Finland · SKIING IN ROVANIEMI
Good skiing in Rovaniemi fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Leave Rovaniemi for a four-hour ski trek through Lapland’s taiga forest, frozen lakes, and deep snow. Your English-speaking guide, such as Atanas, Aina, Maca, or Amy, teaches the basics, adjusts the route to your group, and serves hot drinks and a Finnish campfire snack.
“Nice guide, best experience, best place, everything was perfect and brilliant! The most worth activity ever👍🏻”
Join Kyle of Arctic Fox Expeditions for a three-hour daytime ski outing near Lake Norvajärvi. Use easy-to-manage skis with your own winter boots, follow private forest trails, cross snowy swamps and a frozen lake, then warm up at a laavu fire.
“It was an amazing experience with a really caring guide! You really feel special while going around the tailor-made trails, in fact you brake trails yourself. Totally suitable for first-timers, considering your endurance isnt a problem and you are rather fit. You get to know the real Lapland with this. Not gonna lie beyond -20C degrees it gets a little challenging but for sure it is worth it, hand and foot warmers are a must.”
From Rovaniemi, Joanne and Anni guide you into Lapland’s snowy backcountry on skin skis. Expect quiet forest trails, warm gear, hot drinks, sausages by an open fire, photography advice, and edited photos after the tour.
“It was fun trip. I had a great experience even I was the beginner in skiing. My holiday was so much interesting. Recommended!”
Spend about three hours skiing through snowy Rovaniemi with a local guide. Beginners get an introductory lesson, then practice classic skiing, gentle slopes, and optional skate skiing. Guides such as Reetta, Rita, Tuija, Erik, and Lauri have led patient instruction, with photos, snacks, and hot drinks along the way.
“Our guide Tuija gave us beginners a great introduction to Nordic skiing. Highly recommend! The three hour tour is sufficient to get a good idea of the sport.”
Set out from Rovaniemi with Wild About Lapland for a beginner-friendly backcountry ski trip into the Taiga forest. Your guide provides skis, winter clothing, boots, transport, safety instruction, hot drinks, and a Finnish campfire snack. Skiing lasts about 1 to 1.5 hours.
“Very beautiful scenery . Highly recommend it. I would do IT again! Pur instructor was so nice and friendly. She showed us a lot of finnish tradition”
Meet NordicUnique Travels in central Rovaniemi, then ride by minivan to snowy Ounasvaara for 3.5 hours of guided cross-country skiing. You’ll learn the basics, follow groomed tracks, watch for animal prints, and enjoy locally sourced extras such as artisanal cheese. Guides have included Miguel and Federico.
“Best tour with the perfect guide! I can highly recommend!”
Join guide Kyle from Arctic Fox Expeditions for a 2.5-hour nighttime ski outing near Lake Norvajärvi. Learn to use simple skis and headlamps, cross a frozen lake, and warm up by a fire. Pickup from Rovaniemi can be arranged for an extra €10 per person.
“Kyle was a consummate professional from start to finish. He checked the forecast and offered to change me to a daytime tour since Northern Lights were unlikely (though I kept the nighttime tour). He picked me up and dropped me off at my accommodations and ensured I was aware ahead of time of any gear I needed to have (and what gear he would have). He was personable, accommodating and very patient (my first time trying cross-country skiing!). The scenery was incredible, and Kyle went out of his way to include certain touches to make the tour unique and ensure that I enjoyed myself. Definitely recommend!!”
Leave Rovaniemi for a remote Lapland setting and learn simple trekking-ski techniques before crossing snowy forests, frozen lakes, and swamps. Your certified wilderness guide leads a group of no more than five, with transfers, winter gear, a grill snack, and warm drinks included.
“What a brilliant experience, our tour guide was so helpful and friendly. The experience took us skiing through the wild and the views were beautiful. The food our guide provided on the barbecue was brilliant. This was the best activity we did on our holiday and would recommend it to everyone. So much more personal than any other experience provided by the bigger tour companies.”
Set out from Hotel Pyhätunturi with an English or Finnish-speaking guide such as Mikko or Sergi. You will learn to use wide Altai skis, glide through untouched snow in Pyhä-Luosto National Park, hear local nature stories, and warm up with berry drinks.
“We had a fantastic time on our wilderniss skiing trip! The weather conditions were perfect for the activity and we could watch the sunset on our break. We'd highly recommend doing this. It's definitely beginner-friendly. We had the pleasure of being the only ones on the tour. Mikko was very friendly and explained a lot about the nature and culture.”
Meet Nordic Unique Travels in central Rovaniemi for a six-hour ski outing at a snow-filled Finnish ski center. Your English-speaking guide teaches beginners, helps children, and supports experienced skiers. Ski equipment, a pass, overalls, and gloves are included. Snowboarding is not offered.
“Our ski guide is very friendly and helpful. we had a great day.Thanks again highly recommend 👌”
Join Giacomo or Jack for a three-hour ski trek through snowy forests and frozen swamps near Perunkajärvi. You’ll learn basic techniques, warm up in a traditional kota, grill Finnish sausages or vegetarian food, and scan the sky for stars and the northern lights.
“The trip is wonderful, all thanks to our guide Giacomo. He’s accommodating and super supportive. We only skied half-way to the cottage and went back since we’re anxious being in the forest at night. Even so, he’s happy to go back. We even go northern lights hunting afterwards since there’s still time in the tour. Even though it wasn’t as planned, the trip is amazing.”
Meet Nordic Unique Travels in central Rovaniemi for a 3.5-hour introduction to Finnish cross-country skiing. Your English-speaking instructor supplies skis, winter overalls, and gloves, then guides you along snowy tracks. The outing suits beginners, with small groups capped at 16 people.
“Roman was our guide and he made everything so easy and fun. Great experience. Would definitely do it again.”
Leave Rovaniemi for a three-and-a-half-hour evening of backcountry skiing in Lapland. Guides such as Linnea, Jo, and Guille teach first-timers the basics, lead you across snowy woods, hills, swamps, or a frozen lake, then serve sausages, flatbread, hot drinks, and Finnish mustard by the fire.
“I had an excellent time on this tour - our guide Jo was wonderful and helpful. I loved the small group vibe, it felt safer as I was skiing for the first time. We unfortunately didn’t really see the lights but could see them a bit in photos, it was just cloudy. It was cold but the overalls and boots provided were great and it was a very easy process from arriving at the centre, to getting changed, and getting on location. Ending in a little teepee with a fire was great and I loved getting a little info on Finnish traditions. Would definitely recommend this company.”
Join guide Justine, also listed as Justien, for a private seven-hour snowshoe or ski adventure from Rovaniemi. Choose an 8 to 15 km local hike or drive toward remote forests and Lappish fells for a shorter 4 to 8 km route, with animal tracks, fire skills, hot drinks, and a Finnish snack along the way.
“During our week in Rovaniemi this was one of the most impressive excursion.”
Leave Rovaniemi for a 3.5-hour backcountry ski outing with an English-speaking guide such as Guille. You’ll ski 90 to 120 minutes through deep snow, stop for hot drinks and a campfire snack, and search for the Northern Lights far from city lights.
“We hadden de tour met onze gids Guille. Het was een fantastische ervaring. Hij nam ons mee naar een magische plek, diep in de bossen van de stad vandaan. Echt winter wonderland met witte besneeuwde bomen en geen geluid van de stad. 90 minuten totaal geskied en halverwege leerde hij ons om zelf vuur te maken met spullen uit de natuur. Heerlijk genoten van wat te eten en drinken. Ondanks dat we niet het noorderlicht hebben kunnen zien vanwege de bewolking was het een geweldige excursie en zou ik zeker iedereen aanraden!! We hebben enorm genoten van de mooie natuur en de gezelligheid met de gids(en) en het naar beneden…”
Pick a town, a machine, or a fire to sit beside.
