Lapland for the Polar Night, + Austria and France

[offshore171]

What sort of clothing/cold weather gear were you packing for this trip? I’d like to do something like this but would have no experience on what is the right clothing to take.

That's a great question. Since we had planned to do a bit of skiing, we used our ski gear.

However dedicated ski gear isn't really required. I would suggest as follows.

Basically layers:

From the skin outwards start with:

1) a long sleeved and long legged set of thermal underwear layer made of merino or polypro and never cotton. (Uniqlo is great for these and not too expensive)

2) A fleece jacket

3) A ski jacket or down puffer and ideally ski pants (you can hire these in the village if you dont have them)

4) A beanie on your head, and some ski gloves. A scarf is also useful.

5) Feet: Moonboots, apres ski boots or similar insulated snow/ice footwear. Can be hired in the village.

If it's super cold you can add layers between 1 and 3.

Also - the tour operators in the village that take you to visit the various attractions provide optional "jumpsuits". These are basically one piece insulated goretex jumpsuits that you wear over your other layers.

A lot of the English visitors went for these since they weren't doing any skiing activities and didn't have the gear. You can see these suits below:

 

[TheThunderer]

Wow I'm really enjoying reading about your trip and thanks for sharing. One question I had was how did you book the sleight rides with Huskys and Reindeer? Booked prior to going or can be booked on arrival when you get there

 

[offshore171]

Wow I'm really enjoying reading about your trip and thanks for sharing. One question I had was how did you book the sleight rides with Huskys and Reindeer? Booked prior to going or can be booked on arrival when you get there

These can be easily booked while you are there on the ground.

Via the website:

Levi activities & things to do | Levi

Enjoy Levi experiences all year round! Find out what to do in Levi and get inspiration from a wide range of fun activities for the whole family!

www.levi.fi

Or just walk in to the “Safari Market” in the village (tour operator)

https://www.scandinavian-travel-group.com/destinations/levi

Map link Scandinavian Travel Group, Levi Finland · Sirkka

 

[offshore171]

We arrive in Helsinki in the later afternoon and make our way to the hotel

Our digs for the next few days: the Hotel U14, a smallish hotel near the waterfront. Everything in Helsinki is pretty walkable, so it doesn't matter too much where you stay, within reason

HOTEL U14 - 2025 Prices & Reviews (Helsinki, Finland) - Photos of Hotel - Tripadvisor

Book Hotel U14, Helsinki on Tripadvisor: See 134 traveller reviews, 226 photos, and cheap rates for Hotel U14, ranked #17 of 70 hotels in Helsinki and rated 4 of 5 at Tripadvisor.

www.tripadvisor.com.au

Weatherwise, we have a clear sky, full moon, snow on the ground and relatively mild temperatures of around -2

We make our way to the xmas markets to check out the scene. These are held in front of the main cathedral.


Hotel foyer and bar

 

[offshore171]

Ice Hockey is a massive sport in Finland. The national completion is called the Liiga.

There was a match on during our stay in Helsinki so I got some tickets. It was between the local Helsinki team "IFK" and Vaasan Sport, from the city of Vaasa.

None of us had ever seen a game of Hockey before, but I figured it would be a bit of a spectacle, and "When in Rome" as the saying goes...

It turned out to be a cracking evening.

A happy and lively crowd of 7000 at a great venue: Helsinki Ice Hall.

Knowing almost nothing about the sport, we figured we would back the home team. It was 2-2 at full time and went into a shootout. "Our" team won!

Just a terrific experience.

 

[Wanderlust_tim]

Ice Hockey is a massive sport in Finland. The national completion is called the Liiga.

There was a match on during our stay in Helsinki so I got some tickets. It was between the local Helsinki team "IFK" and Vaasan Sport, from the city of Vaasa.

None of us had ever seen a game of Hockey before, but I figured it would be a bit of a spectacle, and "When in Rome" as the saying goes...

It turned out to be a cracking evening.

A happy and lively crowd of 7000 at a great venue: Helsinki Ice Hall.

Knowing almost nothing about the sport, we figured we would back the home team. It was 2-2 at full time and went into a shootout. "Our" team won!

Just a terrific experience.
View attachment 430116

Not to hijack your story, but it reminds me of my first ever trip to Helsinki in 2009. I did the same thing. It was a great night out, only made better by the Finnish man next to me telling me he was a diehard Geelong Cats fan (thanks ESPN for those late night tapings of matches in the 80's and 90's).

 

[offshore171]

I did the same thing. It was a great night out, only made better by the Finnish man next to me telling me he was a diehard Geelong Cats fan (thanks ESPN for those late night tapings of matches in the 80's and 90's).

Haha, classic. I believe afl developed a following amongst night owls in the USA in that era also due to the late night ESPN broadcasts.