santa Claus and his elf helpers, send a postcard to friends from home at Santa’s post office, and then have a tasty lunch.
After visiting Santa Claus Village, you can take snowmobiles to the reindeer farm. Don’t worry, kids of any age can do this part of the tour!
Kids under the age of 14 can ride behind in a sled pulled by the snowmobile, while parents and young adults can drive (so long as they have a valid driver’s license!).
Once at the reindeer farm, you can go on a sleigh ride pulled by reindeer. Like the other tour mentioned above, you’ll cross the Arctic Circle and receive an ‘official’ certificate as a souvenir to take home with you as a memory from this day.
One of the most unique winter activities in Rovaniemi is visiting the Arctic SnowHotel! It is one of few snow hotels in the world (there are others near Abisko, Sweden and Tromso, Norway).
While staying in a snow hotel is really expensive, it’s rather affordable to visit this stunning Lapland hotel for a tour!
In particular, this tour offers excellent value because it not only includes a tour of the snow hotel and the glass igloos but it also includes a 3-course dinner meal of Lappish-inspired cuisine.
For this year‘s menu, the starter is a forest mushroom soup, the main course is one of 4 choices (roast elk, Arctic salmon, chicken breast, or cold-smoked tofu), and the dessert is a lingonberry-caramel custard. Delicious!
The tour includes transportation from your hotel to the snow hotel (about 30 minutes away), as well as a guided tour of the hotel and its unique features like its snow sauna, carved ice sculptures, ice bar, ice restaurant, and of course — its rooms!
This snow hotel is created from scratch each year and opens annually on December 16th, so it’s only available for a few short months each year — don’t miss this top thing to do in Rovaniemi in winter if you can help it!
If you just want to visit the snow hotel with no meal included, you can also book that here, but personally I think the visit plus meal options offer better value per dollar!
Go on a husky safari with a team of enthusiastic dogs.
One of the best things to do in Rovaniemi in winter is go dog sledding!
Dog sledding is one of my favorite activities and I’ve gone in a handful of destinations around the world (including a Tromso husky safari and an Abisko one too)… it’s something I do every time I’m in the Arctic in winter!
Tours will bring you to a husky farm in Apukka, Finland where you can first meet all the lovely huskies who live here year-round.
Your experienced guides will give you a demo of husky sledding and how to self-drive a husky sled safely, for both you and the huskies!
It is really a team sport: you will be running and pushing the sled up hills and generally actively helping your huskies pull the sled, so don’t expect to just sit back and enjoy a husky ride!
Whichever combination piques your interest, it’s a great way to combine two (or more!) unique Lapland activities into one guided experience.
Enjoy a snowmobile safari through the Lappish wilderness.
One of the most fun ways to experience the Finnish wilderness is on a snowmobile ride!
Don’t worry if you’ve never ridden a snowmobile before — it’s quite easy to get the hang of, and you can take a snowmobile tour so you’ll be guided through the landscapes without worrying about getting lost or stuck in the snow.
One of the most typical ways to experience a touch of Finnish life is to have a sauna experience!
Whether that’s taking a sauna at your hotel (most hotels include a sauna) or booking a special sauna experience, there’s nothing more quintessentially Finnish than sauna!
This unique winter activity in Rovaniemi is perhaps one of the most surprising ways to see the Northern lights!
On this tour, you can fit in an icy lake where a hole has been dug out so people can float in the icy water.
And if you’re worried about getting cold: you wear an insulated, buoyant suit that keeps you warm no matter how cold the water is!
Guests reported staying relatively warm and dry as they floated in the icy lake and say it’s a must-try in Rovaniemi. I haven’t gotten to do this yet but it’s on my bucket list for my next trip to Finland!
The Sami people are the Indigenous people of Sapmi, which covers the Northern reaches of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.
For millennia, the Sami people have been reindeer herders, which is a difficult job that involves herding reindeer across a variety of unforgiving terrains without losing track of them.
While traditionally, herding and harvesting reindeer for their meat was one of the main ways that Sami people made a living, now tourism is also an important part of the economy for Sami people.
Rather than herding their reindeer all over an icy landscape in search of food for the reindeer to forage, some reindeer herders set up a reindeer farm for the winter season and offer tourist activities like feeding the reindeer and going for reindeer sleigh rides.
On a reindeer sled experience, you’ll get the chance to meet Sami reindeer herders and ask them questions about what it’s like to be a reindeer herder — and see what it’s like for yourself!
If you like to get active on your travels, going snowshoeing is one of the best things to do in Rovaniemi in winter!
Going on a guided hiking and snowshoeing tour is an excellent way to get acquainted with the Finnish nature.
This tour includes a guide and a pick-up/drop-off transfer to a forested area full of nature trails that cross the Arctic Circle, where you can snowshoe past frozen rapid rivers and waterfalls, and possibly even spot some arctic wildlife!
It also includes a forest campfire BBQ where you can enjoy sausages, marshmallows, and blueberry tea as a delicious lunch to fuel up after your hike!
If you’ve never tried cross-country skiing, Rovaniemi is a great place to give it a try!
There are plenty of well-groomed cross-country ski trails outside of Ounasvaara, also a popular downhill ski areas near Rovaniemi.
This guided tour is a good thing to try if you’ve never cross-country skied before — they will teach you the motions you need to do in order to glide smoothly across the ski trails!
Tours include pickup and drop-off, a guide, winter clothing and ski suit rental, all ski equipment you’ll need, and a treat at the end of hot beverages and cookies to replenish your energy after your trek!
Finland is known for its incredible glass igloos from which you can watch the Northern lights in bed! While many are located further north, there are a handful of options near Rovaniemi.
I listed one above in the Luxury section of the Where to Stay section, Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle. If that doesn’t quite fit the bill, here’s another choice!
Another popular glass igloo option near Rovaniemi is Apukka Resort, 15 minutes away from Rovaniemi.
Because it’s located a bit outside of the town of Rovaniemi, you’ll be able to enjoy beautifully clear night skies without the light pollution of the city — better chances of the Northern lights, while still getting to enjoy all the fun winter in Rovaniemi activities!
There are also private sauna and Jacuzzi experiences, with either an electric sauna or the traditional wood-heated sauna.
But the coolest thing about staying at Apukka Resort is how you can stay in glass igloos that offer you incredible views of the Northern lights dancing overhead through the clear ceiling.
All glass igloos also include an en-suite bathroom so you won’t have to worry about going outside in the cold in the middle of the night! A free breakfast is also included with every night’s stay.
One of the coolest places to visit in Rovaniemi is the Arktikum Science Center and Museum. It’s a really interesting place to visit for adults and kids alike, with interactive features as well as informative exhibits.
There are four permanent exhibits which focus on the drastic seasonal shifts in the Arctic (land of both the polar night and midnight sun), life in the North, the changing Arctic climate, and the Arctic Ocean’s history.
They also have a rotating temporary exhibits that change typically once per season. The upcoming year will feature an exhibit on Antarctica.
Tickets cost 15€ for adults and 5€ for children 7-15 (children under 7 are free).
Learn all about arctic wildlife at Ranua Wildlife Park.
Ranua Wildlife Park is located about a one-hour drive away from the city of Rovaniemi, but if you want to see some arctic animals, this is the place to do it!
This unique wildlife park is home to over 50 different species of arctic animals, including polar bears, arctic foxes, lynxes, and wolverines!
The Ranua Wildlife Park takes you on a 1.5-mile walk on a boardwalk through a forested winter wonderland where you can see all sorts of animals along the way.
The Ranua Zoo houses all of its animals in habitats that replicate their natural arctic landscapes to the furthest extent possible… which is fairly easily, since it’s the second northernmost zoo in the world!
This makes the Ranua Zoo a far more ethical zoo option than many others which house arctic animals in non-ideal living conditions.
If you’ve rented a car for your time in Rovaniemi, you can drive to Ranua Wildlife Park.
Alternately, you can opt for a guided tour, which includes pick up and drop off, transportation, entrance fees to the park, and a guide in the park who can teach you about all the animals you see.
View onto Ounasvaraa’s ski slopes from across the city
Generally, Rovaniemi isn’t the place to go for downhill skiing in Finland — that would be Levi, about 100 miles away.
However, there is Ounasvaara Ski Resort not far from Rovaniemi if you want to do some downhill skiing as opposed to cross-country skiing (which is a lot more popular in the Rovaniemi area).
Lift tickets are approximately €42.50 per adult for a day pass or €31 for a 2-hour night skiing pass, but there are other options: you can check more pricing details here.
Getting to Ounasvaara from Rovaniemi is not too hard, with public transportation options available from the city center, or you can also take a taxi or drive.
Enjoy art and music at the Korundi House of Culture.
Tickets to the Rovaniemi Art Museum cost 11€ for adults and 6€ for children, making it one of the more affordable activities in town — and it’s even free on Thursdays between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM!
The Orchestra is also rather affordable as well. Performances typically fall on Thursday and Friday nights and ticket options typically cost around 35€; book tickets online here.
Walk along the Kemijoki River… and maybe go for an ice dip!
Beautiful partially-iced over river view!
Rovaniemi is located at the convergence of the Ounasjoki River and the Kemijoki River.
These rivers both tend to freeze over (in full or partially) during the winter, making it even more beautiful.
Take a stroll along the waterfront street, Koskenranta, and admire the scenery.
See if you can spot the hole dug on the other side of the river for swimming in the ice hole.
Some brave Finns may even be taking a dip…
… And you can too if you’re feeling up to it — there is a heated changing room and a steam room available to warm up in afterwards for a small fee of about 5€.
Located about 60 miles from Rovaniemi, visiting these mines in winter is even more interesting because the roads shut down between Lampivaara and the mine, so you’ll have to take the mine’s dedicated Sno-Cat, The Amethyst Pendolino.
This tour includes a guide who will tell you all about the history and geology of the area, as well as stories about the amethysts that have been excavated here.
You’ll even have the chance to dig for your own amethyst with the proper tools, assisted by expert amethyst miners.
The tour also includes a BBQ lunch (including options like salmon soup, reindeer sandwich, and sausage) and hot beverages, in addition to all the necessary transportation.
Another fun place to visit in winter in Rovaniemi is the Pilke Science Centre in downtown Rovaniemi.
The Pilke House focuses on an ecosystem very near and dear to Finnish hearts: the forest!
It looks at the forest not only through a scientific lens but also a cultural one, exploring the relationship of Finns (and humans in general!) to their forest environments.
Adult tickets cost 7€, tickets for children aged 7-15 cost 5€, and children under 7 are free. Family tickets are also available for 20€.
Go on a horseback ride through the snow.
Horseback riding in the Arctic? Why not! This 3-hour horseback tour is a great option for horse lovers who want the chance to ride wherever they travel.
Enjoy riding atop a Irish cob horse for a 1-hour horseback ride through a forested, glistening winter wonderland, admiring the beautiful Finnish countryside a short distance from Rovaniemi.
You’ll also get the chance to brush the horses and learn a little about their life on the farm and how the horses are well-adapted to the cold environment.
Enjoy delicious Nordic cuisine in Rovaniemi’s best restaurants.
Nordic cuisine is a fascinating mix of ingenuity and local ingredients, and you simply must try some Finnish cuisine while you visit Rovaniemi.
In such an extreme environment, limited ingredients are available, and seasonality — as well as preserving the ingredients that are available during the few times of abundance — plays a huge role in Finnish cuisine.
Ravintola Nili is one of the best restaurants in Rovaniemi that serves up traditional Lappish dishes prepared with seasonal ingredients.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try the surprise menu, which offers 4 courses for 59€ — a rather good value for Rovaniemi!
Gustav Kitchen & Bar is another great choice, with an excellent selection of wines and dishes ranging from 15€-25€, all utilizing local Finnish ingredients.
There is no additional charge for reserving one of the igloos, but they require a minimum 200€ spend, and can fit a party of up to six.
Things to Know Before You Visit Rovaniemi, Finland
Renting a car is likely not necessary.
Rovaniemi is a compact, walkable city with excellent public transportation. Additionally, most guided tours provide transportation.
If you rent a car in Rovaniemi, chances are it will just sit around unused, racking up parking costs and being more of a hindrance than a help.
The exception for this is if you plan to visit different national parks independently, aurora hunt independently, etc., but if you follow a typical Rovaniemi winter itinerary
If you do decide to rent a car, I recommend searching with Discover Cars, which browses through a database of over 500 rental car agencies to find the best price for your rental.
Book everything — especially flights and accommodations — well in advance!
Rovaniemi is the most popular winter destination in Finland, and one of the most popular Arctic destinations period. It’s also a rather small city with limited accommodation options.
You’ll want to book everything in advance, especially if you’re on a budget. Just make sure you opt for things with flexible cancellation policies, because we‘re still in a pandemic!
I like booking my tours with Get Your Guide because of their great cancellation policy (within 24 hours) and my accommodations with Booking.com (cancellation policies vary but are always stated explicitly on the website).
How to Get to Rovaniemi, Finland
By Flight
The most common way to arrive in Rovaniemi is by plane. Typically, people fly first into Helsinki, and then connect to a flight to Rovaniemi Airport.
Finnair is the airline with the most flights to Rovaniemi, followed by Norwegian Airlines.
If you’re flying from Europe, there are seasonal flights to Rovaniemi from Istanbul, Dusseldorf, Brussels, London, Paris, and Dublin.
Once you arrive in Rovaniemi, it’s quite easy to get into town. Remember, as mentioned above, I generally don’t recommend renting a car, since Rovaniemi city center is so walkable and you will mostly rely on guided tours for your winter activities.
Just take the Rovaniemi Airport Shuttle for 7 euros which will drop you off at many hotels in downtown Rovaniemi as well as in the Santa Claus Village area.
Your hotel may also offer a shuttle, so inquire with them as well.
By Train
You can arrive in Rovaniemi by train from other places in Finland such as Helsinki.
As of June 28, 2022 there are three trains daily: two take approximately 8.5 hours and cost 102 €, arriving in Rovaniemi at 16:46 and 22:47, taking up most of a day.
There is an overnight option which takes 13 hours, but the majority of the travel takes place overnight which can save you time.
It is a higher price at 126€ for a seat or about 300€ for a two-person private sleeper car, but remember, you won’t need accommodation that night so it may shake out to be better for the budget!
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Looking for the perfect winter destination, a true celebration of the season?
I’m here to help you plan the ultimate Lapland itinerary that includes all of the best winter experiences Finnish Lapland has to offer.
With awe-inspiring natural phenomena, adrenaline-pumping activities, and an introduction to Finnish culture, this Lapland winter itinerary is a customizable guide to experiencing the best of the season!
For the purposes of this itinerary, I recommend you base yourself in Rovaniemi — after all, it’s the official hometown of Santa Claus, so it should be good enough for us!
From Rovaniemi, all the winter enchantments of Lapland beckon, whether its the ethereal dance of the Northern Lights to the heart-pumping thrill of dog sledding through snowy forests to enjoying the quintessentially Finnish tradition of the sauna.
If you’re traveling Rovaniemi with family — or you simply want to relive your childhood a bit — you have to make a stop at Santa Claus Village, where you can meet Santa himself, cross the Arctic Circle, and send postmarked letters from Santa’s “official” post office.
Rovaniemi not only delivers on all these essential Arctic winter experiences but also simplifies your travel logistics, serving as a convenient hub for accommodation and activities on your Finland winter itinerary.
How This Lapland Itinerary Works
This itinerary is designed to be additive, meaning that I clustered what I think are the most essential winter Lapland activities at the beginning of the itinerary.
That way, you won’t miss out by, say, having a Northern lights tour on day 5, when you’re only planning a 2 day trip to Rovaniemi!
It’s also activity based, since Rovaniemi is all about enjoying the different outdoor activities.
The city itself is a nice hub for meals, accommodations, etc., but this itinerary focuses on the activities.
I’ve broken up each day into morning and evening activities (being that afternoon in the Arctic is not really a concept that translates well).
In the event that you don’t like one day’s morning activities, you can simply look to the next day’s (same goes for evening).
At the end of the post, I’ll also list a few other morning and evening activity suggestions, in case you didn’t quite find what you liked.
That way, this itinerary is perfectly customized to what you really want to see in Rovaniemi and Lapland — not just what I think you want to see!
Day One of Your Lapland Itinerary
Morning: Visit Santa Claus Village
Visiting Santa Claus Village is one of the must-do activities while visiting Lapland in winter, especially for those with children!
But even those without kids can enjoy the fun, Disney-like setting of Santa Claus Village and relive their youth a bit!
Depending on how you prefer you travel, you can explore Santa Claus Village and Santa’s Post Office either on your own or with a guided tour.
For independent travelers who want to visit Santa Claus Village, it’s quite easy!
Hop on the local bus #8 departing from the Rovaniemi train station, or take a taxi there.
There are also more structured guided visits while perhaps are better suited for families.
This small group tour includes a visit across the Arctic Circle (accompanied by a certificate of crossing), a festive Christmas buffet lunch, and an enchanting encounter with reindeer!
Since Rovaniemi is situated just 4 miles south of the Arctic Circle, as well as being an inland location, Rovaniemi is a hotspot for aurora borealis tours throughout the Nordic region!
These intimate expeditions, often undertaken in minibuses, are led by experienced aurora trackers who know exactly where to go to find the best aurora chances.
They whisk you away from the lights of Rovaniemi into the serene Finnish wilderness, enhancing your chances of witnessing this otherworldly display of colors!
The best aurora I saw in Rovaniemi!
Rovaniemi provides a plethora of Northern Lights tour alternatives — here are a few different options.
The most standard option is this 3-hour Northern Lights tour, bringing you to a frozen lake roughly 15 miles from Rovaniemi, setting the stage for an atmospheric evening.
As you wait for the lights to appear, relax in the warmth of a campfire and savor a BBQ dinner of fire-roasted sausages, fish soup, Lappish bread, and blueberry tea under the stars.
Other inclusions are cold-weather gear if required, as well as hotel transfers.
Whichever experience you pick, the odds of witnessing the mystical lights are relatively high.
However, it’s essential to remember that the Northern lights are a natural phenomenon, and sightings can never be guaranteed.
Day Two of Your Lapland Itinerary
Morning: Get your thrills on a dog sledding tour
One of the must-dos on any Lapland itinerary (or any Arctic itinerary in general) is going on a dog sledding adventure!
Dog sledding holds a special place in my heart, having done epic husky safaris in Tromso and Abisko, where I fell in love with this winter activity.
Just outside of Rovaniemi, this tour brings you to husky farm in Apukka — before your tour, you’ll have the chance to acquaint yourself with the charming huskies that will make your visit so magical!
Your expert guides will introduce you to the mechanics of husky sledding, demonstrating how to self-drive your own husky sled independently to ensure a safe experience for both you and the huskies.
However, be aware that self-driving is more of a collaboration than a leisure activity!
You’ll find yourself actively engaging all throughout the tour — running alongside the team and pushing the sled up inclines, contributing to the team effort with your huskies.
But that activity may be too intense for those with kids or those with disabilities or mobility limitations, in which case, a musher-led husky tour is the perfect alternative!
On these tours, you’ll sit in the sledge as your experienced husky sled driver manages all the maneuvering.
That way, you can focus on the excited yelps and howls of the huskies and the stunning beauty of the snowy landscapes around you!
It’s one of perhaps a dozen snow hotels in the world — there are others in Sweden, Norway, Quebec, Austria, and Andorra, to name a few.
While an overnight stay in a snow hotel is often really expensive, usually over a thousand dollars for a night, taking a tour of a snow hotel is a surprisingly economical alternative!
Departing at 4:45 PM, this is the perfect evening activity after a dog sled tour, giving you time for a rest and lunch after your busy morning.
This specific tour has great value — you get to visit both the snow hotel and its glass igloos, but you also get to enjoy a tasty 3-course dinner featuring Lappish-inspired cuisine.
A sample menu is a rich forest mushroom soup, followed by a choice of four main courses (roast elk, fresh Arctic salmon, chicken breast, or cold-smoked tofu for vegetarians), and concludes with a sweet note of lingonberry-caramel custard.
The tour will show you all of this snow hotel’s distinct offerings, like its paradoxical snow sauna, intricate ice sculptures, ice bar, frozen dining area, and naturally, its uniquely designed rooms!
Transportation is included, as the snow hotel is located about 30 minutes outside of Rovaniemi.
For an added touch of luxury, consider enhancing your experience with a private session in the snow sauna, complemented by relaxation in your personal jacuzzi!
Bear in mind, this ephemeral snow hotel is reconstructed annually, so it only officially opens its doors on December 16th.
If your travels align with these dates, you simply must visit this highlight of a Lapland itinerary.
Alternatively, if you wish to just explore the snow hotel without the dining experience, you can book that option here to save some money (or in case you have pretty restrictive food sensitivities).
That said, given Finnish restaurant prices, it’s my opinion that the visit with the meal inclusion arguably provides a more satisfying bang for your buck.
Leaving at 9 AM and getting back around 4 PM, this is is a nearly full-day adventure, so plan accordingly!
Korouoma Canyon is massive and impressive, stretching 30 kilometers long and 130 meters deep.
In the winter, once-rushing water over the edges of the canyon crystallize into stunning ice waterfalls — and you might even get to watch ice climbers attempt to scale them!
Your tour is a lot more horizontal than vertical, though, as you hike through the canyon and admire the landscape of cliffs and waterfalls, looking for native Lapland wildlife.
They’ll provide snowshoes for you so you can hike down to the canyon and along the snowy paths.
At the end of the hike, you’ll have a BBQ lunch of sausages roasted over a campfire to keep you satiated on the drive home!
Evening: Enjoy an aurora-chasing snowmobile safari
Depending on your activity budget, tonight might be good time to experience the Northern lights in a totally different way — on snowmobile!
While the first night had you enjoying an aurora camp outside of Rovaniemi, this tour takes a more active approach with an adrenaline-fueled snowmobile aurora chase, hoping the lights appear overhead.
There’s no better way to combine the shocking beauty of the Northern Lights and Lapland’s serene, still wilderness.
Journeying through the night with an expert guide on a 1 to 1.5 hour snowmobile ride, you’ll take a break at an aurora camp to enjoy warm drinks and cookies by a crackling fire.
While snacking, drinking, and warming up by the fire, you’ll await the aurora’s potential appearance.
Note that this tour requires a valid driver’s license for you to be able to operate the snowmobile, and each snowmobile can seat two people.
If you’re traveling with kids, they can be pulled behind a snowmobile in a sled, cozied up with some warm blankets.
The snowmobile tour leaves at 8 PM and ends at 11 PM, so you’ll definitely want to have dinner in Rovaniemi first before going on this tour.
Morning: Visit a reindeer farm and go for a sleigh ride
One of the most essential Lapland experiences is visiting a local reindeer farm to help you understand the history of the Sámi people and how important reindeer are to their culture.
Meeting Sámi reindeer herders is a unique way to learn about the lifestyle of Finland’s only Indigenous people.
After you’re picked up at 9 AM, you’ll visit a reindeer farm, where you’ll learn all about the adorable reindeer and their domestication under the Sámi reindeer herders.
You’ll even get to experience a sled ride pulled by reindeer through the snowy forest — how’s that for feeling like Santa Claus? (Your sled, unfortunately, does not fly).
Speaking with the Indigenous Sámi herders, you’ll gain a first-hand understanding of their ancestral traditions and the role reindeer husbandry has played in their lives.
This is a short tour, starting at 9 AM and ending at 11 AM, so you’ll be back in Rovaniemi in time for lunch and some downtime to explore downtown Rovaniemi before enjoying your evening activities!
Evening: Enjoy a sauna and a traditional Finnish evening.
A lot of these activities have been rather active — how about a chill night, the Finnish way?
This 4-hour evening tour takes you on a 30-minute drive to the nearby Langonlamp Lake.
Here you can have a traditional Finnish evening of sauna and ice swimming, with a traditional dinner and hopefully a taste of the Northern lights for dessert!
The guides will show you how Finns enjoy the sauna, starting with brief increments and then extending their sauna sessions — sometimes cooling down with rolling in the snow or even plunging in the hole made in the ice of an Arctic lake!
They’ll provide a towel and slippers, just BYOBS (bring your own bathing suit!).
Amidst the sauna-ing and ice plunging, you’ll enjoy a traditional dinner of salmon cooked over the fire served with non-alcoholic drinks.
Sleep in a bit and enjoy this hiking and snowshoeing tour that leaves Rovaniemi at 12:30 before embarking on a scenic hike through the wild.
This fun snowshoeing adventure brings you through the Arctic forest, learning how to use snowshoes to hike amidst deep snow comfortably and safely.
These winter trails are great for potential wildlife sightings in the frozen landscape.
This slow-paced, family-friendly tour brings you through serene forests with churning rapids that defy the frozen temperatures of the surrounding area.
Along the way, you’ll stop somewhere scenic for a quick snack of gingerbread cookies accompanied by a Lapland favorite of warm blueberry juice!
This tour includes transfers, a guide, snowshoes, and a winter overall and boot set to keep you nice and toasty.
Evening: Go for an ice float under the Northern lights!
On the final night of this Lapland itinerary, here’s a unique activity to end your trip: an ice floating experience with the Northern lights (hopefully) overhead!
What exactly is ice floating?
Wearing a high-quality insulated suit similar to the dry suit that intrepid scuba divers wear before going into icy waters, you’ll float serenely in an icy lake, admiring the night sky.
Without the light pollution of the city, expect to see beautiful stars and planets in the sky — and if you’re lucky, you’ll see the Northern lights as well as you float!
To warm up, you’ll end the tour with some blueberry tea and snacks before heading back to Rovaniemi
For a balance of cost, comfort, and convenience, the Arctic City Hotel stands out, with an unbeatable position in the heart of Rovaniemi.
Expect roomy, inviting spaces adorned with contemporary Finnish design touches, with a complimentary breakfast buffet.
A standout feature is the hotel’s dual sauna — and you even have the unique option of booking a room that includes your personal sauna space (see the junior suite with sauna).
Fancy an overnight stay beneath the stars in a glass-ceiling igloo? Your dream comes true at Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle!
These famed Finnish glass igloos are warmed and have amenities like an ensuite bathroom with a rain shower, along with bathrobes and slippers for that extra touch of comfort.
Unique to the igloos is an in-house tablet, your line to the reception for any requests, or to receive alerts for the Northern lights — the ceiling defrost feature ensures unobstructed views.
Opt for the superior igloos for an indulgent private sauna experience, or choose family-sized igloos that cater to four guests, featuring an additional sleeping nook for two.
A short 5-minute stroll from Santa Claus Village, the property also includes shuttle service for easy access to Rovaniemi’s downtown.
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
My love affair with Vienna is over a decade long and with no sign of stopping, and visiting Vienna in winter only confirmed that it’s a spectacular city in literally every season.
I first visited Vienna in fall of 2009, when I was studying in nearby Prague.
I was enchanted with the city from my first sight of its rooftops, dazzled by the colorful mosaic roofs that bedecked the tops of Vienna’s most beautiful churches.
Its museums also blew me away — something I was surprised by, after being spoiled for choice of museums, having a few years living in NYC under my belt.
And the pastries and cakes — oh, the cakes! That was when I knew I would revisit Vienna.
I returned to Vienna in December 2019, after a decade’s absence, to visit my family who were visiting Vienna, and we enjoyed the stunning Vienna Christmas markets and festive atmosphere.
And if I initially thought Vienna in the fall was magical, Vienna in winter is truly the time to visit!
The winter spirit of Vienna is everywhere!
Its festive markest and decorations, its delicious street food stalls serving käsespätzel and bratwurst and garlic soup in bread bowls.
Seeing Vienna in winter, even though I went there wasn’t any snow, was even more magical than before.
There’s something so romantic about visiting Vienna.
It’s the setting of one of my favorite travel movies of all time — Before Sunrise — an epic romance which spans three movies and several decades of the characters lives.
And when you see Vienna for yourself, you’ll know why!
This guide will walk you through all my favorite things to do in Vienna in winter — whether you visit for the Vienna Christmas markets or in other parts of the winter!
Vienna in Winter: 13 Best Activities & Things to Do
Shop (and eat everything) at the Christmas Markets.
The Christmas market at Schönbrunn Palace
2024 Update: The Christmas Markets have closed for the 2023-2024 season; the first markets will reopen on November 10th (including Am Hof, Stephansplatz, and the largest one at Rathausplatz )
Living in Europe for about five years, I’ve been to my share of Christmas markets in Europe.
At this point, and in general, they all run together for me: but not so in Austria!
Vienna Christmas Markets are easily the best I’ve experienced in all of Europe, better even than Germany’s. Yup, I’ve said it and I’ll stand by it!
Surprisingly, the food at the Vienna Christmas Markets far exceeded my expectations.
I had a dreamy spätzel with butter, applesauce, and dusted hazelnuts at the Christmas market in front of Schönbrunn Palace, which was one of my favorite Christmas markets in the city.
There, I also had a phenomenal garlic soup – okay, the first of many delicious garlic soups.
Spätzel and applesauce, a match made in heaven!
One of my other favorite Christmas Markets at the city was in Am Hof Square, which conveniently I happened to be staying right in front of!
The cheese bratwurst there was amazing (it sounds so wrong; it tastes so right), as was the käsespätzel from heaven.
The same stall that served the käsespätzel, Tiroler Hut, also served a fantastic pork and cabbage dish that blew me away.
Other dishes worth trying are the raclette (always) and the waffles.
The only Christmas Market I didn’t love was the biggest one, the one in front of Rathausplatz.
It was crowded to the point where I basically grabbed my partner and fled the scene because I was on the verge of panicking.
If you don’t mind crowds, you’ll surely love it, but it made me really anxious!
More Christmas markets, this one a smaller one found near the Spanish Riding School
For central but less intense Christmas markets, there are also excellent smaller markets in front of the Spanish Riding School, Kunsthistorisches Museum, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
For the souvenir-obsessed, the Christmas Markets also prove to be a fantastic place to shop.
We ended up taking home some beautiful ceramic mugs and an… interesting figurine which is now staring at me on my shelf while I write this.
Walk the beautiful Ferstel passage.
Feeling Parisian in the Ferstel Passage
Similar to the covered passageways you’d find in Paris, Austria has its own gorgeous covered arcade, Ferstel Passage, that is one of my favorite places to escape the cold a bit and get lost.
It’s located right near Am Hof Square, so it’s quite a central location and definitely worth going slightly out of your way to visit.
The passage has pillars going all the way back, decorated with ornate marblework, with a stunning vaulted ceiling.
It leads you past several luxury shops, cafés (including one of the best coffee shops in Vienna), to a small interior courtyard with a fountain at its center.
On one end of the passage is the famous Café Central, the most famous coffee houses in Vienna.
And honestly, I can’t recommend you go there, unless you have an insane stroke of luck and manage to visit when there’s no line.
Every time I passed Café Central, it looked to be at least an hour’s wait just for a table!
So my pro tip is to walk past the lines, stroll through the passage languorously.
Then enjoy a line-free coffee at CaffèCouture, instead!
It may not be your traditional Vienna coffee shop, but it had one of the best flat whites I’ve ever had… and with a fraction of the price tag and no wait, either.
See a show at the Spanish Riding School.
The beautiful interior of the Winter Riding School in Vienna
The first time I was in Vienna, I somehow never learned about the Spanish Riding School — which is a shame, because when I was younger, I was totally enraptured by horses.
Now a bit more weary of them after a few haywire horse rides, I was still utterly enchanted by the exquisite horsemanship skills of the riders at the Spanish Riding School.
Seeing a show there was a highlight of my winter trip to Vienna.
The Spanish Riding School is quite a unique place: a gorgeous riding hall and stables smack dab in the middle of the city center, right next to the Hofburg Palace complex.
At the school, they use exclusively Lipizzaner horses as they have for centuries — a beautiful white stallion which originated from Slovenia but was bred for centuries by the Hapsburgs.
There are several options of how you can see the Lipizzaners, but my preferred way is at the show, when you can really see the horses in their element in the beautiful baroque Winter Riding School, which dates back to 1735.
The beautiful chandeliers and Baroque detailing of the Winter Riding School
The performance lasts about an hour and a half and includes several different parts.
You’ll get to see younger horses showing off basic gaits to the more seasoned stallions showing off dressage moves in a beautifully coordinated mirror image, called the ‘pas-de-deux’.
Finally, the most interesting part is their school jumps, where the horses perform masterful jumps that really just have to be seen to be believed!
However, tickets to the show can be a bit expensive – if you want to save money, you can opt for standing room tickets, which are about half or a third of the price.
Alternately, you could also opt for the morning exercises which are less expensive.
Admittedly, it is a bit less impressive as it’s not as structured or rehearsed as the show, which shows both the riders and the horses at their finest. The morning exercises run every day except Monday.
A final option is a guided tour of the Spanish Riding School itself, which shows you both the winter and summer riding halls, the Stallburg arcade, and the stables of the Lipizzaners.
You’ll even get to see the Lipizzaners up close, though there is a strictly no touching and no photos policy! These tours also run daily except Monday.
If you’re not sure which sounds best and you want to read a guide about all the different options, I have a guide to visiting the Spanish Riding School and what you’ll see at a performance here.
Get down on some glühwein.
Is it really winter in Vienna without glühwein
Every night in winter Vienna comes to life with people gathering at the Christmas Markets to enjoy glühwein, a hot mulled wine with spices.
And that’s not the only hot drink these stalls serve — you’ll find all sorts of other beverages of the warm and alcoholic variety (including in some cases, perplexingly to my Brazilian ex, a hot caipirinha).
People will often gather at the Christmas markets in the evening (evening being a loose term, given that sunset in Vienna in December is around 4 PM…) and drink glühwein or other hot punches, alcoholic or otherwise, until around 10 at night.
Generally, the Christmas markets operate on a Pfand (deposit) system.
When you buy your first glühwein, you’ll pay an extra 3 or 4 euros for a cute mug to drink your wine out of.
You can either keep it as a souvenir, you can refill your drink in it throughout the time you’re at the market, or you can return your mug at the end of your market carousing to get your deposit back.
Marvel at the works at the Albertina.
Beautiful Impressionist art at the Albertina
The Albertina is my favorite museum in Vienna – and in fact, one of my favorite museums in the world.
It contains an incredible collection of impressionist and expressionist art, which are two of my all-time favorite art movements.
Here, you’ll find lots of Renoirs, Monets, Picassos, Munchs, Chagalls, and more — plus a nice contemporary collection as well.
The temporary exhibits are often much more crowded than the permanent collection, so keep that in mind when planning your Albertina trip.
When I went, the Dürer collection was so full that it was pretty miserable to walk through, but everything else was pretty clear.
Entrance: €17 euro per adult | Free with Vienna Pass
Attend a classical concert.
Concert taking place in a church in Vienna
Vienna is known for its music… and how can it not be, being that it was the birthplace of Mozart?
A classy-(cal) way of getting out of the cold in Vienna is attending a concert! There are several classical music concerts, typically performed in different churches around the city.
One of the most beautiful venues is St. Anne’s Church, a stunning baroque church with exquisite marble interior and gorgeous frescoes on the ceilings and walls.
You can attend a 70-minute concert here, performed by the Viennese String Ensemble, which includes a selection of music from Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and others.
Shows begin at 8 PM and occur four times a week: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Another option is to see Vivaldi’s Four Seasons performed by the Orchestra 1756 at the Karlskirche, another beautiful and historic church in central Vienna.
Shows generally are on Thursdays, Fridays, and some Tuesdays, but they often sell out up to a month in advance, so book your show early so you don’t miss out!
There are several other options as well, such as Mozart’s Requiem, the Vienna Residence Orchestra, and more, so classical music fans – or the classical music curious – will be spoiled for choice.
Have a traditional Viennese meal.
A delicious boiled beef dish – one of my favorite dishes in Vienna
I’ll be honest — Austrian cuisine is not my favorite.
There’s nothing wrong with it, per se, but I just prefer my food a little more spicy and flavorful. That said, you should at least try Austrian food while in Vienna!
However, here are two stand-out Viennese dishes that I think are definitely worth seeking out while in Vienna (besides all the cake): boiled beef, which is much tastier than it sounds, and of course, Weiner schnitzel!
After all, the ‘Weiner’ in weiner schtnizel refers to Wien, aka Vienna.
I had a really nice boiled beef just opposite the Albertina, and you can have delicious weiner schnitzel just about anywhere in Vienna!
Get cultured at the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
It’s hard to know whether to look ahead or up at the Art History Museum!
I’m not normally the type to recommend museum after museum, but Vienna truly has some of the best museums in the world, so it’d be a shame not to visit them.
Especially since if you’re visiting Vienna in winter, you’ll probably want to get out of the cold as much as you can!
The Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum) is full Vienna’s older art collection, whereas the Albertina hosts newer pieces.
Here, you’ll find the largest collection of Bruegels in the world, with 12 out of his 40-odd known pieces on display permanently.
But one of the coolest things is its gorgeous ceiling painting (shown above), as well as its wall panels supporting the roof featuring work from Gustav Klimt, one of Austria’s most famous artists of all time.
Other classical artists like Rembrandt, Velazquez, and Dürer are also on display.
Absolutely worth visiting the interior of the palace!
Located outside of the city center of Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace is entirely worth the detour. This exquisite palace was the summer residence of the Hapsburgs.
There are several options for how to visit Schönbrunn Palace, including two tiers of tickets. There are two main options: the Imperial Tour, which include 22 rooms, or the Grand Tour, with 40 rooms.
We opted for the Imperial Tour, thinking 22 rooms would be plenty and we’d avoid museum fatigue this way.
However, when we hit the end, we were a little bummed that we actually hadn’t booked the full tour, as it was all so impressive!
You can book your ticket and go with an audio guide, as we did, but the problem is that lines can often be insane.
We got lucky and somehow managed to visit on a day where there wasn’t much of a line (maybe because it wasn’t a weekend), but the palace website says that lines can exceed three hours during peak times (and Vienna in December is definitely peak!).
Pro tip: For more historical context AND to skip the line, you can join a guided tour of Schönbrunn Palace. Book your tour here!
Another popular, albeit touristy, thing to do at Schonbrunn Palace is to check out the Strudel Show, which takes place at the court bakery where strudel was made for the royals for centuries!
The Strudel Show is a funny, quirky show where they show you how strudel is made before plopping down a hot piece of strudel in front of you with a piping hot beverage to enjoy!
If you’re visiting Vienna in winter with kids, you’ll definitely want to plan to visit this as well (it makes good bribery for getting them to visit the palace as well.)
Vienna is fancy. And nowhere is that more evident than on Der Graben, one of the premier shopping streets of Vienna.
Der Graben is the heart of Vienna’s shopping district, and several streets also worth shopping around radiate out from it.
You’ll find everything from luxury brands like Prada and Chanel to high street fashion to smaller boutique designers as well.
You probably won’t do much shopping here unless you have a very high limit on your credit card and a will to use it.
Still, it’s really fun to window shop and wander through the street, marveling at all the crazy window displays.
Visit the St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
One of the most famous churches in all of Vienna, it’s hard to miss St. Stephen’s Cathedral – so don’t!
This exquisite church was badly bombed during World War II, but it has been renovated beautifully. I mean, just look at that roof!
The interior is also exquisite, but for me personally, the roof is the main draw.
Don’t miss walking around its perimeter, as there’s a really cute Christmas market there – the oldest in the city, in fact.
Take a fiaker around the center.
Enjoying a fiaker ride with my family in Vienna in winter
One of the major facets of central Vienna you’ll see is the fiaker, a traditional horse-drawn carriage.
Once a necessity in pre-car Vienna, the fiaker is now a tourist attraction, and taking a carriage ride around the city center is a fantastic way to spend a winter Vienna afternoon.
We took a 15-minute carriage ride for 40 euro for 4 people — they also had 30-minute rides for 75 euro — which was a bit pricy, but it was well worth the fun experience! It’s an especially great thing to do if visiting Vienna with kids.
The carriage we took was uncovered as it wasn’t a very cold day, but if it’s raining or snowing they’ll put up the roof so you can enjoy it in any kind of weather.
The horses were well-loved and well-cared for, but as with any activity involving horses, check for signs that the horse is well-treated (healthy looking hair, skin, and hooves).
To get to see a little more insight on the carriage horses, check out this tour which lets you see the fiaker stables and learn about the history of these horse-drawn carriages before taking a carriage back into the city center.
Lebkuchen, aka gingerbread, is a delicious souvenir of your time in Vienna and it can be found at any of the city’s Christmas Markets.
There are several ways you can get your lebkuchen, including traditional which is generally un-iced.
However, the cutest way to get it is generally frosting covered with sweet wishes on the front in either German or English!
Where to Stay in Vienna in Winter
Vienna’s city center is compact and easily transited by foot or metro, so there’s no shortage of excellent accommodation options.
I’ll let you know where we stayed first, then I’ll share some other options for different budgets.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the peerless Park Hyatt Vienna right across from Am Hof Square with its amazing Christmas Market.
Honestly, I think it’s up there as one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed at in my life!
The breakfast buffet spreads and the breakfast in bed were both equally phenomenal, the rooms were basically like mini-palaces, the bathrooms were gorgeous with a marvelous tub, and everything was controlled electronically which basically made me feel like I was in the future.
I had dreamed of staying in a Park Hyatt since seeing Lost in Translation and it lived up to my every expectation of it and more.
Other shout outs go to the incredible spa center with an excellent steam room, sauna, and rain shower with a gorgeous indoor pool, the amazing on-site restaurants and their daily tea time, and excellent personalized service.
Of course, there are more budget-friendly options in Vienna — the Park Hyatt was where we stayed as it was a special occasion having my family meet my husband for the first time (since we eloped!).
The first time I stayed in Vienna, I was a backpacker and chose the Wombats Hostel and have nothing but positive memories of it (even though it’s basically the polar opposite of the Hyatt).
It’s a great hostel chain, social but not party-centric, with all the amenities you’d expect in dorms and also lovely double rooms at a budget-friendly price, perfect for friends or couples who don’t want to share a dorm room.
Both offer sleek, design-focused, super-comfortable double rooms for around 100 euro a night, with lovely boutique touches and central locations near major transit hubs.
Peacoats and Vienna — sometimes warm enough, but sometimes you want a parka!
It was an unnaturally warm December in Vienna this year!
I wore a dress, leggings, boots, hat, and warm wool coat basically every day and was always warm. I didn’t even need a scarf most days!
However, winter temperatures in Vienna are usually colder than that.
As I write update this post in January 2024, Vienna will range from -6° C to 12° C this week (21° F to 54° F).
When I was in Vienna in December, it never colder than 10° C all week — that’s 50° F!
Here’s what I recommend packing so you don’t get too cold in Vienna in winter:
A jacket: It depends how warm you want to be! I love my North Face parka, but Vienna was too warm for a down jacket during my last visit so I was fine with a regular wool peacoat.
Warm boots: Despite the picture of a snow-covered Vienna you may have in your head, winter is not typically super snowy. I wrote my pair of waterproof leather boots rather than heavy-duty snow boots. This is the style I own: a classic equestrian boot that is waterproof with good traction.
Fleece-lined knit hat: Since your jacket is likely a dark or neutral color, it’s fun to liven up your look (and photos) with a colorful hat or two. I like a snug knit hat lined in fleece.
Warm layers: I normally find wool unbearably itchy for a base layer — that is until I found Kari Traa merino wool base layers (bottoms here and half-zip top here). Note that the classic is the kind I like — the Fryd Base is too thin for much warmth.
An enormously wrappable scarf: The bigger and thicker the scarf, the better — again, this is a place where you can incorporate color and variety in your winter looks.
Touchscreen friendly globes: These gloves are adorable, smartphone-compatible, and affordable.
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
