New Years in Levi, Lapland - A True Winter Wonderland

Before I went to Lapland, I had massively preconceived ideas of what it would be like. On one side, an over-commercialised Santa-land of queues and cold whinging children (like The Santa Clause 3), on the other, a complete snowy wilderness with nothing around, snuggling down in an eye-wateringly expensive glass igloo. With one child now in secondary school and fast approaching the difficult teenage years(and not believing), and the other whose preferred mode of transport is parkour and running feral, neither of these unfounded ideas worked for us. However, with both of our 40th birthdays within a few months of each other, solar maximum in full effect(the optimum time to spot the northern lights) and a desire to see actual real snow and do something different over New Year‘s, I started to do what any Travel Agent would do… research.

Enter, Levi. Situated above the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland, a ski village located just 20 minutes from Kittila airport, beautifully alpine in style and with plenty of restaurants and cafe bars to take your pick from. With the option of staying in a traditional Log Cabin just 10 minutes walk from amenities and excursion departures, it was the perfect solution to the Lapland experience we wanted.

Accommodation

Living in Cheltenham, direct flights from Bristol are my absolute travel love language. Such an easy, relaxed journey, some festive fun on the plane, quickly through Kitilla airport and onto the coach gliding through the snowy landscape(they maintain the roads incredibly well) with the ski slopes glowing in the distance. Before we knew it, we arrived at our cabin…

We stayed at Levi Log Cabins, a stretch of different-sized log cabins bordering forest and snow-covered trees. We had three bedrooms, a mezzanine level, a full kitchen/diner, a lounge area, fire place, a sauna in the family bathroom(extra WC upstairs) and a lovely snowy terrace/garden area out the back. It took us maybe 10 minutes to walk into the village along well-lit and maintained pavements, and the kids had the best time, constantly jumping into the built-up snow banks along the way. It was cosy, clean, well-equipped and a great location.

Other hotels I had a little nosey round for reference (all have Half Board dining option, which is perfect for shorter, activity-based breaks)

• Crazy Reindeer – Traditional, fun, balconies covered in fairy lights, a great option if travelling with young children
• K5 Hotel and Cabins – Hotel and larger cabin options, across the road from Zero Point(bottom of ski slopes) and the village, 2 minutes round the corner from Immeljarvi lake, one of the best spots for aurora watching, rumour is they have ‘house’ Reindeer, but I only found this out whilst waiting to leave
• Levi Design Hotel and Spa – Again, hotel and larger cabin options and close to the village. A lot of the package excursions pick up from here, and the reps are regularly set up in reception to help with anything you need. Varied restaurant options on site and Waterworld spa access for customers.
• Panorama – This is your ski-in/ski-out base at the top of the fell. Stunning views, wild forest walks and gondola access down to the village.

Adventures

We went on a range of different excursions. Some as part of the package we booked, others we opted to do as an extra or organised ourselves.

• Husky Safari 8km w/Polar Lights Tours – An 8km round trip through the forest, self-drive in pairs, meet the huskies and stop off at one of the Kotas for hot berry juice and sweet bread. Such an experience gliding through the forest, pulled by your own team of four-legged friends.
• Snowmobile Safari 28km w/Perhesafarit – Get suited and booted and head off 13km through a winter wonderland to a spectacular frozen lake. Warm up in the cutest cabin next to the roaring fire with hot chocolate and doughnuts. If you’re lucky, a couple of reindeer will come out of the forest and join you for the ride!
• Northern Lights Horse Sleigh w/Polar Lights Tours – A peaceful and relaxing ride through the dark forest looking for auroras. Pulled by Finnish working horses, you’ll get to meet them and their handler before setting off into the dark. More berry juice and treats by the fire after, this time we took marshmallows to toast.
• Reindeer Farm & 3km Safari w/Torassieppi Farm – The safari was absolutely stunning. You’re taken out from the farm to a lake covered in snow that sparkles like tiny crystals under the moonlight. Another great opportunity for Aurora. Afterwards, you meet one of the handlers and look around the small museum on site before learning all about the Sami reindeer. Did you know… There are more reindeer than people in Finnish Lapland, and there are no wild reindeer; every single reindeer in Finnish Lapland is owned by a farmer. They’re so precious to the way of life in Lapland that you have to have car insurance to cover reindeer collision, as it’s a common hazard, and they are worth so much to their farmers!
• Arcandia Park – Arcandia is an old movie set of a Christmas film that didn’t go into production. It was saved and preserved to be a festive, Frozen-style playground of multi coloured lights, huts and activities(some paid for, some free). You exchange money for ‘runes’ to pay for the extra activities, anything from mini snowmobiles, human snowball, feeding the house reindeer and the kids' favourite, hill sliding on mini mattresses. We booked an Uber there and back to kick off New Year's Eve before the Levi fireworks.
• Express Gondola – Get tickets at Zero Point for a quick whisk up the ski slope to make the most of the views and the winter wonderland. A great spot for sunrise/sunset and lunch overlooking the village.
• ‘Free’ Activities - We honestly spent the rest of our time mainly playing in the snow, sledging at the bottom of the ski slope, making the most of the sauna in the cabin, and the kids made building an igloo outside our cabin their week-long mission. We took a few wintry walks out into the forest areas and also did some science experiments(freezing bubbles and throwing hot water into the air to turn to snow), which was great fun for all ages.
• Other activities available in and around Levi include ski lessons, snowshoe treks, wilderness dinner, a visit to the snow hotel, ice skating in the forest and many more.
• Important note – be prepared for the Arctic toilet situation. It's the only option on most of the excursions. Your bum will get cold, but it's fine and part of the experience.

Food and Drink

Levi has a great range of different places to eat, drink and snack. Here are a few of my favourites below.

• If you are self-catering or have kitchenette facilities, K-Supermarket and Alko are the places you want to go for supplies. None are more than 10/15 mins walk and are well stocked. They tend to get very busy around 6 pm when the majority have had enough skiing or winter fun for the day.
• Salteriet – Being part Austrian, I’m very fussy about my schnitzel. But this was one of the best I’ve had, served with a delicious dollop of Béarnaise sauce. Great kids' menu, everything that came out of the kitchen looked delicious, well presented and smelled amazing.
• Lost Tacos – We came here for something different on New Year's Day. Fux and cosy environment, great cocktails, fresh and tasty food choices.
• Panimo Pub and à la Carte – This was our regular stop off for drinks and snacks to warm up after being out around the village. Pub/Bar at the top and a traditional à la carte restaurant underneath, they serve traditional pub staples as well as Finnish plates and specials. Burgers are highly recommended by all 4 of us! They also have a pool table and some board games available to play.
• Panorama – Situated at the top of the ski slope in the Panorama Hotel, this is a great spot for lunch after taking the gondola up the fell. There’s also a bistro called Spiella adjacent to the hotel, which has incredible views and a Samiland Exhibition downstairs. It gets very busy, but it’s worth the wait! From these two points, you have access to wild forest walks overlooking the village, and it is a great spot to view the stunning sunrise and sunsets.
• Campfire Barista – This was an Instagram find/stalk. Delicious Finnish coffee made over the fire. Homemade marshmallows for S’mores for the kids. Sat at the bottom of the slopes watching everyone ski.
• Zero Point – Gets busy, as it’s at the bottom of all the ski lifts but serves take-out coffee for a quick and warming pick-me-up as well as cakes, sandwiches and alcohol.
• There are plenty of other eating places in Levi featuring cuisine like pizza, gastro/traditional pub, Asian, Lappish and even Subway and Burger King for something quick, easy and familiar.

Personal Highlights

• Crossing the Arctic Circle – At around 2 pm on our flight, our pilot announced we were just about to cross into the Arctic Circle. Suddenly, we were leaving the sun behind as we flew into an abyss of darkness.
• My most surprising experience was just how much I enjoyed the snowmobile trip. This is one I thought would be fun to do, but had no real high expectations. We started just before sunrise and sped through the forest out to a frozen lake where we saw sunrise on one side and the wolf moon rising on the other before warming up with hot chocolate in the cutest cabin on the edge of the lake. My eyelashes froze, my cheeks were red raw from the cold, but it was worth every second to be freely speeding through an Arctic wonderland, joined by a couple of reindeer trying to keep up with us.
• The atmosphere arriving at the Husky park - hearing the echo of the huskies howling through the trees. Apparently, they do this every time they hear a coach pull in, as they’re so excited they know that they get to run and do what they’re trained to do.
• This might sound naive, but living in the grey murky slush of England, I had no idea real snow actually looks like snowflakes. I felt like I was on a film set or a wintery version of The Truman Show, I couldn’t believe it was real.
• My highlights wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Northern Lights. I knew we had a good chance at seeing them, but we went with the mindset that seeing them would just be the icing on the cake. We saw them in varying degrees 4 times across the whole week, and we couldn’t believe it. The kids were mesmerised. We didn’t do anything special to see them, apart from looking up a lot and listening to what other people were saying.

Travel Tips

• I’m not going to lie, it got cold, really cold. Down to -40 at night. However, with the right layers and making sure all exposed skin was covered, we were absolutely fine, especially when walking. Layers are key, and when you’re out and about, you are never far from a cabin with a fire(or kota if you want to be Finnish about it). You need base layers, a fleece mid-layer and an outer layer/ski suit. Two layers of socks, thin gloves with insulated and waterproof mittens on top, a hat, a hood, a snood or scarf. Lidl, Aldi and Decathlon are always good for essentials from November onwards.
• If you buy anything other than layers, make sure it's electric rechargeable hand warmers. We got ours for around £20 from Amazon, and they were an absolute godsend on excursions or recovering from taking photos of the Aurora. They warm up immediately and last for ages.
• Thermal suit and boot hire – not being skiers, we didn’t already have the gear, so we opted to rent suits and boots for the week. Not only did it simplify trying to buy the right outer layers for -40 temps and the kids inevitably growing out of them in 6 months, but it saved on suitcase space as well.
• PSA - no app can predict aurora. I had 3 downloaded, and none of them were right. Get out, look up, listen to reps and locals and spend time on the lake or away from well-lit areas. Not knowing when it might happen is part of the magic.
• If you’re self-catering or want to buy drinks to take back to your accommodation, you need to know about Finnish alcohol laws – I learnt the hard way my first night in Helsinki earlier in the year. In main supermarkets, you can only buy alcohol at or below 8% and only until 9 pm (this may differ according to the shop). If you want anything other than beer, low ABV wine or ‘long’ drinks, you need to go to the Alko kiosk at S-Market Levi, which again will have restricted opening hours, so check the times accordingly.
• Book early for the best accommodation and excursion selection!

Other Areas

In short, Lapland is a region that spans 4 different countries, so there are many ways to experience Lapland. Norwegian Lapland, Swedish Lapland, Finnish Lapland. Rovaniemi for Santa’s Lapland or a stop off, Yllas, Saariselka, Phya, for more wilderness excursions/opportunity or cross country skiing, all offer different experiences. You will, of course, pay a premium travelling at the end of November or pre-Christmas, and these trips book up quickly, so a great time to travel would be over New Year's, January, into February half term, when the snow is at its peak, and it’s a bit calmer for adults or families with older children.

What Would I Do Differently?

Don't take so long to decide to go! I’d absolutely go back to Levi in a heartbeat, but our trip has also made me curious about Lapland even further north, Swedish and Norwegian Lapland, Tromso and Svalbard – So watch this space…

If you ever get the chance to go to Lapland, go. There are so many different ways to make it work for you. Aurora or not - You will not be disappointed.

GG

Follow me on Instagram for my trip highlights and daily travel inspiration – @gina.designertravel

If you have any questions, want more information about my experience or wish to book something similar(or completely different), get in touch now!

07745 456644

ginagalvin@designertravel.co.uk