🇫🇮 Finland in 7 days: a ready-made itinerary for Helsinki + Lapland with trains, prices and the Northern Lights

If you want to see Helsinki, the snow of Lapland, and the Northern Lights in one week, this itinerary is for you. Finland is easy to travel around by train, domestic flights, and short transfers: you won't have to rent a car, deal with winter roads, or park in the snow.

In this article, you will learn how to plan a 7-day itinerary in Finland so that:

● spend the first two days getting to know Helsinki;

● the middle of the week is spent in Rovaniemi and Lapland's "winter amusement park";

● the last few days are spent on a leisurely return, sauna and city walks, rather than a frantic rush to pack your bags.

We will base our itinerary on the actual timetable of the Santa Claus Express night train and typical prices for activities and accommodation in the 2025–2026 season.

Who is this itinerary suitable for?

This scenario is convenient if you have:

● 7–8 calendar days "door to door";

● basic English (or a desire to try a little Finnish);

● want to combine city and winter holidays in Lapland without your own car.

The route is designed so that you can:

● arrive in Helsinki in the morning;

● take the Helsinki–Lapland night train on one of the nights;

● Spend 3–4 nights in the north and return to the capital or directly to the airport.

This works for couples, families with children, and solo travellers — further on in the text, you will find options to suit your needs.

When to go: winter 2025–2026 in 2 paragraphs

To be completely honest, the best time for this trip is from late November to late March. During this period, Lapland has stable snow cover, most winter activities are available, and the chance of seeing the Northern Lights in Finland is significantly higher than in autumn or spring. The peak of the "holiday" madness is from mid-December to the first week of January: it's beautiful, but expensive and very crowded.

The most comfortable compromise in terms of light/cold/prices is the second half of February and March: in the north, the days are already long and the sun is "spring-like", in Helsinki there is less slush, and the sky at night is still dark enough for the aurora to shine. January is suitable for those who are not afraid of −20 °C and love half-empty slopes and trails.

How to get there: trains, planes and basic logistics

There are essentially three options for travelling between Helsinki and Rovaniemi:

VR Santa Claus Express night train

○ Departs from Helsinki in the evening, arrives in Rovaniemi in the morning, journey time ~12 hours.

○ There are seats, double-decker compartments for 1-2 people, and family cabins.

○ In a compartment with a shower and toilet, the actual price range is €110–180 per person one way, depending on the season, the type of cabin and how early you book.

Daytime high-speed train

○ Travel time is ~8–9 hours, allowing you to enjoy the northern landscapes during the day.

○ Prices are lower than for night compartments, but you "lose" a working day.

Domestic flight

○ Helsinki–Rovaniemi, Ivalo or Kittilä — ~1:20–1:30 in the air.

○ Plus travel to/from the airport and a separate charge for luggage (especially skis).

For a week-long trip, the most comfortable balance is to take the night train there and fly or take the train back, but with a daytime transfer and one night in Helsinki.

Day 1: Arrival in Helsinki and getting to know the city

It is convenient to arrive in the morning or afternoon. At the airport, take the I/P train to the central station (Helsinki Central) — it is the fastest and easiest way. The station itself is a small attraction in the Northern Art Nouveau style, so you will immediately find yourself in a "postcard" setting.

Don't be too ambitious on your first day. Leave your luggage at the hotel and just walk around the compact city centre:

● Senate Square and the white Cathedral;

● the old Kauppatori market and the waterfront;

● the Design District with its cafés and Scandinavian design.

If you want to go straight to the sauna, you can check out Allas Sea Pool or Oodi + public sauna nearby, and at the same time get a feel for what to do in Helsinki in winter besides walking.

Have an early dinner in the evening, buy snacks and water at the supermarket (Prisma, K-Market, S-Market), pack your things for the train and go to bed early, Finnish style — tomorrow the "snowy" part will begin.

Day 2: Helsinki → Lapland by night trai

On the second day, you can explore the capital: visit the Amos Rex or Ateneum museums, stroll along the embankment to Lapinlahti or Kaivopuisto Park, and visit the Oodi library (it's a world of its own and a gentle warm-up before the northern silence).

After lunch, have an early dinner, pack your backpack for the train and head to the platforms. The Santa Claus Express usually has two evening departures, one around 7 p.m. and the second closer to midnight (always check the specific times before travelling).

In the compartment, you immediately feel the rhythm change: the floor vibrates quietly, the forests outside the window darken, and the train carries you away to a place where a winter holiday in Lapland will be the backdrop for several days. You can have a hot dinner in the train restaurant, but many people bring simple things from the supermarket with them, which saves a lot of money.

Day 3: Rovaniemi — the city, Arktikum and the first attempt at the aurora borealis

In the morning, you wake up already above the Arctic Circle. In Rovaniemi, it takes 10–20 minutes to walk from the station to the centre, or a short taxi/bus ride. It makes sense to stay either in the centre (convenient for cafés/shops) or on Ounasvaara hill (close to the forest and slopes).

During the day, get to know the city:

● Arktikum Museum: Arctic nature, Northern culture, a good view of the river from the museum's curved building;

● a walk along the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki embankments

● buying warm mittens and socks, in case you underestimated the cold.

In the evening — the first attempt to catch the Northern Lights in Finland. You can:

● take an organised tour (minibus + guide who checks the cloud forecast and takes you closer to clear skies);

● or simply get away from the city lights — to a bridge over a river or a forest trail.

The chances of seeing a bright display in one night are not 100%, but here you will feel the scale of the sky and the silence.

Day 4: Santa, post office and huskies

Even if you don't have children, it makes sense to set aside one day for Santa Claus Village and/or Santa Park: this is the essence of "marketing Lapland", but you can also find some heartwarming moments here.

A typical day looks like this:

● In the morning, take a bus or shuttle to Santa Claus Village (about 8–10 km from the city). Admission to the village is free, but you pay for specific activities.

● Photos with Santa Claus, sending postcards with a special stamp, walking around the houses and souvenir shops.

● After lunch — a 5–10 km husky safari (this is the real thing, 30–60 minutes of movement, not 3 minutes in a circle).

As for prices, here's a rough guide: short husky "circles" start at ~€45-65 per person, a normal 5-10 km route with transfer costs €100-170 and above in 2025-2026.

In the evening, you can either return to the city and relax in the sauna, or take a combined "husky + aurora" tour — but remember your energy levels, as one very busy day after another will leave you exhausted on the third day.

Day 5: snowmobiles, skiing or a "light day"

Here's the fork in the road:

● if you want adrenaline, take a snowmobile tour (2–3 hours with instruction, costumes and stops in the forest);

● if you want to relax, spend the day on the slopes of Ounasvaara or on the cross-country trails;

● if you're tired, have an "easy day" with walks in the forest, snowshoeing, a long sauna and a simple dinner.

Snowmobile tours in Rovaniemi last from 2 to 4 hours and cost approximately €120–200 per adult if you share a snowmobile between two people (prices depend on the length of the route and meals included).

Where to stay in Finland in winter is particularly important at this time of year: if your hotel or apartment is right next to the forest, a "light day" turns into a walk "from the door" — without transfers and hassle.

If the sky is clear, it's another night when you can get away from the city lights. The chances of seeing the aurora increase when you give yourself a week, rather than just one night.

Day 6: the road back and a second encounter with Helsinki

There are two scenarios:

Morning flight from Rovaniemi to Helsinki

○ Departure around noon — by midday you'll be in the capital.

○ Check into your hotel, stroll around the Punavuori district, visit a public sauna, and have dinner at a normal bistro without a "tourist surcharge".

Day train

○ Leave in the morning, spend the whole day on the road with your laptop, a book or just the view from the window, and by evening you'll be in Helsinki, spending the night near the station.

This is a good day to shop for Finnish design (Marimekko, Iittala, local concept stores), visit the covered part of the Hakaniemi market or the cosy coffee shops of Kallio. In the evening, you can enjoy one last sauna with a view of the water — for example, at Löyly, if you want a combination of architecture and light.

Day 7: A leisurely morning and departure

It's best not to overload the last day. Let it be:

● a walk around the area near your hotel;

● coffee and a korvapuusti bun;

● buying edible souvenirs: Finnish coffee, Fazer chocolate, berries and jams.

If your flight is late, you may have time to visit a small museum or gallery. But in general, the idea of this day is not to "catch up on everything," but to reinforce the feeling of the week: the city, the snow, the trains, the silence.

Sample budget for 7 days (very approximate)

Prices will vary depending on the season, exchange rate and your habits, but you can sketch out a "framework" for one adult travelling in the winter of 2025–2026.

This is not a strict calculation, but a framework to which you can "attach" your reality. It is important to note that most of the budget goes towards transport and accommodation — it is worth leaving a conscious reserve for activities, rather than spending everything at once.

How to adapt your itinerary to different formats

With children
Shift the focus towards Santa and animals: two days in Rovaniemi — Santa's village, a short husky/reindeer ride, one "easy day" with sledding/snow sliding near the hotel. At night, go to see the Northern Lights — only if the child is really interested and can handle getting up late.

Couples
Add one night in a more secluded place (a chalet in the forest, a cottage with a panoramic window) and remove some of the "mass" activities. For a winter holiday in Lapland for two, huskies + one trip to see the Northern Lights + a sauna are often enough.

Solo
Be more flexible: book accommodation with free cancellation, read local chat rooms and Reddit threads during your trip, and put together your own mini-itineraries. Organised tours are a good way to avoid travelling outside the city alone at night.

The second mistake is to pack every day to the brim: Santa + huskies + the Northern Lights in one day looks good on paper, but in real life you will simply burn out. Keep at least one "easy day" without any strenuous activities.

The third mistake is booking everything at the last minute. Demand for night trains, good husky time slots and cosy apartments is real in winter, not theoretical: the best options are snapped up in advance.

The fourth is to save on clothing. One decent thermal set and a windproof jacket/trousers are cheaper than a cold and a ruined night "under the lights".

Northern lights within a week: what is realistic

In 7 days, your chances of seeing the aurora in the Rovaniemi area are quite good — provided that you:

● spend at least 3–4 nights in the north;

● are prepared to leave the city at least twice to go out into the darkness;

● don't expect the perfect "green curtain" from Instagram, but are happy with soft arcs.

The best chances are on dry, frosty nights without clouds. In autumn 2024 and winter 2025–2026, solar activity will remain high, so the aurora statistics are generally favourable for northern Europe, but the main enemy is cloud cover, not the Kp index.

Conclusion: a week as a gentle introduction to the "north"

This route is not about "doing everything," but about making Finland your first peaceful northern experience: a little bit of city, a little bit of trains, a little bit of silence, and a few real "wow moments." In 7 days, you will have time to check out the light in Helsinki, the frost in Lapland, the night train and the sauna — and decide whether you want to come back specifically for Lapland, the lakes or the forest.

Save this article, share it with those who are planning their first week in Finland, and be sure to write in the comments: which days of the itinerary appeal to you the most, which activities you would add or remove, and what concerns you most in terms of logistics and budget. We will supplement the guide with real stories and working plans from readers.