Day 7 in the Bible is meant to be a day of rest so I will take note and follow. I slept in from my evening of snowmobiling and had a cup of coffee and prepped for my day. I always leave my last day (or half a day) as a catch up day to go back and do things I missed, eat, or drink coffee at a cafe and soak up the culture.
I bummed around town and adventured through the local shops, went for a nice cold snowy walk and then headed to the museums right by the river since several people had recommended I visit them while in town. They have two museums right next to each other Arktikum and Pilke. Arktikum is a science center and museum that tells all about the Finnish culture, the Arctic circle, lots of exhibits and all of it had an English translation. I do recommend buying the culture pass (25 euros) which gets you into Arktikum Science Centre and Museum, Korundi House of Culture and Science Centre Pilke and the pass is good for seven days with as many visits as you like to each one. Pilke is more of a hands on science center for kids but has a great gift shop and fun toys to play with. I really enjoyed visiting Korundi and looking around at the different artwork. All of the museums had gift shops and a nice little cafe to enjoy a coffee or snack.
I really recommend bumming around the town centre for half a day or all day! It’s all in walking distance and something to find on every corner. My VRBO was not far from town, maybe 3-4 blocks away and was the perfect location to all public transportation needs, restaurants, shops and excursion drop offs.
Restaurant recommendations in Rovaniemi:
Amarillo-great drinks and Tex mex food
Roka-great wine, cheese and tapas
Hemingways-nice pub right in the square to people watch
Oluthoune-hole in the wall pub, very clean and good drinks
Restaurant Nili-Best Finnish food in town. Make sure to make reservations.
Don’t leave for Finland without the following:
Bring two converters (F) for back up and to charge you backup battery
Back up battery
Warm scarf
Head covering to keep you warm!
Mittens and gloves
Hand and feet warmers
I would rent winter gear in town, but all of the excursions include them in the price
Thermals
Chap stick
Water bottle to fill and save $$
Wool socks
Hairbrush travel size-long hair gets craazy and tangled with activities and for saunas
Wear she’ll clothes a few times (ski pants and jackets)
Protein bars to snack on
No cash needed, card is fine everywhere, even the bus and taxi
Waterproof boots
Buy whatever souvenir you like and don’t worry about looking for the cheaper items, they are all about the same price. Not a lot of options for tshirts or sweatshirts
Options for souvenirs
-Xmas ornaments
-liquor small size
-cloudberry
-reindeer jerky
*If you have kids rent a sled
**Book ahead of time any excursions, maybe a week out
If you think you need a lot of clothes think again, just layer it up and carry small luggage
Swimsuit
Plastic grocery bags for wet swimsuits
Remember to slow down and enjoy your meals. If you are in a hurry don’t go to a sit down restaurant just grab take out, it’s more leisurely when you eat in Europe and meant to be enjoyed.
The Finnish seem to have that hard outer shell like an m&m, then you crack it open and they are quite friendly and very helpful. A smile goes a long way in Europe. As well as asking for help when you need it. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable, you are learning their culture and navigating a new country.