Our trip to Lapland by car in February.
The purpose of our trip to Lapland? To visit Aura's family and friends. We also expect to see Santa. The real Santa, of course!
Fact: The winter season lasts around 200 days in Finnish Lapland. In Southern Finland where we live, 100 days. -If ya like winter? -Spend time in Lapland
See our trip to Lapland route in Google Maps, plus here is a recommended road route by Michelin(only showing the one-way route from Vesilahti to Rovaniemi).
The most recommended route is NOT the one we took. I just typed in Seinäjoki into the navigational device and let It show us the way to drive.
There is nothing attractive about driving in poor weather conditions -Miserable! It's the end of February in Finland, and the truth is...it can look just like in the pic. I get to drive... Ughh!
We begin our trip to Lapland driving from Tampere, the second most touristy city in Finland.
The smart traveller checks the weather forecast before driving from the south to the north of Finland.
March in Finland is when there is still good cross-country skiing weather. But the temperatures may go above zero, and that means the snow may begin to melt so road conditions...bad!
Temperatures in November and December in Finland are often colder than in January/February. If you like moderate winter weather in Finland, then come in February and March.
When you're driving between Tampere and Seinäjoki and the idea of freshly smoked fish seems attractive, this is where you should stop:
Tampere --> Seinäjoki --> Oulu.
We leave Tampere at 10.00 am, driving on Kuru road Kurutie to route 66, (just like rt. 66 in the U.S.A.) to Seinäjoki, then Seinäjoki direction Uusikaarlepyy then toward Sievi, destination Oulu, where we stay the night at Sini's (Aura's younger sis.)
We arrive in Seinäjoki, break for an hour and a half, then drive toward Oulu. We are in Oulu at 8 pm, stopping a few times along the way for the occasional food/potty break. Eight hours drive time from Tampere to Oulu.
Tip: Take a trip to Lapland in February. Why? Days are longer and you get to enjoy more hours of daylight.
Mid to low budget travel.
Our trip to Lapland fits the backpacker/student or family travel vacation category. We´ll see sights in and around Oulu, Rovaniemi, and Kuusamo, and spend less than 500 euros in five days. We'll choose our own tourist attractions, and stay in Finnish homes.
A more costly option to traveling to Lapland. Book a travel package. Take the car train a Finnish train for transporting your car from Helsinki or Tampere all the way up to Rovaniemi.
Pre-order all the other activiites you want to do like: Snowmobiling, Sledding, Toboganning, Visiting Santa's Village etc. Warning: All Finnish schools have a one-week skiing holiday some time in February, so if you're looking to travel then, you MUST reserve the car train months in advance!
Advantages: No need to drive, get guided tours, transport your vehicle in a comfortable night train where you can sleep on the train, stay at 2 star hotels. Approximate cost = 3000 euros for a family of four.
Our 5 day trip to Lapland schedule:
- Night 1, at Sini's appartment in Oulu.
- Nights 2 and 3, accommodation at a friend´s
place
in Rovaniemi in their three bedroom
house.
- Night 4, we are at Ahti´s duplex in Kuusamo. We drive from Kuusamo back to south-west Finland during the night. (Tomi and Rosa sleep in the car).
The weather is still ugghh. Grey skies, the snow is melting, and visibility is limited. So if you care to see Finnish Lapland's nature at its best, you want to avoid these driving conditions.
Only 100 kilometers from Oulu
Safety Recommendation: Under
wet/slushy driving conditions in Finland.
Be sure to always take enough windshield cleaner liquid
tuulilasipesuneste
with you. Buy large quantities of windshield washer
liquid beforehand, and store it in the car, so you don't have to stop
and
buy smaller, more expensive, containers.
Any time you park your car, or whenever you are not
driving your vehicle and the weather is +/- zero. If you know that
the temperatures could possibly move to zero or
below, it's always good to raise your
windshield wipers away from the windows.
This keeps the snow/ice off of the wipers and
saves you from tearing the rubber of the wipers. Saves money in the
long run too, as you're saved from the hassle of always having to
change your windswhield wipers of
your vehicle.
Half way through Finland - on our trip to Lapland.
To give you an idea of traveling distances. After traveling for 8 hours, we are amost at the half-way mark, or the middle of Finland. If we keep traveling north from Oulu, we'll need to drive another 8 to 10 hours in order to hit the northern-most part of Finland.
Oulu has around 122,000 inhabitants, so if you want to get a glimpse of a small metropolitan city before entering the Lapp area of Finland, this is your last chance to get a taste of the atmosphere of a large Finnish city. After driving further north on our trip to Lapland, the landscape scenery changes quite dramatically.
The best things are always free, like the Hupisaari Park Hupisaarten kaupunginpuisto in the summertime. Sini (In the pic. with the red jacket) recommends it! She says: This is an attractive park. I especially enjoy the many small streams running through it.
Bridge downtown Oulu at the Hupisaari island
There are ducks, a playground for children and a nice place to eat a picnic lunch, and near that area, if the weather conditions are unfavorable, a block or two walking distance away is the Nahkatehtaankatu Shop for fresh foods and articles from local producers in Oulu. The Market place Kauppatori in Oulu is where you can try some local food specialties.
Quick Finnish lesson while on our trip to Lapland: Remember that a Kauppatori is a Market Place or market area, and a Kauppahalli is an indoor food market. Like the one that we are about to go in here...
Kauppahalli indoor food market in Oulu
After entering the building this is what we see...
...special hot/cold mini pillows Lämpö/Kylmä Tyyny relieves head and shoulder aches.
Also...find...Finnish Handycraft creations by locals.
Boo. I am a reindeer. Shop for felt antlers at Kaupahalli.
Fresh fish in Oulu. Rosa spots some at one of the Kauppahalli displays. What really catches her attention...The one euro coin to her left of the basket, on the counter-top.
At Kauppahalli find fresh local cheeses. There is also a Japanese sushi bar.
They have the reputation of having the best rice pudding in Oulu right here.
Now we are on our way out of Kauppahalli. This is one of few indoor fresh food markets in Finland where you can see reindeer inside!
-Our trip to Lapland continues-
Walking through the downtown area we see Oulu...
City of Oulu downtown -Top of the Oulu City hall twin towers.
Prepare yourself for road safety...and a topography lesson during this trip to Lapland.
Reindeer caution sign
What makes Lapland cool. The road-signs! This reindeer caution triangle makes it appear like... Hey, are you for real?
Information on the landscape/surface of Lapland: The map of Finland(left), from the top picture is educational. The top black area represents Finnish Lapland, the bottom, the south, below the arctic circle. When you cross the divider you notice the change in landscape.
Generally, comparing Lapland to Southern Finland...
- The
wood density of trees which grow in Lapland are higher than in
the southern part of Finland. The trees in northern Finland take longer
to grow. The wood is also of high quality.
- The wooded landscape above the arctic circle is marked by pine tree forests, and trees are shorter.
Our route from Oulu to Rovaniemi takes us through the coastal city of Tornio, where there is an Ikea. (Shop for stylish nordic furniture.) Then we head inland, north-east toward our destination, Rovaniemi. Driving time = 4 to 5 hours. We arrive at our friend´s Halle place, a family with three children.
In Rovaniemi -We stay in this house for two nights.
Finnish family house in Rovaniemi
Our free accommodations -Pics. of what the inside of a few typical Finnish homes are like. It's customary to bring a gift when you arrive on a visit to friends here in Finland.
In the morning we are ready to drive to the Santa Claus Village, after brushing off the soft snow and scraping the windshield. A prime time when a soft car cover would have come in handy. No need to scrape the ice off like we are doing. The trick is remembering to put it on the previous evening!
Getting our car prepared to drive
Downtown Rovaniemi...
...is very compact. You can shop in different speciality stores and also on the main pedestrian street, Rova street Rovakatu. Find shops like Gina Tricot and Aleksi 13.
Our trip to Lapland activities: After visiting Santa Claus, and his village. we eat lunch at Kylli's, who is studying in Rovaniemi. The kids go sledding, then for a swim and sauna. The next morning...
...from Rovaniemi we drive towards Kuusamo. Driving along, to either sides we see small hills along the way .
Between Rovaniemi and Kuusamo we travel through a small town called Posio, in which the average snowfall per year is up to 90 centimeters. This is high average for Finland, probably why the Kuusamo ski region gurantees snow every year.
For Finnish design, there is the Pentik factory shop in Posio. Pentik was begun in 1970, built up, and made famous by its founder Anu Pentik.
Pentik begun in Posio, where the Pentik family moved to(not away from, like the rest of Posio's inhabitants), during a rather economically dry period of Finnish history. This business started off producing ceramics and leather crafts.
In Kuusamo
Driving from Rovaniemi to Kuusamo, once we are in Kuusamo there is a delightful rest stop information center called "Bear's Paw" Karhuntassu located at the cross road/round-about between Road 20 Ouluntie and the E65. Address: Torangintaival 2, 93600 Kuusamo.
This is a tourist center for finding everything you need in Kuusamo, including bookings. Enjoy photography of the area and sit and drink coffee or tea at the café.
At Karhuntassu there are maps of the Kuusamo area, and a fun playground for children.
Things to see and do in Kuusamo.
- Downhill skiing,
snowboarding, snow-shoe
hiking in a ski resort called Ruka.
- Go trekking at Karhunkierros, a 70
kilometer course.
- See Julma-Ölkky, an 11 km deep lake, they have never found the the bottom.
Our family trip to Lapland is almost over.
In Kuusamo there is the Uistin lure factory shop. Plus great places to fish for Salmon. It is the beginning of March in Finland. Snow is falling across the country.
After our overnight at Ahti's in Kuusamo, we drive back home to Tampere. Our route takes us through the
middle of Finland Suomen keskipiste.
Then we drive past the oldest metal mine in Finland, called Pyhäsalmi, and as of 2010, it is also the deepest mine in Europe.
Near to the mine at one of the rest stops is a place where you can have fun ringing all sorts of different bells collected here from around the world. Perhaps it would be better to visit here in the summer time.
Our final stretch we went through Jyväskylä, Tampere and then Lempäälä where our family trip to Lapland ends in the wee hours of the morning.
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