Finland Winter Holiday

[sereneong19]

Hello!
Am planning a winter trip to Finland next Feb and would like to know if anyone had engage their local tour guides and recommend a few? Managed to find a few but would like gather suggestions.

Places to visit will be Helsinki n Lapland.

Thanks in advance

 

[droozy]

wa sis ! I am also trying to plan that ! but to see aurora borealis hahahaha

 

[sereneong19]

wa sis ! I am also trying to plan that ! but to see aurora borealis hahahaha

Hello!! I wanna see that also n found that the place to view will be at Lapland. When you intend to travel? Saw a few local tours that organise a few activities but not yet asked for quote.

You interested staying in at one of the ice glass igloo?

 

[Careful Investor]

Helsinki is pretty small. You can move about on your own without any guide. Places to visit include the Helsinki Cathedral, Kauppatori open market place,Temppeliaukio Church (a church built of rocks), Uspenski Cathedral (Russian church), etc. You probably need just 1 - 2 days in Helsinki including maybe a half day to the UNESCO Heritage Island Suomenlinna.

For Lapland, it is sparsely populated, so better to engage a guide in case you are lost in the wild. It is not possible to predict when there will be aurora borealis and it depends on luck. You may stay up for the whole night but might not get to see it.

Take note it is v v cold in Finland esp during winter.

 

[sereneong19]

Helsinki is pretty small. You can move about on your own without any guide. Places to visit include the Helsinki Cathedral, Kauppatori open market place,Temppeliaukio Church (a church built of rocks), Uspenski Cathedral (Russian church), etc. You probably need just 1 - 2 days in Helsinki including maybe a half day to the UNESCO Heritage Island Suomenlinna.

For Lapland, it is sparsely populated, so better to engage a guide in case you are lost in the wild. It is not possible to predict when there will be aurora borealis and it depends on luck. You may stay up for the whole night but might not get to see it.

Take note it is v v cold in Finland esp during winter.

Thanks for the advice!! That's what I had in mind. To join a local tour in Lapland considered the vast land over there. Heard of the bitterly cold weather and will be careful bout that also.
I was wondering if you have any recommendation on hotels at Rovaniemi?

 

[tarui04]

how much English do they speak?

 

[Ruriel]

how much English do they speak?

Finns don't usually speak English if they can help it. They do understand (they had to learn it in school for a couple of semesters after all), and most of the staff at tourist places do speak English if they have to. But don't expect the lady manning the public toilets at the train station to understand or speak English.

If you need directions or help from the public, approach the younger generation instead.

 

[Careful Investor]

Finns don't usually speak English if they can help it. They do understand (they had to learn it in school for a couple of semesters after all), and most of the staff at tourist places do speak English if they have to. But don't expect the lady manning the public toilets at the train station to understand or speak English.

If you need directions or help from the public, approach the younger generation instead.

I have been to Helsinki a few times. Most can speak English, even those at the supermarket, cafes, convenience shops, open market, and those operating the cruise booths and cruise. Not an issue.

I didn't go to Lapland, so not sure. But I presume those in tourism ones can speak English.

 

[sereneong19]

Can I know if landing at ivalo or Rovaniemi will be a better choice.
Rough itinerary will be landing at Lapland, heading to igloo glass hotel.
After that will start with the husky n reindeer rides, ice fishing...Santa Claus village and then head back to Helsinki.

 

[Ruriel]

I have been to Helsinki a few times. Most can speak English, even those at the supermarket, cafes, convenience shops, open market, and those operating the cruise booths and cruise. Not an issue.

I didn't go to Lapland, so not sure. But I presume those in tourism ones can speak English.

Nice! I've been to Finland every year since a few years back, only stopping from 2011. Looking forward to my next trip there, whenever it may be. It's nice when you don't need to pay for accomodation there. :x

In Rovaniemi itself, yes most of the service personnel can speak English. Even when I was in Saariselkä, the service staff in the restaurants/supermarkets can speak simple English.

Like I said, they had to learn English in school, so yes they are able to converse in English. Just don't expect very smooth conversation for most parts, since they don't speak the language for most parts of their lives.

 

[Ruriel]

Can I know if landing at ivalo or Rovaniemi will be a better choice.
Rough itinerary will be landing at Lapland, heading to igloo glass hotel.
After that will start with the husky n reindeer rides, ice fishing...Santa Claus village and then head back to Helsinki.

If you are heading to Igloo glass hotel at Kakslauttanen, Ivalo should be the nearer one.

Your itinerary sounds great! I myself haven't been to the glass igloo before... but it's definitely on my bucket list! Hope you can catch the aurora borealis on your trip~

 

[sereneong19]

If you are heading to Igloo glass hotel at Kakslauttanen, Ivalo should be the nearer one.

Your itinerary sounds great! I myself haven't been to the glass igloo before... but it's definitely on my bucket list! Hope you can catch the aurora borealis on your trip~

Thanks! So I will arrive at Ivalo and head down to the glass igloo after that will station myself at Rovaniemi, tours will start off from there.
The glass hotel is within saariselka and that place is a village of resorts? I'm quite confused so asking for clarification.
By the way, are there any budget domestic airline in Finland?

 

[Ruriel]

Thanks! So I will arrive at Ivalo and head down to the glass igloo after that will station myself at Rovaniemi, tours will start off from there.
The glass hotel is within saariselka and that place is a village of resorts? I'm quite confused so asking for clarification.
By the way, are there any budget domestic airline in Finland?

Er no, Saariselka is just a very small town/village that's more for ski-ers or locals who want to have a winter gathering in a log cabin. It's not a common place for tourists to go because there's nothing to do there - unless you wanna ski. The glass igloos are not there.

Budget or not, I'm not quite sure. But domestic fares by regular airlines are not all that ex anyway. I know for sure that check-in queues for Blue1 and Finnair are always damn long for domestic flights.

 

[droozy]

ah sorry for the late reply.. by then u have the whole load of information. lol
i only know of a tour group who is specialized in bringing u to see aurora borealis if any ...
Yr itnerary is similiar only that I did not include the ice igloo in.
Plan not certain yet. Yrs is confirmed ?

 

[droozy]

Ruriel..
Any recommendations of staying at Ivalo and Helsinki ?
Are the expenses heavy there ?

 

[Ruriel]

Ruriel..
Any recommendations of staying at Ivalo and Helsinki ?
Are the expenses heavy there ?

Mmmm.. you mentioned that you will be following a tour right? Wouldn't they include accommodation for you?

I really highly recommend Saariselkä for a couple of chill out, relaxed nights. The small town is a bus ride away from Ivalo Airport. Or you can grab a cab there (which is, uh, expensive...). It's uber quiet (you hardly hear anything else except the wind) and peaceful. Unless your "neighbour" is having some Finnish drinking party or something -_-;

Don't stay more than 2 nights there though... you'll seriously run out of stuff to do if you don't hike in winter or ski or go for husky rides (which can cost up to EUR100+ per pax). If you have the budget, go for the log cabins as they are definitely better for the experience. Why go all the way to Lapland to stay in a hotel? Most have a real fire place (you need to start it going yourself, of course ) which you can BBQ those sausages that you bought from the nearby supermarket for dinner while watching some DVDs that you bring over yourself.

Gotta take note though... Log cabins are pretty much very expensive... They are usually big, for accommodation for 5-6 pax or even more. The one I stayed before is this. There are others that you can browse on the same site..

For Helsinki, it depends on your budget. I stayed at a friend's place when I was there, so I have no experience in staying at Helsinki's hotels. Generally, you still can find S$100+/night decent hotels in Helsinki. They are just probably a little off from the main train station.

Cost of living in Scandinavia is generally quite high... but not alarmingly high. Euros have dropped quite a fair bit, so I guess it's still manageable for us now. Taxi is expensive. Try to avoid them if you are on a tight budget. I remembered the taxi from Ivalo Airport to that log cabin which I stayed in Saariselka cost about EUR50+ per trip. -___-; Not sure if it's because it was pre-arranged or what... I only jaw-dropped when I see the meter. I'm not the one paying, but still...

Shopping... well they have H&M. I don't usually shop, so I don't know if the prices are any better there. Chocolates - Cheap, if you go after Christmas. They are pretty expensive before Christmas period...

As for food, well.... to put things in perspective, you can take a look at Rosso's menu to see their casual restaurant prices in Finland. It's a franchise that you can find all around Finland. It's not fine dining, just casual... much like Spageddies or Pizza Hut here.

Slightly cheaper eats can be found in small eateries at shopping malls in Helsinki. I found this "Singapore Hot Wok" eatery/cafe at Kamppi when I was there in 2008, and prices are as below:

Yup, it's pretty much expensive for a plate of char kway teow and a cup of Pepsi if you compared it to the prices back home... but their portion was huge. I couldn't finish my "nasi goreng" (essentially just chinese fried rice, not really nasi goreng)...

So hopefully now you get a rough idea of what to expect when you are there...

 

[wuso]

To me, expenses there are really high!
As shown by Ruriel, eat out at "cheap" eatery easily 7-10euros!!
Tough for budget backpackers... even dorm beds in Helsinki is min 20euros per bed!

Ruriel..
Any recommendations of staying at Ivalo and Helsinki ?
Are the expenses heavy there ?

 

[sereneong19]

ah sorry for the late reply.. by then u have the whole load of information. lol
i only know of a tour group who is specialized in bringing u to see aurora borealis if any ...
Yr itnerary is similiar only that I did not include the ice igloo in.
Plan not certain yet. Yrs is confirmed ?

eiii....i'm targetting at cny period next year. my info so far are in bits and pieces cos very busy with work.
the tour group you mentioned belongs to singapore tour agencies?

 

[sereneong19]

Mmmm.. you mentioned that you will be following a tour right? Wouldn't they include accommodation for you?

I really highly recommend Saariselkä for a couple of chill out, relaxed nights. The small town is a bus ride away from Ivalo Airport. Or you can grab a cab there (which is, uh, expensive...). It's uber quiet (you hardly hear anything else except the wind) and peaceful. Unless your "neighbour" is having some Finnish drinking party or something -_-;

Don't stay more than 2 nights there though... you'll seriously run out of stuff to do if you don't hike in winter or ski or go for husky rides (which can cost up to EUR100+ per pax). If you have the budget, go for the log cabins as they are definitely better for the experience. Why go all the way to Lapland to stay in a hotel? Most have a real fire place (you need to start it going yourself, of course ) which you can BBQ those sausages that you bought from the nearby supermarket for dinner while watching some DVDs that you bring over yourself.

Gotta take note though... Log cabins are pretty much very expensive... They are usually big, for accommodation for 5-6 pax or even more. The one I stayed before is this. There are others that you can browse on the same site..

For Helsinki, it depends on your budget. I stayed at a friend's place when I was there, so I have no experience in staying at Helsinki's hotels. Generally, you still can find S$100+/night decent hotels in Helsinki. They are just probably a little off from the main train station.

Cost of living in Scandinavia is generally quite high... but not alarmingly high. Euros have dropped quite a fair bit, so I guess it's still manageable for us now. Taxi is expensive. Try to avoid them if you are on a tight budget. I remembered the taxi from Ivalo Airport to that log cabin which I stayed in Saariselka cost about EUR50+ per trip. -___-; Not sure if it's because it was pre-arranged or what... I only jaw-dropped when I see the meter. I'm not the one paying, but still...

Shopping... well they have H&M. I don't usually shop, so I don't know if the prices are any better there. Chocolates - Cheap, if you go after Christmas. They are pretty expensive before Christmas period...

As for food, well.... to put things in perspective, you can take a look at Rosso's menu to see their casual restaurant prices in Finland. It's a franchise that you can find all around Finland. It's not fine dining, just casual... much like Spageddies or Pizza Hut here.

Slightly cheaper eats can be found in small eateries at shopping malls in Helsinki. I found this "Singapore Hot Wok" eatery/cafe at Kamppi when I was there in 2008, and prices are as below:

Yup, it's pretty much expensive for a plate of char kway teow and a cup of Pepsi if you compared it to the prices back home... but their portion was huge. I couldn't finish my "nasi goreng" (essentially just chinese fried rice, not really nasi goreng)...

So hopefully now you get a rough idea of what to expect when you are there...

wow!! nice log cabin you stayed!! i'm still figuring if i should spend a day or 2 at Saariselkä cos i understand the lodgings are quite exp. as for the sledging trips..i'm still trying to determine to take up when i'm at Rovaniemi.

 

[Ruriel]

wow!! nice log cabin you stayed!! i'm still figuring if i should spend a day or 2 at Saariselkä cos i understand the lodgings are quite exp. as for the sledging trips..i'm still trying to determine to take up when i'm at Rovaniemi.

Indeed, the cabin was one of the best accommodation I've ever stayed in during a holiday. The kitchen is fully stocked with any kind of utensils or crockery you can think of. Even salt/flour/etc is available. Coffee machine, toaster, frying pan... There's a built-in Miele dishwasher too. And a Miele washing machine/dryer for your laundry. There's washing powder provided as well. That explains the price, I guess.

If you are going at CNY period, it means that it's almost at the dead of the winter. Gonna be super cold... I was at Rovaniemi two years ago during Christmas, and I remember the temperature at the town square reads -20 degrees...