Even when I lived in Bergen I drove up north every winter – which I probably should have taken as a sign that I didn’t actually want to be in southern Norway. I would make the 20+ hour journey north, and then cross over into Finland.
And again this year I was very excited to head into Finland. Yes, technically this road trip I’m on right now is all about finding a new place in Norway to call home, but I figured some time away from Norway might offer a new perspective!
After leaving Norway (I documented the first two months of my road trip in Norway here), I spent a couple of weeks in Sweden and then drove east into Finland. And wow was I excited to be back in Finland. I truly think Finland might have the most beautiful winter in the world, which might be surprising words coming from a Norwegian.
Another Norwegian might point out that anywhere could appear dazzling after two weeks in Sweden.
Because Finland is so flat, the winter light here is spectacular. Finnish winter is a pastel paradise. And the snow clings to the trees in the most beautiful way – I’m sorry, Norway, but Finland outdoes you here.
I ended up spending about a month in Finland (mid-January to mid-February), and my time there was certainly the highlight of my road trip to date.
And yes, I did begin to wonder if this means that I should consider leaving Norway and move to Finland. But part of what makes Finnish winter so special is that the rest of the year is… not as special.
For most of the year northern Finland is flat, empty, and full of mosquitos (I’m sorry if that sounds mean, but oh my god the mosquitos!!), but for three months of the year northern Finland transforms into the most beautiful place in the world. So I might limit my visits to northern Finland to January through March.
In fact last year I visited Finland in December and there wasn’t much snow yet, so I really need to stick to my own advice!
This was the coldest road trip I’ve taken, with temperatures down to -40 degrees. Starting my car in the mornings was often a struggle and always a stress, until finally one morning Hildur couldn’t start at all and I had to have someone come and jumpstart her battery.
And that’s when a Norwegian friend suggested I buy a small jump starter battery pack, which I then used to jump start my car several more times on very cold mornings. I could have avoided so much stress if I had bought it at the start of my trip, so if you’ll be driving in very cold weather and don’t have an engine heater in your car, I highly recommend getting one of these! I bought mine at a local gas station for 80 euros.
Because I’ve visited northern Finland so many times before, I really tried to fit some new places into this trip. I stayed a little farther south than I usually do and spent more time in smaller towns and villages – basically wherever I found a cosy looking cabin that allowed pets. And I ended up loving this road trip itinerary so much that I had to share it with you, including all of my favorite Finnish cabins.
Kemi
I first crossed into Finland from Luleå, Sweden and drove to Kemi. I made a brief stop at the SnowCastle Kemi, which is a park with a huge snow fort (worth visiting if you happen to be in Kemi, otherwise probably not) and then I drove on to stay at the Wanha Pappila Cottages in Simoniemi.
I don’t know if I was just really excited to be back in Finland, but I absolutely loved my stay here! The cottages are very cosy, and the owner was super friendly. And of course the bathroom had a little private sauna, because Finland. The breakfast here was also so good!
It’s a pretty random part of Finland so I’m not sure I’ll have reason to visit again, but if I’m ever in the area I would love to stay here again.
Hossa
I have really adored traveling through Russia in the past and since I can’t go back right now I instead got as close as possible by heading east all the way to the Finnish-Russian border.
I found this cute cabin in Hossa that had a jacuzzi, which seemed like a great idea before I knew how cold it would be when I was there. But it turns out you can sit in a jacuzzi in -35 degrees without immediately freezing solid! Getting out was a bit of a challenge, but I was able to warm up again in the sauna, because Finland.
This is another place that’s quite out of the way, but I’d say it’s absolutely worth visiting. Plus the drive here was stunning.
Kuusamo
After Hossa I drove north towards Kuusamo and spent a few days at Villa Kuiske, an enormous cabin that truly seemed to be in the middle of nowhere (also right on the border to Russia). One day I drove 45 minutes to the nearest supermarket without seeing another car, yet somehow all the roads were freshly plowed after the snowfall we had just gotten? Finland, I’m impressed.
This cabin is huge and I would love to return someday with a bunch of friends! And while I never met the owners, they were so kind and even offered to let me spend a few extra days here for free because they didn’t have any new bookings (I immediately screenshot their message and sent it to all my friends so we could swoon over how wonderful people can be).
Ruka
I had been wanting to return to Ruka ever since I first visited in 2018. Ruka has the most amazing snow covered trees (tykky) and it’s a popular ski destination. I stayed at the Ski-Inn Ruka Valley, and Alfie particularly enjoyed being able to watch the skiers from the window. Meanwhile I enjoyed that our room had a sauna and a bathtub.
It was so cold when I was here that I wasn’t tempted to go skiing, but I did take the gondola up to BASE Eat & Heat restaurant and sauna (I only went to the sauna section, but I’m sure the restaurant is great too!). You can book a table or sauna spot here.
Next time I visit I’d love to try the Ruka Coaster, but it was closed this time because of the extreme cold (I was relieved to hear that even Finns thought this January was incredibly cold).
Pelkosenniemi
I then stayed at another Ski-Inn a couple hours north in Pelkosenniemi, the Ski-Inn PyhäLinna. I mostly just stopped here because it was on my way to Kittilä, but I again enjoyed that my room had both a bathtub and sauna!
And there were some really lovely cross-country ski tracks behind the hotel that were totally empty, which was good news for me and Alfie because I do not have great control of the two of us when I’m on skis.
Kittilä
Kittilä was another highlight of this trip, mostly because we had strong northern lights every night, and I was staying right by a frozen lake, which was the perfect place to watch them from.
And of course I really enjoyed the sauna here too!
I loved Kittilä so much that I booked a few more days at another cabin in the area. I spent the first few days at this cabin, which was probably the nicest (and most expensive) place I stayed, and then the last few at this cabin an hour south in Vaattojärvi.
Pello
Pello was my last stop in Finland before driving back across the border into Luleå, Sweden again. Alfie and I stayed at this cottage by the river and I tried to get my fill of Karelian pies, cross-country skiing, sauna, and northern lights before leaving Finland.
I was so sad to leave Finland this time, but hopefully I can return again for another road trip next winter!
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