Lapland: Trip Preparation & Destination Information

Lapland: Trip Preparation & Destination Information

About Lapland

Overview

Lapland is a traveler’s dream, where the Northern Lights and the midnight sun are part of everyday life. In this magical land where snow covers the landscapes for 7 months of the year, it’s no surprise that Lapland is the ideal place for dog sledding, skiing, snowmobiles and saunas. Where winter theme parks and interactive museums are open year-round and the Sami people, Europe’s only remaining indigenous people, have inhabited the area for more than 5,000 years. But more importantly, Rovaniemi is home to Santa Claus!

 

Disclaimer: Space is a precious commodity in Europe, especially in its most dense cities, be prepared for smaller hotel rooms. The same goes for bathrooms and elevators, don’t be surprised if they feel cozier than those in the US.

 

Capital City: Arctic Circle Rovaniemi

Population: 178,522 (2019 est.)

Currency: Euro (EUR)

Time Zone: Eastern European Time - EET (UTC/GMT +2)

Emergency Number: 112

Outlet: Types C/F

Red House Lapland
Reindeer

Packing List

Speak the Language

Language: Finnish is a common language (and is represented below), but people also speak Swedish, Sami, Romani and more.

 

  • Good morning - Hyvää huomenta
  • Good night - Hyvää yötä
  • See you later - Nähdään myöhemmin
  • Goodbye - Näkemin
  • Have a nice day - Hyvää päivänjatkoa
  • Thank you -Kiitos
  • You're welcome - Ei kestä
  • I don't understand - En ymmärrä

Google Translate: Google Translate: Download the Google Translate app or click here 

Lapland-Summer

Fun Facts

  • The Sami people are the indigenous people of Lapland and have inhabited the Arctic for at least 5000 years! They have over 100 different words for snow in their native language.
  • Lapland makes up about 1/3 of Finland’s total area and it is a region, not a country. For some perspective, Lapland is as big as Belgium, Holland and Switzerland all put together.
  • Lapland is sparsely populated - only 3.6% of the total Finnish population live in Lapland.
  • The number of reindeer in Lapland is equal to the number of people.
  • Lapland is the best place to view the Northern Lights. Abisko National Park is regarded as one of the best places in the world to see this natural light show due to its prevailing winds, which means that clouds rarely form - and the skies are kept clear.

Tipping

Tipping Suggestions: Tips for Guides, drivers and restaurants are not included. Tipping is not a huge part of Finnish culture. For all services, you can just round up the total amount or give a couple more dollars on top

Guides USD $5-10 per person/per day
Drivers USD $5-10 per person/per day
Restaurants  USD 10-15% of the total bill

 

FAQ

Where can I find information on travel safety? Check out the US Department of State's website for the most up-to-date information on safety while traveling

 

Is the water safe to drink? Tap water is safe to drink anywhere and is often better than bottled water.

 

Do I need a Visa? For Visa information, click here. Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months after you return home and has two or more blank pages. Otherwise, some countries may not let you enter.

 

What about vaccines? For vaccination information, click here.

 

Do you recommend travel insurance? While not required, we highly recommend all travelers get travel insurance for their trip to protect themselves from the unknown! Check out travel insurance options from our partner, worldnomads.com or from a provider of your choice.

 

How much should I pack? As we will be using shared transfers and spaces throughout our tour we recommend all travelers pack as lightly as possible. Please review our luggage restrictions below.

 

What does public transportation look like? There are bus services based in the main cities of Lapland, but the more remote areas are disconnected from these services.

 

Is Uber or Lyft available? There is no Uber or Lyft in Lapland.

Luggage Restrictions

Luggage Restrictions purple
Luggage restrictions purple – mobile – 1

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