If you ask me about my favorite Nordic country, I think my answer might surprise you. Because I think it's Finland! I love Finnish people and their dry wit and sense of humor; I love Finnish coffee culture; and I fell in love with Helsinki on my first visit.

But you know what else I love Finland for? Its winter adventures! From dog sledding to aurora-chasing to sauna-ing, Finnish Lapland in particular has it all! Finland in the winter is honestly a dream trip, and I'm here to share with you what I think is the perfect introduction to it.

This Finland winter itinerary will cover:

• Things to do in Helsinki
• Optional overnight train to Lapland
• Northern Lights-chasing
• Meeting Santa Claus at his home
• Touring an ice hotel
• Staying in a glass igloo
• Trying a traditional Finnish sauna
• Dog sledding, meeting reindeer, and more!

And you won't need to rent a car for this one!

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When to visit Finland in winter

This heading might seem a bit silly, because obviously you're doing this trip in WINTER. But winter in Finland (and especially in Lapland) can be quite different depending on which month you visit.

Finland is one of the Nordic countries where the northern reaches experience Polar Night for several weeks each year. And even more southern cities like Helsinki have very short days during the height of winter.

For example, December has the shortest days in Finland — even in Helsinki, the sun doesn't rise until 9:25 a.m. in late December, and sets around 3:15 p.m. By late-February, though, the sun is rising around 7:30 a.m. and setting around 5:30 p.m. In Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, the winter days are even shorter. In December in Rovaniemi, the sun rises around 11 a.m. and sets by 1:30 p.m. By mid-February, however, the sun is rising a little after 8 a.m. and setting around 5 p.m.

Late November and December also aren't ideal times to visit if you're seeking snowy landscapes, as the snow has been coming later and later in recent years. December is also the most in-demand month for families to visit so they can visit Santa Claus in Lapland before Christmas, making cities like Rovaniemi extra expensive in the lead-up to the holidays.

So if you want to (hopefully) see plenty of snow, meet Santa without huge crowds, plus have enough daylight hours to do outdoor activities but still enough hours of darkness to chase the Northern Lights, the best month to visit Finland in winter is definitely February! The second half of February would be my ideal time for a winter trip to Finland.

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My perfect 10 day itinerary for Finland in winter

Note: This itinerary does NOT require you to rent a car or to take any long bus rides on icy roads. Because of this, it focuses on just two main areas: Helsinki, and the area around Rovaniemi in Lapland. You absolutely could add more time in Lapland if you wanted to go further north (for example, to Ivalo), but this itinerary doesn't cover that!

Day 1: Helsinki

Welcome to Helsinki, the capital city of Finland! Helsinki is such an interesting city, with bits that feel very Scandinavian, but other bits that feel slightly Russian — which makes sense, considering that Finland was part of both the Swedish empire and the Russian empire before finally gaining its independence in 1917.

But Helsinki is undeniably Finnish, too, which I think you'll understand once you start exploring.

Once you arrive in Helsinki, I recommend heading into the city center and dropping your bags at your hotel. (You can take the train directly from the Helsinki airport to Helsinki Central Station in about 30 minutes.)

And then it's time to take advantage of the short daylight hours to explore a bit of Helsinki's city center. The highlights I recommend seeing (which are all within about 10 minutes of one another on foot) include:

• Vanha Kauppahalli – Stop for lunch in this historic market hall from the 1800s, which serves up all kinds of Finnish food, from fish soup to reindeer meat to licorice gelato (the Finns LOVE their licorice!).
• SkyWheel – Order a glass of bubbly end enjoy the views of the city and harbor as you ride this giant Ferris wheel. You can also get good views of the public sauna/pool in the harbor here. (You can book ahead, but you don't necessarily have to; I bought my ticket on arrival.)
• Uspenski Cathedral – This ornate red brick cathedral dating back to 1868 is the largest orthodox church in Western Europe, and is even more lavish on the inside.
• Helsinki Cathedral – On Senate Square, this Finnish Evangelical Lutheran cathedral is known for its green dome and massive granite staircase leading up to it. The cathedral was built as a tribute to Tsar Nicholas I of Russia (who was ruling Finland at the time), and you can go inside outside of worship hours.
• National Library of Finland – The library shows off Helsinki's Neoclassical architecture both inside and out, with the rotunda being my favorite part.
• Helsinki City Museum – Located on Senate Square, this small city museum is free to visit, so would be another good place to drop in if you have time (but it would come last on my list, personally!).

That might be enough sightseeing for your first day, especially if you arrived from the US this morning.

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Day 2: Suomenlinna + Santa train

Helsinki is located on an archipelago made up of roughly 330 islands. And one of the top things to do in Helsinki is to take a ferry out to a collection of those islands called Suomenlinna, which is what I recommend doing after breakfast this morning.

Suomenlinna is actually what's left of a massive sea fortress built by the Swedes in the 1740s (remember, Finland used to be a part of the Swedish Empire) to help protect against the growing power of the Russian Empire. The fortress, called Sveaborg, consisted of 8 separate small islands, of which six were fortified with defensive walls.

The Russians did eventually take this fortress in 1808, and they held onto it until Finnish independence in 1917. Finland then changed the name from Sveaborg (Castle of the Swedes) to Suomenlinna (Castle of Finland) in 1918. Today, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is well worth a visit.

In the winter, HSL ferries run from Market Square (Kauppatori) to Suomenlinna roughly every 40-60 minutes (check the Line 19 schedule here). You need an HSL AB ticket for this ferry ride, which you can either buy through the HSL app on your phone, or by using a ticket machine at the ferry dock.

The ferry ride is a quick 15 minutes. Once you get to Suomenlinna, there's a lot to see, including museums, galleries, sea walls lined with cannons, and more. 800 people actually call this collection of islands home, but note that some attractions and cafes close or are only open limited hours in the winter.

Start your visit at the Suomenlinna Visitor Centre, and from there you can follow the Blue Route around the island to see some of the main sites. This walking path is well-maintained, even in the winter — but it's always a good idea to have a pair of Yaktrax with you in case you encounter snow/ice, or in case you want to explore off this trail at all.

There are several cafes around the island to pop into for a hot drink or snack, including Café Vanille and the Suomenlinna Centre Café inside the main museum.

In the afternoon, head back to Helsinki on the ferry.

Once back in Helsinki (or, instead of Suomenlinna if you're not up for an outdoor activity today), consider visiting one of Helsinki's unique museums. The top ones to choose from are:

• National Museum of Finland, or Kansallismuseo – This museum is an excellent place to learn more about Finland's history as a whole, from prehistoric times through the present day. However, this museum is closed for renovations until 2027!
• Art Museum Ateneum – Located in a grand 19th-century building, this art museum focuses mostly on Finnish works from the 1700s onwards. It also has a few international pieces, including ones from the likes of Van Gogh and Rodin.
• Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma – Part of the Finnish National Gallery, Kiasma focuses mostly on Finnish contemporary art, and is in a very cool building.
• Amos Rex – An art museum showcasing modern and contemporary art in a very cool space, with an outdoor space (Lasipalatsi Square) that's fun to visit.

You also might want to pop into the Helsinki Central Library Oodi, which is a design-forward library that opened in late 2018. Along with normal library-type offerings, you can also find two cafes, areas for lounging, and spaces you can rent for everything from recording music to playing video games. The space is super beautiful, and reflects the Finns' affinity for unique design.

Tonight, either have a relaxing evening at your hotel, or pack your bags and get ready to take the overnight Santa Claus Express to Finnish Lapland!

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Optional night train

Not everyone is going to find this appealing, which is why I'm adding it on here as optional. But if you're up for the adventure and like the idea of being more eco-friendly and taking the train instead of flying to Lapland, there's a cool overnight option between Helsinki and Rovaniemi called the Santa Claus Express.

This double-decker train has Santa right on the side, so you'll be getting into the spirit before you even board. You *can* book a regular seat (which is very affordable at less than €30 per person), but keep in mind that this is a 12-hour overnight train. I personally would not want to be upright in a train seat overnight, but it is an option.

I did this trip with my friend Kat from World Wide Honeymoon, and we opted to book a sleeper cabin for this journey. There are two types of sleeper cabins on the night train: downstairs cabins that sleep 2 where you have access to shared toilet and shower facilities (starting at €179 total for 2 people), or an upstairs cabin that sleeps 2 and has an ensuite toilet-shower combo (starting at €204 total for 2 people).

We booked the cabin with ensuite bathroom, and thought it was a pretty good deal! The train has a restaurant car, too, where you can get dinner, drinks, and breakfast, or you can pre-order a light breakfast to be delivered to your cabin.

Now, some pros and cons of taking this Santa Claus Express train:

Pros:

• It's the most eco-friendly way to travel by far, and is pretty easy since you get on the train in Helsinki and end up in Rovaniemi without having to deal with airports or security checks at all.
• It's cost-effective since the price includes both your transport and one overnight stay. It was definitely cheaper than flying and booking another hotel would have been.
• Finnish trains are very clean, safe, and efficient.
• It's a fun experience that we get to say we've tried now.

Cons:

• The cabins have narrow bunk beds that aren't exactly the most comfortable (the pillows are terrible, so I recommend having something else to lay on), and the train does move and sway all night. It might not be the best night of sleep.
• If you get a cabin with an bathroom, it'll be on the upper floor. And while I'd read online about a luggage car or someone to help with storing big bags, we didn't see/find that. We carried our bags upstairs to our cabin and had to wedge them into whatever space we could. So consider this if you travel with lots of luggage.

If the Santa Claus Express sounds like a cool adventure, you can book it directly with Finnish Railways (VR). Just look for “Night train” when you book; it usually leaves Helsinki a little after 11 p.m., and arrives in Rovaniemi the next morning around 11 a.m.

Once you arrive in Rovaniemi, you can either take a bus into town (buses meet the train right next to where you disembark), or you can get a taxi straight to your hotel. I pre-booked a taxi to pick us up at the Rovaniemi train station through Menevä taxis, and our driver was waiting as soon as we got off the train.

(And we took the train back to Helsinki, too, but we booked that separately and traveled during the day!)

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Day 3: Santa + Northern Lights

If you don't take the overnight train, then you'll want to fly to Rovaniemi this morning. There are several daily direct flights on Finnair from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, and the flight time is less than 1.5 hours. Once you arrive, you'll want to grab a taxi to your hotel in the city.

Whether you arrive by train or plane, it will probably be too early to check into your Rovaniemi hotel — but you can drop your bags off and bundle up for some adventure!

Grab lunch in town (I recommend a spot like Cafe & Bar 21, Roka Street Bistro, or Taquería Yuca), and then get ready to meet the big man himself: Santa!!

Finland is the “home” of Santa Claus, and you can go visit him along with Mrs. Claus and all the reindeer at Santa Claus Village. From central Rovaniemi, there are a couple buses you can take to Santa Claus Village. Local bus number 8 runs year-round from the city center, and from November-March you can also catch the Santa's Express bus.

You'll get to Santa Claus Village in less than 30 minutes, and once there there's so much to do! The must-dos (in my opinion) are:

• Straddle the Arctic Circle – There's a line in the ground outside in between the main info building and Santa's office. A perfect photo op!
• Meet Santa himself – It's free to meet Santa Claus in his office or in Christmas House (he was in his office when we visited), and man does he look great! Though note that photos are what you'll pay for (starting at €40 for a printed photo; we added on digital copies, too).
• Meet Mrs. Claus – You can meet and chat with Mrs. Santa Claus, as well, and grab a hot drink afterwards in the Café of Mrs. Claus right downstairs. (Meeting her costs €5, and photos are extra; you get to chat with her for longer than Santa!)
• Hang out with reindeer – Hang out with Santa's reindeer, care of Taava Reindeer Farm. They are outside near Mrs. Claus' Cafe, and you can go on a quick reindeer sled ride here. (I don't recommend more than that, as there will be more reindeer later this week!)
• Visit Santa Claus’ Main Post Office – Yes, Santa has a big post office here, and you can visit to buy and send postcards right from Santa Claus Village! They have two different mail-drop options, too: one to be sent out immediately, and another to be sent before Christmas. (I wrote postcards to my newphews “from” Santa!)

There's even more inside Santa Claus Village, but these activities are the highlights and will easily fill up a couple of hours. Once you're done, catch the bus back into Rovaniemi.

IF the weather is cooperative, you'll want to have an early dinner this evening before getting picked up for your next exciting activity: a Northern Lights tour!

Seeing the aurora is obviously a big reason many people come to Lapland in the winter, so you're going to want to take advantage of every chance you get. And, since the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon affected by both weather and space conditions, the more chances you give yourself to go aurora-chasing, the better!

Book a Northern Lights tour for your first night in Rovaniemi. And book a small-group *chasing* tour, which means your guide will drive you out as far as necessary in order to give you the best shot at seeing the aurora. This might mean a long night, but I promise it's worth it if you see the Northern Lights!

We booked this Northern Lights tour, and when it did finally go out (it was canceled the first 2 nights we were in town) our guide drove us all the way into Sweden — but we saw an incredible Northern Lights show!!

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Day 4: Museums + Arctic SnowHotel

If you go out chasing the Northern Lights on Day 3, then you're likely going to be getting back to Rovaniemi very late. Even if you find the lights early, you might not get back until midnight. And if you have to drive further like we did? Well, you might actually be out until 3, 4, 5, or even 6 a.m.! So sleep in this morning.

Once you do feel like getting started, either enjoy the breakfast spread at your hotel, or (if you sleep too late) head over to either Coffee House or Cafe & Bar 21.

From there, it's time to visit a museum (or two!). Rovaniemi has two notable museums, both within walking distance (or a short taxi ride) from the city center. They are:

• Arktikum – The Arktikum Science Centre and Museum covers a ton of history about this part of Lapland, and also has exhibits on things like Arctic wildlife, climate change, and of course the science of the Northern Lights. It's a beautiful museum, and well worth an hour or two of exploring!
• Culture House Korundi – The other museum we visited in town was Culture House Korundi, which is a contemporary art museum.

Both of these museums have cafes, so you can easily grab a snack or lunch at either one.

Head back into town for a bit of shop-browsing or maybe just a rest at your hotel before tonight's adventure, which is an evening visit to the Arctic SnowHotel.

The Arctic SnowHotel is located about 20 minutes outside of Rovaniemi, and indeed is a hotel that's built by hand each year entirely from snow and ice! I don't necessarily recommend staying here (snow hotels aren't all that comfortable to actually sleep in), but luckily you can visit the entire hotel without being an overnight guest!

Kat and I booked a whole evening package at the Arctic SnowHotel. The package we did is the “Snow sauna experience with chill and dine at Ice Restaurant,” which includes bus transfers to/from Rovaniemi, a guided tour of the SnowHotel where you can visit every room (and get a drink at the Ice Bar), a 3-course meal in a restaurant carved entirely from blocks of ice, and a “snow sauna” experience (which yes, does include a sauna room carved from snow alongside a regular sauna at hot tub). This package costs €229 per person, but honestly is worth every penny!

If you want to go but not spend quite as much, guided tours of the Arctic SnowHotel start at €85 per person (including transfers to/from Rovaniemi), and a guided hotel tour along with dinner in the Ice Restaurant (this package) costs €165, which is probably the best value of all. (Just be sure to book these packages well in advance.)

If you have extra time after dinner/your sauna experience, grab a drink at the Skybar. On clear nights, it's possible to see the Northern Lights from right here.

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Day 5: Rovaniemi day trip

I'm not gonna lie: you've probably seen all there is to see in Rovaniemi by now. So you can use today either as a rest day, or as a day to take a little day trip further out into Finnish Lapland. (Just don't book any dog sledding or reindeer tours, as I have those included later!)

Some day trip options for today include:

• Arctic Snowmobile Safari & BBQ (3 hours)
• Rovaniemi Ice Fishing Experience (3 hours)
• Korouoma Canyon Frozen Waterfalls Hike & BBQ (7 hours)
• Riisitunturi National Park Day Trip with Lunch (9 hours)

This evening, you can either opt for a nice dinner at a spot like Gustav Kitchen & Bar, Restaurant Nili, or Lappish Restaurant Taiga, or you cold grab something quick and go out on another Northern Lights-chasing tour.

This chasing tour is the one I recommended earlier in the week, while this Arctic ice floating tour is super unique and will have you potentially floating in a dry suit beneath the aurora!

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Day 6: To Apukka

Have a relaxed morning today in Rovaniemi. If you didn't go to both museums on Day 4, there's a chance to visit the other one today. And then, sometime in the late morning/early afternoon, it's time to head to another hotel in the area: Apukka Resort!

If you've ever dreamed of sleeping in a glass igloo-cabin in a snowy forest, THIS IS IT. Staying at Apukka was honestly the first piece of the puzzle to my own winter Lapland trip, and I can't say enough good things about it.

One caveat here, though: this is an expensive place to stay. (Yes, I know the Arctic/Lapland is already pricey, but this is even pricier.) BUT I do think it's a worthy splurge, and they do have some winter packages that save you some money in the end. If you don't want to splurge this much, however, then I would recommend staying at least 1-2 more nights in Rovaniemi and booking dogsledding and reindeer tours from there to better suit your budget!

When you're ready to head to Apukka, you can either get a taxi from your Rovaniemi hotel, or you can book a spot on the Apukka shuttle which leaves from the city center and is more cost-effective at €8 per person each way.

Kat and I booked the “It's All About Aurora” package, which is a minimum 3-night package at Apukka that includes an igloo cabin, daily breakfast, two Northern Lights-focused activities, and more. They offer several winter holiday packages, though, including ones geared towards couples and others geared towards families.

You'll arrive at Apukka and check in inside the cozy main building, where there's a lounge, a bar, and the resort's main restaurant. If it's too early to go to your cabin, they can store your bags here and you can go on a walk around the Apukka property (or just hang out in the main building).

Kat and I booked a couple extra activities for our Apukka stay, including dog sledding, snowshoeing, a lakeside sauna, and a special dinner at the Kota restaurant. Our schedule was planned out for us by Apukka, so yours may differ — but you can at least get an idea here of what your days might look like!

After getting to our cabin (we stayed in one of the Aurora Cabin Queen Glass Igloos), we relaxed for a bit and then went to dinner at Kota, which is a small restaurant inside a building that looks like a traditional Sami tent, with a set 3-course menu and a fire roaring in the middle of the room. Highly recommend booking dinner here one night.

And after that, we had one of the activities included in our package: a Reindeer Sleigh Ride Across the Night, where we were pulled through the snowy forest by reindeer after dark. We stopped halfway in a cozy tent to learn more about reindeer herding in Finland. If the skies had been clear, there also would have been a chance to see the Northern Lights on this tour, but alas, we only had clouds.

This is a good first night activity, as it won't keep you out super late.

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Day 7: Apukka activities

This is a full day to enjoy all the activities at Apukka. After a hearty buffet breakfast, there's so much you could book, including dog sledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, fatbiking, and more. (And Apukka supplies warm outerwear if you need it, too.)

Kat and I opted to book a dog sledding tour this afternoon, which ended up being one of our favorite parts of the entire trip! We got a quick lesson on how to steer a sled, and then got to take to a forested course with our own team of sled dogs. We took turns “driving” the sled, which was so fun! And afterwards, we got to give our dog team some well-deserved pats, and then got to play with puppies!

We went back to Apukka for lunch in the main Aitta restaurant, and then relaxed for a bit in our cabin before dinner (which we also ate at Aitta; the downside to staying in a spot like this is you're kind of a captive audience when it comes to food. But lucky they change the menu up daily, and for dinner you can choose between a buffet spread or ordering off an a la carte menu).

This evening, you have a chance for another Northern Lights tour. Our package at Apukka included the “Snowtrain” to a Northern Lights Camp out in the forest, which included a peaceful ride in a little “train” on giant skis to a large kota tent in the forest. Our guides talked to us about the forest, and about the science and local legends about the aurora.

This would have been an excellent spot to watch the Northern Lights — except the skies remained completely cloudy, so we didn't see a thing.

If you don't book this specific package, you could opt to book another Northern Lights chasing-style tour tonight for a better chance of seeing them (most of the tour companies in Rovaniemi will pick up from Apukka, or Apukka offers its own “Aurora Hunt on Wheels” tour).

RELATED: 9 Lies (and One Truth) People Tell You About Seeing the Northern Lights

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Day 8: Apukka activities

Sleep in this morning (especially if you did a Northern Lights tour last night), and have an easy morning at the resort. (The igloo cabins here are SO cozy; bring a book and simply enjoy the chance to relax.)

Kat and I had lunch at Aitta, and then headed out on a guided snowshoeing tour. Our guide took us through the snowy forest, where we looked for animal tracks, learned about some of the local flora, and stopped partway for some cookies and warm blueberry juice. I wish I could bottle up the smell and freshness of the air in this forest!

(There are lots of other activities you could book if snowshoeing isn't your vibe.)

In the early evening, we got changed and headed for one of the private saunas sitting on the lake at Apukka. This was the first time Kat and I truly were embracing Finnish sauna culture complete with cold plunge, and we honestly didn't think we'd last more than half an hour. But folks… I get it now. Going from boiling hot to freezing cold and back again is SO invigorating; we weren't ready for our 90-minute session to be over!

Even if you don't think you'd enjoy sweating in a wood-fired sauna and then plunging into a literal frozen lake… I encourage you to try it! You might be surprised.

Have dinner at the restaurant, and then enjoy the last cozy night in your glass igloo. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky enough to see the Northern Lights right from your cabin! (Download an aurora alert app like this one to get alerts.)

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Day 9: Back to Helsinki

After three days of outdoor adventure at Apukka Resort, it's time to bid Lapland farewell today. If you are heading home, it's likely that your flight will be leaving from Helsinki.

To get back to Helsinki, you can either fly from Rovaniemi (Apukka includes airport transfers in its packages), or you can take the train again. Kat and I opted to take a daytime train from Rovaniemi to Helsinki (we again booked directly through Finnish Railways (VR)). The ride takes about 8 hours, but the views through snowy Lapland are lovely, and the train is clean and comfy. We took advantage of the wifi and the delicious options in the restaurant car, and it was actually a really nice ride!

You *could* book your flight home from Rovaniemi if it's not that much more expensive, but it might be more cost-effective to get yourself back to Helsinki (it was for us). If you have to book your travel separately, then I recommend booking your flight home for the following day, just in case you run into any weather-related delays.

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Day 10: Head home

Today it's time to bid farewell to the winter wonderland that is Finland — and I know you'll be sad to go! This really is a bucket list adventure, filled with all the winter magic you could ask for in one trip.

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Finland winter trip FAQ

A few things you might still have questions about after reading this itinerary:

How much will this trip cost?

Questions about trip costs are always top of mind, especially for a trip like this. The Nordics are known for being a pricier destination to begin with, and then you have to factor in that we stayed at Apukka Resort for 3 nights, which is costly!

Kat kept track of the budget on this trip, and without flights, we spent right around $9,200 total for the 2 of us (or about $4,600 each) for this 10-day trip. The biggest chunk of that cost came from staying at Apukka, where our hotel package alone cost about $4,000 for 3 nights (which covered our transfers, the glass igloo, some meals including all breakfasts, plus 3 outdoor activities).

The next-highest cost after hotels was all the activities we did, including Northern Lights tours, visiting Santa Claus Village, going to the Arctic SnowHotel, etc. All of the activities are well worth it, though, and so well-organized in Finland!

If you want to save money on a similar trip, I would probably skip the glass igloo hotel (as much as that breaks my heart to suggest). You could stay in Rovaniemi for more nights and book more activities from there, which would bring the overall hotel costs down considerably.

What if I have less than 10 days?

If you only have maybe 5-6 days for a trip like this (or perhaps if you're tacking Lapland on to a longer winter trip in Europe), I would cut down the time in Helsinki to just 1 day, and then stay in Lapland 3-5 nights.

You could splurge and do the whole time at Apukka (you can still visit Santa Claus Village and the Arctic SnowHotel from there, along with doing all the other winter activities), or you could base yourself in Rovaniemi the whole time and book individual tours. It would still make for a great trip!

Can I rent a car in Lapland?

Rovaniemi is the largest city in Lapland, but it's not the only town. There are plenty of other excellent places to visit in northern Finland in the winter, but they are harder to reach. You CAN rent a car to visit more remote places — but I really only recommend this if you are used to driving in snow/ice and are very, very confident with those driving skills.

If you've never driven in the snow before, I do NOT recommend renting a car in Finnish Lapland in the winter (hence why I planned this itinerary to not need a car at all!).

When should I visit Finland in the winter?

Like I said, based on daylight hours, snow chances, and how busy Lapland will be, I think February is the best time to visit Finland in winter, especially if you want to head up to Lapland to meet Santa, visit the ice hotel, and see the Northern Lights.

What should I wear in Finland in winter?

Finland in winter gets cold — but of course “cold” is relative, depending on where you live! For me coming from Ohio (which has quite cold winters), Lapland didn't feel too bad (temperatures hovered around freezing the whole time we were there) and I was fine wearing my normal winter gear from home. But somebody from Florida or Australia would likely find winter weather in Finland to be brutally cold.

Some things you will definitely need include:

• A warm, moisture-wicking base layer (I love merino wool tops and these silk leggings)
• A trusty mid-layer, like a fleece jacket or down vest
• Warm, waterproof outer layer on the bottom (check out my go-to snow pants, or you might just want to layer rain pants over your base layer and a comfy pair of joggers or leggings)
• Warm, long winter coat (brands like Columbia and Land's End are my go-tos for winter coats that are good quality but not exorbitantly expensive)
• Boots that will keep your feet warm and dry + warm socks
• Gloves to keep your hands both warm and dry
• Hat, scarf, ear muffs, etc. – this is where you can have more fun with accessories
• Yaktrax you can affix to your boots for any slippery sidewalks/paths

READ NEXT: A Perfect 10-Day Norway Itinerary in Winter (Without a Car)

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Who's ready to plan a winter trip to Finland now?