Finland · best-of list
11 Top Things to Do in Finland
All 11 things to do our route editors picked in Finland, across 3 destinations, gathered in one list. Each one is a stop on a route you can open and copy into a trip.
Our curated picks
11 things to do in Finland, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Helsinki 4 picks
Aleksanterinkatu Christmas Street
Helsinki · On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route
Helsinki's main shopping street, hung with Christmas lights every year since 1949.
Tip: The lights are switched on with a parade in late November.
Photo: Safa Hovinen · CC BY 2.0
Helsinki Cathedral
Helsinki · On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route
Carl Ludvig Engel's white neoclassical Lutheran cathedral, set at the top of a wide flight of steps over Senate Square.
Photo: Niera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Löyly
Helsinki · On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route
Public sauna and restaurant in a timber-clad building on the Hernesaari shore, with steps down into the Baltic.
Tip: Book a sauna slot online; towels are included.
Photo: Pekka Vyhtinen · CC BY 4.0
Uspenski Cathedral
Helsinki · On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route
Red-brick Orthodox cathedral on a rocky hill above the harbour, with gilded onion domes.
Photo: Sandun De Silva · CC BY-SA 4.0
Rovaniemi 4 picks
Arktikum
Rovaniemi · On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route
Science centre and Regional Museum of Lapland under a 172-metre glass gallery, covering Arctic nature, Sámi life and the northern lights.
Tip: On clear nights the riverbank behind the glass gallery is a good in-town aurora spot.
Photo: Pekka Koski · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lumberjack's Candle Bridge
Rovaniemi · On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route
Rovaniemi's landmark bridge over the Kemijoki, its pylon topped by a glowing lamp meant to recall a log-floater's candle.
Tip: Walk the riverside path from the town centre in the afternoon twilight.
Photo: Sadenäyttely · CC BY-SA 4.0
Santa Claus Village
Rovaniemi · On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route
Year-round Christmas village straddling the Arctic Circle, with Santa's office, reindeer rides and the painted Arctic Circle line.
Tip: Meeting Santa is free; arrive when it opens to avoid the queue that builds after the tour buses arrive.
Photo: Tom Corser · CC BY-SA 3.0SantaPark
Rovaniemi · On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route
Christmas theme park built inside a cave in Syväsenvaara hill, with an elf school, ice gallery and Santa's office.
Tip: It opens for the winter season from late November; check dates before planning a visit.
Saariselkä 3 picks
Holiday Club Saariselkä Spa
Saariselkä · On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route
Spa hotel in the village centre with indoor pools, slides and saunas open to day visitors.
Tip: A good fallback on cloudy nights or very cold days.
Kiilopää
Saariselkä · On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route
Fell centre run by the Finnish outdoor association Suomen Latu, with ski and snowshoe trails and a lakeside smoke sauna.
Tip: Check the smoke sauna's public days before you go.
Photo: Beasai · CC BY-SA 4.0Ski Saariselkä
Saariselkä · On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route
Floodlit downhill slopes and a sledding run on the sides of Kaunispää, a few minutes from the village.
Tip: Slopes are lit, so skiing works through the polar-night afternoons.
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the things to do in Finland?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 11 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of Finland has the most things to do on this list?
Helsinki and Rovaniemi lead with 4 each; the other picks are spread across 1 more destination.
Are any of these free?
4 picks on this list are marked free in our route notes: Aleksanterinkatu Christmas Street, Lumberjack's Candle Bridge, Helsinki Cathedral and Uspenski Cathedral. Check ahead, since parking or special exhibits can cost extra.
More lists for Finland
Top things to do nearby
Destinations on this list
- Helsinki 4 on this list
- Rovaniemi 4 on this list
- Saariselkä 3 on this list
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.